¹⁰ The queen,^[a] because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, ^(A)“O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you ^(B)or your color change. ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom ^(C)in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.^[b] In the days of your father, ^(D)light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—^(E)made him chief of the magicians, ^(F)enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, ^12 (G)because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and ^(H)understanding ^(I)to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and ^(J)solve problems were found in this Daniel, ^(K)whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting

¹³ Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of ^(L)the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. ¹⁴ I have heard of you that ^(M)the spirit of the gods^[c] is in you, and that ^(N)light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. ¹⁵ Now ^(O)the wise men, the ^(P)enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but ^(Q)they could not show the interpretation of the matter. ^16 (R)But I have heard that you can give interpretations and ^(S)solve problems. ^(T)Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, ^(U)you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and ^(V)shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ^(W)“Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. ¹⁸ O king, the ^(X)Most High God ^(Y)gave ^(Z)Nebuchadnezzar your father ^(AA)kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. ¹⁹ And because of the greatness that he gave him, ^(AB)all peoples, nations, and languages ^(AC)trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. ²⁰ But ^(AD)when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, ^(AE)he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. ^21 (AF)He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, ^(AG)until he knew that the ^(AH)Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. ²² And you his son,^{[d] (AI)}Belshazzar, ^(AJ)have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, ²³ but you have lifted up yourself against ^(AK)the Lord of heaven. And ^(AL)the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. ^(AM)And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, ^(AN)but the God in whose hand is your breath, and ^(AO)whose are all your ways, ^(AP)you have not honored.

²⁴ “Then from his presence ^(AQ)the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. ²⁵ And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. ²⁶ This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered^[e] the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; ²⁷ Tekel, ^(AR)you have been weighed^[f] in the balances and found wanting; ²⁸ Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to ^(AS)the Medes and ^(AT)Persians.”^[g]

²⁹ Then ^(AU)Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel ^(AV)was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

^30 (AW)That very night ^(AX)Belshazzar the ^(AY)Chaldean king was killed. ^31 [h] And ^(AZ)Darius ^(BA)the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Daniel and the Lions' Den

6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom ^(BB)120 ^(BC)satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; ² and over them ^(BD)three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these ^(BE)satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. ³ Then this Daniel became ^(BF)distinguished above all ^(BG)the other high officials and ^(BH)satraps, because ^(BI)an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned ^(BJ)to set him over the whole kingdom. ⁴ Then ^(BK)the high officials and ^(BL)the satraps ^(BM)sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, ^(BN)but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, ^(BO)and no error or fault was found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

⁶ Then these ^(BP)high officials and ^(BQ)satraps came by agreement^[i] to the king and said to him, “O ^(BR)King Darius, live forever! ⁷ All the ^(BS)high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the ^(BT)counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an ^(BU)injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁸ Now, O king, establish ^(BV)the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to ^(BW)the law of ^(BX)the Medes and the Persians, ^(BY)which cannot be revoked.” ⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the document and ^(BZ)injunction.

Greeting

¹ Jude, a servant^[a] of Jesus Christ and brother of James,

^(A)To those who are called, ^(B)beloved in God the Father and ^(C)kept for^[b] Jesus Christ:

² May ^(D)mercy, ^(E)peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Judgment on False Teachers

³ Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our ^(F)common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you ^(G)to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴ For ^(H)certain people ^(I)have crept in unnoticed ^(J)who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert ^(K)the grace of our God into sensuality and ^(L)deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

⁵ Now I want ^(M)to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that ^(N)Jesus, who saved^[c] a people out of the land of Egypt, ^(O)afterward destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ And ^(P)the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— ⁷ just as ^(Q)Sodom and Gomorrah and ^(R)the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and ^(S)pursued unnatural desire,^[d] serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

⁸ Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and ^(T)blaspheme the glorious ones. ⁹ But when ^(U)the archangel ^(V)Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing ^(W)about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ^(X)“The Lord rebuke you.” ^10 (Y)But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. ¹¹ Woe to them! For they walked in ^(Z)the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain ^(AA)to Balaam's error and ^(AB)perished in Korah's rebellion. ¹² These are hidden reefs^{[e] (AC)}at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, ^(AD)shepherds feeding themselves; ^(AE)waterless clouds, ^(AF)swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, ^(AG)uprooted; ^13 (AH)wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of ^(AI)their own shame; ^(AJ)wandering stars, ^(AK)for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.

¹⁴ It was also about these that Enoch, ^(AL)the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, ^(AM)“Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, ^15 (AN)to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have ^(AO)committed in such an ungodly way, and of all ^(AP)the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” ¹⁶ These are grumblers, malcontents, ^(AQ)following their own sinful desires; ^(AR)they are loud-mouthed boasters, ^(AS)showing favoritism to gain advantage.

A Call to Persevere

¹⁷ But you must ^(AT)remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ They^[f] said to you, ^(AU)“In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” ¹⁹ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, ^(AV)devoid of the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, beloved, ^(AW)building yourselves up in your most holy faith and ^(AX)praying in the Holy Spirit, ^21 (AY)keep yourselves in the love of God, ^(AZ)waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. ²² And have mercy on those who doubt; ²³ save others by ^(BA)snatching them out of ^(BB)the fire; to others show mercy ^(BC)with fear, hating even ^(BD)the garment^[g] stained by the flesh.

Doxology

^24 (BE)Now to him who is able ^(BF)to keep you from stumbling and ^(BG)to present you ^(BH)blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵ to ^(BI)the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, ^(BJ)be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time^[h] and now and forever. Amen.