Daniel 5:4-6:22

English Standard Version

⁴ They drank wine and ^(A)praised the ^(B)gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

^5 (C)Immediately ^(D)the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw ^(E)the hand as it wrote. ^6 (F)Then the king's color changed, ^(G)and his thoughts alarmed him; ^(H)his limbs gave way, and ^(I)his knees knocked together. ^7 (J)The king called loudly to bring in ^(K)the enchanters, the ^(L)Chaldeans, and ^(M)the astrologers. The king declared^[a] to the wise men of Babylon, ^(N)“Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and ^(O)shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸ Then all the king's wise men came in, but ^(P)they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^(Q)alarmed, and his ^(R)color changed, and his ^(S)lords were perplexed.

¹⁰ The queen,^[b] because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, ^(T)“O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you ^(U)or your color change. ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom ^(V)in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.^[c] In the days of your father, ^(W)light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—^(X)made him chief of the magicians, ^(Y)enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, ^12 (Z)because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and ^(AA)understanding ^(AB)to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and ^(AC)solve problems were found in this Daniel, ^(AD)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 ^(AE)the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. ¹⁴ I have heard of you that ^(AF)the spirit of the gods^[d] is in you, and that ^(AG)light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. ¹⁵ Now ^(AH)the wise men, the ^(AI)enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but ^(AJ)they could not show the interpretation of the matter. ^16 (AK)But I have heard that you can give interpretations and ^(AL)solve problems. ^(AM)Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, ^(AN)you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and ^(AO)shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ^(AP)“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 ^(AQ)Most High God ^(AR)gave ^(AS)Nebuchadnezzar your father ^(AT)kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. ¹⁹ And because of the greatness that he gave him, ^(AU)all peoples, nations, and languages ^(AV)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 ^(AW)when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, ^(AX)he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. ^21 (AY)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, ^(AZ)until he knew that the ^(BA)Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. ²² And you his son,^{[e] (BB)}Belshazzar, ^(BC)have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, ²³ but you have lifted up yourself against ^(BD)the Lord of heaven. And ^(BE)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. ^(BF)And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, ^(BG)but the God in whose hand is your breath, and ^(BH)whose are all your ways, ^(BI)you have not honored.

²⁴ “Then from his presence ^(BJ)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^[f] the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; ²⁷ Tekel, ^(BK)you have been weighed^[g] in the balances and found wanting; ²⁸ Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to ^(BL)the Medes and ^(BM)Persians.”^[h]

²⁹ Then ^(BN)Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel ^(BO)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 (BP)That very night ^(BQ)Belshazzar the ^(BR)Chaldean king was killed. ^31 [i] And ^(BS)Darius ^(BT)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 ^(BU)120 ^(BV)satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; ² and over them ^(BW)three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these ^(BX)satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. ³ Then this Daniel became ^(BY)distinguished above all ^(BZ)the other high officials and ^(CA)satraps, because ^(CB)an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned ^(CC)to set him over the whole kingdom. ⁴ Then ^(CD)the high officials and ^(CE)the satraps ^(CF)sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, ^(CG)but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, ^(CH)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 ^(CI)high officials and ^(CJ)satraps came by agreement^[j] to the king and said to him, “O ^(CK)King Darius, live forever! ⁷ All the ^(CL)high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the ^(CM)counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an ^(CN)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 ^(CO)the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to ^(CP)the law of ^(CQ)the Medes and the Persians, ^(CR)which cannot be revoked.” ⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the document and ^(CS)injunction.

¹⁰ When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where ^(CT)he had windows in his upper chamber open ^(CU)toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees ^(CV)three times a day and prayed and ^(CW)gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. ¹¹ Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. ¹² Then they ^(CX)came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign ^(CY)an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of ^(CZ)the Medes and Persians, ^(DA)which cannot be revoked.” ¹³ Then they answered and said before the king, ^(DB)“Daniel, who is one ^(DC)of the exiles ^(DD)from Judah, ^(DE)pays no attention to you, O king, or ^(DF)the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition ^(DG)three times a day.”

¹⁴ Then ^(DH)the king, when he heard these words, ^(DI)was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. ¹⁵ Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no ^(DJ)injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

¹⁶ Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared^[k] to Daniel, “May ^(DK)your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” ^17 (DL)And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, ^(DM)and the king sealed it ^(DN)with his own signet and with the signet of his ^(DO)lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. ¹⁸ Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; ^(DP)no diversions were brought to him, and ^(DQ)sleep fled from him.

¹⁹ Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰ As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of ^(DR)the living God, ^(DS)has your God, whom you serve continually, ^(DT)been able to deliver you from the lions?” ²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, ^(DU)“O king, live forever! ²² My God ^(DV)sent his angel ^(DW)and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless ^(DX)before him; ^(DY)and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”