⁵ Suddenly the fingers of a human hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. ⁶ Then the king’s ^[a](A)face became pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his ^(B)hip joints ^[b]loosened and his ^(C)knees began knocking together. ⁷ The king called aloud to bring in the ^(D)sorcerers, the ^[c]Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king began speaking and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Anyone who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be ^(E)clothed with purple and have a ^(F)necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as ^(G)third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^(H)they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^(I)alarmed, his ^[d](J)face grew even more pale, and his nobles were perplexed.

¹⁰ The queen entered the banquet ^[e]hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen began to speak and said, “^(K)O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your ^[f]face be pale. ¹¹ There is a ^(L)man in your kingdom in whom is ^[g]a ^(M)spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father ^[h](N)the king—appointed him chief of the soothsayer priests, sorcerers, Chaldeans, and diviners. ¹² This was because an ^(O)extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of riddles, and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named ^(P)Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”

²² Yet you, his ^[a]son, Belshazzar, have ^(A)not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, ²³ but you have ^(B)risen up against the ^(C)Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have been drinking wine out of them; and you have praised the ^(D)gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, nor hear, nor understand. But the God ^(E)in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ^(F)ways, you have not glorified. ²⁴ Then the ^[b](G)hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.

²⁵ “Now this is the inscription that was written:

²⁶ This is the interpretation of the ^[g]message: ‘Menē’—God has numbered your kingdom and ^(H)put an end to it. ²⁷ ‘Tekēl’—you have been ^(I)weighed on the scales and found deficient. ²⁸ ‘^[h]Perēs’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the ^(J)Medes and ^[i]Persians.”

²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they ^(K)clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ That same night ^(L)Belshazzar the Chaldean king was ^(M)killed.