⁶ On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much

²¹ Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet^(A) for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.^{(B) 22} When the daughter of^[a] Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” ²³ And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”^(C)

⁵ In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.^(A)”

⁶ Gomer^(B) conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”),^(C) for I will no longer show love to Israel,^(D) that I should at all forgive them.

²⁰ Now the third day^(A) was Pharaoh’s birthday,^(B) and he gave a feast for all his officials.^(C) He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker^(D) in the presence of his officials:

¹⁹ But when John rebuked Herod^(A) the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done,

¹⁹ So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to,

¹⁷ For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison.^(A) He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married.

²⁴ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.^(A)

The Writing on the Wall

5 King Belshazzar^(A) gave a great banquet^(B) for a thousand of his nobles^(C) and drank wine with them. ² While Belshazzar was drinking^(D) his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets^(E) that Nebuchadnezzar his father^[a] had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines^(F) might drink from them.^{(G) 3} So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ As they drank the wine, they praised the gods^(H) of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.^(I)