Historical

Belshazzar’s Banquet^[a]

Chapter 5

The Writing on the Wall. ¹ King Belshazzar hosted a magnificent banquet for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in their presence. ² Under the influence of the wine, he gave orders that the gold and silver vessels that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem were to be brought in so that the king, his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.

³ Therefore, the gold and silver vessels that had been removed from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, were brought in, and the king, his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ They drank their wine and praised their gods of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone.

⁵ Suddenly, the fingers of a human hand appeared and began to write on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace next to the lampstand, and the king watched the hand as it wrote. ⁶ Then the king turned pale, and his thoughts terrified him. His legs grew limp, and his knees began to knock.

⁷ Then the king shouted aloud, ordering the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers to be brought in. When they entered, he addressed the wise men of Babylon and said, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me its interpretation shall be clothed in purple, wear a gold chain around his neck, and rank third in the government of the kingdom.”

⁸ However, none of the king’s wise men could either read the writing or explain to the king what it meant. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar became greatly terrified. His face grew even more pale, and his lords were in a state of confusion.

¹⁰ When the queen heard the commotion made by the king and his lords, she came into the banqueting hall and said, “May Your Majesty live forever. Do not let your thoughts terrify you. Why should you look so pale? ¹¹ In your kingdom there is a man who has within him the Spirit of the holy God. During your father’s lifetime this man was renowned for his enlightenment, insight, and godlike wisdom, and to such a degree that King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, appointed him as chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners.

¹² “Therefore, since this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has a keen mind, and is endowed with knowledge and understanding and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems, summon him. He will be able to give you the interpretation you seek.”

¹³ Then Daniel was brought into the king’s presence. The king said to him, “Are you the Daniel who was one of the Jewish exiles that my father the king brought from Judah? ¹⁴ I have been told that the Spirit of God is in you, and that you are renowned for your knowledge, understanding, and exceptional wisdom.

¹⁵ “Now the wise men and the enchanters have been brought in to me to read this writing and reveal its meaning to me, but they have been unable to interpret it. ¹⁶ Yet I have been told that you can give interpretations and solve problems. If you are able to read this writing and make known its interpretation, you shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around your neck, and rank third in the government of the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Daniel Explains the Writing. Then Daniel replied to the king, “Your Majesty, keep the gifts for yourself or give them to someone else. However, I will read the writing to Your Majesty and make known to you its interpretation.

¹⁸ “O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom with power, glory, and majesty. ¹⁹ He made him so powerful that the nations and peoples of every language trembled with fear before him. He killed those whom he wished to kill; he spared those whom he wished to spare; he honored those whom he wished to honor, and he degraded those whom he wished to degrade.

²⁰ “However, when his heart became filled with pride and his spirit became hardened with arrogance, he was deposed from his kingly throne and stripped of his glory. ²¹ He was banished from human society, and his mind became like that of an animal. He was forced to live with the wild asses, he fed on grass like oxen, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God has sovereignty over the kingdom of men and appoints whomever he wishes to rule it.

²² “Even though you, Belshazzar, his son, were aware of all this, you did not humble your heart. ²³ You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You ordered the vessels of his temple to be brought to you, and you, your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have drunk your wine from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor have intelligence. But you have not glorified the God in whose hands are your breath of life and the entire course of your life.

²⁴ “That is why he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. ²⁵ The words inscribed are Mene, Tekel, and Peres.^[b] This is what the words mean:

²⁶ “Mene: God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.

²⁷ “Tekel: you have been weighed on the scales and been found wanting.

²⁸ “Peres: your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

²⁹ Then, at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, with a gold chain around his neck, and a proclamation was made declaring that Daniel would rank third in the government of the kingdom.

³⁰ On that very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was slain.

Daniel in the Lions’ Den^[c]

Chapter 6

The Plot against Daniel. ¹ Darius the Mede succeeded Belshazzar as king, at the age of sixty-two. ² It pleased Darius to appoint one hundred and twenty satraps to rule throughout his kingdom.^{[d] 3} Over them he designated three administrators, including Daniel, to whom the satraps were to be accountable. In this way the king’s interests were to be safeguarded.

⁴ Daniel quickly became recognized as superior to the other administrators and satraps because of his exceptional qualities, and the king decided to place him in charge of the entire kingdom. ⁵ Therefore, the administrators and the satraps tried to find some grounds upon which they could bring charges against Daniel. But they could find no basis for complaint or the slightest evidence of corruption on his part, because he was so faithful in performing his duties that there was no possibility of charging him with negligence or corruption. ⁶ Therefore, they concluded, “We shall never find any basis to lodge a complaint against Daniel unless it is in connection with his God.”

⁷ As a result, these administrators and satraps conspired together, and then they came in a group to the king, saying, “May King Darius live forever! ⁸ All of us, the ministers of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, are unanimous in our belief that the king should issue an edict and enforce a decree that whoever presents a petition to anyone, whether divine or human, during the next thirty days, other than to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions. ⁹ We ask that Your Majesty ratify this edict immediately and sign the document, thereby making it unalterable, for the law of the Medes and the Persians cannot be revoked.” ¹⁰ Therefore, King Darius signed the document, thereby establishing its contents as a law.

¹¹ Daniel Continues To Pray. Even after Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he continued his custom of retiring to his house, in which the windows in the upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he fell to his knees, praying to God and giving him thanks, as he had always done.^{[e] 12} The conspirators, who were ever on the watch, broke into his room and found Daniel praying and pleading with God.

¹³ The conspirators were then granted an audience with the king during which they reminded him of the royal edict. “Your Majesty,” they said, “did you not sign a decree forbidding anyone for the next thirty days to present a petition to anyone, divine or human, except to you, O king, under the penalty of being thrown into the lions’ den?” The king replied, “The decree stands, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” ¹⁴ Then they said to the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, has totally disregarded both you, O king, and the decree you signed. He continues to offer his prayer three times a day.”

¹⁵ When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed, and he became determined to save Daniel. Until sunset he made every effort possible to rescue him. ¹⁶ Meanwhile, the conspirators continued to press the king in this matter, saying, “Your Majesty surely must know that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or decree can be changed once it has been issued by the king.”

¹⁷ Daniel Thrown into the Lions’ Den. Finally the king ordered Daniel to be brought forth and thrown into the den of lions, after first having said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you.” ¹⁸ A stone was then brought forward and placed over the mouth of the pit. The king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles to forestall any tampering in an attempt to rescue Daniel.

¹⁹ Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night in fasting. He refused to receive any concubines into his chamber and found himself unable to sleep. ²⁰ At the first light of dawn he stood up and hurried to the lions’ den. ²¹ As he drew near, he cried out sorrowfully to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve so faithfully, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

²² Daniel answered the king, “May Your Majesty live forever! ²³ My God sent his angel to seal the lions’ jaws, and they were not able to harm me, because I was judged blameless before him. Nor have I done any harm to you, O king.”

²⁴ The king was overcome with great joy, and he ordered that Daniel be taken up out of the lions’ den. Therefore, Daniel was released from the den, and he was completely unhurt, because he had trusted in his God. ²⁵ The king then commanded that the men who had accused Daniel were to be thrown into the lions’ den, together with their wives and their children. Before they reached the bottom of the pit, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

²⁶ The King’s Profession of Faith. Then King Darius wrote to the nations and peoples of every language throughout the entire world, “May your property increase. ²⁷ I decree that throughout my royal domain everyone is to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel:

²⁹ Therefore, Daniel flourished during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.