Historical

Belshazzar’s Feast

5 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine before the thousand. ² While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring in the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king, and his officials, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. ³ Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem. And the king and his officials, his wives and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of bronze, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

The Writing on the Wall

⁵ Immediately fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace. And the king saw the back of the hand that wrote. ⁶ Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees struck against one another.

⁷ The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever shall read this writing and show me its interpretation shall be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

⁸ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king its interpretation. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his nobles were astonished.

¹⁰ Now the queen came into the banquet house because of the words of the king and his nobles. And the queen spoke and said, “O king, live forever. Do not let your thoughts trouble you, or let your countenance be changed. ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And, in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, made him master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. ¹² Inasmuch as an excellent spirit and knowledge and understanding, interpreting dreams and explanation of enigmas and solving of problems, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets the Writing

¹³ Then Daniel was brought in before the king. And the king spoke and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the sons of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah? ¹⁴ Now I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you; and that light, and understanding, and excellent wisdom have been found in you. ¹⁵ Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the matter. ¹⁶ And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing, and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, or give your rewards to another. Yet I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.

¹⁸ “O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty and glory and honor. ¹⁹ And for the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he slaughtered, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he set up, and whom he would, he put down. ²⁰ But when his heart was lifted up and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne and they took his glory from him. ²¹ And he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the animals, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven until he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and that He appoints over it whomever He wills.

²² “Yet you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this; ²³ but have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine in them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know. And the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not glorified. ²⁴ Then the hand was sent from Him, and this inscription was written.

²⁵ “This is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

²⁶ “This is the interpretation of the message:

Mene:^[a] God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.

²⁷ Tekel:^[b] you have been weighed in the balances and are found wanting.

²⁸ Peres:^[c] your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ That same night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was slain. ³¹ Then Darius 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 one hundred and twenty officials, so that they would be over the whole kingdom, ² and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was first, so that the officials might give accounts to them and the king not suffer loss. ³ Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and officials because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. ⁴ Then the presidents and officials sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no occasion or fault because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

⁶ Then these presidents and officials assembled together to the king, and said to him: “King Darius, live forever! ⁷ All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the officials, the counselors, and the captains have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁸ Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, that it not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be altered.” ⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the writing, even the decree.

¹⁰ Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house. And his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. ¹¹ Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. ¹² Then they came near and spoke before the king concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree, that every man who asks a petition of any god or man within thirty days, save of you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?”

The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be altered.”

¹³ Then they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is of the sons of the captivity of Judah, does not regard you, O king, or the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” ¹⁴ Then the king, when he heard these words, was sorely displeased with himself and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him. And he labored until sunset to deliver him.

¹⁵ Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

¹⁶ Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.”

Daniel Saved From the Lions

¹⁷ A stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords so that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. ¹⁸ Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting, and no instruments of music were brought before him. And his sleep fled from him.

¹⁹ Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰ When he came to the den, he cried with a voice full of sorrow to Daniel. And the king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you serve continually been able to deliver you from the lions?”

²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! ²² My God has sent His angel and has shut the lions’ mouths so that they have not hurt me, because innocence was found in me before Him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

²³ Then the king was exceeding glad for him and commanded that they take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of harm was found on him, because he believed in his God.

²⁴ Then the king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives. And the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces before they came to the bottom of the den.

²⁵ Then King Darius wrote:

To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:

“Peace be multiplied unto you.

²⁶ “I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel.

²⁸ So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.