Old/New Testament
The Mysterious Writing on the Wall
5 Belshazzar the king made a great festival for a thousand of his lords,[a] and in the presence of[b] the thousand lords he was drinking wine.[c] 2 When he tasted the wine,[d] Belshazzar commanded that they bring the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his predecessor[e] had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords,[f] his wives and his concubines may drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the vessels of gold that they took from the temple, the house of God that was in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords,[g] his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.[h]
5 Immediately[i] human fingers[j] appeared and they wrote opposite[k] the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the palace of the king, and the king was watching[l] the palm of the hand that was writing. 6 Then his face changed and his thoughts terrified him, and his hip joints gave way[m] and his knees knocked together.[n] 7 The king cried aloud[o] to bring in the conjurers,[p] the astrologers[q] and the diviners; the king spoke[r] and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man that can read this writing and can tell me its explanation will be clothed in purple and will have a necklace of gold hung around his neck and he will rule as third in authority in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the wise men of the king came in, but they were not able to read the writing or to make known its explanation.[s] 9 Then the king, Belshazzar, became greatly terrified, and his facial features[t] changed upon him, and his lords[u] were perplexed.
10 Because of the words of the king and his lords,[v] the queen came into the banqueting hall[w] and the queen spoke up[x] and said, “O king, live forever,[y] and let not your thoughts terrify you and do not let your facial expressions grow pale.[z] 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him.[aa] And in the days of your predecessor,[ab] enlightenment and insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods was found in him; and, O king, Nebuchadnezzar your predecessor[ac] appointed him as chief of the magicians,[ad] the conjurers,[ae] the astrologers,[af] and the diviners. Your predecessor[ag] the king did this 12 because[ah] there was found in him an excellent spirit and understanding and insight for interpreting dreams and explaining riddles and solving riddles; that is, in Daniel whom the king named[ai] Belteshazzar. Now, let Daniel be called and he will tell the explanation.”[aj]
Daniel Deciphers and Interprets the Writing
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king, and the king spoke[ak] and said to Daniel, “You are Daniel who are one of the exiles[al] of Judah[am] whom my predecessor,[an] the king, brought from Judah.[ao] 14 And I have heard that a spirit of the gods is in you and enlightenment and insight and excellent wisdom was found in you. 15 And now the wise men and the conjurers[ap] were brought in before me so that they could read this writing in order to make its explanation[aq] known to me, but they were not able to disclose the explanation[ar] of the matter. 16 But I have heard concerning you that you are able to produce interpretations[as] and to solve riddles; now if you are able to read the writing and to make known its explanation[at] to me, you will be clothed in purple and a necklace of gold will be placed around your neck and you will rule as third in command in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself or your rewards give to another; nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and I will make known to him the explanation.[au] 18 O king,[av] the Most High God gave the kingdom and the greatness and the glory and the majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your predecessor.[aw] 19 And because of the greatness that he gave to him, all the peoples, the nations and languages trembled and feared before him; whomever he wanted he killed, and whomever he wanted he let live, and whomever he wanted he honored, and whomever he wanted he humbled. 20 But when[ax] his heart became arrogant and his spirit became hard so as to act proudly, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom and the[ay] glory was taken away from him.[az] 21 And he was driven away from human society[ba] and his mind was made like the animals[bb] and his dwelling was with the wild asses; and he was given[bc] grass like oxen to eat, and with[bd] the dew of heaven his body was bathed, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind, and whoever[be] he wants he sets over it.
22 “But you his successor,[bf] Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart even though[bg] you knew all this. 23 And now you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of his temple you have brought in before you, and you and your lords,[bh] your wives and your concubines, have been drinking wine from[bi] them, and you have praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone[bj] that do not see and do not hear and do not know, but the God who holds your life in his hand[bk] and all of your ways come from him,[bl] you have not honored. 24 So then the palm of the hand was sent out from his presence and this writing was inscribed.
25 “Now this was the writing that was inscribed: ‘Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin.’
26 “This is the explanation of the matter:[bm] ‘Mene’—God has numbered your kingdom and brought an end to it.
27 “‘Tekel’—you have been weighed on scales and you have been found wanting.[bn]
28 “‘Peres’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.’”
29 Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple and placed a necklace of gold around his neck, and they made a proclamation concerning him that he would be the third ruler in authority in the kingdom. 30 That same night[bo] Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. 31 [bp] And Darius the Mede received the kingdom when he was about sixty-two years old.[bq]
Daniel’s Integrity and His Entrapment by His Enemies
6 It pleased Darius,[br] and he set up one hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom, that they were throughout the whole kingdom,[bs] 2 and over them were three administrators, of whom Daniel was one, so that these satraps were giving account to them, and the king would not be suffering loss. 3 Then Daniel began distinguishing himself[bt] above the administrators and the satraps because[bu] an exceptional spirit was in him, and so the king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the other administrators and satraps began to seek[bv] to find a pretext against Daniel in connection with the kingdom,[bw] but they were not able to find any pretext and corruption[bx] because[by] he was trustworthy, and no[bz] negligence or corruption[ca] could be found in him.[cb] 5 Then these men said,[cc] “We will not find any pretext[cd] against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”
6 So the administrators and the satraps conspired with respect to[ce] the king and so they said to him, “Darius, O king, live forever![cf] 7 All of the administrators of the kingdom, and the prefects, the satraps, the counselors and the governors took counsel and have agreed to establish an edict of the king and to enforce a decree that whoever[cg] will seek a prayer from any god or human except from you for up to thirty days will be thrown into the lion pit.[ch] 8 Now, O king, establish the edict and you must sign the document so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be revoked.”
9 So[ci] the king, Darius, signed the writing and the interdict.[cj] 10 Now when[ck] Daniel realized that the document was signed, he went to his house (now he had windows in his upper room that were open[cl] toward Jerusalem), and three times daily[cm] he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, just as[cn] he had been doing previously.[co] 11 Then these men came as a group and they found Daniel praying and pleading for mercy before his God. 12 Then they approached and spoke with the king[cp] concerning the edict of the king, “Did you not sign an edict[cq] that any person who would seek anything from any God or human within thirty days except from you, O king, would be thrown into the lion pit?”[cr] The king answered and said, “The matter as you have just stated is certain according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be revoked.”
God’s Miraculous Deliverance of Daniel Again
13 Then they responded[cs] and said before the king, “Daniel, who is from the exiles[ct] of Judah,[cu] is not paying any attention[cv] to you, O king, or to the decree that you have signed, and three times daily[cw] he says his prayer.” 14 Then the king, when[cx] he heard that report,[cy] he was extremely distressed over it; and concerning Daniel[cz] he was determined[da] to rescue him. And until the setting of the sun he was making every effort to deliver him. 15 Then these men came as a group to the king and said,[db] “Recall, O king, that with respect to the law of[dc] the Medes and Persians that any[dd] decree or edict that the king establishes cannot be changed.”
16 Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was brought in and they threw him into the lion pit.[de] The king said[df] to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve faithfully,[dg] may he rescue you!” 17 And a[dh] stone was brought and it was put on the entrance of the pit, and the king sealed it with his signet ring and with the signet rings of his lords,[di] so that nothing would be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night in fasting, and no food was brought in before him and his sleep fled from him.
19 Then the king got up at daybreak, at first light, and he went in haste[dj] to the lion pit.[dk] 20 And when he came near[dl] to the pit, he cried out to Daniel with a distressed voice, and the king spoke[dm] and said to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, your God whom you serve faithfully, was he able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel spoke to[dn] the king, “O king, live forever![do] 22 My God sent his angel and he shut the mouth of the lions and they did not[dp] hurt me, because[dq] before him I was found[dr] blameless, and also before you, O king, I have not done any wrong.”
23 Then the king was exceedingly glad over it[ds] and commanded that Daniel be lifted up from the pit; and there was not any wound found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 The king then commanded, and these men were brought who had accused Daniel,[dt] and they threw them and their children and their wives into the lion pit,[du] and they had not reached the floor of the pit before[dv] the lions had overpowered them and they had crushed all of their bones.
The King Praises the God of Daniel and Daniel Prospers
25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the people, the nations, and the languages living in the whole earth, “May your prosperity become great! 26 I make a decree[dw] that in all the dominion of my kingdom people will be trembling and fearing before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God and endures forever[dx] and his[dy] kingdom is one that will not be destroyed and his dominion has no end.[dz] 27 He is rescuing, delivering, and working signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth, for he has rescued Daniel from the power[ea] of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel prospered during the kingdom of Darius and during the kingdom of Cyrus the Persian.
Daniel’s Vision of Four Beasts and the Son of Man
7 In the first year of Belshazzar the king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions[eb] of his head as he lay on his bed; then he wrote down the dream and the summary[ec] of the words as follows:[ed] 2 Daniel explained[ee] and said, “I was looking in my vision in the night, and look, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, differing from one another.[ef] 4 The first was like a lion and had[eg] the wings of an eagle. I was watching until its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the earth and it was raised on its feet like a human, and a human heart was given to it. 5 And look, another beast, a second one, looking like a bear. And it was raised up on one side and three tusks[eh] were in its mouth between its teeth, and so it was told,[ei] “Arise, eat much flesh!” 6 After this I was watching and look, another beast like a leopard; it had four wings[ej] of a bird on its back, and the beast had[ek] four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this in the visions of the night I was looking and there was a fourth beast, terrifying and frightful and exceedingly strong, and it had[el] great iron teeth,[em] and it was devouring and crushing, and it stamped the remainder[en] with its feet; and it was different from all the other beasts that preceded it[eo] and it had ten horns.[ep] 8 I was considering the horns, and look, another little horn came up among[eq] them, and three of the earlier horns were rooted out[er] from before it, and there were eyes like the eyes of a human[es] in this horn and also a mouth that was speaking boastfully.
9 “I continued watching[et] until thrones were placed and an Ancient of Days sat; his clothing was like white snow and the hair of his head was like pure wool and his throne was a flame[eu] of fire and its wheels[ev] were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued forth and flowed from his presence;[ew] thousands upon thousands served him and ten thousand upon ten thousand stood before him. The judge sat, and the books were opened.
11 “I continued watching[ex] then[ey] because of the noise of the boastful words of the horn who was speaking; I continued watching[ez] until the beast was slain and its body was destroyed, and it was given over to burning with fire. 12 And as for the remainder of the beasts, their dominion was taken away,[fa] but a prolongation of their life[fb] was given to them for a season and a time.
13 “I continued watching[fc] in the visions of the night, and look, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man[fd] was coming, and he came to the Ancient of Days, and was presented[fe] before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and kingship that[ff] all the peoples, the nations, and languages would serve him; his dominion is a dominion without end[fg] that will not cease, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.
Daniel Explains and Interprets the Vision
15 “As for me, Daniel,[fh] my spirit was troubled within me,[fi] and the visions of my head terrified me. 16 So I approached one of the attendants and I asked him[fj] about the truth concerning all this; and he told me[fk] that he would make known to me the explanation of the matter. 17 ‘These great beasts which are four in number are four kings who will arise from the earth. 18 But the holy ones[fl] of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and they will take possession of the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’[fm]
19 “Then I desired to make certain concerning the fourth beast that was different from all the others[fn]—exceedingly terrifying, with its iron teeth and its claws of bronze; it devoured and crushed and stamped the remainder with its feet— 20 and concerning the horns that were on its head, and concerning the other horn that came up and before which three horns fell,[fo] and this horn had eyes[fp] and a mouth speaking boastfully,[fq] and its appearance was larger than its companions. 21 I continued watching,[fr] and this horn made war with the holy ones[fs] and it prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and gave judgment to the holy ones[ft] of the Most High; and the time arrived and the holy ones[fu] took possession of the kingdom.
23 “And he said, ‘The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom that will be on the earth that will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and it will trample it and it will crush it. 24 And as for the ten horns coming from it, from this kingdom[fv] ten kings will arise, and another will arise after them. And he will be different from the earlier ones, and he will subdue three kings. 25 And he will speak words against the Most High, and he will wear out the holy ones[fw] of the Most High, and he will attempt to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a time and two times and half a time. 26 Then the court will sit, and his dominion will be removed,[fx] to be eradicated and to be destroyed totally.[fy] 27 And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the nation of the holy ones[fz] of the Most High; his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,[ga] and all the dominions will serve and obey him.’
28 This is the end of the account.[gb] As for me, Daniel[gc]—my thoughts terrified me greatly and my face changed over me, but I kept the matter in my heart.”[gd]
Greeting
1 The elder, to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not I alone, but also all those who know the truth— 2 because of the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever[a]. 3 Grace, mercy, peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father in truth and love.
4 I was very glad[b] because I found some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us[c].
Watch Out for False Teachers
5 And now I ask you, lady (not as if I were writing a new commandment to you, but one that we have had from the beginning), that we should love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ[d] coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist! 8 Watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have worked for, but receive a full reward.
9 Everyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who remains in the teaching—this person has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house and do not speak a greeting to him, 11 because the one who speaks a greeting to him shares in his evil deeds.
Conclusion and Final Greeting
12 Although[e] I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so by means of paper and ink, but I hope to be with you and to speak face to face[f], so that your[g] joy may be complete. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software