Old/New Testament

5 ¶ Belshazzar the king made a great banquet to a thousand of his lords, and against the thousand he drank wine.

² Belshazzar, under the influence of the wine, commanded that they bring the vessels of gold and of silver which Nebuchadnezzar his father had brought from the temple of Jerusalem; that the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines, might drink with them.

³ Then they brought the vessels of gold that they had brought from the temple of the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank with them.

⁴ They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

⁵ In that same hour some fingers of a man’s hand came forth and wrote in front of the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the palm of the hand that wrote.

⁶ Then the king became pale, and his thoughts troubled him, and the girdings of his loins were unloosed, and his knees smote one against another.

⁷ The king cried in a loud voice that they bring in the magicians, the Chaldeans, and the fortune-tellers. 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 purple 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 colour was changed, and his princes were upset.

¹⁰ ¶ Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and of his princes, came into the banquet room. The queen spoke and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be pale.

¹¹ There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom lives the spirit of the holy God; and in the days of thy father light and intelligence and wisdom, like the knowledge of God, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, made prince over all the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and fortune-tellers; thus did thy father, the king,

¹² because Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, was found to have a more excellent spirit and greater knowledge and understanding interpreting dreams, unraveling questions, and dissolving doubts. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show thee the interpretation.

¹³ Then Daniel was brought in before the king. And the king spoke and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, who art of the sons of the captivity of Judah, whom my father brought out of Judea?

¹⁴ I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the holy God is in thee and that light and understanding and greater wisdom was found in thee.

¹⁵ And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me that they should read this writing and make known unto me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the thing:

¹⁶ And I have heard of thee, that thou canst declare that which is in doubt and unravel difficulties: now if thou canst read this writing and show me its interpretation, thou shalt be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold about thy neck and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be for thyself and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king and show him the interpretation.

¹⁸ O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father the kingdom and the greatness and the glory and the magnificence:

¹⁹ and by the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him; whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he humbled.

²⁰ But when his heart made itself arrogant, and his spirit hardened itself in pride, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom, and they took his glory from him:

²¹ and he was driven from among the sons of men; and his heart was put with the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they made him eat grass like an ox, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven until he understood that the most high God takes rule of the kingdom of men and that he appoints over it whomever he will.

²² And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

²³ but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy princes, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; furthermore, thou hast praised gods of silver and of gold, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, which do not see, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand is thy soul and whose are all thy ways, thou hast never honoured.

²⁴ Then from his presence was sent the palm of the hand that sculpted this writing.

²⁵ And the writing that he sculpted is, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

²⁶ This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God has audited thy kingdom and finished it.

²⁷ TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting.

²⁸ PERES; Thy kingdom has been broken and is given to the Medes and Persians.

²⁹ Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple 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 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being sixty-two years old.

6 ¶ It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty governors who should be in all the kingdom;

² and over these three presidents, of whom Daniel was first, that the governors might give accounts unto them, and the king should not be bothered.

³ Then this Daniel was preferred above these governors and presidents because an overabundance of the Spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole kingdom.

⁴ Then the presidents and governors looked for occasions against Daniel on behalf of the kingdom, but they could find no occasion or fault because he was faithful, and no vice nor fault was found in him.

⁵ Then these men said, We shall never find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him in the law of his God.

⁶ ¶ Then these governors and presidents assembled together before the king and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.

⁷ All the presidents of the kingdom, magistrates, governors, great ones, and captains have agreed in common accord to promote a royal decree and to confirm it that whoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, except of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

⁸ Now, O king, confirm the decree and sign the writing that it not be moved, according to the law of Media and of Persia, which does not change.

⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the writing and the decree.

¹⁰ Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he entered into his house; and with the windows open toward Jerusalem in his dining chamber, he knelt three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he was used to doing before.

¹¹ ¶ Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

¹² Then they went and spoke before the king concerning the royal decree; Hast thou not confirmed a decree that whoever shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days save of thee, 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 Media and Persia, which does not change.

¹³ Then they answered and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the sons of the captivity of the Jews, has not regarded thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast confirmed, but makes his petition three times a day.

¹⁴ When the king, heard the matter, it weighed very heavy upon him, and he set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured until the going down of the sun to deliver him.

¹⁵ Then those men assembled near the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that this is the law of Media and of Persia: No decree nor statute which the king has confirmed may be moved.

¹⁶ Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king, speaking unto Daniel, said, Thy God whom thou servest continually, may he deliver thee.

¹⁷ And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet ring of his princes that the agreement concerning Daniel might not be changed.

¹⁸ ¶ Then the king went to his palace and lay down without eating; neither were instruments of music brought before him, and his sleep fled from him.

¹⁹ Therefore, the king arose very early in the morning at dawn and went in haste unto the den of lions.

²⁰ And when he came to the den, he cried loudly with a sad voice unto Daniel; and the king, in speaking to Daniel said, Daniel, servant of the living God, has thy God, whom thou servest continually, been able to deliver thee from the lions?

²¹ Then Daniel said unto the king, O king, live for ever.

²² My God has sent his angel, who shut the lions’ mouths, that they do me no evil because before him righteousness was found in me; and even before thee, O king, I have done no corruption.

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

²⁴ And 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 even before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces.

²⁵ ¶ Then king Darius wrote unto all the peoples, nations, and tongues, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied unto you.

²⁶ On my behalf a statute is put into effect, That in all the dominion of my kingdom everyone tremble at the presence of the God of Daniel for he is the living God and endures for all ages, and his kingdom is such that it shall never come apart, and his dominion shall be even unto the end:

²⁷ that saves and frees, and makes signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

²⁸ So this Daniel was prospered during the reign of Darius and during the reign of Cyrus, the Persian.

7 ¶ In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream and penned the sum of the matters.

² Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven fought the great sea.

³ And four great beasts came up from the sea, different one from another.

⁴ The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings; I beheld until the its wings were plucked off, and it was removed from the earth, and it stood up on its feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.

⁵ And behold the second beast, like unto a bear, which went off to one side, and it had three ribs between its teeth; and thus was said unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

⁶ After this I beheld, and behold another, like a tiger, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; this beast also had four heads; and power was given to it.

⁷ After this I saw in the night visions, and behold the fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and exceedingly strong; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and trod down that which was left with its feet; and it was very different from all the beasts that had been before her; and it had ten horns.

⁸ As I was considering the horns, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking grand things.

⁹ ¶ I beheld until thrones were placed, and an Elder of great age did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool: his throne a flame of fire, his wheels burning fire.

¹⁰ A river of fire issued and came forth from before him; thousands of thousands served him, and ten thousands of ten thousands stood before him; the Judge sat down, and the books were opened.

¹¹ I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke; I beheld even until the beast was slain and its body was undone and given over to be burned in the fire.

¹² They had also taken from the other beasts their rule because their lives had been prolonged until a certain time.

¹³ I saw in the vision of the night, and, behold, in the clouds of heaven like a Son of man that came and drew near unto the Elder of great age, and they brought him near before him.

¹⁴ And he gave him dominion and glory and kingdom; and all the peoples, nations, and tongues served him: his dominion is an eternal dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom such that it shall never be corrupted.

¹⁵ ¶ My spirit was troubled, I Daniel, in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head astonished me.

¹⁶ I came near unto one of those that stood by and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made me know the interpretation of the things.

¹⁷ These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise in the earth.

¹⁸ And they shall take the kingdom of the Holy One who is most High and possess the kingdom until the age and until the age of the ages.

¹⁹ Then I had the desire to know the truth regarding the fourth beast, which was so different from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and its nails of brass; which devoured and broke in pieces and trod down that which was left with its feet;

²⁰ also regarding the ten horns that were in its head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; and that same horn had eyes and a mouth that spoke very grand things, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.

²¹ I saw that this horn made war against the saints and overcame them;

²² until such time as the Elder of great age came, and the judgment was given unto the saints of the most High; and the time came, and the saints possessed the kingdom.

²³ Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth king in earth, which shall be greater than all the other kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

²⁴ And the ten horns signify that of this kingdom ten kings shall arise; and another shall rise after them; and he shall be greater than the first kings, and he shall bring down three kings.

²⁵ And he shall speak great words against the most High and shall break down the saints of the most High and think to move the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the half or dividing of a time.

²⁶ And the Judge shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion to destroy and to cast out unto the end;

²⁷ and that the kingdom and the dominion, and the majesty of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, be given to the holy people of the most High, His kingdom shall be an eternal kingdom, and all the dominions shall serve him and hear him.

²⁸ Up unto here was the end of the word. I, Daniel, was very troubled in my thoughts, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the word in my heart.

¹ ¶ The elder unto the chosen lady and her sons, whom I love in the truth, and not I only, but also all those that have known the truth,

² for the truth’s sake, which abides in us and shall be with us for ever.

³ Grace be with you, mercy and peace, from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and charity.

⁴ I have rejoiced greatly, for I have found of thy sons that they walk in the truth, as we have received the commandment from the Father.

⁵ ¶ And now I beseech thee, lady, (not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning) that we love one another.

⁶ And this is charity, that we walk after his commandment. And this is the commandment, That ye walk in him, as ye have heard from the beginning.

⁷ ¶ For many deceivers are entered into the world, who do not confess Jesus Christ coming in flesh. This same is a deceiver and antichrist.

⁸ Look to yourselves, that we not lose those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a fulfilled reward.

⁹ Whosoever rebels and does not abide in the doctrine of the Christ, does not have God. He that abides in the doctrine of the Christ, the same has the Father and the Son.

¹⁰ ¶ If anyone comes unto you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house neither say unto him, Welcome:

¹¹ For he that says unto him, Welcome, is partaker of his evil deeds.

¹² ¶ Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink, but I trust to come unto you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.

¹³ The sons of thy chosen sister greet thee. Amen.