Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

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.^[a] 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.

²⁸ The Parable of the Two Sons.^[a]“What is your opinion about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he had a change of heart and went. ³⁰ The father then gave the same instruction to the second son, who answered, ‘Of course I will,’ but then did not go. ³¹ Which of the two complied with his father’s instruction?” They responded, “The first.”

Then Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to show you the path of righteousness, but you did not believe him, whereas the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. Yet even after you realized that, you still refused to change your minds and believe in him.