Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Handwriting on the Wall

5 ^(A)King Belshazzar ^(B)made a great feast for a thousand of his ^(C)lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.

^2 (D)Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that ^(E)the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father^[a] had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. ³ Then they brought in ^(F)the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ They drank wine and ^(G)praised the ^(H)gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

^5 (I)Immediately ^(J)the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw ^(K)the hand as it wrote. ^6 (L)Then the king's colour changed, ^(M)and his thoughts alarmed him; ^(N)his limbs gave way, and ^(O)his knees knocked together. ^7 (P)The king called loudly to bring in ^(Q)the enchanters, the ^(R)Chaldeans, and ^(S)the astrologers. The king declared^[b] to the wise men of Babylon, ^(T)“Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold round his neck and ^(U)shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸ Then all the king's wise men came in, but ^(V)they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^(W)alarmed, and his ^(X)colour changed, and his ^(Y)lords were perplexed.

¹⁰ The queen,^[c] because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, ^(Z)“O king, live for ever! Let not your thoughts alarm you ^(AA)or your colour change. ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom ^(AB)in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.^[d] In the days of your father, ^(AC)light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—^(AD)made him chief of the magicians, ^(AE)enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, ^12 (AF)because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and ^(AG)understanding ^(AH)to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and ^(AI)solve problems were found in this Daniel, ^(AJ)whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

Shepherd the Flock of God

5 So I exhort the elders among you, ^(A)as a fellow elder and ^(B)a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ^2 (C)shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,^{[a] (D)}not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;^{[b] (E)}not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not ^(F)domineering over those in your charge, but ^(G)being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when ^(H)the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the ^(I)unfading ^(J)crown of glory. ⁵ Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. ^(K)Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another, for ^(L)“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

^6 (M)Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ^7 (N)casting all your anxieties on him, because ^(O)he cares for you. ^8 (P)Be sober-minded; ^(Q)be watchful. Your ^(R)adversary the devil ^(S)prowls around ^(T)like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ^9 (U)Resist him, ^(V)firm in your faith, knowing that ^(W)the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰ And ^(X)after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, ^(Y)who has called you to his ^(Z)eternal glory in Christ, will himself ^(AA)restore, ^(AB)confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ^11 (AC)To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.