Daniel
5
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3 4 5
6 7 8
9 10 11
12
1
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of
his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, whiles he
tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his
father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem;
that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink
therein. 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 princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in 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 the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s
hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of
the king’s palace: and the king saw the part 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 smote one against another. 7 The
king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the
soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of
Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation
thereof, 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 came in
all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make
known to the king the interpretation thereof. 9 Then was king
Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his
lords were astonied.
10 Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king
and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said,
O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy
countenance be changed: 11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is
the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and
understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom
the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made
master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; 12 Forasmuch
as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of
dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in
the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and
he will shew the interpretation. 13 Then was Daniel brought in before
the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that
Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the
king my father brought out of Jewry? 14 I have even heard of thee,
that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and
understanding and excellent wisdom is 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 the interpretation thereof: but
they could not shew the interpretation of the thing: 16 And I have
heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if
thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof,
thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, 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 to thyself, and give thy
rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to
him the interpretation. 18 O thou king, the most high God gave
Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: 19 And
for the majesty that he gave him, all people, 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 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 beasts, and his
dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and
his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God
ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever 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 lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them;
and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and
stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is,
and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: 24 Then
was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. 25 And
this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This
is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom,
and finished it. 27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art
found wanting. 28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the
Medes and Persians. 29 Then commanded Belshazzar, 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
In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 31 And
Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years
old.
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