1. King Beltshazzar gave a banquet,* for
thousands of his nobles, and they drank thousands of cups of wine before
him.
2. And Beltshazzar, as he tasted the wine, he ordered that
they bring the vessels of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnasser
brought out of the Temple of Jerusalem, so as the king may drink from them, together with his nobles, his women and courtiers.
3. Then they brought the vessels of gold that were taken
out of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, and they drank from them, the king
and his nobles and his women and his courtiers.
4. They drank wine and glorified the gods of gold,
silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5. And at that very hour, there appeared the fingers of
a human hand that wrote in front of the lamp, over the plaster of the wall
of the king's temple, and the king saw the profile of the hand that wrote.
6. Then the king's teeth chattered, sudden fear gripped
him,* the vertebrae of his backbone weakened,* and his knees knocked
against each other.
7. The king called out in a loud voice* for them to
bring the seers, the Chaldeans, the Magi, and the wise men. The king
replied and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever* can read this
writing and reveal its meaning,* shall be arrayed in purple robes, a
golden medallion shall be hung on his chest, and he shall be the third in
authority in the kingdom."
8. Then the wise men of the king came in, but they could
not read the writing and reveal its meaning to the king.*
9. Then King Beltshazzar was very agitated and his
expression changed,* and his nobles were confounded.
10. And the queen, when she heard the king and his
nobles speaking,* entered the banquet hall* and they replied and said to
the king, "Do not let your ideas confuse you and your countenance be
perturbed.*
11. "There is a man in your kingdom, who possesses
the holy Spirit of Elohim, from the Days of your father; he is highly
enlightened and possesses great wisdom, as the wisdom of Elohim was
found in him; and King Nebuchadnasser, your father, made him lord of the
magicians, the seers, the Magi and the Chaldeans.
12. "Because he found in him the great spirit,
revelation* and learning, that he was able to explain* our dreams, lift
our fears and relieve our burdens* -- [this same] Daniel,* whom the king
named his name* Beltshazzar, whereas Daniel he was called and the meaning
he was able to reveal."*
13. Then Daniel entered before the king. The king
replied and said to Daniel, "Are you the Daniel of Jewish origin,*
whom my father the king brought from Judea?
14. "I have heard regarding you that the Spirit of
the holy Elohim is in you; enlightenment and learning, and great wisdom is
to be found in you.
15. "And there entered before me the magicians and
the seers to read this writing and show me its meaning,* but they could
not find the meaning* of the manifestation.
16. "And I heard about you, that you can reveal the
mysteries* and untie the knots -- if you can read this writing and tell me
its meaning,* you shall be arrayed in purple [robes,] and the golden
medallion [of trusteeship] shall be hung on your chest and you shall be
given authority over one third of the kingdom."
17. Then Daniel replied and said to the king, "Your
gifts, let them be for you; and the honor of your house, give it to
others; nevertheless, I shall read the writing to the king and I shall
reveal its meaning.*
18. "You are the king* -- God in the Highest -- the kingdom, the
greatness, the honor and praise, was given to your father Nebuchadnasser.
19. "And from the greatness that He gave him, all the nations,
motherlands and tongues were shaken, and afraid before him; those he
wished he killed, and those he wished he saved,* and those he wished he
raised, and those he wished he lowered.*
20. "And his heart became
haughty,* and his spirit uncaring;* he was taken down from the throne of
his kingdom, and he lost his honor.*
21. "And he was cast out of
humanity, and his heart was sustained by the creatures, and he lived among
the wild asses, and they fed him vegetation like the oxen, and by the
shade of the sky his body was protected, until his hair was as long as
that of the eagle,* and his nails grew out like those of the birds, until
he understood that God has the authority over the kingdom of man,* that He
gives it to whom He pleases and that He may raise the hapless over it.*
22. "And you are Beltshazzar his son; you did not humble your heart, though you knew all of this.
23. "And you raised yourself over the
Lord of Heaven, and you brought the vessels of his temple* before you; you
and your nobles, your women and courtiers; you drank wine from those
[vessels,] and you praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze and
iron, of wood and stone, those that do not see, hear, or are aware, these
you glorified; but the God who holds in his hands your very breath* and
all your paths, to him you did not glorify and you did not honor.
24. "And then before his very eyes,* the hand issued forth* and wrote the
following inscription.
25. "And this is the inscription that it wrote: Menah, menah, takil o parseen.*
26. "Here is the meaning* of
the manifestation: 'Menah,' God took a reckoning of your kingdom and it
was ended.*
27. " 'Takel,' you were weighed in the balance and
found to be lacking.*
28. " 'Prass,' your kingdom was extended and
offered to the Medes and the Persians."*
29. Then King Beltshazzar
ordered them to array Daniel in purple [robes,] to hang the golden
medallion on his chest and to proclaim* him as the authority over a third
of the kingdom.
30. In that very night the Chaldeans* killed King
Beltshazzar.
31. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of
twenty-six. |