Daniel

Baltasar the king made a great feast to his thousand nobles, and drank wine in their presence.

And Baltasar, drinking, gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nabuchodonosor had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, that the king, and his nobles, and his mistresses, and his concubines might drink out of them.

So they brought the golden and silver vessels which were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king, and his nobles, and his mistresses, and his concubines drank out of them.

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

In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the knuckles of the hand that wrote.

Then the king's countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one another.

So the king cried aloud to bring in the magicians, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers; and the king said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and make known to me the interpretation of it, shall be clothed with purple, and have a golden chain on his neck, and shall be the third ruler in my kingdom.

Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known the interpretation to the king.

And king Baltasar was greatly troubled, and his countenance changed, and his nobles were amazed.

Then the queen entered into the house of the feast, and spoke, saying, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, and let not thy countenance be changed.

There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the Spirit of God; and in the days of thy father he was found to have understanding and prudence, and wisdom as the wisdom of the gods: and king Nabuchodonosor thy father appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.

For an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, and to declare riddles, and to solve knotty points, was found in him, even in Daniel, whom the king named Baltasar: now therefore let Daniel be called, and he shall tell thee the interpretation.

Then Daniel was brought in before the king. And the king said to Daniel, Art thou Daniel, one of the children of the captivity of Judea, whom my father the king brought out of Judea?

I have heard concerning thee, that the Spirit of God is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in thee.

And now the wise men, the magicians, have come in before me to read this writing, and to make known the interpretation of it to me: but they could not tell me the interpretation of it.

But I have heard concerning thee, that thou canst interpret: now then, if thou canst read this writing, and make known to me the interpretation of it, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and a golden chain shall be put around thy neck, and thou shalt be the third ruler in my kingdom.

And Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give the presents of thine house to another: but I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

O king, the Most High God gave to thy father Nabuchodonosor a kingdom, and majesty, and honour, and glory:

and by reason of the majesty which he gave him, all nations, tribes, and languages trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he promoted, and whom he would he brought low.

But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his royal throne, and they took his glory from him:

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 as an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; until he knew that the Most High God is Lord of the kingdom of men, and will appoint over it whomsoever he will.

And thou his son, O Baltasar, hast not humbled thine heart before God, though thou knewest all this.

But thou hast exalted thyself against the Lord of heaven: and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy nobles, and thy mistresses, and thy concubines have drunk wine out of them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, and brass, and iron, and wood, and stone, which see not, and hear not, and know not: but the God in whose hand is thy breath, and all thy ways, thou hast not glorified.

Therefore the hand has been sent from before him, and this writing is inscribed.

And this is the writing that is inscribed: Mane, Thekel, Phares.

This is the interpretation of the words: Mane: God has numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

Thekel: thou art weighed in the balance, and found lacking.

Phares: thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

Then Baltasar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a golden chain about his neck, and proclaimed him that he was the third ruler in the kingdom.

In that night Baltasar the king of the Chaldeans was slain.

And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.