Daniel 5 דניאל ה׳

Belshazzar the king [(Nevuchadnezzar's son)] made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

Belshazzar, in his cups, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nevuchadnezzar had taken out of the Temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king and his lords, his queen and his concubines might drink from them.

Then were brought the golden vessels that they had taken out of the Temple of the house of G-d, which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his queen and his concubines, drank from them.

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

In the same hour, the fingers of a man's hand went forth [from heaven], and wrote over against the lampstand upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

Then the king's appearance changed, and his thoughts terrified him, so that the belt of his loins was loosed [(his bowels being emptied in his fear)], and his knees smote one against the other.

The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Kasdim, and the snake charmers. And the king spoke and said to the wise men of Bavel: Whoever shall read this writing and declare to me the meaning of it shall be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall rule over a third of the kingdom.

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

Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his appearance changed, and his lords were confounded.

Now the queen, having heard the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house. The queen spoke and said: O king, live for ever. Let not thy thoughts affright thee, nor let thy appearance change.

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 angels was found in him, whom the king Nevuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made chief of the bone-conjurers, astrologers, Kasdim, and snake charmers,

seeing that a superflux of spirit, and knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and unravel the hidden, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will declare the interpretation.

Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel: Art thou that Daniel who art of the children of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?

I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.

And now, the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known to me its meaning; but they could not declare the interpretation of the thing.

And I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations and solve problems. Now, if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation of it, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt rule a third of the kingdom.

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 to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

O thou king, the most high G-d gave Nevuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty.

And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and tongues 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.

But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit hardened to do evil, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken 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. He was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was steeped in the dew of heaven; until he came to know that the most high G-d rules in the kingdom of men, and that He appoints over it whomever He pleases.

And thou, his son, O Belshazzar, has not humbled thy heart, though thou knewest all this;

but thou hast lifted up thyself against the L-rd of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy queen, 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 do not see, hear, or know. And the G-d in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, thou hast not glorified.

Then was the palm of the hand sent from Him, and this writing was written.

And this is the writing that was written: Mene Mene Tekel Ufarsin.

This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene — G-d has numbered [the years of] thy kingdom and [found them] consummated.

Tekel — thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting.

Peras — thy kingdom is divided and given to Madai and Paras.

Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel in scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should rule a third of the kingdom.

In that night, Belshazzar the king of the Kasdians was slain.