Daniel Interprets the Handwriting
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, "You are that Daniel, one of
1the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah.
14
I have heard of you that
2the spirit of the gods is in you, and that
3light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.
15
Now
4the wise men, the
5enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but
6they could not show the interpretation of the matter.
16
7But I have heard that you can give interpretations and
8solve problems.
9Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation,
10you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and
11shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."
17
Then Daniel answered and said before the king,
12"Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.
18
O king, the
13Most High God
14gave
15Nebuchadnezzar your father
16kingship and greatness and glory and majesty.
19
And because of the greatness that he gave him,
17all peoples, nations, and languages
18trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled.
20
But
19when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly,
20he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.
21
21He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven,
22until he knew that the
23Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will.
22
And you his son,
24Belshazzar,
25have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this,
23
but you have lifted up yourself against
26the Lord of heaven. And
27the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them.
28And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know,
29but the God in whose hand is your breath, and
30whose are all your ways,
31you have not honored.
24
"Then from his presence
32the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed.
25
And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.
26
This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end;
27
TEKEL,
33you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting;
28
PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to
34the Medes and
35Persians."
29
Then
36Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel
37was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30
38That very night
39Belshazzar the
40Chaldean king was killed.
31
And
41Darius
42the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.