The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, drinking wine before the thousand.
1
One night King Belshazzar invited a thousand noblemen to a great banquet, and they drank wine together.
2 Belshazzar, while he was overcome with wine, gave orders for them to put before him the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem; so that the king and his lords, his wives and his other women, might take their drink from them.
2
While they were drinking, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups and bowls which his father Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from the Temple in Jerusalem. The king sent for them so that he, his noblemen, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them.
3 Then they took in the gold and silver vessels which had been in the Temple of the house of God at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives and his other women, took wine from them.
3
At once the gold cups and bowls were brought in, and they all drank wine out of them
4 They took their wine and gave praise to the gods of gold and silver, of brass and iron and wood and stone.
4
and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5 In that very hour the fingers of a man's hand were seen, writing opposite the support for the light on the white wall of the king's house, and the king saw the part of the hand which was writing.
5
Suddenly a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster wall of the palace, where the light from the lamps was shining most brightly. And the king saw the hand as it was writing.
6 Then the colour went from the king's face, and he was troubled by his thoughts; strength went from his body, and his knees were shaking.
6
He turned pale and was so frightened that his knees began to shake.
7 The king, crying out with a loud voice, said that the users of secret arts, the Chaldaeans, and the readers of signs, were to be sent for. The king made answer and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever is able to make out this writing, and make clear to me the sense of it, will be clothed in purple and have a chain of gold round his neck, and will be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.
7
He shouted for someone to bring in the magicians, wizards, and astrologers. When they came in, the king said to them, "Anyone who can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in robes of royal purple, wear a gold chain of honor around his neck, and be the third in power in the kingdom."
8 Then all the king's wise men came in: but they were not able to make out the writing or give the sense of it to the king.
8
The royal advisers came forward, but none of them could read the writing or tell the king what it meant.
9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled and the colour went from his face, and his lords were at a loss.
9
In his distress King Belshazzar grew even paler, and his noblemen had no idea what to do.
10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the house of the feast: the queen made answer and said, O King, have life for ever; do not be troubled by your thoughts or let the colour go from your face:
10
The queen mother heard the noise made by the king and his noblemen and entered the banquet hall. She said, "May Your Majesty live forever! Please do not be so disturbed and look so pale.
11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, light and reason like the wisdom of the gods were seen in him: and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made him master of the wonder-workers, and the users of secret arts, and the Chaldaeans, and the readers of signs;
11
There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. When your father was king, this man showed good sense, knowledge, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made him chief of the fortunetellers, magicians, wizards, and astrologers.
12 Because a most special spirit, and knowledge and reason and the power of reading dreams and unfolding dark sayings and answering hard questions, were seen to be in him, even in Daniel (named Belteshazzar by the king): now let Daniel be sent for, and he will make clear the sense of the writing.
12
He has unusual ability and is wise and skillful in interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining mysteries; so send for this man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, and he will tell you what all this means."
13 Then they took Daniel in before the king; the king made answer and said to Daniel, So you are that Daniel, of the prisoners of Judah, whom my father took out of Judah.
13
Daniel was brought at once into the king's presence, and the king said to him, "Are you Daniel, that Jewish exile whom my father the king brought here from Judah?
14 And I have had news of you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and reason and special wisdom have been seen in you.
14
I have heard that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that you are skillful and have knowledge and wisdom.
15 And now the wise men, the users of secret arts, have been sent in before me for the purpose of reading this writing and making clear to me the sense of it: but they are not able to make clear the sense of the thing:
15
The advisers and magicians were brought in to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not discover the meaning.
16 And I have had news of you, that you have the power of making things clear, and of answering hard questions: now if you are able to make out the writing and give me the sense of it, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain round your neck and be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.
16
Now I have heard that you can find hidden meanings and explain mysteries. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be dressed in robes of royal purple, wear a gold chain of honor around your neck, and be the third in power in the kingdom."
17 Then Daniel made answer and said to the king, Keep your offerings for yourself, and give your rewards to another; but I, after reading the writing to the king, will give him the sense of it.
17
Daniel replied, "Keep your gifts for yourself or give them to someone else. I will read for Your Majesty what has been written and tell you what it means.
18 As for you, O King, the Most High God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, your father, the kingdom and great power and glory and honour:
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"The Supreme God made your father Nebuchadnezzar a great king and gave him dignity and majesty.
19 And because of the great power he gave him, all peoples and nations and languages were shaking in fear before him: some he put to death and others he kept living, at his pleasure, lifting up some and putting others down as it pleased him.
19
He was so great that people of all nations, races, and languages were afraid of him and trembled. If he wanted to kill someone, he did; if he wanted to keep someone alive, he did. He honored or disgraced anyone he wanted to.
20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became hard with pride, he was put down from his place as king, and they took his glory from him:
20
But because he became proud, stubborn, and cruel, he was removed from his royal throne and lost his place of honor.
21 And he was sent out from among the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts', and he was living with the asses of the fields; he had grass for his food like the oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he was certain that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and gives power over it to anyone at his pleasure.
21
He was driven away from human society, and his mind became like that of an animal. He lived with wild donkeys, ate grass like an ox, and slept in the open air with nothing to protect him from the dew. Finally he admitted that the Supreme God controls all human kingdoms and can give them to anyone he chooses.
22 And you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not kept your heart free from pride, though you had knowledge of all this;
22
"But you, his son, have not humbled yourself, even though you knew all this.
23 But you have been lifting yourself up against the Lord of heaven, and they have put the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your women, have taken wine in them; and you have given praise to gods of silver and gold, of brass and iron and wood and stone, who are without the power of seeing or hearing, and without knowledge: and to the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, you have not given glory;
23
You acted against the Lord of heaven and brought in the cups and bowls taken from his Temple. You, your noblemen, your wives, and your concubines drank wine out of them and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone - gods that cannot see or hear and that do not know anything. But you did not honor the God who determines whether you live or die and who controls everything you do.
24 Then the part of the hand was sent out from before him, and this writing was recorded.
24
That is why God has sent the hand to write these words.
25 And this is the writing which was recorded, Mene, tekel, peres.
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"This is what was written: "Number, number, weight, divisions.'
26 This is the sense of the words: Mene; your kingdom has been numbered by God and ended.
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And this is what it means: [number, ]God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end;
27 Tekel; you have been put in the scales and seen to be under weight.
27
[weight, ]you have been weighed on the scales and found to be too light;
28 Peres; your kingdom has been cut up and given to the Medes and Persians.
28
[divisions, ]your kingdom is divided up and given to the Medes and Persians."
29 Then, by the order of Belshazzar, they put a purple robe on Daniel, and a gold chain round his neck, and a public statement was made that he was to be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.
29
Immediately Belshazzar ordered his servants to dress Daniel in a robe of royal purple and to hang a gold chain of honor around his neck. And he made him the third in power in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldaeans, was put to death.
30
That same night Belshazzar, the king of Babylonia, was killed;
31 And Darius the Mede took the kingdom, being then about sixty-two years old.
31
and Darius the Mede, who was then sixty-two years old, seized the royal power.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.