| 1 | King Belshaz'zar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in front of the thousand. |
| 2 | Belshaz'zar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver which Nebuchadnez'zar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. |
| 3 | Then they brought in the golden and silver vessels which had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. |
| 4 | They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. |
| 5 | Immediately the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand; and the king saw the hand as it wrote. |
| 6 | Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. |
| 7 | The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chalde'ans, and the astrologers. The king said to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." |
| 8 | Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. |
| 9 | Then King Belshaz'zar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed; and his lords were perplexed. |
| 10 | The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall; and the queen said, "O king, live for ever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. |
| 11 | There is in your kingdom a man in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him, and King Nebuchadnez'zar, your father, made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chalde'ans, and astrologers, |
| 12 | because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshaz'zar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation." |
| 13 | Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, "You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. |
| 14 | I have heard of you that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. |
| 15 | Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation; but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. |
| 16 | But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. |
| 17 | Then Daniel answered before the king, "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 Most High God gave Nebuchadnez'zar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty; |
| 19 | and because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him; whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down. |
| 20 | But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him; |
| 21 | he was driven from among men, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild asses; he was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of men, and sets over it whom he will. |
| 22 | And you his son, Belshaz'zar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, |
| 23 | but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and the 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; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. |
| 24 | "Then from his presence the 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, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; |
| 28 | PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." |
| 29 | Then Belshaz'zar commanded, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put about his neck, and proclamation was made concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. |
| 30 | That very night Belshaz'zar the Chalde'an king was slain. |
| 31 | And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. |
| 1 | It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; |
| 2 | and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. |
| 3 | Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. |
| 4 | Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom; but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. |
| 5 | Then these men said, "We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God." |
| 6 | Then these presidents and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, "O King Darius, live for ever! |
| 7 | All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an interdict, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. |
| 8 | Now, O king, establish the interdict and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked." |
| 9 | Therefore King Darius signed the document and interdict. |
| 10 | When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem; and he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. |
| 11 | Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. |
| 12 | Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the interdict, "O king! Did you not sign an interdict, that any man who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?" The king answered, "The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked." |
| 13 | Then they answered before the king, "That Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no heed to you, O king, or the interdict you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day." |
| 14 | Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed, and set his mind to deliver Daniel; and he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. |
| 15 | Then these men came by agreement to the king, and said to the king, "Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no interdict or ordinance which the king establishes can be changed." |
| 16 | Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!" |
| 17 | And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. |
| 18 | Then the king went to his palace, and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. |
| 19 | Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. |
| 20 | When he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish and said to Daniel, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?" |
| 21 | Then Daniel said to the king, "O king, live for ever! |
| 22 | My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong." |
| 23 | Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of hurt was found upon him, because he had trusted in his God. |
| 24 | And the king commanded, and those men who had accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions -- they, their children, and their wives; and before they reached the bottom of the den the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. |
| 25 | Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: "Peace be multiplied to you. |
| 26 | I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring for ever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. |
| 27 | He delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions." |
| 28 | So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. |
