Daniel 5

CLV^{(i) 1} Belshazzar the king makes a grand dinner for a thousand of his grandees and is drinking turbid wine in view of the thousand. ² When tasting the turbid wine, Belshazzar says to bring hither the gold and silver vessels of the house of Eloah which his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, that they may drink from them--the king and his grandees, his consorts and his concubines." ³ Then they bring hither the gold and silver vessels which they had taken from the temple, the house of the Eloah in Jerusalem. And they drink from them--the king and his grandees, his consorts and his concubines." ⁴ They drink the turbid wine and laud the elohim of gold, silver, copper, iron, wood, and stone." ⁵ In the same hour came forth fingers of a mortal's hand writing, in the light received from the lampstand, on the stuccoed sidewall of the king's palace. And the king is perceiving the fingertip of the hand that is writing." ⁶ Then the king's mien alters and his ruminations are flustering him; the ligaments of his loins loosen up, and his knees are knocking one against the other." ⁷ Calling is the king with potency to bring in the magi, the sacred scribes, the Chaldeans, and the hieromancers. Responding is the king and saying to the wise men of Babylon that, "Any mortal who will read this writing and disclose its interpretation to me shall be clothed in purple, with a circlet of gold about his neck, and as the third one in the kingdom shall he have authority." ⁸ Then going in are all the king's wise men, yet they can not read the writing nor make known its interpretation to the king." ⁹ Then king Belshazzar is flustering greatly and his mien is altering, while his grandees are baffled." ¹⁰ Then the queen, in view of the declarations of the king and his grandees, goes into the house of feasting. The queen responds and says, "O king, live for the eons! Your ruminations must not fluster you, and your mien must not be altering." ¹¹ Actually, a master is in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy Elohim, and in the days of your grandfather a stream of light and intelligence and wisdom, as the wisdom of the Elohim, was found in him. King Nebuchadnezzar your grandfather set him up to be grandee of the sacred scribes, the magi, the Chaldeans and the hieromancers of your grandfather the king, ¹² forasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge and intelligence in the interpreting of dreams, the disclosure of problems and the untying of knots was found in him, that is in Daniel on whom the king placed his name Belteshazzar. Now Daniel shall be called, and he will disclose the interpretation." ¹³ Then Daniel is brought in before the king. Responding is the king and saying to Daniel, "You are he--the Daniel, who is of the sons of the deportation of Judah, that the king my grandfather brought hither from Judah? ¹⁴ I hear concerning you that the spirit of the holy Elohim is in you, and a stream of light and intelligence and excellent wisdom is found in you." ¹⁵ Now brought in before me were the wise men, the magi and the hieromancers, that they shall read this writing and make known to me its interpretation. Yet they can not disclose the interpretation of the matter." ¹⁶ Yet I hear concerning you that you can interpret interpretations and untie knots. Now, if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, in purple shall you be clothed, with a circlet of gold about your neck, and as the third one in the kingdom shall you have authority." ¹⁷ Then answering is Daniel and saying before the king, "Your gifts be to yourself, and your rewards grant to another! But the writing will I read to the king, and its interpretation will I make known to him." ¹⁸ You, O king! The Supreme Eloah granted the kingdom and majesty and esteem and honor to Nebuchadnezzar your grandfather." ¹⁹ And from the majesty that He granted to him, all peoples, leagues, and language-groups were stirred and terrified before him. Whom he will he is despatching, and whom he will he is preserving alive; whom he will he exalts, and whom he will he abases." ²⁰ Yet when his heart was exalted and his spirit was mightily arrogant, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom and they caused his esteem to pass away from him:" ²¹ From the sons of mortals was he shoved, his heart was made equal to an animal's and with the wild donkeys was his abode. Herbage are they feeding to him, as oxen, and by the night mist of the heavens was his frame streaked, till he knew that the Supreme Eloah is in authority in the kingdom of mortals, and whom He is willing is He setting up over it." ²² Yet you, his grandson Belshazzar, you abase not your heart in Eloah's sight, forasmuch as all this you know." ²³ Over the Lord, the Eloah of the heavens, you exalt yourself; the vessels of His house they bring hither before you; you and your grandees, your consorts and your concubines are drinking turbid wine from them. Also elohim of silver, gold, copper, iron, wood, and stone who are not perceiving and not hearing and not knowing, these you laud, yet the Eloah in Whose hand is your breath, and for Whom are all your paths, Him you do not honor." ²⁴ From before Him then is being sent the fingertip of that hand and is this writing signified. ²⁵ Now this is the writing that is signified:MNA MNA THUQL U PHURSIN" ²⁶ and this is the interpretation of the matter:MNA, an accounting has the Eloah made of your kingdom and He balances it;" ²⁷ THUQL, weighed are you on the scales and found lacking;" ²⁸ PHURS, bisected is your kingdom and it will be granted to the Medes and Persians." ²⁹ Then, at Belshazzar's order, they clothe Daniel in purple, with a circlet of gold about his neck, and they proclaim concerning him that he is the third authority in the kingdom." ³⁰ In the same night Belshazzar is despatched, the king of the Chaldeans. Thus the interpretation comes on Belshazzar the king:The kingdom is taken away from the Chaldeans and given to the Medes and Persians." ³¹ And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old."