Daniel 5

Matthew(i) 1 Kynge Balthazar made a greate bancket to his thousand Lordes: with all these thousand he made great chere, 2 & when he was droncken with wyne, he commaunded to brynge hym the golden and syluer vessels, whiche his father Nabuchodonosor had taken oute of the temple at Ierusalem, that the king and hys lordes with hys quene and concubynes might drincke thereoute. 3 So they broughte the golden vessell, that was taken oute of the temple of the Lordes house at Ierusalem. Then the kynge and hys lordes with his quene & concubynes droncke oute of them. 4 They droncke wyne, and praysed theyr Idoles of golde, syluer, copper, yron woodde and stone. 5 In the very same houre there apeared fyngers, as it had bene of a mannes hande wrytynge, ryght ouer agaynst the candelstycke vpon the playne wall in the kynges palace, & the kynge sawe the palme of the hande that wrote. 6 Then chaunged the kynge hys countenaunce, and hys thoughtes troubled hym, so that the ioyntes of hys bodye shoke, and hys knees smote one against the other. 7 Wherfore the kynge cryed myghtelye, that they shulde brynge hym the charmers, Caldees and coniurers of deuyls. The kynge spake also to the wyse men of Babylon, and sayde: Who so can rede thys wrytynge, and shew me the playne meanyng therof, shalbe clothed wyth purple, haue a cheyne of golde aboute hys necke, and rule the thyrde parte of my kyngedome. 8 Vpon this, came al the kynges wyse men: but they coulde neyther reade the wrytynge, nor shewe the kinge what it signifyed. 9 Then was the kynge sore afrayed in so muche, that his colour chaunged, and his lordes were sore vexed. 10 So by reason of thys matter, that had happened to the kyng and his lordes, the quene wente vp her selfe into the banckethouse, and spake vnto the kynge, sayinge: O kyng, God saue thy lyfe for euer: Let not the thoughtes trouble the, and let not thy countenaunce be chaunged. 11 For why? there is a man in thy kingdome, that hath the spryte of the holy Goddes within him, as it was sene in thy fathers dayes. He hath vnderstandynge and wysdome like the Goddes. Yea the kynge Nabuchodonosor thy father made thys man chefe of the sothsayers, charmers, Caldees, and deuilconiurers, 12 because that suche an aboundaunt spryte knowledge & wysdome (to expound dreames, to open secretes, and to declare harde dowtes) was founde in hym: yea euen in Daniel whom the kynge named Balthazar. Let thys same Daniel be sente for, and he shall tell, what it meaneth. 13 Then was Daniel broughte before the kynge. So the kynge spake vnto Daniel, and sayde: Arte thou that Daniel, one of the presoners of Iuda, whome my father the kynge broughte oute of Iewry? 14 I haue heard speake of the, that thou haste the spryte of the holye Goddes, experience and vnderstandyng, and that there hath bene greate wysdome founde in the. 15 Now haue there ben brought me, wyse & conning charmers, to reade thys wrytyng, and to shewe me the meanynge thereof: But they coulde not tell me, what this matter sygnyfyed. 16 Then heard I saye, that thou canste expounde darcke thynges, and declare harde doutes. Well then, yf thou canst reade thys wrytynge, and shewe me the meanynge therof: thou shalte be clothed with purple, haue a cheyne of golde aboute thy necke, and rule the thyrde parte of my kyngdome. 17 Daniel aunswered, and sayde before the kynge. As for thy rewardes, kepe them to thy selfe, or geue thy ryche gyftes to another: yet not the lesse, I wyll rede the wrytynge vnto the kynge, and shewe hym the interpretacion therof. 18 O kynge, God the hyest gaue vnto Nabuchodonosor thy father, the dignite of a kynge with worshippe and honoure, 19 so that al people, kynredes and tunge stode in awe & feare of him, by reason of the hye estate, that he had lente him. For why, he slewe whom he wold: he smote, whom it pleased hym. Agayne, whom he wolde, he set vp: and whome he lyst, he put doune. 20 But because hys herte was so proude, and hys stomacke set so fast vnto wilfulnesse: he was deposed from hys kingly trone, & his magesty was taken from hym. 21 He was shote oute from amonge men, his herte was lyke a beastes herte, and hys dwellynge was wyth the wylde asses: he was fayne to eate grasse lyke an oxe, and hys body was wet with the dewe of the heauen: tyll he knewe, that the hyest had power vpon the kingdomes of men, and setteth ouer them, whome he lyst. 22 And thou hys sonne (O Balthazar) for al this, hast not submytted thyne herte, thoughe thou knewest all these thynges, 23 but hast magnyfyed thy selfe aboue the Lorde of heauen, so that the vessels of hys house were broughte before the, that thou, and thy Lordes, with thy quene and concubynes, myght drincke wyne thereoute: And hast praysed the Idoles of syluer and golde, copper and yron, of wode and stone: As for the God in whose hande consysteth thy breth and all thy wayes: thou haste not loaued hym. 24 Therfore is the palme of thys hande sente hyther from hym, to token vp thys writinge. 25 And thys is the scrypture, that is wryten vp: Mane, Thetel, Phares. 26 Nowe the interpretacyon of the thynge is thys: Mane, God hath nombred the kyngdome, and brought it to an ende: 27 Thetel, thou arte weyed in the balaunce and arte founde to lyghte: 28 Phares, thy kyngdome is delte in partes, and geuen to the Medes and Perses. 29 Then commaunded Balthazar, to clothe Daniel wyth purple, to hange a cheyne of golde aboute hys necke, and to make a proclamacyon concerning him: that he shulde be the ruler of the thyrde parte of hys kyngedome. 30 The very same nyghte was Balthazar the kynge of the Caldees slayne, 31 and Darius out of Medea toke in the kyngedome, beyng .lxij. yeare of age.