5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote 6 Then the king's countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees smote one against another 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers the Chaldeans and the soothsayers And the king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon Whosoever __ shall read this writing and shew me the interpretation thereof shall be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom 8 Then came in all the king's wise men but they could not read the writing nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof 9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled and his countenance was changed in him and his lords were astonied
10 Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house and the queen spake and said O king live for ever let not thy thoughts trouble thee nor let thy countenance be changed 11 There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods was found in him whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father the king I say thy father made master of the magicians astrologers Chaldeans and soothsayers 12 Forasmuch as __ an excellent spirit and knowledge and understanding interpreting of dreams and shewing of hard sentences and dissolving of doubts were found in the same Daniel whom the king named __ Belteshazzar now let Daniel be called and he will shew the interpretation
13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king And the king spake and said unto Daniel Art thou that Daniel which art of the children of the captivity of Judah whom the king my father brought out of Jewry 14 I have even heard of thee that the spirit of the gods is in thee and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee 15 And now the wise men the astrologers have been brought in before me that they should read this writing and make known unto me the interpretation thereof but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing 16 And I have heard of thee that thou canst make interpretations and dissolve doubts now if thou canst read the writing and make known to me the interpretation thereof thou shalt be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about thy neck and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king Let thy gifts be to thyself and give thy rewards to another yet I will read the writing unto the king and make known to him the interpretation 18 O thou king the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom and majesty and glory and honour 19 And for the majesty that he gave him all people nations and languages trembled __ and feared before him whom he would __ he slew __ and whom he would __ he kept alive __ and whom he would __ he set up __ and whom he would __ he put down __ 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his mind hardened in pride he was deposed from his kingly throne and they took his glory from him 21 And he was driven from the sons of men and his heart was made like the beasts and his dwelling was with the wild asses they fed him with grass like oxen and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will 22 And thou his son O Belshazzar hast not humbled thine heart though thou knewest all this 23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee and thou and thy lords thy wives and thy concubines have drunk wine in them and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold of brass iron wood and stone which see not nor hear nor know and the God in whose hand thy breath is and whose are all thy ways hast thou not glorified 24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him and this writing was written
25 And this is the writing that was written MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN 26 This is the interpretation of the thing MENE God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it 27 TEKEL Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting 28 PERES Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians
29 Then commanded Belshazzar and they clothed Daniel with scarlet and put a chain of gold about his neck and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom
30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain 31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom being about threescore and two years old
