Daniel 5

1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords, with whom he drank.
2 Under the influence of the wine, he ordered the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, to be brought in so that the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainers might drink from them.
3 When the gold and silver vessels taken from the house of God in Jerusalem had been brought in, and while the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainers were drinking
4 wine from them, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly, opposite the lampstand, the fingers of a human hand appeared, writing on the plaster of the wall in the king's palace. When the king saw the wrist and hand that wrote,
6 his face blanched; his thoughts terrified him, his hip joints shook, and his knees knocked.
7 The king shouted for the enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers to be brought in. Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means, he said to the wise men of Babylon, shall be clothed in purple, wear a golden collar about his neck, and be third in the government of the kingdom.
8 But though all the king's wise men came in, none of them could either read the writing or tell the king what it meant.
9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly terrified; his face went ashen, and his lords were thrown into confusion.
10 When the queen heard of the discussion between the king and his lords, she entered the banquet hall and said, O king, live forever! Be not troubled in mind, nor look so pale!
11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy God; during the lifetime of your father he was seen to have brilliant knowledge and god-like wisdom. In fact, King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers,
12 because of the extraordinary mind possessed by this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. He knew and understood how to interpret dreams, explain enigmas, and solve difficulties. Now therefore, summon Daniel to tell you what this means.
13 Then Daniel was brought into the presence of the king. The king asked him, Are you the Daniel, the Jewish exile, whom my father, the king, brought from Judah?
14 I have heard that the spirit of God is in you, that you possess brilliant knowledge and extraordinary wisdom.
15 Now, the wise men and enchanters were brought in to me to read this writing and tell me its meaning, but they could not say what the words meant.
16 But I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve difficulties; if you are able to read the writing and tell me what it means, you shall be clothed in purple, wear a gold collar about your neck, and be third in the government of the kingdom.
17 Daniel answered the king: You may keep your gifts, or give your presents to someone else; but the writing I will read for you, O king, and tell you what it means.
18 The Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar a great kingdom and glorious majesty.
19 Because he made him so great, the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Whomever he wished, he killed or let live; whomever he wished, he exalted or humbled.
20 But when his heart became proud and his spirit hardened by insolence, he was put down from his royal throne and deprived of his glory;
21 he was cast out from among men and was made insensate as a beast; he lived with wild asses, and ate grass like an ox; his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of men and appoints over it whom he will.
22 You, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this;
23 you have rebelled against the Lord of heaven. You had the vessels of his temple brought before you, so that you and your nobles, your wives and your entertainers, might drink wine from them; and you praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, that neither see nor hear nor have intelligence. But the God in whose hand is your life breath and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify.
24 By him were the wrist and hand sent, and the writing set down.
25 This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, TEKEL, and PERES. These words mean:
26 MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it;
27 TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting;
28 PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
29 Then by order of Belshazzar they clothed Daniel in purple, with a gold collar about his neck, and proclaimed him third in the government of the kingdom.
30 The same night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was slain:
31 And Darius the Mede succeeded to the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

Daniel 6

1 Darius decided to appoint over his entire kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to safeguard his interests;
2 these were accountable to three supervisors, one of whom was Daniel.
3 Daniel outshone all the supervisors and satraps because an extraordinary spirit was in him, and the king thought of giving him authority over the entire kingdom.
4 Therefore the supervisors and satraps tried to find grounds for accusation against Daniel as regards the administration. But they could accuse him of no wrongdoing; because he was trustworthy, no fault of neglect or misconduct was to be found in him.
5 Then these men said to themselves, We shall find no grounds for accusation against this Daniel unless by way of the law of his God.
6 So these supervisors and satraps went thronging to the king and said to him, King Darius, live forever!
7 All the supervisors of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, nobles, and governors are agreed that the following prohibition ought to be put in force by royal decree: no one is to address any petition to god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king; otherwise he shall be cast into a den of lions.
8 Now, O king, issue the prohibition over your signature, immutable and irrevocable under Mede and Persian law.
9 So King Darius signed the prohibition and made it law.
10 Even after Daniel heard that this law had been signed, he continued his custom of going home to kneel in prayer and give thanks to his God in the upper chamber three times a day, with the windows open toward Jerusalem.
11 So these men rushed in and found Daniel praying and pleading before his God.
12 Then they went to remind the king about the prohibition: Did you not decree, O king, that no one is to address a petition to god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king; otherwise he shall be cast into a den of lions? The king answered them, The decree is absolute, irrevocable under the Mede and Persian law.
13 To this they replied, Daniel, the Jewish exile, has paid no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you issued; three times a day he offers his prayer.
14 The king was deeply grieved at this news and he made up his mind to save Daniel; he worked till sunset to rescue him.
15 But these men insisted. Keep in mind, O king, they said, that under the Mede and Persian law every royal prohibition or decree is irrevocable.
16 So the king ordered Daniel to be brought and cast into the lions' den. To Daniel he said, May your God, whom you serve so constantly, save you.
17 To forestall any tampering, the king sealed with his own ring and the rings of the lords the stone that had been brought to block the opening of the den.
18 Then the king returned to his palace for the night; he refused to eat and he dismissed the entertainers. Since sleep was impossible for him,
19 the king rose very early the next morning and hastened to the lions' den.
20 As he drew near, he cried out to Daniel sorrowfully, O Daniel, servant of the living God, has the God whom you serve so constantly been able to save you from the lions?
21 Daniel answered the king: O king, live forever!
22 My God has sent his angel and closed the lions' mouths so that they have not hurt me. For I have been found innocent before him; neither to you have I done any harm, O king!
23 This gave the king great joy. At his order Daniel was removed from the den, unhurt because he trusted in his God.
24 The king then ordered the men who had accused Daniel, along with their children and their wives, to be cast into the lions' den. Before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
25 Then King Darius wrote to the nations and peoples of every language, wherever they dwell on the earth: All peace to you!
26 I decree that throughout my royal domain the God of Daniel is to be reverenced and feared: For he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be without end.
27 He is a deliverer and savior, working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, and he delivered Daniel from the lions' power.
28 So Daniel fared well during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.