5Many years later King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them.H1113H4430H5648H7229H3900H506H7261H8355H2562H6903H5062While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines.H1113H2942H2562H560H858H1722H3702H3984H2H5020H5312H4481H1965H3390H4430H7261H7695H3904H83553So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.H116H858H1722H3984H5312H4481H1965H1005H426H3390H4430H7261H7695H3904H83554While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.H8355H2562H7624H426H1722H3702H5174H6523H636H695Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote,H8160H5312H677H606H3028H3790H6903H5043H5922H1528H3797H4430H1965H4430H2370H6447H3028H37906and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him.H116H4430H2122H8133H7476H927H7001H2783H8271H755H5368H1668H16687The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!”H4430H7123H2429H5954H826H3779H1505H4430H6032H560H2445H895H606H3606H7123H1836H3792H2324H6591H3848H711H2002H1722H5922H6676H8523H7981H44378But when all the king’s wise men had come in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant.H116H5954H3606H4430H2445H3546H3809H7123H3792H3046H4430H65919So the king grew even more alarmed, and his face turned pale. His nobles, too, were shaken.H116H4430H1113H7690H927H2122H8133H5922H7261H767210But when the queen mother heard what was happening, she hurried to the banquet hall. She said to Belshazzar, “Long live the king! Don’t be so pale and frightened.H4433H6903H4406H4430H7261H5954H4961H1005H4433H6032H560H4430H2418H5957H409H7476H927H2122H813311There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like that of the gods. Your predecessor, the king—your predecessor King Nebuchadnezzar—made him chief over all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers of Babylon.H383H1400H4437H7308H6922H426H3118H2H5094H7924H2452H2452H426H7912H4430H5020H2H4430H2H6966H7229H2749H826H3779H150512This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has exceptional ability and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”H6903H3606H3493H7308H4486H7924H6590H2493H263H280H8271H7001H7912H1841H4430H7761H8036H1096H3705H1841H7123H2324H659113So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king asked him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles brought from Judah by my predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar?H116H1841H5954H6925H4430H4430H6032H560H1841H607H1841H4481H1123H1547H3061H4430H2H858H4481H306114I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods within you and that you are filled with insight, understanding, and wisdom.H8086H7308H426H5922H5094H7924H3493H2452H791215My wise men and enchanters have tried to read the words on the wall and tell me their meaning, but they cannot do it.H3705H2445H826H5954H6925H7123H1836H3792H3046H6591H3546H3809H2324H6591H440616I am told that you can give interpretations and solve difficult problems. If you can read these words and tell me their meaning, you will be clothed in purple robes of royal honor, and you will have a gold chain placed around your neck. You will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”H576H8086H5922H3202H6590H6591H8271H7001H3705H2006H3202H7123H3792H3046H6591H3848H711H2002H1722H5922H6676H8531H7981H443717Daniel answered the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means.H116H1841H6032H560H6925H4430H4978H1934H3052H5023H321H1297H7123H3792H4430H3046H659118Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar.H607H4430H5943H426H3052H5020H2H4437H7238H3367H192319He made him so great that people of all races and nations and languages trembled before him in fear. He killed those he wanted to kill and spared those he wanted to spare. He honored those he wanted to honor and disgraced those he wanted to disgrace.H4481H7238H3052H3606H5972H524H3961H1934H2112H1763H4481H6925H1934H6634H1934H6992H1934H6634H1934H2418H1934H6634H1934H7313H1934H6634H1934H821420But when his heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.H3825H7313H7308H8631H2103H5182H4481H4437H3764H5709H3367H448121He was driven from human society. He was given the mind of a wild animal, and he lived among the wild donkeys. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them.H2957H4481H1123H606H3825H7739H5974H2423H4070H6167H2939H6211H8450H1655H6647H2920H8065H5705H3046H5943H426H7990H4437H606H6966H5922H4479H663422“You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself.H607H1247H1113H3809H8214H3825H6903H3046H3606H183623For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!H7313H5922H4756H8065H858H3984H1005H6925H607H7261H7695H3904H8355H2562H7624H426H3702H1722H5174H6523H636H69H2370H3809H3809H8086H3809H3046H426H3028H5396H3606H735H3809H192224So God has sent this hand to write this message.H116H6447H3028H7972H4481H6925H1836H3792H756025“This is the message that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin.H1836H3792H7560H4484H4484H8625H653726This is what these words mean: Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end.H1836H6591H4406H4484H426H4483H4437H800027Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up.H8625H8625H3977H7912H262728Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”H6537H4437H6537H3052H4076H654029Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was dressed in purple robes, a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.H116H560H1113H3848H1841H711H2002H1722H5922H6676H3745H5922H1934H8531H7990H443730That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed.H3916H1113H4430H3779H699231And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.H1868H4077H6902H4437H8361H8648H8140H1247
Dublin, OH
, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines.H1113
