1 King Belshazzar gave a big party for 1000 of his officials and was drinking wine with them all. 2 As Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he ordered his servants to bring the gold and silver cups that His father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. King Belshazzar wanted his Royal people, his wives, and his concubines to drink from those cups.
3 So they brought the gold cups that had been taken from the Temple of Alahim in Jerusalem, and the King and his officials, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they were drinking, they gave praise to their deities made from gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5 And suddenly AT THAT MOMENT a man’s hand appeared and began writing on the wall. The fingers scratched words into the plaster on the wall, opposite the lampstand in the King’s palace (IT WAS A DIMLY LIT ROOM).
6 The King Belshazzar was watching the hand as it wrote and was petrified. His face became white from fear, and his knees were shaking and knocking together. He could not stand up because his legs were too weak.
7 The King called for the men of magic and the Chaldeans to be brought to him. He said to these wise men, “I will give a reward to anyone who can read this writing and explain to me what it means. I will give him purple robes to wear and will put a gold chain around his neck. I will make him the third highest ruler in the Kingdom.”
8 So all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or understand what it meant. 9 King Belshazzar’s officials were confused, and the King became even more afraid and worried. His face was white from fear.
10 Then the Queen (King’s mother) came into the place where the party was. She had heard the voices of the King and his Royal officials. She said, “My King, may you live forever! Don’t be afraid! Don’t let your face be so white with fear! 11 There’s a man in your Kingdom who has the Spirit of the set-apart Alahim in him. In the days of your father, this man showed that he was very smart and very wise, could understand secrets and was like the deities in these things. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, put this man in charge of all the wise men. He ruled over all the men of magic and the Chaldeans. 12 The man I’m talking about is named Daniel. The King gave him the name Belteshazzar. He’s very smart and he knows many things. He could interpret dreams, explain secrets, and find the answer to very hard problems. Call for Daniel and he will tell you what the writing on the wall means.”
13 So they brought Daniel to the King and he asked, “Is your name Daniel, one of the captives my father the King brought here from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the mighty deities is in you and that you understand secrets and are very smart and wise. 15 My wise men and the men of magic were brought to me to read this writing on the wall. I wanted them to explain to me what it means, but they could not explain it. 16 I have heard that you are able to explain what things mean, and that you can find the answer to very hard problems. If you can read this writing on the wall and explain to me what it means, this is what I will do for you: I will give you purple robes to wear and will put a gold chain around your neck. Then you will become the third highest ruler in the Kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered the king, “King Belshazzar, you can keep your gifts for yourself, or you can give them to someone else. But I’ll still read the writing on the wall for you and explain what it means.
18 King, Alahim Most High made your father Nebuchadnezzar a very great and powerful King and gave him great wealth. 19 People from many nations and languages were very afraid of Nebuchadnezzar because Alahim made him a very powerful King. Nebuchadnezzar killed whoever he wanted and let those who pleased him live. If he wanted to make people important, he made them important. If he wanted to bring them down, he brought them down.
20 But Nebuchadnezzar became proud and stubborn, so his power was taken away from him. He was taken off his Royal throne and stripped of his esteem. 21 Then Nebuchadnezzar was forced to go away from people. His heart became like a beasts. He lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox. He became wet with dew. These things happened to him until he learned his lesson. He learned that Alahim Most High rules over human Kingdoms, and He gives them to whoever He wants.
22 But Belshazzar, you already knew this. You are Nebuchadnezzar’s son, but still you have not made yourself humble. 23 No, you did not become humble. Instead, you have turned against the Master of Heaven. You ordered the drinking cups from His set-apart Temple to be brought to you. Then you and your Royal officials, your wives, and your concubines drank wine from those set-apart cups. You gave praise to your deities of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone. But they aren’t really alive or mighty - they can’t see or hear or understand anything. You didn’t give honour to the Alahim who has the power over your life and everything you do.
24 So because of that, Alahim sent the hand that wrote on the wall. 25 These are the words that were written on the wall: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPARSIN.
“This is what these words mean:
26 Mene: Alahim has measured (counted) the days of your Kingdom and ended it.
27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found not good enough.
28 Uparsin: Your Kingdom is being taken from you and divided among the Medes and Persians.”
29 Then Belshazzar gave an order for Daniel to be dressed in purple clothes. A gold chain was put around his neck, and he was appointed the third highest ruler in the Kingdom. 30 And that very same night, Belshazzar, King of the Babylonians, was slain. 31 And man named Darius the Mede became the new King. Darius was about 62 years old.
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