5:1 Belshazzar the king ①held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.
▷ ①Lit made
5:2 ①While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which his ②father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them.
▷ ①Or Under the influence of the wine ②Or forefather, and so throughout the ch
5:3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank out of them.
5:4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5:5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing.
5:6 Then the king’s ①face became pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints ②loosened and his knees began knocking together.
▷ ①Lit brightness changed for him ②Or shook
5:7 The king called aloud to bring in the sorcerers, the ①Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king began speaking and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Anyone who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom.”
▷ ①I.e., probably master astrologers, diviners, etc., and so throughout the ch
5:8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.
5:9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his ①face grew even more pale, and his nobles were perplexed.
▷ ①Lit brightness was changing upon him
5:10 The queen entered the banquet ①hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen began to speak and said, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your ②face be pale.
▷ ①Lit house ②Lit brightness be changed
5:11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is ①a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father ②the king—appointed him chief of the soothsayer priests, sorcerers, Chaldeans, and diviners.
▷ ①Or possibly the Spirit of the holy God ②Or O king
5:12 This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of riddles, and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”
5:13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king began speaking and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the ①exiles from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?
▷ ①Lit sons of the exile
5:14 Now I have heard about you that ①a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you.
▷ ①Or possibly the Spirit of God
5:15 Just now the wise men and the sorcerers were brought in before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the ①message.
▷ ①Lit word
5:16 But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.”
5:17 Then Daniel replied and said before the king, “ ①Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.
▷ ①Lit Let...be for
5:18 ①O king, the Most High God granted ②sovereignty, greatness, honor, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father.
▷ ①Lit You, O king ②Or the kingdom
5:19 Now because of the greatness which He granted him, all the peoples, nations, and populations of all ①languages trembled and feared in his presence; whomever he wished, he killed, and whomever he wished, he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated, and whomever he wished he humbled.
▷ ①Lit tongues
5:20 But when his heart ①was arrogant and his spirit became so ②overbearing that he behaved presumptuously, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his dignity was taken away from him.
▷ ①Lit rose up ②Lit strong
5:21 He was also driven away from ①mankind, and his heart was made like that of animals, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind, and that He sets over it whomever He wishes.
▷ ①Lit the sons of mankind
5:22 Yet you, his ①son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this,
▷ ①Or descendant
5:23 but you have risen up against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have been drinking wine out of them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, nor hear, nor understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.
5:24 Then the ①hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.
▷ ①Lit palm of the hand
5:25 “Now this is the inscription that was written: ‘ ①MENĒ, ②MENĒ, ③TEKĒL, ④UPHARSIN.’
▷ ①Or a mina (50 shekels) from verb “to count” ②Or a mina (50 shekels) from verb “to count” ③Or a shekel from verb “to weigh” ④Or and half-shekels (singular: perēs) from verb “to divide”
5:26 This is the interpretation of the ①message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.
▷ ①Lit word
5:27 ‘TEKĒL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
5:28 ‘ ①PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and ②Persians.”
▷ ①Or half-shekel from verb “to divide” ②Aram: Pāras
5:29 Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
5:30 That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.
5:31 ①So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.
▷ ①Ch 6:1 in Aram