The Prophet Daniel

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- Kapitel 5 -

Several years later, Belshazzar became the king of Babylon. One day he invited one thousand of the most important people to a big feast, and he drank wine in front of them all.

While he was drinking, he commanded that his servants bring him the gold and silver cups that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. He did this so that he and his officials, his wives, and his concubines could drink from them.

So his servants brought in all those gold cups that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem. Then the king and his officials and his wives and his concubines drank wine from those cups.

They drank wine and praised their idols, these idols that were made of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and of stone.

The Handwriting on the Wall

Suddenly they saw across from the lampstand a man’s hand and fingers. The hand was writing on the plaster wall in the palace. The king saw the hand as it was writing.

He became very frightened, and his face became pale. His knees started shaking and his legs became very weak and could not support him.

Then he shouted to his servants to bring those who claimed to speak with the dead, the wise men, and the astrologers in Babylon. He said, “I will greatly honor anyone of you who can read this writing and tell me what it means. I will give that person a purple robe like I wear because I am the king and I will put a gold chain around his neck. I will make him the third most powerful ruler in my kingdom.”

But when all those wise men came in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant.

So King Belshazzar became more afraid. His face was changed and he looked different. None of his officials knew how they could help him.

The queen came to the place where they were eating. She heard what the king had said and that his nobles did not know how to help him. She said, “O king, may you live forever! Do not be upset about this or let this change the way you look.

There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. When Nebuchadnezzar was ruling, he found that this man understood many things and was wise, just like the gods. Nebuchadnezzar appointed him to be in charge of the magicians, of those who speak with the dead, of the wise men, and of the astrologers.

His name is Daniel, but the king gave him the name Belteshazzar. He is a person who can be trusted. He is very intelligent and understands many hidden things. He is able to tell the meaning of dreams, to explain riddles, and to solve problems that few others can solve. Call for him to come here and he will tell you what this writing means.”

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting

So they went and brought Daniel in. The king asked him, “You are the famous Daniel, are you not? One of those that my father brought here from Judah.

I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you understand many things and have excellent wisdom.

There were men who are known for their wisdom and others who speak with the dead, and they tried to read the writing on this wall and to tell me what it means, but they could not do it.

Someone told me that you can explain what dreams mean and that you can make things understandable that others cannot know. If you can read these words and tell me what they mean, I will give you a purple robe like I wear because I am the king, and I will put a gold chain around your neck, and I will make you the third most powerful ruler in the kingdom.”

Daniel replied and said to the king, “I do not want your gifts. Keep them for yourself and give the rewards to some other person. I will read what is written on the wall for you, but not because you give me any reward.

Your Majesty, the Most High God caused Nebuchadnezzar, the man who was king before you, to become a great ruler. He was greatly praised and honored.

Because God made him very great, everyone, every nation, no matter what language they spoke, was afraid of him, and they trembled at what he could do. He put to death those whom he decreed should die, and he kept alive those whom he decreed should live. He honored those whom he chose to honor, and he brought disgrace to those whom he wanted to humble.

But when he became very proud and stubborn, he was unable to rule any longer.

He had to go away from other human beings because he lost his mind. God caused him to have a mind like animals have. He lived among the wild donkeys. He ate grass like an ox, and dew from the sky made his body wet every morning. He was like that until he learned that the Most High God is the only one who rules the kingdoms of this world and that he appoints whomever he chooses to rule those kingdoms.

Now, Belshazzar, you have become king in your father’s place. You knew all these things, but you have not made yourself humble.

You have put yourself above the Lord who rules in heaven. You called for the cups from the house of God in Jerusalem so that you could use them to drink wine. You and your officials and your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from these cups and toasting your own gods, gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Those gods cannot see, they cannot hear, and they do not know anything! But you have not honored God, who gives you breath and who controls everything that happens to you.

So God sent this hand to write a message for you on the wall.

This is the message that it wrote: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Pharsin.

This is what those words mean: ‘Mene’ means ‘numbered.’ That means that God has been counting the days that you will rule, and he has decided that you will not rule anymore.

‘Mene’ means ‘weighed.’ God has weighed you on a scale, and you do not weigh what you should.

‘Peres’ means ‘divided.’ God has divided your kingdom. It will be ruled by people from Media and by people from Persia.”

Then Belshazzar did what he had promised. He put on Daniel a purple robe like the one he himself wore. He put a gold chain around his neck, and he proclaimed that Daniel would be the third most powerful ruler in the kingdom.

But that same night soldiers from Media entered the city and killed Belshazzar, king of Babylonia.

Darius, king of Media, became the king of Babylonia when he was sixty-two years old.

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded that the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem be brought to him, that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, might drink from them.

Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of God’s house which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, drank from them.

They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of bronze, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

The Handwriting on the Wall

In the same hour, the fingers of a man’s hand came out and wrote near the lamp stand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace. The king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

Then the king’s face was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him; and the joints of his thighs were loosened, and his knees struck one against another.

The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and shows me its interpretation shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

Then all the king’s wise men came in; but they could not read the writing, and couldn’t make known to the king the interpretation.

Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his face was changed in him, and his lords were perplexed.

The queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house. The queen spoke and said, “O king, live forever; don’t let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your face be changed.

There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him. The king, Nebuchadnezzar, your father—yes, the king, your father—made him master of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers,

because an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting of dreams, showing of dark sentences, and dissolving of doubts were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting

Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?

I have heard of you, that the spirit of the gods is in you and that light, understanding, and excellent wisdom are found in you.

Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known to me its interpretation; but they could not show the interpretation of the thing.

But I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and dissolve doubts. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

Then Daniel answered before the king, “Let your gifts be to yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

“To you, king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father the kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty.

Because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed whom he wanted to, and he kept alive whom he wanted to. He raised up whom he wanted to, and he put down whom he wanted to.

But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.

He was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the animals’, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the sky, until he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and that he sets up over it whomever he will.

“You, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this,

but have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which don’t see, or hear, or know; and you have not glorified the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways.

Then the part of the hand was sent from before him, and this writing was inscribed.

“This is the writing that was inscribed: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’

“This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE: God has counted your kingdom, and brought it to an end.

TEKEL: you are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.

PERES: your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain.

Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.