Belshazzar’s Feast
1 Belshazzar the king amade a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand.
2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels awhich his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.
3 Then they brought the gold avessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.
4 They drank wine, aand praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
5 aIn the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
6 Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his aknees knocked against each other.
7 aThe king cried1 aloud to bring in bthe astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; cand he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
8 Now all the king’s wise men came, abut they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation.
9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly atroubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were1 astonished.
10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change.
11 aThere is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your1 father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.
12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and1 explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, awhom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”
The Writing on the Wall Explained
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel1 who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my2 father the king brought from Judah?
14 I have heard of you, that athe Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Commentaries:
No entry exists in Barnes' Notes for Daniel 5:1.
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