Belshazzar

1King Belshazzar made a big feast for a thousand of his important men. He drank wine in front of them all.

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

NoteA feast is a very big party with lots of food and drink. Belshazzar was the king of Babylon, a large and rich city. The thousand important men were his officers and leaders.

2While he drank, Belshazzar gave an order about the gold and silver cups. His father Nebuchadnezzar had taken them from God's temple in Jerusalem. The king wanted to drink from them with his officials, his wives, and the other women of his palace.

Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.

NoteThe temple in Jerusalem was the special building where God's people worshiped him. The gold and silver cups there were used only for worshiping God. Years before this, Babylon's army took them away. Nebuchadnezzar was a king before Belshazzar. In that language, calling him "his father" could also mean his grandfather or an earlier king.

3So they brought in the gold cups taken from God's temple in Jerusalem. The king drank from them, and so did his officials, his wives, and the other women.

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

NoteKings back then had more than one wife. Other women lived in the palace too and belonged to the king. The King James Version calls them "concubines".

4They drank the wine. They praised their gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

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

NoteThese gods were statues that people made with their own hands. Some were gold or silver, some were wood or stone. People bowed to them and asked them for help. Bronze is a hard metal made by mixing copper and tin.

5Right then the fingers of a human hand appeared. They wrote on the plaster wall of the palace, near the lampstand. The king watched the hand as it wrote.

In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

NotePlaster is the smooth coating that covers a wall. A lampstand held little lamps that burned oil. There were no electric lights, so lamps gave the room its light.

6The king's face turned pale. His thoughts frightened him. His legs went weak, and his knees knocked together.

Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

NotePale means his face lost its color and went white. That happens to people when they are very afraid.

7The king shouted for his wise men to come in. These were men who watched the stars and said they knew secrets. He told them, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will get a royal purple robe. He will get a gold chain for his neck. He will be the third most powerful ruler in my kingdom."

The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

NoteKings kept wise men who studied the stars and old books. People believed they could explain strange signs and dreams. Purple cloth cost a great deal of money. Only kings and very important people wore it. Belshazzar himself was only second in charge, because his father was still king. So third place was the highest job he could give away.

8All the king's wise men came in. But they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.

Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

9Then King Belshazzar grew even more afraid. His face turned even more pale. His important men did not know what to think.

Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.

10The queen heard the king and his men shouting. She came into the feast room. She said, "O king, may you live forever! Do not let your thoughts frighten you. Do not let your face turn pale.

Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:

NoteThis queen was most likely the king's mother. She was older, and she remembered the days of King Nebuchadnezzar. "O king, may you live forever" was a polite way to greet a king. It was like saying hello with great respect.

11There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. When your father was king, this man showed understanding and wisdom like the gods. Your own father, King Nebuchadnezzar, put him in charge of all the wise men and star watchers.

There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

NoteThe people of Babylon believed in many gods. That is why the queen says "gods" and not God.

12Your father did this because Daniel was found to have a special spirit, knowledge, and understanding. The king gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar. Daniel can explain dreams, solve riddles, and untangle hard problems. Send for Daniel. He will tell you what the writing means."

Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.

NoteWhen boys from Judah were taken to Babylon, they were given new Babylonian names. Belteshazzar was the new name given to Daniel. It sounds a lot like the king's name, Belshazzar, but it is a different name.

13So Daniel was brought in to the king. The king said to him, "Are you Daniel? Are you one of the people my father the king brought here as prisoners from Judah?

Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?

NoteJudah was the land far away where Daniel was born. Babylon's army beat Judah and marched many people back to Babylon. Daniel was one of those prisoners, brought there when he was young.

14I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you. People say you see clearly, understand much, and are very wise.

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

15The wise men and star watchers were brought in to read this writing for me. They could not tell me what it means.

And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:

16But I have heard that you can explain things and solve hard problems. So read this writing and tell me what it means. Then you will get a royal purple robe and a gold chain for your neck. You will be the third most powerful ruler in my kingdom."

And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

17Daniel answered the king, "Keep your gifts for yourself. Give your rewards to someone else. Even so, I will read the writing for you. I will tell you what it means.

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

18O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom. God gave him greatness, glory, and honor.

O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:

NoteMost High God means the God who is above everything and everyone. It was how Daniel spoke about the God of his people.

19Because God made him so great, people of every nation and language shook with fear before him. He killed anyone he wanted to kill. He let anyone live that he wanted to live. He lifted some people up and pushed others down.

And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.

20But his heart grew proud, and his mind became hard with pride. So he was taken off his royal throne. His glory was taken away from him.

But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:

21He was driven away from other people. His mind became like the mind of an animal. He lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox. His body was wet with the dew of heaven. This went on until he knew that the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of people. God gives a kingdom to anyone he chooses.

And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.

NoteThis tells about something that happened to Nebuchadnezzar earlier in this book. He lost his mind and lived outdoors like an animal. Dew is the water that settles on the grass at night.

22You are his son, Belshazzar. You knew all of this. But you have not made your heart humble.

And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

23Instead, you set yourself against the Lord of heaven. You had the cups from his temple brought to you. You drank wine from them with your officials, your wives, and the other women. You praised gods made of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Those gods cannot see or hear or know anything. But you did not honor the God who holds your very breath in his hand. Everything you do is in his hands too.

But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

NoteSaying God holds your breath in his hand is a word picture. It means every breath you take comes from him.

24So God sent the hand that wrote these words on the wall.

Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.

25This is what was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

NoteThese four words are in Aramaic, the language people spoke in Babylon. They are also the names of weights used for weighing money. So the words looked like nonsense to the wise men. Daniel knew what they were really saying.

26Here is what it means. MENE means God has counted the days of your kingdom. He has brought it to an end.

This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

NoteMENE means counted or numbered, like counting out coins.

27TEKEL means you have been weighed on a scale. You were too light. You did not measure up.

TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

NoteTEKEL means weighed. People weighed things on a balance scale, with two pans hanging from a bar. If your side was too light, you did not have enough.

28PERES means your kingdom has been split apart. It has been given to the Medes and the Persians."

PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

NotePERES means split apart. It is the same word as UPHARSIN in verse 25, just said a different way. It also sounds like the word Persia. The Medes and the Persians were people from lands east of Babylon, and their armies were coming.

29Then Belshazzar gave the order. They put a royal purple robe on Daniel and a gold chain around his neck. They told everyone that Daniel was now the third most powerful ruler in the kingdom.

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

30That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was killed.

In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.

NoteChaldeans was another name for the people of Babylon.

31Then Darius the Mede took over the kingdom. He was about sixty-two years old.

And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

NoteThe Medes lived in the land next to Persia. The King James Version says he was "threescore and two" years old. A score means twenty, so three scores and two more is sixty-two.