5 Several years later when Belshatstsar was king, he put on a feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine with them all. 2 As Belshatstsar was drinking the wine, he remembered the gold and silver cups that his father Nevukadnetstsar had taken from the temple in Yerushalem, and ordered that they be brought in so that the king and his nobles, and his wives and his concubines, could drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold cups that had been taken out of God’s residence in Yerushalem, then the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines, drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5 Suddenly, the fingers of a human hand appeared and started writing on the plaster on the king’s palace wall, opposite the lampstand. When the king saw the back of the hand that was writing, 6 he was very frightened and the colour drained from his face. His legs felt weak and his knees started knocking together, 7 and he called out for the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers to be brought in. The king told those Babylonian wise men, “Anyone who can read this writing and tell me its interpretation will be dressed in royal robes and will have a chain of gold placed around his neck, and he’ll become the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 When all the king’s wise men of the king got there, none of them could read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 Then King Belshatstsar became more afraid, his face went whiter still, and his nobles also had no idea what to do.

10 My now the queen[fn] had heard about what the king and his noblemen had been saying, so she came into the banquet house and said, “Long live the king. Don’t let this get under your skin. Don’t let it drain you. 11 There’s a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father, this man has illumination and insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your father King Nevukadnetstsar appointed him chief of the magicians, sorcerers, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 because this Daniel had an excellent spirit, knowledge, and insight for interpreting dreams, explaining riddles, and solving problems. So summon Daniel who the king named Belteshatstsar and he’ll tell you the interpretation.”

13 So Daniel was brought in to the king who said to him, “So, you’re that Daniel—one of the exiles that my father the king brought from Yehudah. 14 I’ve heard about you—heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have illumination and insight and excellent wisdom. 15 Now the wise men and enchanters were brought in here to read this writing on the wall and tell me its interpretation, but they couldn’t interpret it. 16 But I’ve heard about you—that you’re able to give interpretations and solve problems. Now, if you’re able to read that writing and tell me what it means, you’ll be clothed with kingly robes and have a chain of gold placed around your neck, and you’ll be made the third-highest ruler in the kingdom.”

17 “I’m not after your gifts, and your rewards can be given to someone else,” Daniel responded. “But, I’ll read the writing to the king and I’ll tell you the interpretation.

18 “As for you, your majesty, the highest God gave the kingship, power, honour, and majesty, to your father Nevukadnetstsar. 19 Because of that power, all peoples, nations, and ethnic groups trembled and were afraid when his army approached. He killed whoever he wanted, and he kept alive those he wanted. He promoted whoever he wanted, and he humiliated others when he wanted to. 20 But when he became proud and stubborn and started acting presumptuously, he was disqualified from the throne, and his splendid reputation was deflated. 21 He was driven right out of the community, and he started behaving like an animal—he ended up living with wild donkeys and eating grass like a cow. He slept on the ground, and in the morning his body was wet with dew, until he finally recognized that the highest God is ruler over all mankind and that he appoints whoever he wants as leaders over the kingdoms.

22 “Yet you, Belshatstsar, his son, haven’t humbled yourself despite already knowing all that. 23 On the contrary, you’ve proudly promoted yourself as being greater than the master of the heavens. You brought the temple cups in here and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. You praised the gods made from silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which can’t see, or hear, or know anything, yet you haven’t honoured the God who decides your future and every breath that you take.

24 “So then its from his presence that the palm of a hand was sent, and this message was written. 25 This is how it reads, ‘Numbered, numbered, weighed, and divided,’ 26 and this is what it means:

• Numbered: God has numbered your days of leadership and brought them to an end,
• 27 Weighed: You’ve been weighed on the scales and found deficient, and
• 28 Divided: Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.”

29 Then Belshatstsar gave an order, and they placed a purple robe over Daniel’s shoulders and a gold chain was placed around his neck, and a proclamation was made that he would now be the third-highest ruler in the kingdom.

30 However, the Chaldean King Belshatstsar was killed that very night, 31 and Dareyavesh (Darius) the Mede became the new ruler at an age of around sixty-two.