Daniel 5 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

King Belshazzar threw a massive banquet for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine right in front of them all.

While Belshazzar was tasting the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem — so the king, his nobles, his wives, and his concubines could drink from them.

So they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple — God's house in Jerusalem — and the king, his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.

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

Right at that moment, the fingers of a human hand appeared and started writing on the plastered wall of the royal palace, right next to the lampstand. And the king watched the hand as it wrote.

The king's face went pale. His thoughts terrified him. His hip joints went slack and his knees were knocking together.

The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in. He said to Babylon's wise men, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be dressed in purple, have a gold chain placed around his neck, and will rule as third in the kingdom."

All the king's wise men came in, but none of them could read the writing or tell the king what it meant.

King Belshazzar was deeply shaken. His face went even paler. And his nobles were completely at a loss.

The queen mother, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. She said, "Long live the king! Don't let your thoughts terrify you, and don't go pale."

"There's a man in your kingdom who has the breath of the set-apart gods in him. In your predecessor's time, he was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the fortune-tellers, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners — your own predecessor, the king."

"An extraordinary mind, knowledge, and understanding — the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve impossible problems — these were all found in this Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar. Call for Daniel, and he'll tell you what it means."

So Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, "Are you Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, whom my predecessor the king brought from Judah?"

"I've heard about you — that the breath of the gods is in you, and that insight, understanding, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you."

"The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and explain it, but they couldn't tell me what it means."

"But I've heard that you can give interpretations and solve impossible problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you'll be dressed in purple, have a gold chain placed around your neck, and will rule as third in the kingdom."

Daniel answered the king, "Keep your gifts for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else. But I will read the writing for the king and tell you what it means."

"Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty."

"Because of the greatness God gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled in fear before him. He put to death whoever he wanted, and kept alive whoever he wanted. He promoted whoever he wanted, and demoted whoever he wanted."

"But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit became hardened with pride, he was brought down from his royal throne and his glory was stripped from him."

He was driven away from human society. His mind became like an animal's. He lived with the wild donkeys, was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky — until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules over all human kingdoms and sets over them whoever he chooses.

"But you, Belshazzar, his successor — you have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all of this."

"Instead, you've set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the vessels from his house brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and concubines drank wine from them. You praised gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone — gods that can't see, can't hear, and know nothing. But the God who holds your very breath in his hand and owns every road you'll ever walk — him you have not honored."

"So the hand was sent from his presence, and this writing was inscribed."

"And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN."

"Here's what it means: MENE — God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end."

"TEKEL — you have been weighed on the scales, and you don't measure up."

"PERES — your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."

Then Belshazzar gave the order, and Daniel was dressed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third ruler in the kingdom.

That very night, Belshazzar king of the Babylonians was killed.

And Darius the Mede received the kingdom. He was about sixty-two years old.