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The Book of Daniel, Chapter 5
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1 |
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords,
and drank wine before the thousand.
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2 |
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.
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3 |
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.
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4 |
They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of
brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
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5 |
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.
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6 |
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.
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7 |
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.
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8 |
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.
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9 |
Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was
changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
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10 |
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:
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11 |
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;
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12 |
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.
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13 |
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?
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14 |
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.
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15 |
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:
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16 |
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.
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17 |
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.
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18 |
O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a
kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
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19 |
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.
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20 |
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:
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21 |
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.
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22 |
And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart,
though thou knewest all this;
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23 |
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:
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24 |
Then was the part of the hand sent
from him; and this writing was written.
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25 |
And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
UPHARSIN.
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26 |
This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered
thy kingdom, and finished it.
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TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
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28 |
PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and
Persians.
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29 |
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.
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30 |
In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
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31 |
And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore
and two years old.
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