Daniel 5
The Handwriting on the Wall
aKing Belshazzar bmade a great feast for a thousand of his clords and drank wine in front of the thousand.
2 aBelshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that bthe vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in athe golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and apraised the bgods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5 aImmediately bthe fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw cthe hand as it wrote. 6 aThen the king’s color changed, band his thoughts alarmed him; chis limbs gave way, and dhis knees knocked together. 7 aThe king called loudly to bring in athe enchanters, the bChaldeans, and cthe astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, d“Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and eshall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but athey could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly aalarmed, and his bcolor changed, and his clords were perplexed.
10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, a“O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you bor your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom ain whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, blight and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—cmade him chief of the magicians, denchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 abecause an excellent spirit, knowledge, and bunderstanding bto interpret dreams, explain riddles, and csolve problems were found in this Daniel, dwhom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”
Daniel Interprets the Handwriting
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of athe exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that athe spirit of the gods is in you, and that blight and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now athe wise men, the benchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but cthey could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 aBut I have heard that you can give interpretations and bsolve problems. cNow if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, cyou shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and dshall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, a“Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the aMost High God bgave cNebuchadnezzar your father dkingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, aall peoples, nations, and languages btrembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But awhen his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, bhe was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 aHe was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, auntil he knew that the bMost High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son, aBelshazzar, bhave not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against athe Lord of heaven. And bthe vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. cAnd you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, dbut the God in whose hand is your breath, and ewhose are all your ways, fyou have not honored.
24 “Then from his presence athe hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, ayou have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to athe Medes and bPersians.”
29 Then aBelshazzar gave the command, and Daniel bwas clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 aThat very night bBelshazzar the cChaldean king was killed. 31 And aDarius bthe Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.