1 Koning B,lsasar het 'n groot maaltyd berei vir sy duisend maghebbers, en in teenwoordigheid van die duisend het hy wyn gedrink.
2 By die genot van die wyn het B,lsasar bevel gegee om die goue en silwervoorwerpe te bring wat sy vader Nebukadn,sar uit die tempel van Jerusalem weggevoer het, sodat die koning en sy maghebbers, sy vroue en sy byvroue daaruit kon drink.
3 Toe het hulle die goue voorwerpe gebring wat uit die tempel, uit die huis van God in Jerusalem weggevoer was, en die koning en sy maghebbers, sy vroue en sy byvroue het daaruit gedrink.
4 Hulle het wyn gedrink en die gode van goud en silwer, koper, yster, hout en klip geprys.
5 Op dieselfde oomblik het daar vingers van 'n mens se hand te voorskyn gekom en teenoor die kandelaar op die kalk van die muur van die koninklike paleis geskrywe, en die koning het die deel van die hand gesien wat geskrywe het.
6 Toe het die gelaatskleur van die koning verander, en sy gedagtes het hom verskrik, en die gewrigte van sy heupe het losgeraak, en sy knieë het teen mekaar geslaan.
7 Die koning het hardop uitgeroep om die besweerders, die Chaldeërs en die waarsêers in te bring. Daarop het die koning gespreek en aan die wyse manne van Babel gesê: Enigeen wat hierdie skrif lees en my sy uitlegging te kenne gee, hy sal met purper beklee word, en 'n goue ketting sal om sy hals wees, en as derde in rang sal hy in die koninkryk heers.
8 Toe het al die wyse manne van die koning ingekom, maar hulle was nie in staat om die skrif te lees en sy uitlegging aan die koning bekend te maak nie.
9 Toe het koning B,lsasar baie verskrik geword, en sy gelaatskleur het aan hom verander, ook sy maghebbers was in verwarring.
10 Na aanleiding van die woorde van die koning en van sy maghebbers het die koningin in die eetsaal ingegaan; die koningin het begin spreek en gesê: Mag die koning in ewigheid lewe! Laat u gedagtes u nie verskrik en u gelaatskleur nie verander nie.
11 Daar is 'n man in u koninkryk in wie die gees van die heilige gode is: in die dae van u vader is verligting en insig en wysheid soos die wysheid van die gode in hom gevind; daarom het u vader, koning Nebukadn,sar, hom as owerste van die geleerdes, die besweerders, die Chaldeërs, die waarsêers aangestel -- u vader, o koning! --
12 omdat in hom 'n voortreflike gees en kennis en verstand gevind is om drome uit te lê en raaisels op te los en knope los te maak -- in Daniël aan wie die koning die naam van B,ltsasar gegee het; laat Daniël nou geroep word, dan sal hy die uitlegging te kenne gee.
13 Toe is Daniël voor die koning gebring; die koning het begin spreek en vir Daniël gesê: Is jy Daniël wat by die Joodse ballinge behoort, wat die koning, my vader, uit Juda gebring het?
14 Ek het van jou gehoor dat die gees van die gode in jou is, en dat verligting en verstand en voortreflike wysheid in jou gevind word.
15 Nou net is die wyse manne, die besweerders, voor my gebring om hierdie skrif te lees en sy uitlegging aan my bekend te maak; maar hulle is nie in staat om die uitlegging van die woord te kenne te gee nie.
16 Maar ek het van jou gehoor dat jy uitlegginge kan gee en knope kan losmaak; as jy nou die skrif kan lees en sy uitlegging aan my bekend maak, sal jy met purper beklee word, en 'n goue ketting sal daar om jou hals wees, en jy sal as derde in rang in die koninkryk heers.
17 Toe het Daniël geantwoord en voor die koning gesê: U kan u gawes maar vir uself hou en u geskenke aan 'n ander gee; nogtans sal ek die skrif vir die koning lees en die uitlegging aan hom bekend maak.
18 Wat u betref, o koning, die allerhoogste God het aan u vader Nebukadn,sar die koningskap en grootheid en heerlikheid en majesteit gegee.
19 En vanweë die grootheid wat Hy hom gegee het, het al die volke, nasies en tale gebewe en vir hom gesidder; wie hy wou, het hy gedood, en wie hy wou, het hy laat lewe, en wie hy wou, het hy verhoog, en wie hy wou, het hy verneder.
20 Maar net toe sy hart hom verhef het en sy gees verhard is om oormoedig te wees, is hy van die troon van sy koningskap afgestoot, en die heerlikheid is hom ontneem.
21 En hy is uit die mense verstoot, en sy hart het soos die van die diere geword, en hy het saam met die wilde-esels gewoon; hulle het hom plante laat eet soos die beeste, en deur die dou van die hemel is sy liggaam natgemaak totdat hy erken het dat die allerhoogste God mag het oor die koningskap van die mens en daaroor kan aanstel wie Hy wil.
22 Maar u, B,lsasar, sy seun, het u hart nie verneder nie, alhoewel u dit alles weet;
23 maar u het u verhef teen die Here van die hemel, en die voorwerpe van sy huis het hulle voor u gebring; en u en u maghebbers, u vroue en u byvroue het wyn daaruit gedrink; en u het die gode van silwer en goud, koper, yster, hout en klip geprys, wat nie sien en nie hoor en nie weet nie, maar die God in wie se hand u asem en voor wie al u paaie is, Hom het u nie vereer nie.
24 Toe is deur Hom die deel van die hand gestuur en hierdie skrif geskrywe.
25 En dit is die skrif wat geskrywe is: Men,, men,, tek,l ufars¡n.
26 Dit is die uitleg van die woord: Men, -- God het u koningskap getel en daar 'n einde aan gemaak;
27 tek,l -- u is op die weegskaal geweeg en te lig bevind;
28 per,s -- u koninkryk is verdeel en aan die Meders en Perse gegee.
29 Toe het B,lsasar bevel gegee, en hulle het Daniël met purper beklee, met 'n goue ketting om sy hals, en aangaande hom openlik uitgeroep dat hy as derde in rang in die koninkryk sou heers.
30 In dieselfde nag is B,lsasar, die koning van die Chaldeërs, gedood.
1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, drinking wine before the thousand.
2 Belshazzar, while he was overcome with wine, gave orders for them to put before him the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem; so that the king and his lords, his wives and his other women, might take their drink from them.
3 Then they took in the gold and silver vessels which had been in the Temple of the house of God at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives and his other women, took wine from them.
4 They took their wine and gave praise to the gods of gold and silver, of brass and iron and wood and stone.
5 In that very hour the fingers of a man's hand were seen, writing opposite the support for the light on the white wall of the king's house, and the king saw the part of the hand which was writing.
6 Then the colour went from the king's face, and he was troubled by his thoughts; strength went from his body, and his knees were shaking.
7 The king, crying out with a loud voice, said that the users of secret arts, the Chaldaeans, and the readers of signs, were to be sent for. The king made answer and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever is able to make out this writing, and make clear to me the sense of it, will be clothed in purple and have a chain of gold round his neck, and will be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.
8 Then all the king's wise men came in: but they were not able to make out the writing or give the sense of it to the king.
9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled and the colour went from his face, and his lords were at a loss.
10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the house of the feast: the queen made answer and said, O King, have life for ever; do not be troubled by your thoughts or let the colour go from your face:
11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, light and reason like the wisdom of the gods were seen in him: and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made him master of the wonder-workers, and the users of secret arts, and the Chaldaeans, and the readers of signs;
12 Because a most special spirit, and knowledge and reason and the power of reading dreams and unfolding dark sayings and answering hard questions, were seen to be in him, even in Daniel (named Belteshazzar by the king): now let Daniel be sent for, and he will make clear the sense of the writing.
13 Then they took Daniel in before the king; the king made answer and said to Daniel, So you are that Daniel, of the prisoners of Judah, whom my father took out of Judah.
14 And I have had news of you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and reason and special wisdom have been seen in you.
15 And now the wise men, the users of secret arts, have been sent in before me for the purpose of reading this writing and making clear to me the sense of it: but they are not able to make clear the sense of the thing:
16 And I have had news of you, that you have the power of making things clear, and of answering hard questions: now if you are able to make out the writing and give me the sense of it, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain round your neck and be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.
17 Then Daniel made answer and said to the king, Keep your offerings for yourself, and give your rewards to another; but I, after reading the writing to the king, will give him the sense of it.
18 As for you, O King, the Most High God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, your father, the kingdom and great power and glory and honour:
19 And because of the great power he gave him, all peoples and nations and languages were shaking in fear before him: some he put to death and others he kept living, at his pleasure, lifting up some and putting others down as it pleased him.
20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became hard with pride, he was put down from his place as king, and they took his glory from him:
21 And he was sent out from among the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts', and he was living with the asses of the fields; he had grass for his food like the oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he was certain that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and gives power over it to anyone at his pleasure.
22 And you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not kept your heart free from pride, though you had knowledge of all this;
23 But you have been lifting yourself up against the Lord of heaven, and they have put the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your women, have taken wine in them; and you have given praise to gods of silver and gold, of brass and iron and wood and stone, who are without the power of seeing or hearing, and without knowledge: and to the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, you have not given glory;
24 Then the part of the hand was sent out from before him, and this writing was recorded.
25 And this is the writing which was recorded, Mene, tekel, peres.
26 This is the sense of the words: Mene; your kingdom has been numbered by God and ended.
27 Tekel; you have been put in the scales and seen to be under weight.
28 Peres; your kingdom has been cut up and given to the Medes and Persians.
29 Then, by the order of Belshazzar, they put a purple robe on Daniel, and a gold chain round his neck, and a public statement was made that he was to be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldaeans, was put to death.