1 Certa vez o rei Belsazar deu um grande banquete para mil dos seus nobres, e eles beberam muito vinho.
2 Enquanto Belsazar bebia vinho, deu ordens para trazerem as taças de ouro e de prata que o seu predecessor, Nabucodonosor, tinha tomado do templo de Jerusalém, para que o rei e os seus nobres, as suas mulheres e as suas concubinas bebessem nessas taças.
3 Então trouxeram as taças de ouro que tinham sido tomadas do templo de Deus em Jerusalém; e o rei e os seus nobres, as suas mulheres e as suas concubinas, beberam nas taças.
4 Enquanto bebiam o vinho, louvaram os deuses de ouro, de prata, de bronze, de ferro, de madeira e de pedra.
5 Mas, de repente apareceram dedos de mão humana que começaram a escrever no reboco da parede, da parte mais iluminada do palácio real. O rei observou a mão enquanto ela escrevia.
6 Seu rosto ficou pálido, e ele ficou tão assustado que os seus joelhos batiam e as suas pernas vacilaram.
7 Aos gritos, o rei mandou chamar os encantadores, os astrólogos e os adivinhos e disse a esses sábios da Babilônia: "Aquele que ler essa inscrição e interpretá-la, revelando-me o seu significado, vestirá um manto vermelho, terá uma corrente de ouro no pescoço, e será o terceiro em importância no governo do reino".
8 Todos os sábios do rei vieram, mas não conseguiram ler a inscrição nem dizer ao rei o seu significado.
9 Diante disso o rei Belsazar ficou ainda mais aterrorizado e o seu rosto, mais pálido. Seus nobres estavam alarmados.
10 E tendo a rainha, ouvido os gritos do rei e de seus nobres, entrou na sala do banquete e disse: "Ó rei, vive para sempre! Não fiques assustado nem tão pálido!
11 Existe um homem em teu reino que possui o espírito dos santos deuses. Na época do teu predecessor verificou-se que ele tinha percepção, inteligência e sabedoria como a dos deuses. O rei Nabucodonosor, teu predecessor, sim, teu predecessor, o rei, o nomeou chefe dos magos, dos encantadores, dos astrólogos e dos adivinhos.
12 Verificou-se que esse homem, Daniel, a quem o rei dera o nome de Beltessazar, tinha inteligência extraordinária e também a capacidade de interpretar sonhos e resolver enigmas e mistérios. Manda chamar Daniel, e ele te dará o significado da escrita".
13 Assim Daniel foi levado à presença do rei, que lhe disse: "Você é Daniel, um dos exilados que meu pai, o rei, trouxe de Judá?
14 Soube que o espírito dos deuses está em você e que você possui percepção, inteligência e uma sabedoria fora do comum.
15 Trouxeram os sábios e os encantadores à minha presença para lerem essa inscrição e me dizerem o seu significado, eles porém não conseguiram.
16 Mas eu soube que você é capaz de dar interpretações e de resolver mistérios. Se você puder ler essa inscrição e dar-me o seu significado, você será vestido de vermelho e terá uma corrente de ouro no pescoço, e se tornará o terceiro em importância no governo do reino".
17 Então Daniel respondeu ao rei: "Podes guardar os teus presentes para ti mesmo e dar as tuas recompensas a algum outro. No entanto, eu lerei a inscrição para o rei e lhe direi o seu significado.
18 "Ó rei, foi a Nabucodonosor, teu predecessor que o Deus Altíssimo deu soberania, grandeza, glória e majestade.
19 Devido à alta posição que lhe concedeu, homens de todas as nações, povos e línguas tremiam diante dele e o temiam. A quem o rei queria matar, matava; a quem queria poupar, poupava; a quem queria promover, promovia; e a quem queria humilhar, humilhava.
20 Mas, quando o seu coração se tornou arrogante e endurecido por causa do orgulho, ele foi deposto de seu trono real e despojado da sua glória.
21 Foi expulso do meio dos homens e sua mente ficou como a de um animal; ele passou a viver com os jumentos selvagens e a comer capim como os bois; e o seu corpo se molhava com o orvalho do céu, até reconhecer que o Deus Altíssimo domina sobre os reinos dos homens e coloca no poder a quem ele quer.
22 "Mas tu, Belsazar, seu sucessor, não te humilhaste, embora soubesses de tudo isso.
23 Pelo contrário, tu te exaltaste acima do Senhor dos céus. Mandaste trazer as taças do templo do Senhor para que nelas bebessem tu, os teus nobres, as tuas mulheres e as tuas concubinas. Louvaste os deuses de prata, de ouro, de bronze, de ferro, de madeira e de pedra, que não podem ver nem ouvir nem entender. Mas não glorificaste o Deus que sustenta em suas mãos a tua vida e todos os teus caminhos.
24 Por isso ele enviou a mão que escreveu as palavras da inscrição.
25 "Esta é a inscrição que foi feita: MENE, MENE, TEQUEL, PARSIM.
26 "E este é o significado dessas palavras: Mene: Deus contou os dias do teu reinado e determinou o seu fim.
27 Tequel: Foste pesado na balança e achado em falta.
28 Peres: Teu reino foi dividido e entregue aos medos e persas".
29 Então, por ordem de Belsazar, vestiram Daniel com um manto vermelho, puseram-lhe uma corrente de ouro no pescoço, e o proclamaram o terceiro em importância no governo do reino.
30 Naquela mesma noite Belsazar, rei dos babilônios, foi morto,
31 e Dario, o medo, apoderou-se do reino, com a idade de sessenta e dois anos.
1 Belshazzar the king, made a great feast, to a thousand of his nobles,and, before the thousand, was drinking, wine.
2 Belshazzar, gave word, at the flavour of the wine, to bring the vessels of gold and silver, which Nebuchadnezzar his father, had brought forth, out of the temple which was in Jerusalem,that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines, might drink therein.
3 Then brought they the vessels of gold which had been taken out of the temple of the house of God, which was in Jerusalem,and the king and his nobles, his wives and, his concubines, drank therein:
4 they drank wine,and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Immediately, came forth the fingers of the hand of a man, and wrote,, over against the chandelier, upon the plaster of the wall of the palace of the king,and, the king, saw the part of the hand which was writing,
6 Then, as for the king, his bright looks, changed in him, and, his thoughts, terrified him,and, the joints of his loins, were loosed, and, his knees, smote, one against another.
7 The king began crying out again, to bring in the magicians, the Chaldeans and the astrologers,the king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever it is that shall read this writing, and, the interpretation thereof, shall declare unto me, with purple, shall he be clothed, and have a chain of gold upon his neck, and, as the third in the kingdom, shall he have dominion.
8 Then were coming in all the wise men of the king,but, the writing, could they not read, nor, the interpretation, make known to the king.
9 Then, King Belshazzar, was greatly terrified, and, his bright looks, were changed upon him,and, his nobles, were perplexed.
10 The queen, by reason of the words of the king and his nobles, into the house of banqueting, entered,the queen spake and said, O king! for ages, live! Let not thy thoughts, terrify thee, and, as for thy bright looks, let them not be changed.
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 intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him,and, King Nebuchadnezzar thy father, appointed him, chief of the sacred scribes, the magicians, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers,thy father, O king!
12 Forasmuch as, a distinguished spirit, and knowledge and intelligence, ability to interpret dreams and solve riddles and unravel knotty points, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let, Daniel, be called, and, the interpretation, will he declare.
13 Then, Daniel, was brought in before the king,the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art, thou, that Daniel, that is of the sons of the exile of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?
14 Then, I have heard concerning thee, that, the spirit of the gods, is in thee,and, light and intelligence and distinguished wisdom, are found in thee.
15 Now, therefore, have been brought in before me, the wise men, the magicians, that, this writing, they might read, and, the interpretation thereof, might make known unto me,but they were not able, the interpretation of the thing, to declare.
16 I, however, have heard concerning thee, that thou art able, interpretations, to unfold, and, knotty points, to unravel,Now, if thou be able, the writing, to read, and, the interpretation thereof, to make known unto me, with purple, shalt thou be clothed, and, a chain of gold, shalt thou have upon thy neck, and, as the third in the kingdom, shalt thou have dominion.
17 Then spake Daniel, and said before the king, As for thy gifts, thine own let them remain, and, thy presents, on another, bestow,howbeit, the writing, will I read to the king, and, the interpretation thereof, will I make known to him.
18 As for thee, O king, the Most High God, gave, kingship and greatness and honour and majesty, unto Nebuchadnezzar thy father;
19 and, for the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, races and tongues, used to tremble and to withdraw falteringly from 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.
20 But, when uplifted was his heart and, his spirit, became obstinate so as to act arrogantly, he was put down from the throne of his kingdom, and, his dignity, took they from him;
21 And, from among the sons of men, was he driven, and, his heart, to a wild beasts, became equal, and, with the wild asses, was his dwelling, and, grasslike oxen, they suffered him to eat, and, with the dew of the heavens, his body, was drencheduntil that he came to know that the Most High God, hath dominion, over the kingdom of men, and, whomsoever he pleaseth, he setteth up over it.
22 And yet, thou, his son, O Belshazzar! hast not humbled thy heart, though, all this, thou knewest;
23 but, against the Lord of the heavens, hast uplifted thyself, and, the vessels of his house, have they brought before thee, and, thou, and thy nobles, thy wives and thy concubines, have been drinking, wine, therein, and, gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which see not nor hear nor know, hast thou praised,whereas, God, in whose hand thy breath is and whose are all thy ways, him, hast thou not glorified.
24 Then was there put forth from before him the part of the hand,and, this writing, was inscribed:
25 And this is the writing which was inscribed, Mne, Mne, Tkel, u-Pharsin.
26 This, is the interpretation of the thing,Mne, God hath reckoned up thy reign, and ended it: \fs15
27 Tkel,thou art weighed in the balances, and found wanting; \fs15
28 Pres,snatched away is thy kingdom, and given to the Medes and Persians. \fs15
29 Then Belshazzar, gave word, that they should clothe Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold upon his neck,and should make a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler over the kingdom.
30 In that night, was slainBelshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans.
31 And, Darius the Mede, received the kingdom,when about sixty-two years of age.