1 O rei Baltazar deu uma festa para seus mil nobres, em presença dos quais pôs-se a beber vinho.2 Excitado pela bebida, mandou trazer os vasos de ouro e de prata que seu pai Nabucodonosor tinha arrebatado ao templo de Jerusalém, a fim de que o rei, seus nobres, suas mulheres e suas concubinas deles se servissem para beber.3 Trouxeram então os vasos de ouro que tinham sido arrebatados ao templo de Deus em Jerusalém. O rei, seus nobres, suas mulheres e suas concubinas beberam neles4 e, depois de terem bebido vinho, entoaram o louvor aos deuses de ouro e prata, bronze, ferro, madeira e pedra.5 Ora, nesse momento, eis que surgiram dedos de mão humana a escrever, defronte do candelabro, no revestimento da parede do palácio real. O rei, à vista dessa mão que escrevia,6 mudou de cor; pensamentos tétricos assaltaram-no; os músculos de seus rins relaxaram-se e seus joelhos entrechocaram-se.7 Gritou violentamente que mandassem vir os magos, os caldeus e os astrólogos. Mandou-lhes dizer: Aquele que decifrar essa inscrição e me der o sentido dela será revestido de púrpura, usará ao pescoço um colar de ouro e tomará o terceiro lugar no governo do reino.8 Todos os sábios do rei entraram na sala, mas foram incapazes de ler a inscrição e dar seu significado ao rei.9 Baltazar ficou muito assustado, seu rosto mudou de cor; seus nobres sentiam-se constrangidos.10 Mas a rainha, {atraída pelo} barulho das palavras do rei e dos nobres, entrou na sala do festim: Ó rei, disse, vive para sempre! Não te deixes atemorizar pelas tuas idéias; não mudes assim de cor.11 Há no teu reino um homem no qual habita o espírito dos deuses santos. Quando teu pai era vivo, encontrava-se nele uma luz, uma inteligência e uma sabedoria comparáveis à sabedoria dos deuses. Por isso o rei Nabucodonosor, teu pai, tinha-o nomeado chefe dos escribas, dos magos, dos caldeus e dos astrólogos;12 havia-se descoberto nesse Daniel {cognominado Baltazar pelo rei} um espírito superior, uma ciência e uma penetração {particular} para interpretar os sonhos, explicar os enigmas e resolver as dificuldades. Que se chame logo Daniel, e ele dará o significado da inscrição.13 Daniel foi então introduzido diante do rei, o qual lhe disse: és realmente Daniel, o deportado de Judá, que meu pai trouxe aqui da Judéia?14 Ouvi dizer a teu respeito que o espírito dos deuses habita em ti e que se encontram em ti uma luz, uma inteligência e uma sabedoria singulares.15 Acabam de introduzir diante de mim os sábios e os magos para ler esta inscrição e descobrir o seu significado. Não puderam dar-me a significação dessas palavras.16 Ora, asseguraram-me que tu és mestre na arte das interpretações e das soluções de enigmas. Portanto, se puderes ler esse texto e me dar o seu significado, serás revestido de púrpura, usarás ao pescoço um colar de ouro e ocuparás o terceiro lugar no governo do reino.17 Respondeu Daniel ao rei: Guarda teus presentes; concede-os a outros! Lerei, todavia, este texto ao rei e dar-lhe-ei o significado.18 Ó rei, o Deus Altíssimo havia outorgado a Nabucodonosor, teu pai, realeza, grandeza, glória e majestade.19 Em razão dessa grandeza que lhe era conferida, todos os povos, todas as nações e pessoas de todas as línguas tremiam de medo diante dele. Mandava matar quem queria; deixava viver quem desejava; elevava e rebaixava quem lhe aprazia.20 Mas, seu coração, tendo-se engrandecido e seu espírito, tendo-se endurecido na presunção, foi deposto de seu trono e despojado de sua glória.21 Foi expulso do meio dos homens e, tornando-se seu coração, semelhante ao dos animais, ficou em companhia dos animais selvagens, pastando ervas como os bois; e seu corpo foi molhado pelo orvalho do céu, até que ele reconhecesse que o Deus Altíssimo domina sobre a realeza humana, e aí eleva a quem bem lhe apraz.22 Tu, Baltazar, seu filho, também sabias tudo isso e não humilhaste teu coração.23 Tu te ergueste contra o Senhor do céu. Trouxeram-te os vasos de seu templo, nos quais bebestes o vinho, tu, teus nobres, tuas mulheres e tuas concubinas. Deste louvor aos deuses de prata e ouro, bronze, ferro, madeira e pedra, cegos, surdos e impassíveis, em lugar de dar glória ao Deus de quem depende o teu sopro {vital} e todo teu destino.24 Assim, por ordem sua, essa mão foi enviada e essas palavras foram traçadas.25 O texto aqui escrito {se lê}: MENÊ, TEQUEL e PERÊS.26 Eis o significado dessas palavras: MENÊ - Deus contou {os anos} de teu reinado e nele põe um fim;27 TEQUEL - foste pesado na balança e considerado leve demais;28 PERÊS - teu reino vai ser dividido e entregue aos medos e persas.29 Então, por ordem de Baltazar, Daniel foi revestido de púrpura; colocaram-lhe ao pescoço um colar de ouro e publicou-se que ele ocuparia o terceiro lugar no governo do reino.30 {Mas} nessa mesma noite, Baltazar, rei dos caldeus, foi morto.31 Dario, o medo, recebeu a realeza mais ou menos com a idade de sessenta e dois anos.

1 King Belshazzar prepared a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and before these thousand did he drink wine.2 Belshazzar ordered, through the counsel of the wine, to bring in the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken away out of the temple which was in Jerusalem: that the king, and his lords, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therefrom.3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that were taken away out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his lords, his wives, and his concubines, drank from them.4 They drank wine, and praised their gods of gold, and of silver, of copper, of iron, of wood, and of stone.5 At that same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote opposite to the chandelier upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.6 Then was the king’s color changed, and his thoughts troubled him: so that the bands of his loins were loosed, and his knees knocked one against the other.7 the king called with might to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king commenced, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whatsoever man will read this writing, and tell me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall rule as the third in the kingdom.8 Then came in all the wise men of the king; but they were not able to read the writing, nor to make its interpretation known to the king.9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly terrified, and his color was changed on him, and his lords were confounded.10 Now the queen in consequence of the words of the king and of his lords came into the banquet–house; the queen commenced and said, O king, live for ever; let thy thoughts not trouble thee, nor let thy color 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 enlightenment and intelligence and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him: and king Nebuchadnezzar thy father appointed him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers:––yes, thy father, O king.––12 Forasmuch as a superior spirit, and knowledge, and intelligence, interpreting of dreams, and solving of riddles, and of untying knotty doubts, were found in him, in Daniel, to whom the king assigned the name of Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will tell the interpretation.13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king: the king commenced and said unto Daniel, Art thou Daniel, who art of the children of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?14 And I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that enlightenment and intelligence and superior wisdom are found in thee.15 And now the wise men, the astrologers, had been brought before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me its interpretation; but they were not able to tell the interpretation of the matter.16 But I have truly heard concerning thee, that thou art able to give interpretations, and untie knotty doubts: now if thou art able to read the writing, and make known to me its interpretation, thou shalt be clothed with purple, with a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt rule as the third in the kingdom.17 Then answered Daniel and said before the king, Let thy gifts remain in thy possession, and bestow thy bounty on another: nevertheless will I read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.18 O thou king! the most high God gave kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and honor unto Nebuchadnezzar thy father;19 And because of the greatness that he had given unto him, all people, nations, and languages trembled and shook before him: whom he pleased he slew; and whom he pleased he kept alive; and whom he pleased he lifted up; and whom he pleased he brought low.20 But, when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit hardened to deal presumptuously, he was cast down from the throne of his kingdom, and his dignity did they take from him;21 And from the sons of men was he driven forth, and his heart became equal with that of the beasts, and with the wild asses was his dwelling; they suffered him to eat herbs like oxen, and with the dew of heaven was his body made wet: till he acknowledged that the most high God ruleth over the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he pleaseth.22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy heart, though thou knewest all this;23 But against the Lord of heaven hast thou lifted thyself up; and the vessels of his house have they brought before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine from them; and the gods of silver, and gold, of copper, iron, wood, and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor know, hast thou praised; and the God in whose hand thy soul is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:24 Thereupon was sent from before him the part of the hand, and this writing was noted down.25 And this is the writing that was noted down, M’ne, M’ne, T’kel, Upharsin.26 This the interpretation of the matter: M’ne, God hath numbered thy kingdom, and made an end of it.27 T’kel, Thou least been weighed in the balances, and been found wanting.28 P’ress; Thy kingdom hath been divided, and is given to the Medes and Persians.29 Then gave Belshazzar the order, and they clothed Daniel with purple, with a chain of gold about his neck, and they made a proclamation concerning him, that he should rule as the third in the kingdom.30 In that very night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.31 (6:1) And Darius the Median obtained the kingdom, when he was sixty and two years old.