The Koine Bible

Belshazzar the king made a great banquet for his thousand great men, and before the thousand he was drinking wine.

Baltasar said, while tasting the wine, to bring the golden and the silver vessels which Nabuchodonosor his father had brought out from the temple in Jerusalem, and let the king and his nobles and his concubines and his wives drink in them

And the gold and silver vessels which he had brought out from the temple of the God in Jerusalem were brought, and the king and his magnates and his concubines and his consorts drank in them.

They were drinking wine and praising the gods of gold and of silver and of bronze and of iron and of wood and of stone

At that very hour fingers of a human hand came forth and were writing opposite the lamp on the plaster of the wall of the king’s house, and the king was observing the knuckles of the hand that was writing.

Then the king’s appearance was changed, and his thoughts were troubling him, and the joints of his loins were being loosened, and his knees were knocking together

And the king cried out loudly to bring in the magicians, the Chaldeans, the gazarenes, and he said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever shall read this writing and make known to me the interpretation shall be clothed with purple, and the golden necklace on his neck, and shall rule third in my kingdom.

And all the wise men of the king entered, and they were not able to read the writing nor to make the interpretation known to the king.

And King Baltasar was greatly troubled, and his face was changed in him, and his magnates were being troubled together.

And the queen entered into the house of the banquet and said, O king, live for the ages; let not your thoughts trouble you, and let not your appearance be changed.

There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of God, and in the days of your father watchfulness and understanding were found in him; and King Nabuchodonosor your father appointed him chief of the enchanters, the magicians, the Chaldeans, and the gazarenes.

for an excellent spirit was in him, and understanding and insight, interpreting dreams and making known bound things and loosening knots. Daniel, and the king gave him the name Baltasar; now therefore let him be called, and he will declare the interpretation to you

Then Daniel was brought in before the king, and the king said to Daniel, You are Daniel, one of the sons of the captivity of Judah, which my father the king brought?

I have heard concerning you that a spirit of God is in you, and alertness and understanding and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you

And now the wise magi, the gazarenes, have entered before me, that they may read this writing and make its interpretation known to me, and they were not able to declare it to me.

And I have heard about you that you are able to interpret judgments; now therefore, if you are able to read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple, and the golden necklace shall be on your neck, and you shall rule as third in my kingdom.

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let your gifts be for yourself, and give the reward of your house to another; but I will read the writing to the king and will make its interpretation known to you.

O king, God the Most High gave the kingdom and the greatness and the honor and the glory to Nebuchadnezzar your father

And because of the greatness which he gave to him, all peoples, tribes, and languages were trembling and fearing before his face; whom he himself wished, he was destroying, and whom he himself wished, he was striking, and whom he himself wished, he was exalting, and whom he himself wished, he was humbling.

And when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was made strong to act arrogantly, he was brought down from the throne of his kingdom, and his honor was taken away from him

and he was driven away from among men, and his heart was given with the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys, and they fed him grass as an ox, and from the dew of heaven his body was wet, until he knew that God the Most High rules the kingdom of men, and to whomever he wishes he gives it

And you, his son Belshazzar, did not humble your heart, although before this you knew all these things.

And against the Lord God of heaven you have exalted yourself, and the vessels of his house they brought before you, and you and your great men and your concubines and your wives were drinking wine in them, and the gods of gold and silver and bronze and iron and wood and stone, who do not see and do not hear and do not know, you praised; and the God in whose hand is your breath and all your ways, you have not glorified him.

Therefore from before him the knuckle of a hand was sent, and this writing he inscribed

And this is the writing that has been inscribed: Mene, Thekel, Phares.

This is the interpretation of the word: Mene; God has measured your kingdom and has completed it.

Tekel, you have been weighed in the scales and found lacking.

Peres: your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians

And Baltasar said, and they clothed Daniel with purple and placed the golden necklace around his neck, and he proclaimed concerning him that he was to be third ruler in the kingdom

In that very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was slain