Belshazzar’s Feast

1Balthasar the kynge made a greate bancket to his thousande lordes: withall these thousande he made greate cheare, 2and when he was dronken wt wyne, he commaunded to brynge him ye golden and syluer vessel, which his father Nabuchodonosor had taken out of the temple at Ierusalem: that the kynge and his lordes (with his quene and concubynes) might drike therout. 3So they brought the golden vessel, that was take out of the temple of the LORDES house at Ierusalem. Then the kynge and his lordes with his quene and concubines dronke out of them. 4They dronke wyne, and praysed their Idols of golde, syluer, copper, yron, wodde and stone.

The Handwriting on the Wall

5In the very same houre there appeared fyngers, as it had bene of a mans honde writynge, right ouer agaynst the candelsticke vpon the playne wall in the kynges palace: and the kynge sawe the palme of ye honde yt wrote. 6Then chaunged the kynge his countenaunce, and his thoughtes troubled him: so that the ioyntes off his body shoke, and his knees smote one agaynst the other. 7Wherfore the kynge cryed mightely, that they shulde brynge him the charmers, Caldees and coniurers of deuels. The kynge spake also to the wyse men of Babilon, and sayde: Who so can rede this wrytynge, and shewe me the playne meanynge theroff: shall be clothed with purple, haue a cheyne off golde aboute his necke, and rule the thirdeparte off my kyngdome. 8Vpon this, came all the kynges wyse men: but they coude nether rede the wrytinge, ner shewe the kynge what it signified. 9The was the kynge sore afrayed, in so moch, that his coloure chaunged, and his lordes were sore vexed.

10So by reason off this matter, yt had happened to the kynge & his lordes, the quene went vp herself in to the bancket house, and spake vnto the kynge, sayenge: O kynge God saue thy life for euer: Let not yi thoughtes trouble the, and let not thy countenaunce be chaunged. 11For why: there is a man in ye kyngdome, that hath the sprete off the holy goddes within him, as it was sene in thy fathers dayes. He hath vnderstondinge ad wysdome like the goddes. Yee the kynge Nabuchodonosor thy father made this man chefe of the soythsayers, charmers, Caldees and deuel coniurers: 12because that soch an abundaunt sprete, knowlege & wisdome (to expoude dreames, to open secretes, and to declare harde dowtes) was founde in him: yee euen in Daniel, whom the kynge named Balthasar. Let this same Daniel be sente for, and he shall tell, what it meaneth.

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting

13Then was Daniel brought before the kinge. So the kynge spake vnto Daniel, and sayde: Art thou that Daniel, one off the presoners of Iuda, whom my father the kynge brought out of Iewry? 14I haue herde speake of the, that thou hast the sprete of the holy goddes, experience and vnderstodinge, and that there hath bene greate wisdome founde in the. 15Now haue there bene brought me, wise and connynge charmers, to rede this wrytynge, and to shewe me the meanynge theroff: But they coude not tell me, what this matter signified. 16Then herde I saye, yt thou canst expounde darcke thinges, and declare harde doutes. Well than, yf thou canst rede this writinge, and shewe me the meaninge therof: thou shalt be clothed wt purple, haue a cheyne of golde aboute thy necke, & rule the thirde parte of my kyngdome.

17Daniel answered, and sayde before ye kynge: As for thy rewardes, kepe them to thy self, or geue yi rych giftes to another: yet not thelesse, I wil rede the wrytynge vnto ye kinge, and shewe him the interpretacion 18therof O kinge, God the hyest gaue vnto Nabuchodonosor thy father, ye dignite of a kynge, wt worshipe & honor: 19so yt all people, kynreddes & tunges stode in awe & feare of him, by reason off the hye estate, that he had lent him. For why: he slewe, whom he wolde: he smote, whom it pleased him. Agayne: whom he wolde, he set vp: and whom he list, he put downe. 20But because his herte was so proude, and his stomack set fast vnto wylfulnesse: he was deposed from his kyngly trone, and his magesty was taken from him. 21He was shot out from amonge men, his herte was like a beestes herte, and his dwellynge was with the wylde Asses: he was fayne to eate grasse like an oxe, and his body was wet with the dew off the heauen: till he knewe, that the hyest had power vpon the kyngdomes of men, and setteth ouer them, whom he list. 22And thou his sonne (o Balthasar) for all this, hast not submitted thine hert, though thou knewest all these thinges: 23but hast magnified thy selff aboue the LORDE off heauen, so that the vessels off his house were brought before the: that thou, and thy lordes, with thy quene and concubynes, might drynke wyne therout: And hast praysed the Idols of syluer and golde, copper and yron, off wodde & stone: As for the God, in whose honde consisteth thy breth ad all thy wayes: thou hast not loaued him. 24Therfore is the palme off this honde sent hither from him, to token vp this wrytinge.

25And this is the scripture, that is written vp: Mane, Thetel, Phares. 26Now the interpretacion off the thynge is this: Mane, God hath nombred thy kyngdome, and brought it to an ende: 27Thetel, Thou art weyed in the balaunce, and art founde to light: 28Phares, Thy kyngdome is delt in partes, and geuen to the Medes and Perses.

29Then commaunded Balthasar, to cloth Daniel with purple, to hange a cheyne off golde aboute his necke, and to make a proclamacion concernynge him: that he shulde be the ruler off the thirde parte off his kyngdome.

30The very same night was Balthasar the kynge off the Caldees slayne, 31and Darius out of Media toke in the kyngdome, beynge lxij. yeare off age.