Daniel 5:1-16 ▼

1 King Balthasar made a great feast to a thousand of his princes, and dranke wine before the thousande.

2 And Balthasar when he had tasted the wine, commaunded to bring hym the golden and siluer vessels, whiche his father Nabuchodonozor had brought from the temple in Hierusalem, that the king and his princes, and his wyues, and his concubines, might drinke therin.

3 So were brought the golde vessels that they had taken out of the temple of the Lordes house at Hierusalem: and the king, and his princes, his wyues, and his concubines drunke in them.

4 They drunke wine, & praysed the gods of golde, siluer, brasse, iron, wood, and stone.

5 In the very same houre there appeared fingers of a mans hande wryting right ouer against the candlesticke vpon the plaster of the wall of the kinges palace, and the king sawe the knockles of the hande that wrote.

6 Then chaunged the king his countenaunce, & his thoughtes troubled hym, so that the ioyntes of his loynes were loosed, and his knees smote one against the other.

7 Wherfore the king cryed mightyly, that they should bring the soothsayers, Chaldees, & wysardes: the king spake also to the wise men of Babylon, & said, Who so can reade this wryting, & shewe me the interpretation thereof, shalbe clothed with purple, and haue a cheyne of golde about his necke, and shalbe the third ruler in the kingdome.

8 Upon this came al the kinges wise men, but they coulde neither reade the wryting, nor shewe the king the interpretation.

9 Then was king Balthasar greatly troubled, and his countenaunce was chaunged in him, and his princes were astonied.

10 Now the queene by reason of the talke of the king & his princes, came into the banket house: and the queene spake, and sayde, O king, lyue for euer: let not thy thoughtes trouble thee, and let not thy countenaunce be chaunged.

11 There is a man in thy kingdome that hath the spirite of the holy Gods within him: & in the dayes of thy father, light, and vnderstanding, & wysdome, like the wysedome of the gods, was founde in hym, whom the king Nabuchodonozor thy father, the king I say thy father made chiefe of the wyse men, soothsayers, Chaldeans, and wysardes.

12 Because that such an aboundaunt spirite, knowledge, and vnderstanding, to expound dreames, to open secretes, & to declare harde doubtes, was founde in him, yea euen in Daniel, whom the king named Baltassar: let Daniel be called, and he shal declare the interpretation.

13 Then was Daniel brought before the king: so the king spake vnto Daniel, and sayde, Art thou that Daniel, whiche art of the children of the captiuitie of Iuda, whom my father the king brought out of Iurie?

14 I haue hearde of thee, that thou hast the spirite of the holy gods, & that light and vnderstanding, and excellent wysdome is founde in thee.

15 Now haue there ben brought before me wyse men and soothsayers to reade this wryting, and to shewe me the interpretation therof: but they could not declare the interpretation of the thing.

16 Then hearde I of thee that thou couldest shewe interpretations, and dissolue doubtes: nowe if thou canst reade his writing, & shew me the meaning therof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and haue a cheyne of gold about thy necke, & be the thirde ruler in the kingdome.