17. Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts, and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him.
18. Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar.
19. Because of the greatness He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages were terrified and fearful of him. He killed anyone he wanted and kept alive anyone he wanted; he exalted anyone he wanted and humbled anyone he wanted.
20. But when his heart was exalted and his spirit became arrogant, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him.
21. He was driven away from people, his mind was like an animal’s, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until he acknowledged that the Most High God is ruler over the kingdom of men and sets anyone He wants over it.
22. “But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.
23. Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in His hand and who controls the whole course of your life.
24. Therefore, He sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed.
25. “This is the writing that was inscribed:MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.
26. This is the interpretation of the message:MENE means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.
27. TEKEL means that you have been weighed in the balance and found deficient.