1. Belshazzar the king made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and in the presence of the thousand lords he was drinking wine.
2. When he tasted the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his predecessor had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines may drink from them.
3. Then they brought in the vessels of gold that they took from the temple, the house of God that was in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
4. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5. Immediately human fingers appeared and they wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the palace of the king, and the king was watching the palm of the hand that was writing.
6. Then his face changed and his thoughts terrified him, and his hip joints gave way and his knees knocked together.
7. The king cried aloud to bring in the conjurers, the astrologers and the diviners; the king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man that can read this writing and can tell me its explanation will be clothed in purple and will have a necklace of gold hung around his neck and he will rule as third in authority in the kingdom.”
8. Then all the wise men of the king came in, but they were not able to read the writing or to make known its explanation.
9. Then the king, Belshazzar, became greatly terrified, and his facial features changed upon him, and his lords were perplexed.
10. Because of the words of the king and his lords, the queen came into the banqueting hall and the queen spoke up and said, “O king, live forever, and let not your thoughts terrify you and do not let your facial expressions grow pale.
11. There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. And in the days of your predecessor, enlightenment and insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods was found in him; and, O king, Nebuchadnezzar your predecessor appointed him as chief of the magicians, the conjurers, the astrologers, and the diviners. Your predecessor the king did this
12. because there was found in him an excellent spirit and understanding and insight for interpreting dreams and explaining riddles and solving riddles; that is, in Daniel whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now, let Daniel be called and he will tell the explanation.”
13. Then Daniel was brought in before the king, and the king spoke and said to Daniel, “You are Daniel who are one of the exiles of Judah whom my predecessor, the king, brought from Judah.
14. And I have heard that a spirit of the gods is in you and enlightenment and insight and excellent wisdom was found in you.
15. And now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me so that they could read this writing in order to make its explanation known to me, but they were not able to disclose the explanation of the matter.
16. But I have heard concerning you that you are able to produce interpretations and to solve riddles; now if you are able to read the writing and to make known its explanation to me, you will be clothed in purple and a necklace of gold will be placed around your neck and you will rule as third in command in the kingdom.”