3. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the Hĕḵal of the House of Elah which had been in Yerushalayim. And the sovereign and his great men, his wives, and his concubines drank out of them.
4. They drank wine, and praised the elahin of gold, and of silver, of bronze, of iron, of wood and of stone.
5. At that moment the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the sovereign’s palace. And the sovereign saw the part of the hand that wrote.
6. Then the sovereign’s colour changed, and his thoughts alarmed him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.
7. The sovereign called loudly to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the diviners. The sovereign spoke and said to the wise ones of Baḇel, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, is robed in purple and has a chain of gold around his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the reign.”
8. So all the sovereign’s wise ones came, but they were unable to read the writing, or to make known its interpretation to the sovereign.
9. Then Sovereign Bĕlshatstsar was greatly alarmed, and his colour changed, and his great men were puzzled.
10. The sovereigness, because of the words of the sovereign and his great men, came to the banquet hall. And the sovereigness spoke and said, “O sovereign, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you, nor let your colour change.
11. “There is a man in your reign in whom is the Spirit of the Set-apart Elah. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the elahin, were found in him. And Sovereign Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar your father, your father the sovereign, made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and diviners,
12. because an excellent spirit, knowledge and understanding, interpreting dreams, and explaining riddles, and solving difficult problems were found in this Dani’ĕl, whom the sovereign named Bĕlteshatstsar. Now let Dani’ĕl be called, and let him show the interpretation.”
13. So Dani’ĕl was brought in before the sovereign. The sovereign spoke and said to Dani’ĕl, “Are you that Dani’ĕl who is one of the sons of the exile from Yehuḏah, whom my father the sovereign brought from Yehuḏah?
14. “I have heard of you, that the Spirit of Elah is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.
15. “And the wise ones, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they were unable to show the interpretation of the word.
16. “And I myself have heard of you, that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and make known its interpretation to me, you are to be robed in purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the reign.”
17. Then Dani’ĕl answered and said before the sovereign, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Yet I shall read the writing to the sovereign, and make known the interpretation to him.
18. “O sovereign, the Most High Elah gave Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar your father a reign and greatness, and preciousness and esteem.