New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Daniel 5
1
King Belshazzar gave a big dinner. He invited a thousand of his nobles to it. He drank wine with them.
Reference
People
2
While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to his servants. He commanded them to bring in some gold and silver cups. They were the cups his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. Belshazzar had them brought in so everyone could drink from them. That included the king himself, his nobles, his wives and his concubines.
Reference
3
So the servants brought in the gold cups that had been taken from God's temple in Jerusalem. The king and his nobles drank from them. So did his wives and concubines.
4
As they drank the wine, they praised their gods. The statues of those gods were made out of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood or stone.
Reference
5
Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared. They wrote something on the plaster of the palace wall. It happened near the lampstand. The king watched the hand as it wrote.
Reference
Kingdom
Daniel 4:31
Daniel 5:8
Parallel theme
Colossians 2:14
Job 20:5
Proverbs 29:1
Daniel 5:15
Daniel 4:33
6
His face turned pale. He became so afraid that his knees knocked together. His legs couldn't hold him up any longer.
Reference
Kingdom
Daniel 4:19
Parallel theme
Nahum 2:10
Ezekiel 7:17
Daniel 7:28
Psalm 69:23
Ezekiel 21:7
Daniel 4:5
7
The king sent for those who try to figure things out by using magic. He also sent for those who study the heavens. All of them were wise men in Babylon. He ordered that they be brought to him. He said to them, "I want one of you to read this writing and tell me what it means. If you do, you will be dressed in purple clothes. A gold chain will be put around your neck. And you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."
Reference
Kingdom
Daniel 5:29
Daniel 5:16
Daniel 2:48
Daniel 2:2
Parallel theme
Daniel 2:6
Isaiah 47:13
Ezekiel 16:11
8
Then all of the king's wise men came in. But they couldn't read the writing. They couldn't tell him what it meant.
Reference
9
So King Belshazzar became even more terrified. His face grew more pale. And his nobles were bewildered.
Reference
10
The queen heard the king and his nobles talking. So she came into the dining hall. "King Belshazzar, may you live forever!" she said. "Don't be afraid! Don't look so pale!
Reference
11
I know a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. He has understanding and wisdom and good sense just like the gods. That was discovered when your father Nebuchadnezzar was king. Nebuchadnezzar appointed him chief of those who tried to figure things out by using magic. He also put him in charge of those who studied the heavens.
Reference
12
"The man's name is Daniel. Your father called him Belteshazzar. He has a clever mind and knowledge and understanding. He is also able to tell what dreams mean. He can explain riddles and solve hard problems. Send for him. He'll tell you what the writing means."
Reference
Kingdom
Daniel 6:3
Daniel 5:16
Parallel theme
Daniel 1:7
Proverbs 12:26
Psalm 16:3
Spirit
Daniel 5:14
Daniel 4:8
Proverbs 17:27
13
So Daniel was brought to the king. The king said to him, "Are you Daniel? Are you one of the prisoners my father the king brought here from Judah?
Reference
14
I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you. I've also heard that you have understanding and good sense and special wisdom.
15
"The wise men and those who practice magic were brought to me. They were asked to read this writing and tell me what it means. But they couldn't.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 47:12
16
"I have heard that you are able to explain things and solve hard problems. I hope you can read this writing and tell me what it means. If you can, you will be dressed in purple clothes. A gold chain will be put around your neck. And you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."
Reference
17
Then Daniel answered the king. He said, "You can keep your gifts for yourself. You can give your rewards to someone else. But I will read the writing for you. I'll tell you what it means.
Reference
18
"King Belshazzar, the Most High God was good to your father Nebuchadnezzar. He gave him authority and greatness and glory and honor.
Reference
Kingdom
Daniel 4:17
19
God gave him a high position. Then all of the people from every nation and language became afraid of the king. He put to death anyone he wanted to. He spared anyone he wanted to spare. He gave high positions to anyone he wanted to. And he brought down anyone he wanted to bring down.
Reference
20
"But his heart became very stubborn and proud. So he was removed from his royal throne. His glory was stripped away from him.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 13:18
2 Chronicles 36:13
Parallel theme
Hebrews 3:13
Exodus 9:17
2 Kings 17:14
Proverbs 16:18
Proverbs 16:5
Jeremiah 19:15
Luke 18:14
21
He was driven away from people. He was given the mind of an animal. He lived like the wild donkeys. He ate grass just as cattle do. His body became wet with the dew of heaven. He stayed that way until he recognized that the Most High God rules over all of the kingdoms of men. He puts anyone he wants to in charge of them.
Reference
22
"But you knew all of that, Belshazzar. After all, you are Nebuchadnezzar's son. In spite of that, you are still proud.
Reference
23
You have taken your stand against the Lord of heaven. You had your servants bring cups from his temple to you. You and your nobles drank wine from them. So did your wives and concubines. You praised your gods. The statues of those gods are made out of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood or stone. They can't see or hear or understand anything. But you didn't honor the God who holds in his hand your very life and everything you do.
Reference
Parallel theme
Job 12:10
Isaiah 37:23
Job 31:4
Hebrews 4:13
References God
Isaiah 37:19
References Lord
Isaiah 2:12
Jeremiah 10:23
Proverbs 20:24
Jeremiah 50:29
Resurrection
Daniel 4:37
24
So he sent the hand that wrote on the wall.
Reference
Parallel theme
Daniel 5:5
25
"Here is what was written. mene, mene, tekel, parsin
26
"And here is what those words mean. #1 means that God has limited the time of your rule. He has brought it to an end.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 27:7
27
#1 means that you have been weighed on scales. And you haven't measured up to God's standard.
Reference
28
#1 means that your authority over your kingdom will be taken away from you. It will be given to the Medes and Persians."
Reference
29
Then Belshazzar commanded his servants to dress Daniel in purple clothes. So they did. They put a gold chain around his neck. And he was made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
Reference
Chapter Summary
Daniel 5 describes the final night of Babylon's power, when Belshazzar holds a lavish feast while the city is facing an approaching enemy, arrogantly drinks from the sacred vessels taken from Jerusalem's temple, praises lifeless gods of gold and silver, and then watches in terror as a mysterious hand writes a divine message on the palace wall, a message that Daniel alone can interpret as a declaration that Belshazzar's kingdom has been numbered, weighed, found deficient, and given to the Medes and Persians.
The chapter deliberately connects Belshazzar's behavior with the earlier experience of Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar had already learned through his humiliation that the Most High God controls human kingdoms, but Belshazzar knows this history and nevertheless chooses to repeat the same fundamental sin of pride.
His failure is therefore presented as particularly serious because he had the opportunity to learn from what happened to the previous ruler but deliberately refused to humble himself.
The use of the Jerusalem temple vessels makes the feast even more significant because Belshazzar is not simply celebrating with ordinary royal cups; he is deliberately using objects that had been dedicated to the worship of God while praising Babylon's own gods.
At the height of this celebration, a supernatural hand appears and writes on the palace wall.
The Babylonian wise men cannot understand the message, but Daniel is eventually brought before the king because of his reputation for wisdom and divine insight.
Daniel refuses the king's promised rewards before giving the interpretation, making clear that he is not motivated by wealth or political advancement.
Instead, he first confronts Belshazzar with the history of Nebuchadnezzar and reminds him that the former king learned through painful experience that God alone controls the rise and fall of human rulers.
Daniel then explains that Belshazzar has failed to learn the same lesson.
The mysterious words Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin are interpreted as a divine announcement that Babylon's time has ended.
The message describes God's judgment in three connected ideas: the kingdom has been numbered, the king has been weighed and found deficient, and the kingdom has been divided and transferred to the Medes and Persians.
The remarkable feature of the story is how quickly the warning becomes reality.
Belshazzar still honors Daniel publicly and gives him the promised position, but that same night Belshazzar is killed and Babylon falls.
The chapter therefore creates a dramatic contrast between the appearance of Babylonian permanence and the reality of God's sovereignty.
The palace is filled with wealth, political leaders, fine clothing, music, food, wine, and religious celebration, yet the empire that appears secure is already approaching its final moment.
The central message is that Daniel 5 demonstrates that human power can appear magnificent and secure while standing under God's judgment, because Belshazzar possesses wealth, authority, political status, and the legacy of one of the ancient world's greatest empires, yet he fails to learn from Nebuchadnezzar's humiliation and instead deliberately exalts himself against the God who controls his life and kingdom, making the mysterious writing on the wall a final warning that his opportunity has ended, his character has been weighed and found deficient, and his kingdom has been transferred to another power, while the fact that Babylon falls on the very night Daniel announces the judgment demonstrates that God's authority does not depend upon the apparent strength of human empires, and that pride becomes especially dangerous when people already possess enough knowledge of God's power to recognize the truth but nevertheless choose to exalt themselves rather than humble themselves before Him.
The chapter deliberately connects Belshazzar's behavior with the earlier experience of Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar had already learned through his humiliation that the Most High God controls human kingdoms, but Belshazzar knows this history and nevertheless chooses to repeat the same fundamental sin of pride.
His failure is therefore presented as particularly serious because he had the opportunity to learn from what happened to the previous ruler but deliberately refused to humble himself.
The use of the Jerusalem temple vessels makes the feast even more significant because Belshazzar is not simply celebrating with ordinary royal cups; he is deliberately using objects that had been dedicated to the worship of God while praising Babylon's own gods.
At the height of this celebration, a supernatural hand appears and writes on the palace wall.
The Babylonian wise men cannot understand the message, but Daniel is eventually brought before the king because of his reputation for wisdom and divine insight.
Daniel refuses the king's promised rewards before giving the interpretation, making clear that he is not motivated by wealth or political advancement.
Instead, he first confronts Belshazzar with the history of Nebuchadnezzar and reminds him that the former king learned through painful experience that God alone controls the rise and fall of human rulers.
Daniel then explains that Belshazzar has failed to learn the same lesson.
The mysterious words Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin are interpreted as a divine announcement that Babylon's time has ended.
The message describes God's judgment in three connected ideas: the kingdom has been numbered, the king has been weighed and found deficient, and the kingdom has been divided and transferred to the Medes and Persians.
The remarkable feature of the story is how quickly the warning becomes reality.
Belshazzar still honors Daniel publicly and gives him the promised position, but that same night Belshazzar is killed and Babylon falls.
The chapter therefore creates a dramatic contrast between the appearance of Babylonian permanence and the reality of God's sovereignty.
The palace is filled with wealth, political leaders, fine clothing, music, food, wine, and religious celebration, yet the empire that appears secure is already approaching its final moment.
The central message is that Daniel 5 demonstrates that human power can appear magnificent and secure while standing under God's judgment, because Belshazzar possesses wealth, authority, political status, and the legacy of one of the ancient world's greatest empires, yet he fails to learn from Nebuchadnezzar's humiliation and instead deliberately exalts himself against the God who controls his life and kingdom, making the mysterious writing on the wall a final warning that his opportunity has ended, his character has been weighed and found deficient, and his kingdom has been transferred to another power, while the fact that Babylon falls on the very night Daniel announces the judgment demonstrates that God's authority does not depend upon the apparent strength of human empires, and that pride becomes especially dangerous when people already possess enough knowledge of God's power to recognize the truth but nevertheless choose to exalt themselves rather than humble themselves before Him.