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Daniel 5:1-6:3 CEV . . .One evening, King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his highest officials, and he drank wine with them. (2) He got drunk and ordered his servants to bring in the gold and silver cups his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. Belshazzar wanted the cups, so that he and all his wives and officials could drink from them. (3) When the gold cups were brought in, everyone at the banquet drank from them and praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. (4) (SEE 5:3) (5) Suddenly a human hand was seen writing on the plaster wall of the palace. The hand was just behind the lampstand, and the king could see it writing. (6) He was so frightened that his face turned pale, his knees started shaking, and his legs became weak. (7) The king called in his advisors, who claimed they could talk with the spirits of the dead and understand the meanings found in the stars. He told them, "The man who can read this writing and tell me what it means will become the third most powerful man in my kingdom. He will wear robes of royal purple and a gold chain around his neck." (8) All of King Belshazzar's highest officials came in, but not one of them could read the writing or tell what it meant, (9) and they were completely puzzled. Now the king was more afraid than ever before, and his face turned white as a ghost. (10) When the queen heard the king and his officials talking, she came in and said: Your Majesty, I hope you live forever! Don't be afraid or look so pale. (11) In your kingdom there is a man who has been given special powers by the holy gods. When your father Nebuchadnezzar was king, this man was known to be as smart, intelligent, and wise as the gods themselves. Your father put him in charge of all who claimed they could talk with the spirits or understand the meanings in the stars or tell about the future. (12) He also changed the man's name from Daniel to Belteshazzar. Not only is he wise and intelligent, but he can explain dreams and riddles and solve difficult problems. Send for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means. (13) When Daniel was brought in, the king said: So you are Daniel, one of the captives my father brought back from Judah! (14) I was told that the gods have given you special powers and that you are intelligent and very wise. (15) Neither my advisors nor the men who talk with the spirits of the dead could read this writing or tell me what it means. (16) But I have been told that you understand everything and that you can solve difficult problems. Now then, if you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will become the third most powerful man in my kingdom. You will wear royal purple robes and have a gold chain around your neck. (17) Daniel answered: Your Majesty, I will read the writing and tell you what it means. But you may keep your gifts or give them to someone else. (18) Sir, the Most High God made your father a great and powerful man and brought him much honor and glory. (19) God did such great things for him that people of all nations and races shook with fear. Your father had the power of life or death over everyone, and he could honor or ruin anyone he chose. (20) But when he became proud and stubborn, his glorious kingdom was taken from him. (21) His mind became like that of an animal, and he was forced to stay away from people and live with wild donkeys. Your father ate grass like an ox, and he slept outside where his body was soaked with dew. He was forced to do this until he learned that the Most High God rules all kingdoms on earth and chooses their kings. (22) King Belshazzar, you knew all of this, but you still refused to honor the Lord who rules from heaven. (23) Instead, you turned against him and ordered the cups from his temple to be brought here, so that you and your wives and officials could drink wine from them. You praised idols made of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, even though they cannot see or hear or think. You refused to worship the God who gives you breath and controls everything you do. (24) That's why he sent the hand to write this message on the wall. (25) The words written there are mene [written twice], which means "numbered," tekel, which means "weighed," and parsin, which means "divided." God has numbered the days of your kingdom and has brought it to an end. He has weighed you on his balance scales, and you fall short of what it takes to be king. So God has divided your kingdom between the Medes and the Persians. (26) (SEE 5:25) (27) (SEE 5:25) (28) (SEE 5:25) (29) Belshazzar gave a command for Daniel to be made the third most powerful man in his kingdom and to be given a purple robe and a gold chain. (30) That same night, the king was killed. (31) Then Darius the Mede, who was sixty-two years old, took over his kingdom.
Daniel 6:1-3 CEV Darius divided his kingdom into a hundred and twenty states and placed a governor in charge of each one. (2) In order to make sure that his government was run properly, Darius put three other officials in charge of the governors. One of these officials was Daniel. (3) And he did his work so much better than the other governors and officials that the king decided to let him govern the whole kingdom.
Daniel 5:1-6:3 GNB . . .One night King Belshazzar invited a thousand noblemen to a great banquet, and they drank wine together. (2) While they were drinking, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups and bowls which his father Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from the Temple in Jerusalem. The king sent for them so that he, his noblemen, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them. (3) At once the gold cups and bowls were brought in, and they all drank wine out of them (4) and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. (5) Suddenly a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster wall of the palace, where the light from the lamps was shining most brightly. And the king saw the hand as it was writing. (6) He turned pale and was so frightened that his knees began to shake. (7) He shouted for someone to bring in the magicians, wizards, and astrologers. When they came in, the king said to them, "Anyone who can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in robes of royal purple, wear a gold chain of honor around his neck, and be the third in power in the kingdom." (8) The royal advisers came forward, but none of them could read the writing or tell the king what it meant. (9) In his distress King Belshazzar grew even paler, and his noblemen had no idea what to do. (10) The queen mother heard the noise made by the king and his noblemen and entered the banquet hall. She said, "May Your Majesty live forever! Please do not be so disturbed and look so pale. (11) There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. When your father was king, this man showed good sense, knowledge, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made him chief of the fortunetellers, magicians, wizards, and astrologers. (12) He has unusual ability and is wise and skillful in interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining mysteries; so send for this man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, and he will tell you what all this means." (13) Daniel was brought at once into the king's presence, and the king said to him, "Are you Daniel, that Jewish exile whom my father the king brought here from Judah? (14) I have heard that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that you are skillful and have knowledge and wisdom. (15) The advisers and magicians were brought in to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not discover the meaning. (16) Now I have heard that you can find hidden meanings and explain mysteries. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be dressed in robes of royal purple, wear a gold chain of honor around your neck, and be the third in power in the kingdom." (17) Daniel replied, "Keep your gifts for yourself or give them to someone else. I will read for Your Majesty what has been written and tell you what it means. (18) "The Supreme God made your father Nebuchadnezzar a great king and gave him dignity and majesty. (19) He was so great that people of all nations, races, and languages were afraid of him and trembled. If he wanted to kill someone, he did; if he wanted to keep someone alive, he did. He honored or disgraced anyone he wanted to. (20) But because he became proud, stubborn, and cruel, he was removed from his royal throne and lost his place of honor. (21) He was driven away from human society, and his mind became like that of an animal. He lived with wild donkeys, ate grass like an ox, and slept in the open air with nothing to protect him from the dew. Finally he admitted that the Supreme God controls all human kingdoms and can give them to anyone he chooses. (22) "But you, his son, have not humbled yourself, even though you knew all this. (23) You acted against the Lord of heaven and brought in the cups and bowls taken from his Temple. You, your noblemen, your wives, and your concubines drank wine out of them and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone---gods that cannot see or hear and that do not know anything. But you did not honor the God who determines whether you live or die and who controls everything you do. (24) That is why God has sent the hand to write these words. (25) "This is what was written: 'Number, number, weight, divisions.' (26) And this is what it means: number, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; (27) weight, you have been weighed on the scales and found to be too light; (28) divisions, your kingdom is divided up and given to the Medes and Persians." (29) Immediately Belshazzar ordered his servants to dress Daniel in a robe of royal purple and to hang a gold chain of honor around his neck. And he made him the third in power in the kingdom. (30) That same night Belshazzar, the king of Babylonia, was killed; (31) and Darius the Mede, who was then sixty-two years old, seized the royal power.
Daniel 6:1-3 GNB Darius decided to appoint a hundred and twenty governors to hold office throughout his empire. (2) In addition, he chose Daniel and two others to supervise the governors and to look after the king's interests. (3) Daniel soon showed that he could do better work than the other supervisors or the governors. Because he was so outstanding, the king considered putting him in charge of the whole empire.
Daniel 5:1-6:3 GW . . .King Belshazzar threw a large banquet for 1,000 nobles and drank wine with them. (2) As they were tasting the wine, Belshazzar ordered that the gold and silver utensils which his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem be brought to him. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. (3) So the servants brought the gold utensils that had been taken from God's temple in Jerusalem. The king, his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them. (4) They drank the wine and praised their gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, or stone. (5) Suddenly, the fingers of a person's hand appeared and wrote on the plaster wall opposite the lamp stand of the royal palace. The king watched as the hand wrote. (6) Then the king turned pale, and his thoughts frightened him. His hip joints became loose, and his knees knocked against each other. (7) The king screamed for the psychics, astrologers, and fortunetellers to be brought to him. He told these wise advisers of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me its meaning will be dressed in purple, wear a gold chain on his neck, and become the third-highest ruler in the kingdom." (8) All the king's wise advisers came, but they couldn't read the writing or tell the king its meaning. (9) King Belshazzar was terrified, and his face turned pale. His nobles didn't know what to do. (10) The discussion between the king and his nobles brought the queen herself into the banquet hall. The queen said, "Your Majesty, may you live forever! Don't let your thoughts frighten you, and don't turn pale. (11) There's a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your grandfather, he was found to have insight, good judgment, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar, made him head of the magicians, psychics, astrologers, and fortunetellers. (12) This Daniel (who had been renamed Belteshazzar) was found to have knowledge, judgment, and an extraordinary spirit. He has the ability to interpret dreams, solve riddles, and untangle problems. Now, call Daniel, and he will tell you what it means." (13) So Daniel was taken to the king. The king asked him, "Are you Daniel, one of the captives that my grandfather brought from Judah? (14) I've heard that you have the spirit of the gods and that you have insight, good judgment, and extraordinary wisdom. (15) The wise advisers and the psychics were brought to me to read this writing and tell me its meaning. But they couldn't tell me its meaning. (16) I have heard that you can interpret such things and untangle problems. If you can read the writing and tell me its meaning, you will be dressed in purple, wear a gold chain on your neck, and become the third-highest ruler in the kingdom." (17) Daniel told the king, "Keep your gifts. Give your gifts and awards to someone else. I'll still read the writing for you and tell you its meaning. (18) "Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your grandfather Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, might, honor, and glory. (19) People from every province, nation, and language trembled and were terrified by him, because God gave him power. Nebuchadnezzar killed whomever he wanted to kill, and he kept alive whomever he wanted to keep alive. He promoted whomever he wanted to promote, and he demoted whomever he wanted to demote. (20) But when he became so arrogant and conceited that he became overconfident, he was removed from the royal throne. His honor was taken away from him. (21) He was chased away from people, and his mind was changed into an animal's mind. He lived with wild donkeys, ate grass like cattle, and his body became wet with dew from the sky. This happened until he realized that the Most High God has power over human kingdoms. God puts whomever he wishes in charge of them. (22) "Belshazzar, you are one of Nebuchadnezzar's successors. You didn't remain humble, even though you knew all this. (23) But you made yourself greater than the Lord of heaven. You had the utensils from his temple brought to you. You, your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them. You praised your gods made of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, or stone. These gods can't see, hear, or know anything. You didn't honor God, who has power over your life and everything you do. (24) So he sent the hand to write this inscription. (25) This is what has been written: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided. (26) This is its meaning: Numbered-God has numbered the days of your kingdom and will bring it to an end. (27) Weighed-you have been weighed on a scale and found to be too light. (28) Divided-your kingdom will be divided and given to the Medes and Persians." (29) Then Belshazzar ordered that Daniel be dressed in purple and wear a gold chain on his neck. He made Daniel the third-highest ruler in the kingdom. (30) That night King Belshazzar of Babylon was killed. (31) Darius the Mede took over the kingdom. He was 62 years old.
Daniel 6:1-3 GW Darius decided it would be good to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom. (2) Over these satraps were three officials. Daniel was one of these officials. The satraps were to report to these three officials so that the king wouldn't be cheated. (3) This man, Daniel, distinguished himself among the other officials and satraps because there was an extraordinary spirit in him. The king thought about putting him in charge of the whole kingdom.
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You will note the reference windows often include more than one translation of the Bible. The reason is to strive to gain the best possible understanding of the original Hebrew and Greek. Since we don't speak those languages, we rely on those who have come before and made the effort to translate those texts into English for us. Considering several translations gives the benefit of the understanding of several translation committees or individuals.
The Translations we quote are:
ALT - Analytical Literal Translation
ASV - American Standard Version (by the American revision committee in 1897).
BBE - 1965 Bible in Basic English
Bishops - 1568 Bishop's Bible
Calvin - 1856 by Calvin Translation Society
CEV - Contemporary English Version
Coverdale - 1535 Miles Coverdale Bible
Darby - 1889 Darby Bible
DRB - 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible
ESV - English Standard Version
GNB - Good News Bible
GW - God's Word Bible
ISV - International Standard Version
KJV - 1769 King James Version
KJV-1611 - Old King James Version from 1611
LitNT - Literal New Testament
LITV - Literal Translation of the Holy Bible
MKJV - 1962 Modern King James Version
Murdock - 1851 James Murdock New Testament
MWT - Modern World Translation
NWT - New World Translation
RV - Revised Version
Webster - 1833 Webster Bible
WTNT - 1525-26 William Tyndale New Testament
Wycliffe - 1394 Wycliffe Bible
YLT - 1862/1898 Young's Literal Translation
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