Daniel 5:1-9

1Belshazzar the king 1held a great 2feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. 23While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring the gold and silver 4vessels which his 5father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them. 3Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank out of them. 4They 6drank the wine and praised the gods of 7gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5Suddenly the fingers of a human hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. 6Then the king’s 89face became pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his 10hip joints 11loosened and his 12knees began knocking together. 7The king called aloud to bring in the 13sorcerers, the 14Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king began speaking and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Anyone who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be 15clothed with purple and have a 16necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as 17third ruler in the kingdom.” 8Then all the king’s wise men came in, but 18they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. 9Then King Belshazzar was greatly 19alarmed, his 2021face grew even more pale, and his nobles were perplexed.