The Handwriting on the Wall

1 King ^oBelshazzar ^pmade a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.

2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the ^qvessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father¹ had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of ^rgold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5 ^sImmediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. 6 Then ^tthe king’s color changed, and ^uhis thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king ^vcalled loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared² to the wise men of Babylon, ^w“Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be ^xclothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^ythey could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed.

10 The queen,³ because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, ^zlive forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom ^ain whom is the spirit of the holy gods.⁴ In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him ^bchief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 because an ^cexcellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, ^dwhom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets the Handwriting

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, ^eone of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods⁵ is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 But ^fI have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God ^ggave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But ^hwhen his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, ⁱuntil he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son,⁶ Belshazzar, have not ^jhumbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, ^kwhich do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.

24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered⁷ the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, ^lyou have been weighed⁸ in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the ^mMedes and ⁿPersians.”⁹

29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.

Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts

1 In the first year of ^oBelshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head ^pas he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared,¹ “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the ^qfour winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great ^rbeasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was ^slike a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a ^tfourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ^uten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a ^vlittle one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and ^wa mouth speaking great things.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

9 “As I looked,

11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, ^ethe beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

The Son of Man Is Given Dominion

13 “I saw in the night visions,

Daniel’s Vision Interpreted

15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me² was anxious, and the visions of my head ^kalarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But ^lthe saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’

19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn ^mmade war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.

23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,

28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly ^ualarmed me, and ^vmy color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.”

Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and the Goat

1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after ^wthat which appeared to me at the first. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in ^xSusa the citadel, which is in the province of ^yElam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. 3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. ^zHe did as he pleased and became great.

5 As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and ^ainstead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

9 Out of one of them came a ^blittle horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the ^cglorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and ^dsome⁴ of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the ^eregular burnt offering was ^ftaken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,⁵ and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and ^gprosper. 13 Then I heard a ^hholy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, ⁱ“For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the ^jtransgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the ^ksanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me,⁶ “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”

The Interpretation of the Vision

15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me ^lone having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, ^m“Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and ⁿfell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the ^otime of the end.”

18 And ^pwhen he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he ^qtouched me and ^rmade me stand up. 19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the ^sindignation, for it refers to the ^tappointed time of the end. 20 As for the ^uram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the ^vgoat⁷ is the king of ^wGreece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which ^xfour others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his⁸ nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall ^ysucceed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. ^zWithout warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but ^aby no human hand. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is ^btrue, but ^cseal up the vision, for ^dit refers to many days from now.”

27 ^eAnd I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.

The New Jerusalem

9 Then came one of the ⁱseven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the ^jBride, the wife of the ^kLamb.” 10 And he ^lcarried me away in the Spirit ^mto a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance ⁿlike a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a ^ogreat, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and ^pon the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had ^qtwelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve ^rapostles of the Lamb.

15 And the one who spoke with me had a ^smeasuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia.¹ Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits² by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. 18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned ^twith every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has ^uno need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 ^vBy its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and ^wits gates will never be shut by day—and ^xthere will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But ^ynothing unclean ^zwill ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s ^abook of life.