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5 King Belshazzaru held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine in their presence. 2 Under the influence ofA the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vesselsv that his predecessorB Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines could drink from them. 3 So they brought in the goldC vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem,w and the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised their gods made of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.x
5 At that moment the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the king’s palace wall next to the lampstand. As the king watched the handD that was writing, 6 his face turned pale,E and his thoughts so terrified him that he soiled himselfF and his knees knocked together. 7 The king shouted to bring in the mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and gives me its interpretation will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around his neck,y and have the third highest position in the kingdom.” 8 So all the king’s wise men came in, but none could read the inscription or make its interpretation known to him. 9 Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face turned pale,G and his nobles were bewildered.a
10 Because of the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queenH came to the banquet hall. “May the king live forever,” she said. “Don’t let your thoughts terrify you or your face be pale.I,b 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has a spirit of the holy gods in him.c In the days of your predecessor he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners. Your own predecessor, the king, 12 did this because Daniel, the one the king named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and intelligence, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems.Ad Therefore, summon Daniel, and he will give the interpretation.”
13 Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles that my predecessor the king brought from Judah?e 14 I’ve heard that you have a spirit of the gods in you, and that insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men and mediums were brought before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not give its interpretation. 16 However, I have heard about you that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around your neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom.”f
17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts and give your rewards to someone else;g however, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him. 18 Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty,h greatness, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar.i 19 Because of the greatness he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languagesj were terrified and fearful of him. He killed anyone he wanted and kept alive anyone he wanted; he exalted anyone he wanted and humbled anyone he wanted. 20 But when his heart was exalted and his spirit became arrogant,k he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him.l 21 He was driven away from people,m his mind was like an animal’s, he lived with the wild donkeys,n he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until he acknowledged that the Most High God is ruler over human kingdoms and sets anyone he wants over them.o
22 “But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart,p even though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of the heavens. The vessels from his house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them,q you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand.r But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in his hand and who controls the whole course of your life.B,s 24 Therefore, he sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed.
THE INSCRIPTION’S INTERPRETATION
25 “This is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the message:
‘Mene’C means that God has numberedD the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.t
27 ‘Tekel’A means that you have been weighedB on the balance and found deficient.
28 ‘Peres’C,* means that your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”E
29 Then Belshazzar gave an order, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck,u and issued a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed, 31 and Darius the Medev received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.
6 Darius decidedF to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, stationed throughout the realm, 2 and over them three administrators, including Daniel.w These satraps would be accountable to them so that the king would not be defrauded.a 3 DanielG distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit,b so the king planned to set him over the whole realm.c 4 The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Danield regarding the kingdom. But they could find no charge or corruption,e for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”f
6 So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said to him, “May King Darius live forever.g 7 All the administrators of the kingdomh—the prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors—have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an edict that, for thirty days, anyone who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den.i 8 Therefore, Your Majesty, establish the edictj and sign the document so that, as a law of the Medes and Persians, it is irrevocable and cannot be changed.”k 9 So King Darius signed the written edict.l
10 When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem,m and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God,n just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and foundo Daniel petitioning and imploring his God. 12 So they approached the kingp and asked about his edict: “Didn’t you sign an edict that for thirty days any person who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den?”
The king answered, “As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order standsH and is irrevocable.”q
13 Then they replied to the king, “Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you,r the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day.” 14 As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniels and made every effort until sundown to deliver him.
15 Then these men went together to the king and said to him, “You know, Your Majesty, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king establishes can be changed.”t
16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den.u The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you continually serve,v rescue you!” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den.w The king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in regard to Daniel could be changed. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting.x No diversionsA were brought to him, and he could not sleep.y
19 At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. “Daniel, servant of the living God,” the king said,B “has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue youz from the lions?”
21 Then Daniel spoke with the king: “May the king live forever. 22 My God sent his angelaa and shut the lions’ mouths; and they haven’t harmed me, for I was found innocent before him. And also before you, Your Majesty, I have not done harm.”
23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to take Daniel out of the den. When Daniel was brought up from the den, he was found to be unharmed, for he trusted in his God.ab 24 The king then gave the command, and those men who had maliciously accused DanielC,ac were brought and thrown into the lions’ den—they, their children, and their wives.ad They had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
25 Then King Darius wrote to those of every people, nation, and language who live on the whole earth: “May your prosperity abound.ae 26 I issue a decreeaf that in all my royal dominion, people must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel:ag
For he is the living God,
and he endures forever;
his kingdom will never be destroyed,ah
he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth,a
for he has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions.”
28 So Daniel prosperedb during the reign of Darius andD the reign of Cyrus the Persian.c
DANIEL’S VISION OF THE FOUR BEASTS
7 In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream with visions in his mindd as he was lying in his bed. He wrote down the dream,e and here is the summaryA of his account. 2 Daniel said, “In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of heavenf stirred up the great sea. 3 Four huge beastsg came up from the sea,h each different from the other.
4 “The first was like a lioni but had eagle’s wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was lifted up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and given a human mind.
5 “Suddenly, another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear.j It was raised up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up! Gorge yourself on flesh.’
6 “After this, while I was watching, suddenly another beast appeared. It was like a leopardk with four wings of a bird on its back. It had four heads,l and it was given dominion.
7 “After this, while I was watching in the night visions, suddenly a fourth beastm appeared, frightening and dreadful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.n
8 “While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn,o a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. And suddenly in this horn there were eyes like the eyes of a human and a mouth that was speaking arrogantly.p
THE ANCIENT OF DAYS AND THE SON OF MAN
9 “As I kept watching,
thrones were set in place,q
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was white like snow,r
and the hair of his head like whitest wool.s
His throne was flaming fire;t
its wheels were blazing fire.u
10 A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from his presence.
Thousands upon thousandsv served him;
ten thousand times ten thousandw stood before him.
The court was convened,x
and the books were opened.y
11 “I watched, then, because of the sound of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire.z 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of time.aa 13 I continued watching in the night visions,
and suddenly one like a son of manab
was coming with the clouds of heaven.ac
He approached the Ancient of Days
and was escorted before him.
14 He was given dominionad
and glory and a kingdom,
so that those of every people,
nation, and languageae
should serveaf him.
His dominion is an everlastingag dominion
that will not pass away,
and his kingdom is one
that will not be destroyed.
15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was deeply distressed within me,A and the visions in my mind terrified me.ah 16 I approached one of those who were standing by and asked himai to clarify all this. So he let me know the interpretation of these things:aj 17 ‘These huge beasts, four in number, are four kings who will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever, yes, forever and ever.’ak
19 “Then I wanted to be clear about the fourth beast,al the one different from all the others, extremely terrifying, with iron teeth and bronze claws, devouring, crushing, and trampling with its feet whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten hornsa on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three fell—the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly,b and that looked bigger than the others. 21 As I was watching, this horn waged warc against the holy ones and was prevailing over them 22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and a judgmentd was given in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the time had come, and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom.
23 “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms. It will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. 24 The ten hornse are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. Another king, different from the previous ones, will rise after them and subdue three kings. 25 He will speak words against the Most Highf and oppressB the holy onesg of the Most High. He will intend to change religious festivalsC and laws,h and the holy ones will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time.D,i 26 But the court will convene,j and his dominion will be taken away, to be completely destroyed forever.k 27 The kingdom, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the holy ones of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom,l and all rulers will serve and obey him.’
28 “This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts terrified me greatly,m and my face turned pale,E but I kept the matter to myself.”n
THE VISION OF A RAM AND A GOAT
8 In the third year of King Belshazzar’so reign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me earlier.p 2 I saw the vision, and as I watched, I was in the fortress city of Susa,q in the province of Elam.r I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up,F and there was a rams standing beside the canal. He had two horns. The two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging to the west, the north, and the south.t No animal could stand against him, and there was no rescue from his power. He did whatever he wantedu and became great.
5 As I was observing, a male goat appeared, coming from the west across the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. The goat had a conspicuous hornA between his eyes.v 6 He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with savage fury. 7 I saw him approaching the ram and, infuriated with him, he struck the ram, breaking his two horns, and the ram was not strong enough to stand against him. The goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and there was no one to rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the male goat acted even more arrogantly,w but when he became powerful, the large horn was broken.x Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.y
9 From one of them a little hornz emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land.B,aa 10 It grew as high as the heavenly army, made some of the army and some of the starsC fall to the earth,ab and trampled them.ac 11 It acted arrogantlyad even against the Prince of the heavenly army;ae it revoked his regular sacrificeaf and overthrew the place of his sanctuary. 12 In the rebellion, the army was given up, together with the regular sacrifice. The horn threw truth to the ground and was successfulag in what it did.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking,ah and another holy one said to the speaker, “How long will the events of this vision lastai—the regular sacrifice, the rebellion that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and of the army to be trampled?”aj
14 He said to me,D “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be restored.”
15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me someone who appeared to be a man.ak 16 I heard a human voice calling from the middle of the Ulai: “Gabriel,al explain the vision to this man.”
17 So he approached where I was standing; when he came near, I was terrified and fell facedown.a “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision refers to the time of the end.”b 18 While he was speaking to me, I fell into a deep sleep,c with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, made me stand up,d 19 and said, “I am here to tell you what will happen at the conclusion of the time of wrath, because it refers to the appointed time of the end.e 20 The two-horned ramf that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes represents the first king.A 22 The four horns that took the place of the broken horn represent four kingdoms. They will rise from that nation, but without its power.
23 Near the end of their kingdoms,
when the rebels have reached
the full measure of their sin,B
a ruthlessC king, skilled in intrigue,D
will come to the throne.
but it will not be his own.
He will cause outrageous destructiong
and succeed in whatever he does.
He will destroy the powerful
along with the holy people.h
25 He will cause deceit to prosper
through his cunning and by his influence,
and in his own mind he will exalt himself.
He will destroy many in a time of peace;
he will even stand against the Prince of princes.
Yet he will be broken—not by human hands.i
26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings
that has been told is true.
Now you are to seal up the visionj
because it refers to many days in the future.”
27 I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for days.k Then I got up and went about the king’s business.l I was greatly disturbed by the vision and could not understand it.
9 In the first year of Darius,m the son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by birth, who was made king over the Chaldean kingdom—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be seventy.n 3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.o
4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:
Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring Godp who keeps his gracious covenantq with those who love himr and keep his commandss—5 we have sinned,t done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled,u and turned away from your commands and ordinances.v 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets,w who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the people of the land.
7 Lord, righteousness belongs to you,x but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel—those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where you have banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward you. 8 Lord, public shamey belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you.z 9 Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the Lord our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servantsaa the prophets.
11 All Israel has broken your law and turned away,ab refusing to obey you. The promised curseA written in the law of Moses,ac the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against him. 12 He has carried out his wordsad that he spoke against us and against our rulersB,ae by bringing on us a disaster that is so great that nothing like what has been done to Jerusalem has ever been doneaf under all of heaven. 13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses,ag all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor ofa the Lord our God by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth.b 14 So the Lord kept the disaster in mind and brought it on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all he has done. But we have not obeyed him.
15 Now, Lord our God—who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong handc and made your name renownedd as it is this day—we have sinned, we have acted wickedly. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, may your anger and wrathe turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain;f for because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us.
17 Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of your servant. Make your face shineg on your desolate sanctuaryh for the Lord’s sake. 18 Listen closely,C my God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion. 19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay,i because your city and your people bear your name.
20 While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel,j and presenting my petition before the Lord my God concerning the holy mountain of my God—21 while I was praying, Gabriel,k the man I had seen in the first vision,l reached me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering.m 22 He gave me this explanation: “Daniel, I’ve come now to give you understanding.n 23 At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God.D,o So consider the message and understand the vision:p
24 Seventy weeks are decreedq
about your people and your holy city—
to bring the rebellion to an end,
to put a stop to sin,
to atone for iniquity,
to bring in everlasting righteousness,r
to seal up vision and prophecy,
and to anoint the most holy place.
From the issuing of the decree
to restore and rebuild Jerusalems
until an Anointed One,t the ruler,A
will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.
It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat,
but in difficult times.
26 After those sixty-two weeks
the Anointed One will be cut offu
and will have nothing.
The people of the coming ruler
will destroy the cityv and the sanctuary.B
TheC end will come with a flood,w
and until the end there will beD war;
desolations are decreed.
27 He will make a firm covenantE
with many for one week,
but in the middle of the week
he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering.
And the abomination of desolationx
will be on a wingy of the templeF,G
until the decreed destructionz
is poured out on the desolator.”
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About Christian Standard BibleThe Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a highly trustworthy, faithful translation that is proven to be the optimal blend of accuracy and readability. It’s as literal to the original as possible without sacrificing clarity. The CSB is poised to become the translation that pastors rely on and Bible readers turn to again and again to read and to share with others. The CSB is an original translation: more than 100 scholars from 17 denominations translated directly from the best available Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic source texts into English. Its source texts are the standard used by scholars and seminaries today. The CSB is trustworthy: the conservative, evangelical scholars of the CSB affirm the authority of Scripture as the inerrant Word of God and seek the highest level of faithfulness to the original and accuracy in their translation. These scholars and LifeWay, the non-profit ministry that stewards the CSB, also champion the Bible against cultural trends that would compromise its truths. The CSB is clear: it is as literal a translation of the ancient source texts as possible, but, in the many places throughout Scripture where a word-for-word rendering might obscure the meaning for a modern audience, it uses a more dynamic translation. In all cases, the intent is to convey the original meaning of God’s Word as faithfully and as clearly as possible. |
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Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers. CSB UltraThin Reference Bible Copyright © 2020 by Holman Bible Publishers. All Rights Reserved. The text of the Christian Standard Bible may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of one-thousand (1,000) verses without the written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not account for more than 50 percent of the work in which they are quoted, and provided that a complete book of the Bible is not quoted. Requests for permission are to be directed to and approved in writing by Holman Bible Publishers, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee 37234. When the Christian Standard Bible is quoted, one of the following credit lines must appear on the copyright page or title page of the work: Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2020 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2020 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. |
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