Study Desk

"But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and then my reason returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and the one who lives forever I praised and I honored. "For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty, and his kingdom continues from generation to generation.

And all the dwellers of the earth are regarded as nothing, and he does according to his desire in the host of heaven and among the dwellers of earth, and there is not one who can hold back his hand, or ask him, ‘What are you doing?'

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the king of heaven, for all his works are truth, and his ways are justice and that he is able to humble those who walk in pride."

Belshazzar the king made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and in the presence of the thousand lords he was drinking wine.

When he tasted the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his predecessor had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines may drink from them.

Then they brought in the vessels of gold that they took from the temple, the house of God that was in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines drank from them.

Then his face changed and his thoughts terrified him, and his hip joints gave way and his knees knocked together.

The king cried aloud to bring in the conjurers, the astrologers and the diviners; the king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Any man that can read this writing and can tell me its explanation will be clothed in purple and will have a necklace of gold hung around his neck and he will rule as third in authority in the kingdom."

Then the king, Belshazzar, became greatly terrified, and his facial features changed upon him, and his lords were perplexed.

Because of the words of the king and his lords, the queen came into the banqueting hall and the queen spoke up and said, "O king, live forever, and let not your thoughts terrify you and do not let your facial expressions grow pale.

But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit became hard so as to act proudly, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom and the glory was taken away from him.

And he was driven away from human society and his mind was made like the animals and his dwelling was with the wild asses; and he was given grass like oxen to eat, and with the dew of heaven his body was bathed, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind, and whoever he wants he sets over it.

"But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart even though you knew all this.

And now you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of his temple you have brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have been drinking wine from them, and you have praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone that do not see and do not hear and do not know, but the God who holds your life in his hand and all of your ways come from him, you have not honored.

So then the palm of the hand was sent out from his presence and this writing was inscribed.

Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple and placed a necklace of gold around his neck, and they made a proclamation concerning him that he would be the third ruler in authority in the kingdom.

Then these men said, "We will not find any pretext against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God."

Now when Daniel realized that the document was signed, he went to his house (now he had windows in his upper room that were open toward Jerusalem), and three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, just as he had been doing previously.

Then these men came as a group and they found Daniel praying and pleading for mercy before his God.

Then they responded and said before the king, "Daniel, who is from the exiles of Judah, is not paying any attention to you, O king, or to the decree that you have signed, and three times daily he says his prayer."