ords,
his wives and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and
praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and
of stone. In the same hour came forth the fingers of a man's hand, and
wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the
king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then
the king's countenance was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled
him; and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one
against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the
Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spake and said to the wise men
of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the
interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain
of gold about his neck, and shall rule as one of three in the kingdom.
Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the
writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation. Then was king
Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and
his lords were perplexed.

Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into
the banquet house: the queen spake and said: O king, live for ever; let
not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: there
is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in
the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the
wisdom of the gods, was found in him: and the king Nebuchadnezzar thy
father, the king, I say, thy father, made him master of the magicians,
enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; forasmuch as an excellent
spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and
shewing of dark sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the
same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called,
and he will shew the interpretation.

Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spake and said unto
Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the
captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah? I have
heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light
and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now the
wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they
should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation
thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing. But I
have hea