DANIEL INTERPRETS THE WRITING ON THE WALL IN BELSHAZZAR'S PALACE. BELSHAZZAR IS SLAIN, AND DARIUS TAKES THE KINGDOM. DANIEL IS CAST INTO THE DEN OF LIONS. DANIEL'S PRAYER FOR THE RETURN OF THE JEWS TO THEIR OWN LAND. THE ANGEL GABRIEL SPEAKS TO HIM.
AFTER these things, Nebuchadnezzar died, and Belshazzar reigned over the kingdom of Babylon. He made a feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine with them in his palace. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded his servants to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem. Then they brought the golden vessels, and the king and his princes, and his wives, drank out of them. They drank wine, and praised their idols of gold and silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
And while they were feasting, and making merry, there came a man's hand, and wrote words upon the wall of the king's palace, in the room where the king and his lords held their feast. But the writing was in a language they could not understand. And the king saw the hand that wrote. Then his face was changed, for his thoughts troubled him, and he was filled with fear, so that his knees trembled and smote one against another. And he cried out aloud to his servants, that they should bring in the wise men before him. When the wise men came, he said to them, Whoever shall read this writing, and tell the interpretation of it, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. But none of the wise men could read the writing or tell the interpretation. Then the king was troubled yet more, and his lords were astonished at what had been done.
Now the queen, when she heard what the king had said, came in before him and spoke to him, saying, O king, live forever; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy face be sad. There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and in the days when thy father, Nebuchadnezzar, lived, great wisdom was found in him, and the king, Nebuchadnezzar thy father, made him master over all the wise men of Babylon; because he had knowledge and understanding for interpreting dreams, and telling of secret things. Now let Daniel be called, and he will tell the interpretation.
Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spoke to him, and said, Art thou that Daniel who was brought captive with the children of Israel, out of Judah? I have heard of thee that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that thou hast understanding and excellent wisdom. And now the wise men have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known to me the interpretation, but they cannot. And I have heard of thee that thou canst interpret and tell secret things. Now if thou canst read the writing, and make known the interpretation of it, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, Keep thy gifts for thyself, and give thy rewards to another. Yet will I read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. O thou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, a kingdom and glory and honor. And because God made him so great, all nations trembled and feared before him. Whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; whom he would he set up, and whom he would he put down.
But when his heart was full of pride, so that he forgot God, he was made to come down from his throne, and his greatness was taken from him. He was driven out from his palace, and from living among men, and was made like the beasts and lived with the wild asses. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew, till he learned that God rules over the nations of the earth, and that he maketh whomsoever he will to be king.
And thou, his son, hast not humbled thy heart, though thou knewest all this, but hast been proud and sinned against God; and they have brought the vessels of his temple before thee, and thou and thy lords and thy wives have drunk wine in them. And thou hast praised the idols of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which cannot see, nor hear, nor know anything; but the true God who lets thee live, and gives thee all things, thou hast not praised. Therefore has he sent this hand, and this writing was written; and these are the words of it: This is the interpretation: Thy kingdom is ended, God has taken it from thee. He tried thee as king, but thou hast not obeyed him. He has given thy kingdom to the Medes and the Persians.
When Daniel had interpreted the dream, then Belshazzar commanded his servants to clothe him with scarlet, and to put a chain of gold about his neck, and the king made a decree that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. That same night came Cyrus with the army of the Medes and Persians into Babylon, and Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius, the Mede, took the kingdom.
After Darius was made king, it pleased him to set over the people one hundred and twenty princes. Over these princes he set three presidents, and Daniel was the first of them. So Daniel was the chief one of all the presidents and princes, because of the wise and good spirit that was in him. And Darius thought to make him ruler over the whole kingdom. Then the presidents and the princes hated Daniel, because he was greater than they, and they tried to find out some evil concerning him, that they might speak against him to the king. But they could find none, for he was faithful, and no fault or error was to be found in him. Therefore these men said, We shall not be able to complain of this Daniel to the king, unless it be about something that he does in serving his God.
Then they gathered together and came to the king, and said, King Darius, live forever. All the presidents of thy kingdom, the governors, the princes, and the captains, want a law and a decree to be made, that whosoever shall ask help of any god or man, for thirty days, except of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O King, make this law and this decree, and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed; for the law of the Medes and Persians changes not. Therefore King Darius signed the writing and the decree.
Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and, the windows of his chamber being opened toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks to his God, as he had always done. Then these men gathered together, and found Daniel praying and asking help of God. And they went to the king, and said, Hast thou not signed a decree, that whoever shall ask help of any god, or man, for thirty days, except of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered, The decree is signed, and is made a law of the Medes and Persians, which changes not. Then answered they, and said, That Daniel, who is one of the captives of Judah, obeys thee not, O king, or the decree that thou hast made, but prays and asks help of his God three times a day.
Then the king, when he heard these words, was displeased with himself for having made the decree, because he did not want to punish Daniel. And he set his heart on having him excused, and tried until the evening to save him from punishment. But the presidents and the princes gathered together to the king, and said to him, Thou knowest, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree or law which the king has made can be changed. Then king Darius commanded his servants, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke to Daniel, and said to him, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. And a great stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den.
Then the king went home to his palace, and would eat no food, but passed the night fasting. Neither were the instruments of music played before him as at other times; and he could not sleep. And he arose very early in the morning, and came in haste to the den of lions, and cried with a mournful voice unto Daniel, saying, O Daniel, thou servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel to the king, O king, live forever. My God has sent his angel, and shut the lions' mouths that they have not hurt me, because I have not sinned against him; and also, unto thee, O king, I have done no wrong. Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and he commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up, and no hurt was found upon him, because he trusted in his God.
And the king commanded, and they brought those men who had spoken against Daniel, and cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives—and the lions leaped on them, and broke all their bones in pieces, as soon as they came into the bottom of the den. Then king Darius wrote to all the people and nations of the earth, saying, I make a decree, that in every part of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God; his kingdom is the one that shall not be destroyed, and his power shall never end. He is the God who can save from danger, who has saved Daniel from the mouths of the lions. So Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus, who was made king after Darius was dead.
Now, while Daniel was in Babylon, he saw the book which the Lord had commanded the prophet Jeremiah to write, and in it he read that after the Jews had been captive for seventy years, they should go back to their own land. And when those seventy years were nearly ended, Daniel fasted, and prayed to the Lord, for the people of Judah, that they might go back, and for the city of Jerusalem, that it might be built again. He said, O Lord, we have done wickedly and have disobeyed thy law, and would not listen to thy prophets whom thou didst send to tell us of our sins. We, and our kings, and our princes, and all the children of Israel, have disobeyed thee. Therefore that punishment is come upon us which Moses said should be sent. And now, O Lord, who didst bring thy people up out of Egypt, I beseech thee be not angry against us any more; for, because of our sins, Jerusalem, and thy people the children of Israel, are made to be ashamed before all the nations that are around us. O Lord, forgive us and make haste to help us; for we do not ask this of thee because we deserve to be forgiven, but because thou art merciful.
While Daniel was praying, the angel Gabriel flew by him swiftly and touched him: it was in the evening, about the time when the priests used to offer up a lamb for a burnt offering at the temple in Jerusalem. And the angel said, O Daniel, I am come to tell thee of things that shall happen. At the beginning of thy prayer I was commanded to come unto thee, for thou art greatly loved of God. Therefore understand the words that I shall speak. Then the angel told Daniel that the Jews should go back to their own land and build up Jerusalem, and that four hundred and eighty-three years afterward, the Saviour would be born. But, the Saviour, the angel said, would be put to death, and then, enemies would come and destroy Jerusalem and the temple again.