The Writing on the Wall

King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his lords. While they were drinking wine, he ordered the gold and silver vessels taken from God’s temple in Jerusalem to be brought in. The king, his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

In that same hour, the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the palace wall near the lamp stand. When Belshazzar saw it, he was deeply troubled and his knees knocked together. He called for Babylon’s wise men and promised purple clothing, a gold chain, and authority as third ruler in the kingdom to anyone who could read the writing and explain it.

But none of the wise men could read the writing or tell its meaning. Then the queen came into the banquet house and told the king about Daniel. She said that in Nebuchadnezzar’s days Daniel had shown wisdom, understanding, and skill in explaining hard matters. So Daniel was brought before the king, and Belshazzar repeated the promise of reward.

Daniel answered that the king could keep his gifts, but he would still read the writing. He reminded Belshazzar that the Most High God had given Nebuchadnezzar greatness, and later humbled him when he became proud. Belshazzar knew this, yet he had lifted himself up against the Lord of heaven by using the temple vessels and praising idols that cannot see, hear, or know.

Then Daniel read the words: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. He explained that God had numbered Belshazzar’s kingdom and brought it to an end. The king had been weighed and found wanting. His kingdom would be divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Belshazzar ordered that Daniel be honoured just as promised, but that very night Belshazzar was slain, and Darius the Mede received the kingdom.