Belshazzar's Feast
Daniel v, 1-31
BELSHAZZAR, son of Nebuchadnezzar, gave a great feast to a thousand of his lords. And at the feast he sent for the gold and silver vessels which had been captured from the temple in Jerusalem, in order that his wives and his princes might drink thereform. And they drank wine and praised the gods of gold, and silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.*
And as they drank there appeared on the wall the fingers of a man's hand-writing.
Then was the king terrified and sent for the astrologers, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers, to explain to him this mystery ; but they could not read the writing, neither could they interpret it.
The Queen, .however, bethought her of Daniel the Jew, called Belteshazzar, who had been deposed on the death of Nebuchadnezzar.and Belshazzar sent for him.
And when he came into the presence of the King, Daniel rebuked him for ' lifting himself up against the Lord of Heaven' and refusing to worship the true God.
He then interpreted the writing, which, he said, had come as a warning from Jehovah. Now once again was Daniel given high office in the kingdom.
And that night, according to the interpretation of the writing, Belshazzar the King was slain and Darius the Median took the Kingdom.