“ But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the Lord,“ and will make it desolate forever.

七十年满了以后，我必刑罚巴比伦王和那国民，并迦勒底人之地，因他们的罪孽使那地永远荒凉。这是耶和华说的。

七十年满了以后，我必惩罚巴比伦王和那国，并迦勒底人之地，因他们的罪孽使那地永远荒凉。这是耶和华说的。

七十年满了以后，我必惩罚巴比伦王和那国，并迦勒底人之地，因他们的罪孽使那地永远荒凉。这是耶和华说的。

七十年后，我要报应巴比伦王和他国民迦勒底人的罪，使他们的土地永远荒凉。这是耶和华说的。

“七十年满了以后，我要按着他们的罪孽惩罚巴比伦王和那国，就是迦勒底人之地，使它永远荒凉。”这是耶和华的宣告。

七十年滿了以後，我必刑罰巴比倫王和那國民，並迦勒底人之地，因他們的罪孽使那地永遠荒涼。這是耶和華說的。

七十年滿了以後，我必懲罰巴比倫王和那國，並迦勒底人之地，因他們的罪孽使那地永遠荒涼。這是耶和華說的。

七十年滿了以後，我必懲罰巴比倫王和那國，並迦勒底人之地，因他們的罪孽使那地永遠荒涼。這是耶和華說的。

七十年後，我要報應巴比倫王和他國民迦勒底人的罪，使他們的土地永遠荒涼。這是耶和華說的。

“七十年滿了以後，我要按著他們的罪孽懲罰巴比倫王和那國，就是迦勒底人之地，使它永遠荒涼。”這是耶和華的宣告。

『七十年滿了以後，永恆主發神諭說，我必察罰巴比倫王以及那國，我必鑒察他們的罪孽，察罰迦勒底人之地，使它永遠荒涼。

七十年既竟、我必罰巴比倫王與其國、及迦勒底人之地、使之永久荒蕪、以治其罪、耶和華言之矣、

耶和華又曰、七十年之期既屆、我降罰於巴比倫之君民、治其罪戾、使迦勒底土地荒蕪、歷久若此。

七十年之期既畢、我降罰於巴比倫王與迦勒底民、治其罪戾、使迦勒底土地永為荒蕪、此乃主所言、

“‘ But I will punish that king and his nation because they are guilty. I will do this when the 70 years are over,’ announces the Lord.‘ I will make that land a desert forever.

Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, making the land an everlasting waste.

“ Then, after the seventy years of captivity are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his people for their sins,” says the Lord.“ I will make the country of the Babylonians a wasteland forever.

When the seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation’— this is the LORD’s declaration—‘ the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, and I will make it a ruin forever.

‘ Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord,‘ for their wrongdoing, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation.

‘ Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the Lord;‘ and I will make it a perpetual desolation.

And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith Jehovah, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it desolate for ever.

When the 70 years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation’— this is the Lord’s declaration—‘ the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, and I will make it a ruin forever.

And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished,[ that] I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

“‘ But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation for their sins. I will make the land of Babylon an everlasting ruin. I, the LORD, affirm it!

“ It will happen, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,” says Yahweh,“ for their iniquity. I will make the land of the Chaldeans desolate forever.

Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.

in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

This is what the Lord says:“ When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:“ This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:“‘ The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.

Then say,‘ Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.’When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.Then say,‘ So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people will fall.’” The words of Jeremiah end here.

This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians:“ Announce and proclaim among the nations, lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but say,‘ Babylon will be captured; Bel will be put to shame, Marduk filled with terror. Her images will be put to shame and her idols filled with terror.’A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both people and animals will flee away.“ In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord,“ the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the Lord their God.They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.“ My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place.Whoever found them devoured them; their enemies said,‘ We are not guilty, for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture, the Lord, the hope of their ancestors.’“ Flee out of Babylon; leave the land of the Babylonians, and be like the goats that lead the flock.For I will stir up and bring against Babylon an alliance of great nations from the land of the north. They will take up their positions against her, and from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed.So Babylonia will be plundered; all who plunder her will have their fill,” declares the Lord.“ Because you rejoice and are glad, you who pillage my inheritance, because you frolic like a heifer threshing grain and neigh like stallions,your mother will be greatly ashamed; she who gave you birth will be disgraced. She will be the least of the nations— a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited but will be completely desolate. All who pass Babylon will be appalled; they will scoff because of all her wounds.“ Take up your positions around Babylon, all you who draw the bow. Shoot at her! Spare no arrows, for she has sinned against the Lord.Shout against her on every side! She surrenders, her towers fall, her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of the Lord, take vengeance on her; do to her as she has done to others.Cut off from Babylon the sower, and the reaper with his sickle at harvest. Because of the sword of the oppressor let everyone return to their own people, let everyone flee to their own land.“ Israel is a scattered flock that lions have chased away. The first to devour them was the king of Assyria; the last to crush their bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:“ I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria.But I will bring Israel back to their own pasture, and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan; their appetite will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord,“ search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare.“ Attack the land of Merathaim and those who live in Pekod. Pursue, kill and completely destroy them,” declares the Lord.“ Do everything I have commanded you.The noise of battle is in the land, the noise of great destruction!How broken and shattered is the hammer of the whole earth! How desolate is Babylon among the nations!I set a trap for you, Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it; you were found and captured because you opposed the Lord.The Lord has opened his arsenal and brought out the weapons of his wrath, for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do in the land of the Babylonians.Come against her from afar. Break open her granaries; pile her up like heaps of grain. Completely destroy her and leave her no remnant.Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter! Woe to them! For their day has come, the time for them to be punished.Listen to the fugitives and refugees from Babylon declaring in Zion how the Lord our God has taken vengeance, vengeance for his temple.“ Summon archers against Babylon, all those who draw the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her for her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,” declares the Lord.“ See, I am against you, you arrogant one,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,“ for your day has come, the time for you to be punished.The arrogant one will stumble and fall and no one will help her up; I will kindle a fire in her towns that will consume all who are around her.”This is what the Lord Almighty says:“ The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go.Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon.“ A sword against the Babylonians!” declares the Lord—“ against those who live in Babylon and against her officials and wise men!A sword against her false prophets! They will become fools. A sword against her warriors! They will be filled with terror.A sword against her horses and chariots and all the foreigners in her ranks! They will become weaklings. A sword against her treasures! They will be plundered.A drought on her waters! They will dry up. For it is a land of idols, idols that will go mad with terror.“ So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and there the owl will dwell. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation.As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighboring towns,” declares the Lord,“ so no one will live there; no people will dwell in it.“ Look! An army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are being stirred up from the ends of the earth.They are armed with bows and spears; they are cruel and without mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter Babylon.The king of Babylon has heard reports about them, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor.Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets to a rich pastureland, I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this? Who is like me and who can challenge me? And what shepherd can stand against me?”Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon, what he has purposed against the land of the Babylonians: The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate.At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble; its cry will resound among the nations.

“ I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord Almighty.

It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”The Lord will vindicate his people and relent concerning his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free.He will say:“ Now where are their gods, the rock they took refuge in,the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up to help you! Let them give you shelter!“ See now that I myself am he! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.I lift my hand to heaven and solemnly swear: As surely as I live forever,when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me.I will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.”

They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.Then the Lord replied:“ Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.“ See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness—indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples.“ Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,“‘ Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’Will not your creditors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their prey.Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.“ Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin!You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life.The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.“ Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice!Has not the Lord Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.“ Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed! The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory.The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.“ Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.Woe to him who says to wood,‘ Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone,‘ Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.”The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath— those who rejoice in my triumph.Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war.They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens— the Lord and the weapons of his wrath— to destroy the whole country.Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.Because of this, all hands will go limp, every heart will melt with fear.Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.See, the day of the Lord is coming— a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger— to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.I will make people scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir.Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger.Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, they will all return to their own people, they will flee to their native land.

The waters of Nimrim are dried up and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone and nothing green is left.

“ Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.“ I am against you, you destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth,” declares the Lord.“ I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain.No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone, nor any stone for a foundation, for you will be desolate forever,” declares the Lord.

Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary.They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity.“ Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born.Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.“ With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it.They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles.“ Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels.Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say,‘ My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far- off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.Listen to me, you stubborn- hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness.I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.“ Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, queen city of the Babylonians. No more will you be called tender or delicate.

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.With a mighty voice he shouted:“‘ Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”Then I heard another voice from heaven say:“‘ Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup.Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts,‘ I sit enthroned as queen. I am not a widow; I will never mourn.’Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.“ When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:“‘ Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!’“ The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore—cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble;cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.“ They will say,‘ The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mournand cry out:“‘ Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’“ Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim,‘ Was there ever a city like this great city?’They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:“‘ Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’“ Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:“ With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”

I will make you desolate forever; your towns will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it—at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him,“ Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot.Then the Lord said,“ Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush,so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared— to Egypt’s shame.Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame.In that day the people who live on this coast will say,‘ See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?’”A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see.My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me.They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields!This is what the Lord says to me:“ Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees.When he sees chariots with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert.”And the lookout shouted,“ Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post.Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he gives back the answer:‘ Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!’”My people who are crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the God of Israel.A prophecy against Dumah: Someone calls to me from Seir,“ Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?”The watchman replies,“ Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again.”A prophecy against Arabia: You caravans of Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia,bring water for the thirsty; you who live in Tema, bring food for the fugitives.They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat of battle.This is what the Lord says to me:“ Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end.The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.

Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people:“ Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord.

During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled.

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them.While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon,“ Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall.“ May the king live forever!” she said.“ Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale!There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him,“ Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it.Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”Then Daniel answered the king,“ You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.“ Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor.Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled.But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.“ But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.“ This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin“ Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain,and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.