1Belshazzar the king hath made a great feast to a thousand of his great men, and before the thousand he is drinking wine;
2Belshazzar hath said -- while tasting the wine -- to bring in the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple that [is] in Jerusalem, that drink with them may the king, and his great men, his wives, and his concubines.
3Then they have brought in the vessels of gold that had been taken out of the temple of the house of God that [is] in Jerusalem, and drunk with them have the king and his great men, his wives and his concubines;
4they have drunk wine, and have praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5In that hour come forth have fingers of a man`s hand, and they are writing over-against the candlestick, on the plaster of the wall of the king`s palace: and the king is seeing the extremity of the hand that is writing;
6then the king`s countenance hath changed, and his thoughts do trouble him, and the joints of his loins are loosed, and his knees are smiting one against another.
7Call doth the king mightily, to bring up the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. Answered hath the king, and said to the wise men of Babylon, that, `Any man who doth read this writing, and its interpretation doth shew me, purple he putteth on, and a bracelet of gold [is] on his neck, and third in the kingdom he doth rule.`