Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, drinking wine before the thousand.

Then they took in the gold and silver vessels which had been in the Temple of the house of God at Jerusalem and the king and his lords, his wives and his other women, took wine from them.

In that very hour the fingers of a man's hand were seen, writing opposite the support for the light on the white wall of the king's house, and the king saw the part of the hand which was writing.

The king, crying out with a loud voice, said that the users of secret arts, the Chaldaeans, and the readers of signs, were to be sent for. The king made answer and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever is able to make out this writing, and make clear to me the sense of it, will be clothed in purple and have a chain of gold round his neck, and will be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.

Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled and the colour went from his face, and his lords were at a loss.

There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods and in the days of your father, light and reason like the wisdom of the gods were seen in him: and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made him master of the wonder-workers, and the users of secret arts, and the Chaldaeans, and the readers of signs

Then they took Daniel in before the king the king made answer and said to Daniel, So you are that Daniel, of the prisoners of Judah, whom my father took out of Judah.

And now the wise men, the users of secret arts, have been sent in before me for the purpose of reading this writing and making clear to me the sense of it: but they are not able to make clear the sense of the thing:

Then Daniel made answer and said to the king, Keep your offerings for yourself, and give your rewards to another but I, after reading the writing to the king, will give him the sense of it.

And because of the great power he gave him, all peoples and nations and languages were shaking in fear before him: some he put to death and others he kept living, at his pleasure, lifting up some and putting others down as it pleased him.

And he was sent out from among the sons of men and his heart was made like the beasts', and he was living with the asses of the fields he had grass for his food like the oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he was certain that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and gives power over it to anyone at his pleasure.

But you have been lifting yourself up against the Lord of heaven, and they have put the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your women, have taken wine in them and you have given praise to gods of silver and gold, of brass and iron and wood and stone, who are without the power of seeing or hearing, and without knowledge: and to the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, you have not given glory

And this is the writing which was recorded, Mene, tekel, peres.

Tekel you have been put in the scales and seen to be under weight.

Then, by the order of Belshazzar, they put a purple robe on Daniel, and a gold chain round his neck, and a public statement was made that he was to be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.

And Darius the Mede took the kingdom, being then about sixty-two years old.

Darius was pleased to put over the kingdom a hundred and twenty captains, who were to be all through the kingdom

Then this Daniel did his work better than the chief rulers and the captains, because there was a special spirit in him and it was the king's purpose to put him over all the kingdom.

Then these men said, We will only get a reason for attacking Daniel in connection with the law of his God.

All the chief rulers of the kingdom, the chiefs and the captains, the wise men and the rulers, have made a common decision to put in force a law having the king's authority, and to give a strong order, that whoever makes any request to any god or man but you, O King, for thirty days, is to be put into the lions' hole.

For this reason King Darius put his name on the writing and the order.

Then these men were watching and saw Daniel making prayers and requesting grace before his God.

Then they made answer and said before the king, Daniel, one of the prisoners of Judah, has no respect for you, O King, or for the order signed by you, but three times a day he makes his prayer to God.

Then these men said to the king, Be certain, O King, that by the law of the Medes and Persians no order or law which the king has put into force may be changed.

Then they got a stone and put it over the mouth of the hole, and it was stamped with the king's stamp and with the stamp of the lords, so that the decision about Daniel might not be changed.

Then very early in the morning the king got up and went quickly to the lions' hole.

Then Daniel said to the king, O King, have life for ever.

Then the king was very glad, and gave orders for them to take Daniel up out of the hole. So Daniel was taken up out of the hole and he was seen to be untouched, because he had faith in his God.

Then King Darius sent a letter to all the peoples, nations, and languages, living in all the earth: May your peace be increased.

He gives salvation and makes men free from danger, and does signs and wonders in heaven and earth, who has kept Daniel safe from the power of the lions.

And a great sign was seen in heaven: a A woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

And there was seen another sign in heaven a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns.

And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who was to have rule over all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was taken up to God and to his high seat.

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going out to the fight with the dragon and the dragon and his angels made war,

And the great dragon was forced down, the old snake, who is named the Evil One and Satan, by whom all the earth is turned from the right way he was forced down to the earth, and his angels were forced down with him.

And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness and loving not their lives they freely gave themselves up to death.

And when the dragon saw that he was forced down to the earth, he made cruel attacks on the woman who gave birth to the male child.

And the snake sent out of his mouth after the woman a river of water, so that she might be taken away by the stream.

And the dragon was angry with the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her seed, who keep the orders of God, and the witness of Jesus: