Immerse: Chronicles Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 180
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IMMERSE
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CHRONICLES
5:1-16
Many years later King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles,
and he drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking the wine,
he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor,
Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to
drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. So they
brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Je
rusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank
from them. While they drank from them they praised their idols made of
gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster
wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the
hand as it wrote, and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked
together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him.
The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers to
be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever
can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple
robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He
will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!”
But when all the king’s wise men had come in, none of them could read
the writing or tell him what it meant. So the king grew even more alarmed,
and his face turned pale. His nobles, too, were shaken.
But when the queen mother heard what was happening, she hurried
to the banquet hall. She said to Belshazzar, “Long live the king! Don’t be
so pale and frightened. There is a man in your kingdom who has within
him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man
was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like that of the
gods. Your predecessor, the king—your predecessor King Nebuchadnez
zar—made him chief over all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and
fortune-tellers of Babylon. This man Daniel, whom the king named Bel
teshazzar, has exceptional ability and is filled with divine knowledge and
understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”
So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king asked him, “Are you
Daniel, one of the exiles brought from Judah by my predecessor, King
Nebuchadnezzar? I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods within
you and that you are filled with insight, understanding, and wisdom. My
wise men and enchanters have tried to read the words on the wall and tell
me their meaning, but they cannot do it. I am told that you can give interpretations and solve difficult problems. If you can read these words and
tell me their meaning, you will be clothed in purple robes of royal honor,
and you will have a gold chain placed around your neck. You will become
the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
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