King Belshazzar's Banquet
1 One evening, King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his highest officials, and he drank wine with them. 2 He got drunk and ordered his servants to bring in the gold and silver cups his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. Belshazzar wanted the cups, so that he and all his wives and officials could drink from them.
3-4 When the gold cups were brought in, everyone at the banquet drank from them and praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5 Suddenly a human hand was seen writing on the plaster wall of the palace. The hand was just behind the lampstand, and the king could see it writing. 6 He was so frightened that his face turned pale, his knees started shaking, and his legs became weak.
7 The king called in his advisors, who claimed they could talk with the spirits of the dead and understand the meanings found in the stars. He told them, “The man who can read this writing and tell me what it means will become the third most powerful man in my kingdom. He will wear robes of royal purple and a gold chain around his neck.”
8 All of King Belshazzar's highest officials came in, but not one of them could read the writing or tell what it meant, 9 and they were completely puzzled. Now the king was more afraid than ever before, and his face turned white as a ghost.
10 When the queen heard the king and his officials talking, she came in and said:
Your Majesty, I hope you live forever! Don't be afraid or look so pale. 11 In your kingdom there is a man who has been given special powers by the holy gods. When your father Nebuchadnezzar was king, this man was known to be as smart, intelligent, and wise as the gods themselves. Your father put him in charge of all who claimed they could talk with the spirits or understand the meanings in the stars or tell about the future. 12 He also changed the man's name from Daniel to Belteshazzar. Not only is he wise and intelligent, but he can explain dreams and riddles and solve difficult problems. Send for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.
13 When Daniel was brought in, the king said:
So you are Daniel, one of the captives my father brought back from Judah! 14 I was told that the gods have given you special powers and that you are intelligent and very wise. 15 Neither my advisors nor the men who talk with the spirits of the dead could read this writing or tell me what it means. 16 But I have been told that you understand everything and that you can solve difficult problems. Now then, if you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will become the third most powerful man in my kingdom. You will wear royal purple robes and have a gold chain around your neck.
17 Daniel answered:
Your Majesty, I will read the writing and tell you what it means. But you may keep your gifts or give them to someone else. 18 Sir, the Most High God made your father a great and powerful man and brought him much honor and glory. 19 God did such great things for him that people of all nations and races shook with fear.
Your father had the power of life or death over everyone, and he could honor or ruin anyone he chose. 20 But when he became proud and stubborn, his glorious kingdom was taken from him. 21 His mind became like that of an animal, and he was forced to stay away from people and live with wild donkeys. Your father ate grass like an ox, and he slept outside where his body was soaked with dew. He was forced to do this until he learned that the Most High God rules all kingdoms on earth and chooses their kings.
22 King Belshazzar, you knew all of this, but you still refused to honor the Lord who rules from heaven. 23 Instead, you turned against him and ordered the cups from his temple to be brought here, so that you and your wives and officials could drink wine from them. You praised idols made of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, even though they cannot see or hear or think. You refused to worship the God who gives you breath and controls everything you do. 24 That's why he sent the hand to write this message on the wall.
25-28 The words written there are mene , which means “numbered,” tekel , which means “weighed,” and parsin , which means “divided.” God has numbered the days of your kingdom and has brought it to an end. He has weighed you on his balance scales, and you fall short of what it takes to be king. So God has divided your kingdom between the Medes and the Persians.
29 Belshazzar gave a command for Daniel to be made the third most powerful man in his kingdom and to be given a purple robe and a gold chain.
30 That same night, the king was killed. 31 Then Darius the Mede, who was 62 years old, took over his kingdom.
Omukandi wa Belsasar
1 Ouṱuku umwe ombara Belsasar wa ṋanga ozohivirikwa eyovi rimwe komukandi omunene, nowo va nwa pamwe omavinu. 2 Owo ngunda amave nu, Belsasar otja yandja omarakiza wokutja ovinwino noviyaha ovingoldo novisilveri ihe Nebukadnesar mbya huurire mondjuwo ya Muhona mOjerusalem vi kaetwe. Ombara ya raa ovinwino noviyaha mbi vi etwe kokutja oyo nozohivirikwa zayo novakazendu vayo na imba ovambanda ve yenene okunwina mu vyo. 3 Ovinwino noviyaha ovingoldo tji vya etwa, owo avehe va nwina mo omavinu 4 nave tanga oomukuru, mba ungurwa pongoldo nosilveri nongoporo notjitenda nomiti nomawe.
5 Tjimanga otji pa munika eke romundu, noro ra uta okutjanga kekuma rondjuwo youhona nda serurwa nomunoko omuvapa, poṋa ondjerera yomamunine paa i yere nawa tjinene. Nombara ya muna eke ndi ngunda amari tjanga, 6 nu oyo ya tira tjinene nga otjivara tjomurungu we tji tja tanauka, nozongoro zayo tji za uta okuzezera. 7 Noyo ya ravaera nomasa kutja ozondjai nozonganga novatjiwe wozonyose ngave kaisane we. Owo tji va hita, ombara ya tja nai ku wo: “Ngamwa auhe ngu ma sora okuresa omatjangwa nga nokundjimangururira omaheero wawo eye ma zarisiwa ozombanda zouhona ozoserarovazu, nu mosengo ye, ma zarekwa ouketanga oungoldo wondjozikiro, nu ma rire omunane outjatatu omunauvara mouhona.” 8 Ovayandjandunge vombara va ryama popezu, nungwari kapa ri umwe ngwa sora okuresa omatjangwa nga nokumangururira ombara omaheero wawo. 9 Mombamisiro ye omurungu wombara Belsasar wa tanaukira ko tjinene, nozohivirikwa kaaze tjiwa kutja ngaze tjite vi.
10 Ina yombara wa zuva ondokohero ndjaa i tjitwa i ombara nozohivirikwa zayo, narire tja hiti metuwo mu mwa ri omukandi na tja nai komuatje we: “Muhona ombara nga hupe orure! Arikana, o kurungisiwa nu o tivaurisa omurungu woye nao. 11 Pe nomurumendu mouhona woye ngu nombepo yoomukuru ovazere mu ye. Iho tja ri ombara, omurumendu ngwi aa raisa okukara nozondunge ozombwa nondjiviro ombwa nounongo ouwa tjimuna ounongo mbwi woomukuru. Nu iho, ombara Nebukadnesar, we mu zika a rire otjiuru tjozombuke nozondjai nozonganga novatjiwe vozonyose. 12 Eye u tjiwa otjiṋa ngamwa atjihe, nu u nounongo nozondunge mokuhandjaura oturoto noviundikwa na mokuhaka ovihakwa, hinda omundu a kaisane Daniel ngwa rukirwe Beltsasar i ombara, neye me ku raere kutja oviṋa avihe mbi mavi hee tjike.”
Daniel ma mangurura omatjangwa
13 Daniel wa etwa tjimanga komurungu wombara, nombara ya pura nai ku ye: “Oove ngu u ri Daniel, Omujuda omuhuurwa, ngu wa etwa nguno i tate ombara okuza kehi ra Juda are? 14 Ami mba zuu kutja ombepo yoomukuru ovazere i ri move, nokutja u nozondunge nondjiviro nounongo oukumise. 15 Ovayandjandunge nozondjai va etwa ku ami kutja ve rese omatjangwa nga nokundjiraera kutja maye hee tjike, nungwari owo kaave sora okuyandja omaheero wawo. 16 Nambano ami mba zuva kutja ove u muna omaheero omaundikwa nu u handjaura oviundikwa. Tji mo sora okuresa omatjangwa nga nokundjimangururira omaheero wawo, nove mo zarisiwa ozombanda ozoserarovazu, nu mo zarekwa ouketanga oungoldo wondjozikiro mosengo yoye, nu mo rire omunane outjatatu omunauvara mouhona.”
17 Daniel wa zira a tja: “Oviyandjewa vyoye kara na vyo omuini poo vi yandja komundu warwe ngamwa. Ami me ku resere, muhona ombara, imbi mbya tjangwa, nu me ku raere kutja mavi hee tjike.
18 “Ndjambi wOkombandambanda wa zika iho Nebukadnesar a rire ombara onene, nu we mu pa ondjozikiro nounene. 19 Eye wa ri omunamasa tjinene nai nga oviwaṋa nomihoko avihe nomaraka aehe tji vye mu tira nokuzezera. Eye tja vanga okuzepa omundu aa zepa; nu tja vanga okuhupisa omundu aa hupisa. Eye aa yozike poo aa yamburura ngamwa auhe eye ngwaa vanga okuyozika poo okuyamburura. 20 Nungwari eye tjinga e ritongamisa nu a rira otjirangaranga nokutjita outwe, eye otjinga a isiwa ko kotjihavero tje tjouhona ne he tji kara nondengero rukwao. 21 Eye wa rambwa mokati kotjiwaṋa, nomeripuriro we, ya rira otja inga owotjipuka. Eye wa kakara puna ozongoro zokuti ama ri ehozu otja onduwombe nama rara mokuti uriri nao nokuhina puma wama komueme. Korusenina eye wa itavera kutja Ndjambi wOkombandambanda ongu honaparera omauhona aehe wovandu nongu sora okuyeyandja ku ngamwa auhe Eye ngwa toorora.
22 “Nungwari ove, Belsasar, ngu u ri omuzandu we, ko na pu we risusuparisa omuini nandarire kutja avihe mbi iyo vi tjiwa. 23 Ove wa sekamena Muhona weyuru, notji wa eta ovinwino noviyaha mbya huurirwe mondjuwo ye. Ove nozohivirikwa zoye novakazendu voye na imba ovakazendu woye ovambanda mwa nwina omavinu mu vyo namu tanga oomukuru, mba ungurwa pongoldo nosilveri nongoporo notjitenda nomiti nomawe, imba oomukuru mbe ha munu nu mbe ha zuu nu mbe hi notjiṋa ve tjiwa. Nungwari ove ko yozikire Ndjambi ngu tya kutja mo kara nomuinyo poo mo koka, nu wina ngu tya avihe mbi u tjita. 24 Ndjambi opa hindira eke ndi kutja ri tjange omambo nga.
25 “Omambo, nga tjangwa owo nga: ‘Mene, mene tekel ufarsin’ okutja ‘otjivaro, otjivaro, ondjinda, omahaṋeno’. 26 Nowo maye hee nai: ‘Otjivaro’ okutja Ndjambi wa vara omayuva wouhona woye nu we ye eta komaandero; 27 ‘Ondjinda’ okutja ove wa sanekwa kotjisanekero, notji wa munika kutja oove omupupu tjinene; 28 ‘Omaheṋeno’ okutja ouhona woye wa haṋewa mokati, notji wa yandjewa kOvamedi na kOvapersie.”
29 Kamanga Belsasar otja rakiza ovakarere ve kutja ve zarise Daniel ozombanda zouhona ozoserarovazu nu ve mu zareke ouketanga oungoldo wondjozikiro mosengo ye. Neye wa zika Daniel a rire omunane outjatatu omunauvara mouhona. 30 Mouṱuku tjingewo mbo, Belsasar, ombara ya Babilon, otja ṱa; 31 nu Darius, Omumedi, ngwa ri notjiwondo tjozombura omirongo hamboumwe na mbari, otja zikwa mouhona.
