Belshazzar's Banquet
1 One night King Belshazzar invited a thousand noblemen to a great banquet, and they drank wine together. 2 While they were drinking, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups and bowls which his father Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from the Temple in Jerusalem. The king sent for them so that he, his noblemen, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them. 3 At once the gold cups and bowls were brought in, and they all drank wine out of them 4 and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5 Suddenly a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster wall of the palace, where the light from the lamps was shining most brightly. And the king saw the hand as it was writing. 6 He turned pale and was so frightened that his knees began to shake. 7 He shouted for someone to bring in the magicians, wizards, and astrologers. When they came in, the king said to them, “Anyone who can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in robes of royal purple, wear a gold chain of honor around his neck, and be the third in power in the kingdom.” 8 The royal advisers came forward, but none of them could read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 In his distress King Belshazzar grew even paler, and his noblemen had no idea what to do.
10 The queen mother heard the noise made by the king and his noblemen and entered the banquet hall. She said, “May Your Majesty live forever! Please do not be so disturbed and look so pale. 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. When your father was king, this man showed good sense, knowledge, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, made him chief of the fortunetellers, magicians, wizards, and astrologers. 12 He has unusual ability and is wise and skillful in interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining mysteries; so send for this man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, and he will tell you what all this means.”
Daniel Explains the Writing
13 Daniel was brought at once into the king's presence, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, that Jewish exile whom my father the king brought here from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that you are skillful and have knowledge and wisdom. 15 The advisers and magicians were brought in to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not discover the meaning. 16 Now I have heard that you can find hidden meanings and explain mysteries. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be dressed in robes of royal purple, wear a gold chain of honor around your neck, and be the third in power in the kingdom.”
17 Daniel replied, “Keep your gifts for yourself or give them to someone else. I will read for Your Majesty what has been written and tell you what it means.
18 “The Supreme God made your father Nebuchadnezzar a great king and gave him dignity and majesty. 19 He was so great that people of all nations, races, and languages were afraid of him and trembled. If he wanted to kill someone, he did; if he wanted to keep someone alive, he did. He honored or disgraced anyone he wanted to. 20 But because he became proud, stubborn, and cruel, he was removed from his royal throne and lost his place of honor. 21 He was driven away from human society, and his mind became like that of an animal. He lived with wild donkeys, ate grass like an ox, and slept in the open air with nothing to protect him from the dew. Finally he admitted that the Supreme God controls all human kingdoms and can give them to anyone he chooses.
22 “But you, his son, have not humbled yourself, even though you knew all this. 23 You acted against the Lord of heaven and brought in the cups and bowls taken from his Temple. You, your noblemen, your wives, and your concubines drank wine out of them and praised gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that cannot see or hear and that do not know anything. But you did not honor the God who determines whether you live or die and who controls everything you do. 24 That is why God has sent the hand to write these words.
25 “This is what was written: ‘Number, number, weight, divisions.’ 26 And this is what it means: number, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 weight, you have been weighed on the scales and found to be too light; 28 divisions, your kingdom is divided up and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29 Immediately Belshazzar ordered his servants to dress Daniel in a robe of royal purple and to hang a gold chain of honor around his neck. And he made him the third in power in the kingdom. 30 That same night Belshazzar, the king of Babylonia, was killed; 31 and Darius the Mede, who was then sixty-two years old, seized the royal power.
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.
