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.
Belsasari di ǂûǁares
1 Gao-aob Belsasari ge ǁîb di ǀguiǀoadisi ǂamkhoega ǂûǁare-e dība tsî ǁîgu ǀkha ǂauxûi-e gere ā. 2 Ā gu ǂnôa ra hîab ge Belsasara ge mîmā, în ǃhuniǀuri tsî ǀhaiǀuri xapan, ǁîb îb Nebukadnesari ge Jerusalems di Tempela xu hā-ū hâ ina ǂgâxa-ūhe. ǁÎb ge ǁnāsa ge dī, ǁîb ǂamkhoegu, ǁîb taradi tsî ǁîb xōǀkhātaradi ǁîn ǃnâ nî āga. 3 On ge ǃhuniǀuri xapan, Elob Tempeli Jerusalems ǃnâ mâba xu ge ūhe hâ ina ge ǂgâxa-ūhe tsîn ge ǁîb ǂamkhoegu, ǁîb taradi tsî ǁîb xōǀkhātaradi tsîna ǁîn ǃnâ ge ā. 4 ǁÎn ge ǂauxûiba ā tsî ǃhuniǀurib, ǀhaiǀurib, brons-i, ǂnūǀurib, hain tsî ǀuin ǀkha kurusa eloga gere koa.
5 ǃNapetamaseb ge khoe-i di ǃomma ǂhai tsî gao-ommi di ǂkhanuǂkhanusa ǂnubiǂgoab ai, ǃamǀaekandelari ǃoagu ge xoa. Gao-aob ge ǃomma xoab rase ge mû. 6 Gao-aob ais ge ge ǀhai; ǁîb ge ǁnātikōse ge ǃhuri tsîkha ge ǀnūkha âba ǀkhūb xa gere ǂgâugu. 7 Ob ge gao-aoba ǃgarise ge ǂgai, î gu kēbo-aogu, aimûǀgaru-aogu tsî ǀgamirokō-aogu tsîga ǂgâxa-ūhe tsîb ge nē gā-aigu Babilons diga ǃoa ge mî: “Nē go xoamâihe mîde ga khomai tsî ǁguiǃāba te ǁkhā khoeb hoab ge gao-aosi saraba anahe tsî ǃhuniǀuri khedeba nî ǁgāhe tsî nē gaosis ǃnâ ǃnonaǁîse ǂgaeǂguis ǃnâ nî mâihe.” 8 Gao-aob di ǀapemā-aogu hoagu ge ǂgâxa gu ge, xawe xoamâisa mîde khomai tsî gao-aoba ge ǁguiǃāba ǁoa i. 9 Gao-aob ge kaise ǃaob xa ǃkhōhe tsî ǃaruǀîǀgui ge ǀhai; ǁîb di ǂamkhoegu tsîn ge ge ǀūa-ai.
10 Gao-aos ge gao-aob tsî ǁîb ǂamkhoegu tsîn di ǃhoab di ǂkhupiba ǁnâu tsî ǂûǁareb di ommi ǃnâ ge ǂgâxa. ǁÎs ge ge mî: “Ats gao-aotsa ǀamose ûi re. Tā ǁnātikōse ǃhuri tsî ǀhai re. 11 Sa gaosib ǃnâb ge ǀgui khoeb, ǃanu elogu di gagasa ǁîb ǃnâ ūhâba hâ. Sa îb di gaosis ǁaeb ǃnâ i ge nē khoeb ǁnâuǃāb, ǂans tsî gā-aisib elogu dib khamiba ǁîb ǃnâ ūhâ ǃkhaisa ge ǂanhe. Tsîb ge sa îb Nebukadnesara ǁîba ǃgaidī-aogu, aimûǀgaru-aogu, tsî ǀgamirokō-aogu di danase ge mâi. 12 Nē aob Danieli, gao-aob xa ge Beltsasar ti ǀonǂgaiheb ge ǀō-aisa mās, ǂans tsî gā-aisib, ǁhapode ǁguiǃās tsî ǂganǃgâsiga ǂhaiǂhais disa ūhâ. Daniela sī ǂgai kai, ob ge nē xūn di ǂâibasensa nî mîba tsi.”
Danieli ge xoasa ra ǁguiǃā
13 Danieli ge gao-aob tawa ge hā-ūhe tsîb ge gao-aoba ǁîba ge dî: “Satsa Danielts, Jodeǁî ǃhūsabets, ti îb gao-aob xa ge nēpa Judaba xu a hā-ūhetsa? 14 ǁNâu ta ge go elogu di gagas sats ǃnâ hâ tsîts ǁnâuǃāb, ǂans tsî ǀō-aisa gā-aisib tsîna ūhâsa. 15 ǀApemā-aogu tsî aimûǀgaru-aogu tsîn ge tita ǃoa go hā-ūhe, xoamâisa mîde khomai tsî gu ǂâibasensa nî ǁguiǃāba tese, xawe gu ge go ǁguiǃā ǁoa i. 16 Nēsi ta ge sats ǂganǃgâsa xūna ǂanǂui tsî ǂganǃgâsa ǂâibasende ǁguiǃā ǁkhā ǃkhaisa go ǁnâu. Nē mîde khomai tsîts ga ǁguiǃāba te ǁkhā, ots ge gao-aosi saraba anahe tsî ǃhuniǀuri khedeba nî ǁgāhe tsî nē gaosis ǃnâ ǃnonaǁîse, ǂgaeǂguis ǃnâ nî mâihe.”
17 Ob ge Daniela ge ǃeream: “Sa ǀkhaexūna ūhâbasen tamas ka io ǁîna ǀnî khoe-e mā re, xawe xoasa ta ge khomaiba tsi tsî nî ǁguiǃāba tsi.
18 “Hoan xa ǀGapi Elob ge sa îb Nebukadnesara ǁkhāsib, ǂkhaisib tsî ǃgôasib tsîga ge mā. 19 ǁNā kai ǀgaib Elob xab ge māheba xus ge hoa ǁaedi, ǃhaodi tsî gowagu di khoen ge ǁîba ǃao tsî gere ǀkhūsa. ǁÎb ge ǃgam ǂgaob ra-e ǃgam, ûib ǃnâb ra ūhâ ǂgao-e ǁnāti ǁnāxū, ǀgapiǀgapi ǂgaob ra-e ǀgapiǀgapi tsî ǃgamǃgam ǂgaob ra-e gere ǃgamǃgam. 20 Xawe ǀgapiǂâixa tsîb ge ǃnâudanaxa, ob ge gaosisa ūxūhe tsî ǃgôasib âba ge ǂoaǃnâ. 21 ǁÎb ge khoena xu ge ǁgariǂuihe tsîs ge ǂâis âba xamarin dis khami ge i. ǁÎb ge ǃkhausa dâukin ǀkha hâ, goman khami ǀgâna ǂû tsî soros âba ǀaub xa gere ǀâǀâhe. Hoan xa ǀGapi Elob, ǃhūbaib di gaosigu hoagu ǂama ǀgaiba ūhâ tsîb ǁîga ǂgaob ra khoe-i hoa-e ra mā ǃkhaisab ge mûǂans kōse.
22 “Sats ǁîb ôats, Belsasarts ge nēn hoanats ge ǂan i, xawe ǃgamǃgamsen tama hâ. 23 Sats ge ǃKhūb ǀhommi dib ǃoagu ǀgapiǀgapisen tsî ǁîb di Tempela xu ge hā-ūhe xapana go ǂgâxa-ū, tsî du ge sats, sa ǂamkhoegu, sa taradi tsî sa xōǀkhātaradi tsîdo ǁîn ǃnâ ǂauxûiba goro ā. Tsîts ge ǃhuniǀurib, ǀhaiǀurib, brons-i, ǂnūǀurib, hain tsî ǀuin ǀkha kurusa elogu, mû ǁoa, ǁnâu ǁoa tsî xū-i xare-e ǂan tamaga goro koa. Xawets ge ǁîb di ǃomǁaeb sa ûib kas, ǁōb kas, dīts ra xūn hoan kas hoasa hâ Eloba ǃgôasiba mā tama go i. 24 ǁNā-amagab ge Eloba nē mîde go xoa ǃomma go sî.
25 “Nēdi ge xoamâisa go i mîde: ‘ǃGôa, ǃgôa, ǀnō, ǀgora.’ 26 Tsî nēs ge mîdi di ǂâibasensa: ǃGôa: Elob ge sa gaosis di kuriga go ǃgôa tsî ǁîsa go ǀamǀam. 27 ǀNō: Sats ge ǀnōhe tsî kaise supuse go hōhe. 28 ǀGora: Sa gaosib ge ǀgorahe tsî Medeǁîn tsî Persiaǁîn tsîna go māhe.”
29 Belsasari di mîmās aib ge Daniela gao-aosi saraba anahe, ǃhuniǀuri khedeba ǁgāhe tsîs ge gaosis ǃnâb ǃnonaǁîse, ǂgaeǂguis ǃnâ nî mâ ǃkhaisa ge ǂgaiǂuihe. 30 ǁNā tsuxub ǂûb ǃnâb ge Babilonias gao-aob Belsasara ge ǃgamhe. 31 Tsîb ge ǃnanidisiǀgamǀa kurixa ge i Medeǁîb, Dariusa ge gaosib di ǂgaeǂgui-ao kai.
