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.
Oitendele yaBelsassar
1 Ohamba Belsassar okwa dungila omalenga aye eyovi limwe oitendele inene, ndele ta nu omaviinyu moipafi yomalenga aa eyovi. 2 Ndele Belsassar eshi a shambukwa komaviinyu, okwa lombwela ndele ta ti: oiyuma inya yoshingoldo noyoshisiliveli ya kufwa kuxe Nebukadnesar motembeli yomuJerusalem, nai ka talwe, opo ohamba nomalenga aye novambada noikumbu yaye va nwine mo moiyuma ei. 3 Opo nee oiyuma inya ya kufwa motembeli, mongulu yaKalunga muJerusalem, oya etwa nee. Nohamba nomalenga aye novambada vaye noikumbu yaye ova nwina mo, 4 ndele ova nwa omaviinyu nokutanga nokuhambelela oikalunga yoshingoldo noyoshisiliveli noyoshikushu noyoshivela noyoiti noyomamanya. 5 Mokafimbo tuu oko opa holoka ominwe deke lomunhu da shangela mekuma litoka lolupale lohamba, kombinga inya ya shaama noshikwatelwalamba; ndele ohamba oya mona ominwe da shangela mo.Opa holoka ominwe deke lomunhu da shangela mekuma… 6 Ndele oshipala shohamba osha shituka, nomadiladilo aye okwe mu halula, ndele eenho daye oda tyololoka neengolo daye oda kakama. 7 Ndele ohamba oya ingida mokule, eendudu nOvakaldea veenyofi va etwe mo. Opo nee ohamba oya lombwela ovanongo vomuBabilon ndele tai ti: “Keshe ou ta dulu okulesha eshangelo eli ndele te li tomonene nge, oye ta ka dikwa oshikutu shiwa shitilyana nelyenge loshingoldo mofingo yaye, ndele ta lengwa elenga etitatu moshilongo.” 8 Opo nee ovanongo aveshe vohamba ove uya mo, ndelenee vo ova nyengwa okulesha eshangelo linya noku li tomonena ohamba. 9 Opo nee ohamba Belsassar oya haluka unene, noshipala shaye osha shituka, nomalenga aye yo okwa kanghwa.
10 Ina yohamba eshi a uda eenghundafana dohamba nomalenga ayo, oye okwe uya kolupale. Ina yohamba okwa popya ndele ta ti: “Ohamba nai kale nomwenyo alushe! Ino halukifwa ashike komadiladilo oye, ino shitukifa oshipala shoye. 11 Moshilongo shoye omu nomulumenhu e nomhepo yookalunga vayapuki. Pomafiku axo ye okwa monika e nomayele neendunge nounongo, ngaashi ounongo wookalunga. Onghee hano xo, Nebukadnesar okwe mu ninga elenga lakula lovanongo vomishangwa, leendudu, lOvakaldea nolovakoneki veenyofi; ohamba xo, osho ya ninga, 12 osheshi omhepo iwa, neendunge nomayele okutomona eendjodi nokufatulula eetumbutumbu nokuholola oinima ya futikwa, okwa monika muye, muDaniel, edina laye eli a lukwa kohamba Beltesasar. Paife Daniel na ifanwe, oye te ku tomonene omayele eshangelo eli.” 13 Opo nee Daniel okwa etwa koshipala shohamba. Ohamba oya lombwela Daniel ndele tai ti: “Oove tuu Daniel, umwe womovapika Ovajuda, ohamba tate, e va kwata muJuda nokwe va eta oku? 14 Ame onde ku uda nokutya, ove ou nomhepo yookalunga nomayele neendunge nounongo muhapu wa monika mwoove. 15 Ndele paife ovanongo neendudu ova etwa koshipala shange va leshe eshangelo eli nova tomonene nge eendunge dalo, ndelenee vo ova nyengwa okutomona eendunge deshangelo eli. 16 Ndelenee ame onde ku uda, nokutya ove oho dulu okuyandja omafatululo, ndele to holola oinima ya futikwa. Ndele paife, ngeenge to dulu okulesha eshangelo eli nokutomonena nge eendunge dalo, ove oto ka dikwa oshikutu shitilyana nelyenge loshingoldo mofingo yoye, ndele to lengwa elenga etitatu moshilongo.” 17 Opo Daniel a nyamukula, ndele ta ti moipafi yohamba: “Kala noinima yoye, neeshali doye di pa omunhu umwe. Ndele ame onda hala ndi leshele ohamba eshangelo eli nondi tomonene eendunge dalo. 18 Hano tatekulu ohamba! Kalunga ou wOkombadambada okwa pele xo Nebukadnesar ouhamba neenghono netumbalo nefimanopangelo. 19 Ndele molweenghono odo, Ye e di mu pele, oiwana aishe nomapata aeshe nomalaka aeshe okwa kakama nokwa tila koshipala shaye. Ndele ye okwa dipaa ou a hala, nokwa xupifa ou a hala, ndele okwa lenga ou a hala nokwa xutula ou a hala. 20 Ndelenee omutima waye eshi we linenepeka nomhepo yaye eshi ye litumba mokulikukutika, oye okwa tewa mouhamba ndele a kufwa yo efimano laye. 21 Ndele ye okwa tewa mo mokati kovanhu, omutima waye owa kala ngaashi ou woifitukuti, ndele ye okwa kala mokati keefino, nokwa lya omwiidi ngaashi eengobe. Nomume yokeulu oya tutika olutu laye, fiyo okwa koneka, kutya Kalunga wOkombadambada oku neenghono okupangela oshilongo shovanhu noku shi yandja kwaau a hala. 22 Ndelenee oove, omona waye, Belsassar, ino lininipika nande komutima woye, nande ashishe eshi ou shi shii, 23 ndelenee ove we linenepeka nokutwila Omwene weulu ondubo. Ndele oikwatelwa yongulu yaye oya etwa koshipala shoye. Ndele ove nomalenga oye novambada voye noikumbu yoye omwa nwina mo omaviinyu. Noikalunga yoshingoldo noyoshisiliveli noyoshikushu noyoivela noyoshiti noyomamanya owe i litangela, oyo tuu ihai mono ko, ihai udu ko, yo ihe shii sha, ndelenee Kalunga ou e kwete meke laye omufudo woye neendjila doye adishe di li koshipala shaye, Oye tuu ou ove ino mu fimaneka. 24 Osho nee eke eli ola tumwa kuye neshangelo eli la shangwa. 25 Ndele eshangelo eli la shangelwa ko, oleli: ‘Mene, mene, tekel, ufarsin.’ 26 Netomono londjovo eli: Mene, otashi ti: Kalunga okwa vala omuvalu woshilongo shoye, ndele e shi mana po. 27 Tekel, otashi ti: ove wa yelekwa koshiyelekifo, ndele wa monika omupu. 28 Peres, otashi ti: oshilongo shoye osha tetaulwa ndele sha yandjwa kOvamedia nOvapersia.” 29 Opo Belsassar a lombwela, ndele ova dika Daniel oshikutu shitilyana nelyenge loshingoldo mofingo yaye, ndele omolwaye naku ingidwe, oye elenga lakula etitatu okupangela moshilongo.
30 Oufiku tuu winya Belsassar, ohamba yOvakaldea, okwa dipawa, 31 naDarius Omumedia okwa nangala oshilongo, ye a li e nomido omilongo hamano nambali.
