23. Instead you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You had the vessels of His House brought before you, and you and your nobles, your consorts and your concubines have been drinking wine in them. You have praised the gods made of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. Yet you did not honor the God who holds in His hand your very breath and all your ways.
24. Therefore, the hand was sent from Him that wrote this inscription.
25. “Now this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPARSIN.
26. This is the interpretation of the inscription: MENE: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
27. TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.
28. PERES: Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29. Then at Belshazzar’s command, they clothed Daniel with purple, put a chain of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation about him that he would have the authority as third ruler in the kingdom.
30. On that very night King Belshazzar of the Chaldeans was slain.