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Daniel 5

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1 Βαλτασαρ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐποίησεν δεῖπνον μέγα τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν αὐτοῦ χιλίοις καὶ κατέναντι τῶν χιλίων ὁ οἶνος καὶ πίνων 2 Βαλτασαρ εἶπεν ἐν τῇ γεύσει τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ ἐνεγκεῖν τὰ σκεύη τὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ τὰ ἀργυρᾶ ἃ ἐξήνεγκεν Ναβουχοδονοσορ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ πιέτωσαν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ παλλακαὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ παράκοιτοι αὐτοῦ 3 καὶ ἠνέχθησαν τὰ σκεύη τὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ τὰ ἀργυρᾶ ἃ ἐξήνεγκεν ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἔπινον ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ παλλακαὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ παράκοιτοι αὐτοῦ 4 ἔπινον οἶνον καὶ ᾔνεσαν τοὺς θεοὺς τοὺς χρυσοῦς καὶ ἀργυροῦς καὶ χαλκοῦς καὶ σιδηροῦς καὶ ξυλίνους καὶ λιθίνους

1 Now turn we to king Baltassar, that made great cheer for courtiers of his a thousand, each man drinking wine as his rank entitled him.[1] 2 And he, in his cups, would have the spoils of the old temple at Jerusalem brought in, cups of gold, cups of silver that his father Nabuchodonosor had carried away; king and court, wife and concubine should drink from them. 3 Brought in they were, all the spoils of Jerusalem; king and courtier, wife and concubine, drank from those vessels; 4 drank, and to their own gods gave the praise, gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

1 Baltassar rex fecit grande convivium optimatibus suis mille: et unusquisque secundum suam bibebat ætatem. 2 Præcepit ergo jam temulentus ut afferrentur vasa aurea et argentea, quæ asportaverat Nabuchodonosor pater ejus de templo, quod fuit in Ierusalem, ut biberent in eis rex, et optimates ejus, uxoresque ejus, et concubinæ. 3 Tunc allata sunt vasa aurea, et argentea, quæ asportaverat de templo, quod fuerat in Ierusalem: et biberunt in eis rex, et optimates ejus, uxores et concubinæ illius. 4 Bibebant vinum, et laudabant deos suos aureos et argenteos, æreos, ferreos, ligneosque et lapideos.

5 ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐξῆλθον δάκτυλοι χειρὸς ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἔγραφον κατέναντι τῆς λαμπάδος ἐπὶ τὸ κονίαμα τοῦ τοίχου τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐθεώρει τοὺς ἀστραγάλους τῆς χειρὸς τῆς γραφούσης 6 τότε τοῦ βασιλέως ἡ μορφὴ ἠλλοιώθη καὶ οἱ διαλογισμοὶ αὐτοῦ συνετάρασσον αὐτόν καὶ οἱ σύνδεσμοι τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ διελύοντο καὶ τὰ γόνατα αὐτοῦ συνεκροτοῦντο 7 καὶ ἐβόησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν ἰσχύι τοῦ εἰσαγαγεῖν μάγους Χαλδαίους γαζαρηνοὺς καὶ εἶπεν τοῖς σοφοῖς Βαβυλῶνος ὃς ἂν ἀναγνῷ τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν γνωρίσῃ μοι πορφύραν ἐνδύσεται καὶ ὁ μανιάκης ὁ χρυσοῦς ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ τρίτος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ μου ἄρξει 8 καὶ εἰσεπορεύοντο πάντες οἱ σοφοὶ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ οὐκ ἠδύναντο τὴν γραφὴν ἀναγνῶναι οὐδὲ τὴν σύγκρισιν γνωρίσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ 9 καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Βαλτασαρ πολὺ ἐταράχθη καὶ ἡ μορφὴ αὐτοῦ ἠλλοιώθη ἐ{P'} αὐτῷ καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτοῦ συνεταράσσοντο

5 Then, in that hour, an apparition came to them. They saw the fingers of a man’s hand writing on the plaster of the palace wall, full in the lamp’s light; joints of a hand that wrote there the king could not choose but see. 6 All at once he changed colour, a prey to anxious thoughts; melted his heart within him, and his knees knocked together. 7 With a loud cry, he bade them summon the wise men of Babylon, sage and astrologer and diviner; and to these he made proclamation: Who reads me yonder writing, and tells me the meaning of it, shall go clad in purple, a gold chain about his neck, and hold the third place in my kingdom. 8 But when they came into the banqueting-hall, never a wise head among them could read the characters, nor tell the king what they meant; 9 whereupon king Baltassar was in a great taking of fear, his cheeks paler yet, and his princes were no easier in mind than himself.

5 In eadem hora apparuerunt digiti, quasi manus hominis scribentis contra candelabrum in superficie parietis aulæ regiæ: et rex aspiciebat articulos manus scribentis. 6 Tunc facies regis commutata est, et cogitationes ejus conturbabant eum: et compages renum ejus solvebantur, et genua ejus ad se invicem collidebantur. 7 Exclamavit itaque rex fortiter ut introducerent magos, Chaldæos, et aruspices. Et proloquens rex ait sapientibus Babylonis: Quicumque legerit scripturam hanc, et interpretationem ejus manifestam mihi fecerit, purpura vestietur, et torquem auream habebit in collo, et tertius in regno meo erit. 8 Tunc ingressi omnes sapientes regis non potuerunt nec scripturam legere, nec interpretationem indicare regi. 9 Unde rex Baltassar satis conturbatus est, et vultus illius immutatus est; sed et optimates ejus turbabantur.

10 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ἡ βασίλισσα εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πότου καὶ εἶπεν βασιλεῦ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας ζῆθι μὴ ταρασσέτωσάν σε οἱ διαλογισμοί σου καὶ ἡ μορφή σου μὴ ἀλλοιούσθω 11 ἔστιν ἀνὴρ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου ἐν ᾧ πνεῦμα θεοῦ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ πατρός σου γρηγόρησις καὶ σύνεσις εὑρέθη ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ναβουχοδονοσορ ὁ πατήρ σου ἄρχοντα ἐπαοιδῶν μάγων Χαλδαίων γαζαρηνῶν κατέστησεν αὐτόν 12 ὅτι πνεῦμα περισσὸν ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ φρόνησις καὶ σύνεσις συγκρίνων ἐνύπνια καὶ ἀναγγέλλων κρατούμενα καὶ λύων συνδέσμους Δανιηλ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῷ ὄνομα Βαλτασαρ νῦν οὖν κληθήτω καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγελεῖ σοι

10 But now all this ado brought the queen-mother down into the banqueting-hall; Long life to the king’s grace! cried she; here is no need for daunted hearts and pale looks! 11 One man thou hast in thy realm the holy gods inspire; in thy father’s time, good proof he gave of the wisdom and learning that were his. Did not thy father, king Nabuchodonosor, put him at the head of his wise men one and all, sage nor wizard nor astrologer nor soothsayer to match him? In such renown thy royal father held him, my lord king; 12 no common spirit is his, no common prudence and discernment, dreams to interpret, hidden things to reveal, spells to unbind. For his name, it is Daniel; thy father called him Baltassar. Let Daniel be summoned, and thy riddle shall not long go unread.

10 Regina autem pro re, quæ acciderat regi et optimatibus ejus, domum convivii ingressa est: et proloquens ait: Rex, in æternum vive! non te conturbent cogitationes tuæ, neque facies tua immutetur. 11 Est vir in regno tuo, qui spiritum deorum sanctorum habet in se, et in diebus patris tui scientia et sapientia inventæ sunt in eo: nam et rex Nabuchodonosor pater tuus principem magorum, incantatorum, Chaldæorum, et aruspicum constituit eum, pater, inquam, tuus, o rex: 12 quia spiritus amplior, et prudentia, intelligentiaque et interpretatio somniorum, et ostensio secretorum, ac solutio ligatorum inventæ sunt in eo, hoc est in Daniele: cui rex posuit nomen Baltassar. Nunc itaque Daniel vocetur, et interpretationem narrabit.

13 τότε Δανιηλ εἰσήχθη ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ Δανιηλ σὺ εἶ Δανιηλ ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῆς Ιουδαίας ἧς ἤγαγεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ πατήρ μου 14 ἤκουσα περὶ σοῦ ὅτι πνεῦμα θεοῦ ἐν σοί καὶ γρηγόρησις καὶ σύνεσις καὶ σοφία περισσὴ εὑρέθη ἐν σοί 15 καὶ νῦν εἰσῆλθον ἐνώπιόν μου οἱ σοφοί μάγοι γαζαρηνοί ἵνα τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην ἀναγνῶσιν καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτῆς γνωρίσωσίν μοι καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν ἀναγγεῖλαί μοι 16 καὶ ἐγὼ ἤκουσα περὶ σοῦ ὅτι δύνασαι κρίματα συγκρῖναι νῦν οὖν ἐὰν δυνηθῇς τὴν γραφὴν ἀναγνῶναι καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτῆς γνωρίσαι μοι πορφύραν ἐνδύσῃ καὶ ὁ μανιάκης ὁ χρυσοῦς ἔσται ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλόν σου καὶ τρίτος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ μου ἄρξεις

13 So Daniel was brought into the king’s presence, and the king asked him if Daniel he were, one of the Jewish exiles his father had brought to Babylon? 14 Great things were told of him; that he had the spirit of the gods, gave proof of skill, discernment and wisdom above the common. 15 And here was certain writing, that had baffled sage and diviner called in to read them; meaning of it they could not tell. 16 If Daniel had skill indeed to reveal mysteries and unbind spells, let him read those characters and interpret them; robe of purple he should have, and a gold chain about his neck, and hold the third place in the kingdom.

13 Igitur introductus est Daniel coram rege: ad quem præfatus rex ait: Tu es Daniel de filiis captivitatis Judæ, quem adduxit pater meus rex de Judæa? 14 audivi de te, quoniam spiritum deorum habeas, et scientia, intelligentiaque ac sapientia ampliores inventæ sunt in te. 15 Et nunc introgressi sunt in conspectu meo sapientes magi, ut scripturam hanc legerent, et interpretationem ejus indicarent mihi: et nequiverunt sensum hujus sermonis edicere. 16 Porro ego audivi de te, quod possis obscura interpretari, et ligata dissolvere: si ergo vales scripturam legere, et interpretationem ejus indicare mihi, purpura vestieris, et torquem auream circa collum tuum habebis, et tertius in regno meo princeps eris.

17 τότε ἀπεκρίθη Δανιηλ καὶ εἶπεν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως τὰ δόματά σου σοὶ ἔστω καὶ τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς οἰκίας σου ἑτέρῳ δός ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν γραφὴν ἀναγνώσομαι τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτῆς γνωρίσω σοι 18 βασιλεῦ ὁ θεὸς ὁ ὕψιστος τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν μεγαλωσύνην καὶ τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὴν δόξαν ἔδωκεν Ναβουχοδονοσορ τῷ πατρί σου 19 καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἧς ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ λαοί φυλαί γλῶσσαι ἦσαν τρέμοντες καὶ φοβούμενοι ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ οὓς ἠβούλετο αὐτὸς ἀνῄρει καὶ οὓς ἠβούλετο αὐτὸς ἔτυπτεν καὶ οὓς ἠβούλετο αὐτὸς ὕψου καὶ οὓς ἠβούλετο αὐτὸς ἐταπείνου 20 καὶ ὅτε ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐκραταιώθη τοῦ ὑπερηφανεύσασθαι κατηνέχθη ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ τιμὴ ἀφῃρέθη ἀ{P'} αὐτοῦ 21 καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξεδιώχθη καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν θηρίων ἐδόθη καὶ μετὰ ὀνάγρων ἡ κατοικία αὐτοῦ καὶ χόρτον ὡς βοῦν ἐψώμιζον αὐτόν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δρόσου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἐβάφη ἕως οὗ ἔγνω ὅτι κυριεύει ὁ θεὸς ὁ ὕψιστος τῆς βασιλείας τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ᾧ ἂν δόξῃ δώσει αὐτήν 22 καὶ σὺ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Βαλτασαρ οὐκ ἐταπείνωσας τὴν καρδίαν σου κατενώπιον οὗ πάντα ταῦτα ἔγνως 23 καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὑψώθης καὶ τὰ σκεύη τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ ἤνεγκαν ἐνώπιόν σου καὶ σὺ καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνές σου καὶ αἱ παλλακαί σου καὶ αἱ παράκοιτοί σου οἶνον ἐπίνετε ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ τοὺς θεοὺς τοὺς χρυσοῦς καὶ ἀργυροῦς καὶ χαλκοῦς καὶ σιδηροῦς καὶ ξυλίνους καὶ λιθίνους οἳ οὐ βλέπουσιν καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσιν καὶ οὐ γινώσκουσιν ᾔνεσας καὶ τὸν θεόν οὗ ἡ πνοή σου ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοί σου αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐδόξασας 24 διὰ τοῦτο ἐκ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἀπεστάλη ἀστράγαλος χειρὸς καὶ τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην ἐνέταξεν 25 καὶ αὕτη ἡ γραφὴ ἡ ἐντεταγμένη μανη θεκελ φαρες 26 τοῦτο τὸ σύγκριμα τοῦ ῥήματος μανη ἐμέτρησεν ὁ θεὸς τὴν βασιλείαν σου καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν αὐτήν 27 θεκελ ἐστάθη ἐν ζυγῷ καὶ εὑρέθη ὑστεροῦσα 28 φαρες διῄρηται ἡ βασιλεία σου καὶ ἐδόθη Μήδοις καὶ Πέρσαις

17 But Daniel spoke out, there in the king’s presence: Purple and gold keep for thyself; and for thy honours, let him have them who will. But for the writing, I will read it willingly, and tell thee the meaning of it. 18 Sir king, thy father was Nabuchodonosor; to him the most High gave royal state, and splendid renown; 19 for that renown of his, every people and race and tribe must tremble in awe of him; slew he, smote he, exalted he, abased he, all he would. 20 With that, his heart beat high; proud grew his will and obstinate; and the issue of it? From that throne he must come down, be shorn of that glory; 21 cast out henceforth from the haunts of men. Heart of beast the heart of him; dwelling-place of wild ass should be his, food of the ox; and the dews of heaven should drench him, till he had learned that the most High is overlord of all human kingship, grants it to whom he will. 22 All this, Baltassar, thou knewest, yet son no more than father would abate his pride; 23 heaven’s Ruler defying, thou wouldst bring out yonder cups, the spoil of his temple, to serve wine for thee and thy court, for wife and concubine. Gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, stone and wood, that cannot see or hear or feel, thou wouldst magnify; for the God that holds thy life, thy fortunes, in his keeping, never a word of praise. 24 That is why the hand appeared to thee, fingers that wrote what there stands written. 25 This is the charactery of it: Mané, Thecel, Phares. 26 Mané betokens numbering; so many years allotted to thy empire, and now God has brought them to an end. 27 And thecel, weighing; the equal of his benefits God demands, and has not found in thee. 28 And phares, rending; Persian and Mede shall be thy successors in the kingdom that is torn from thy grasp.

17 Ad quæ respondens Daniel, ait coram rege: Munera tua sint tibi, et dona domus tuæ alteri da: scripturam autem legam tibi, rex, et interpretationem ejus ostendam tibi. 18 O rex, Deus altissimus regnum et magnificentiam, gloriam et honorem dedit Nabuchodonosor patri tuo. 19 Et propter magnificentiam, quam dederat ei, universi populi, tribus, et linguæ tremebant, et metuebant eum: quos volebat, interficiebat: et quos volebat, percutiebat: et quos volebat, exaltabat: et quos volebat, humiliabat. 20 Quando autem elevatum est cor ejus, et spiritus illius obfirmatus est ad superbiam, depositus est de solio regni sui, et gloria ejus ablata est: 21 et a filiis hominum ejectus est, sed et cor ejus cum bestiis positum est, et cum onagris erat habitatio ejus: fœnum quoque ut bos comedebat, et rore cæli corpus ejus infectum est, donec cognosceret quod potestatem haberet Altissimus in regno hominum, et quemcumque voluerit, suscitabit super illud. 22 Tu quoque, filius ejus Baltassar, non humiliasti cor tuum, cum scires hæc omnia: 23 sed adversum Dominatorem cæli elevatus es: et vasa domus ejus allata sunt coram te, et tu, et optimates tui, et uxores tuæ, et concubinæ tuæ vinum bibistis in eis: deos quoque argenteos, et aureos, et æreos, ferreos, ligneosque et lapideos, qui non vident, neque audiunt, neque sentiunt, laudasti: porro Deum, qui habet flatum tuum in manu sua, et omnes vias tuas, non glorificasti. 24 Idcirco ab eo missus est articulus manus, quæ scripsit hoc quod exaratum est. 25 Hæc est autem scriptura, quæ digesta est: Mane, Thecel, Phares. 26 Et hæc est interpretatio sermonis. Mane: numeravit Deus regnum tuum, et complevit illud. 27 Thecel: appensus es in statera, et inventus es minus habens. 28 Phares: divisum est regnum tuum, et datum est Medis, et Persis.

29 καὶ εἶπεν Βαλτασαρ καὶ ἐνέδυσαν τὸν Δανιηλ πορφύραν καὶ τὸν μανιάκην τὸν χρυσοῦν περιέθηκαν περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκήρυξεν περὶ αὐτοῦ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἄρχοντα τρίτον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ 30 ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ νυκτὶ ἀναιρέθη Βαλτασαρ ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ Χαλδαίων 31 καὶ Δαρεῖος ὁ Μῆδος παρέλαβεν τὴν βασιλείαν ὢν ἐτῶν ἑξήκοντα δύο

29 With that, at the royal bidding, they clothed Daniel in purple, and hung a chain of gold about his neck; proclamation, too, was made that he held the third place in the kingdom. 30 But that same night Baltassar, the Chaldaean king, was slain, 31 and his crown passed to Darius, a Mede, then in the sixty-third year of his age.[2]

29 Tunc, jubente rege, indutus est Daniel purpura, et circumdata est torques aurea collo ejus: et prædicatum est de eo quod haberet potestatem tertius in regno suo. 30 Eadem nocte interfectus est Baltassar rex Chaldæus. 31 Et Darius Medus successit in regnum, annos natus sexaginta duos.

[1] In the Aramaic text, ‘and (the king) drank wine in the presence of all the thousand’.

[2] If the event here referred to is the well-known capture of Babylon by Cyrus, Darius the Mede should perhaps be identified with Gobryas, a general of his who took command of the city after its capture. It is not impossible that a short-lived ‘Median’ empire may have intervened between that of Babylon and that of Persia, but the monuments reveal no trace of it; and the sacred writers appear to regard the Medes and Persians as already, for political purposes, a single nation.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd