'king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by 'showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.'

All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.“ At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake, and said, 'Is not this 'great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?' While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, 'O king 'Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.' The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the MOST HIGH, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and HE doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, 'What doest thou?' At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride HE is able to abase.

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand

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of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. shazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of GOD which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, 'Whosoever shall 'read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, 'shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold ' about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the king'dom.' Then came in all the king's wise men but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.

Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet-house: and the queen spake and said, 'O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be 'changed there is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is

'the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy 'father light and understanding and wisdom, like the ' wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king 'Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, 'made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, ' and soothsayers; forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, ' and showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named 'Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will 'show the interpretation.' Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father 'brought out of Jewry? I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and ' understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, ' and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing: and I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts; now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation 'thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a 'chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third 'ruler in the kingdom.'

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ‘Let 'thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; 'yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make 'known to him the interpretation. O thou king, the 'most high GOD gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a king

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'dom, and majesty, and glory, and honour and for the majesty that He gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he 'would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put 'down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind 'hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thyself ' against the LORD of heaven; and they have brought the ' vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, 'have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the 'gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, 'which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the GOD in 'whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, 'hast thou not glorified: then was the part of the hand 'sent from him; and this writing was written.

And this is the writing that was written

'Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.

'This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; GOD 'hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; 'Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found want'ing. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the 'Medes and Persians.' Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; and over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his 'God.' Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, 'King 6 Darius, live for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom, 'the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall 'ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save ' of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. 'Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, ' that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes ' and Persians, which altereth not.' Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

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Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his GOD, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before