Daniel 5 - 6, James 1-2:13, Proverbs 19

Belshazzar’s Feast

5Belshazzar the king ¹held a great ^afeast for one thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. ²When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he said to bring the gold and silver ^avessels which Nebuchadnezzar his ¹father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. ³Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. ⁴They ^adrank the wine and praised the gods of ^bgold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

⁵Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand came out and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the ¹back of the hand that did the writing. ⁶Then the ¹^,^asplendor of the king’s face changed, and his thoughts alarmed him, and his ^bhip joints ²went slack, and his ^cknees were knocking against each other. ⁷The king called out loudly to bring in the ^aconjurers, the ¹Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king answered and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who can read this writing and declare its interpretation to me shall be ^bclothed with purple and have a ^cnecklace of gold around his neck and rule with power as ²^,^dthird ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸Then all the king’s wise men came in, but ^athey could not read the writing or make known its interpretation to the king. ⁹Then King Belshazzar was greatly ^aalarmed, and the ¹^,^bsplendor of his face changed further, and his nobles were perplexed.

¹⁰The queen entered the banquet ¹hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen answered and said, “^aO king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or the ²splendor of your face be changed. ¹¹“There is a ^aman in your kingdom in whom is ¹a ^bspirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father ²^,^cthe king, set him as chief of the ³magicians, conjurers, ⁴Chaldeans, and diviners. ¹²“This was because an ^aextraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas, and ¹solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named ^bBelteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned, and he will declare the interpretation.”

Daniel Interprets the Writing on the Wall

¹³Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the ¹^,^aexiles from Judah, whom my father the king ^bbrought from Judah? ¹⁴“Now I have heard about you that ¹a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. ¹⁵“Just now the ^awise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this writing and make its interpretation known to me, but they ^bcould not declare the interpretation of the ¹message. ¹⁶“But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and ¹solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and make its ^ainterpretation known to me, you will be ^bclothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will rule with power as the ²third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your ^agifts remain with you or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the writing to the king and make the interpretation known to him. ¹⁸“¹O king, the ^aMost High God ^bgranted the kingdom, ^cgrandeur, glory, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. ¹⁹“And because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue feared and were in dread before him; ^awhomever he wished he killed, and whomever he wished he kept alive, and whomever he wished he raised up, and whomever he wished he made low. ²⁰“But when his heart was ^araised up and his spirit became so ^bstrong that he behaved arrogantly, he was ^cdeposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken away from him. ²¹“He was also ^adriven away from the sons of ¹men, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his place of habitation was with the ^bwild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of the sky until he knew that the ^cMost High God is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankind and that He sets up over it whomever He wishes. ²²“Yet you, his ¹son, Belshazzar, have ^anot made your heart lowly, ²even though you knew all this, ²³but you have ^araised yourself up against the ^bLord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the ^cgods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear, or know. But the God ^din whose hand are your life-breath and all your ^eways, you have not honored. ²⁴“Then the ¹^,^ahand was sent from Him, and this writing was ²inscribed.

²⁵“Now this is the writing that was ¹inscribed: ‘²MENE, ³MENE, ⁴TEKEL, ⁵UPHARSIN.’ ²⁶“This is the interpretation of the ¹message: ‘MENE’—God has numbered your kingdom and ^aput an end to it. ²⁷“‘TEKEL’—you have been ^aweighed on the scales and found lacking. ²⁸“‘PERES’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the ^aMedes and ¹Persians.”

²⁹Then Belshazzar said the word, and they ^aclothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now would be the ¹third powerful ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰That same night ^aBelshazzar the Chaldean king was ^bkilled.

³¹¹So ^aDarius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.

Darius’ Officials Seek to Accuse Daniel

6¹It seemed good to Darius that he set 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, ²and over them three commissioners (of whom ^aDaniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer ^bloss. ³Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself ¹among the commissioners and satraps because an ^aextraordinary spirit was in him, and the king planned to set him over the ^bentire kingdom. ⁴Then the commissioners and satraps began ^aseeking to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to matters of the kingdom; but they were not able to find ^bany ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. ⁵Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the ^alaw of his God.”

⁶Then these commissioners and satraps came ¹by agreement to the king and said thus to him: “King Darius, ^alive forever! ⁷“All the ^acommissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have ^bcounseled together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who seeks to make a petition ¹to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall ^cbe cast into the lions’ ²den. ⁸“Now, O king, ^aestablish the injunction and ¹sign the written document so that it may not be changed, according to the ^blaw of the Medes and Persians, which ²may not be revoked.” ⁹Therefore King Darius ^asigned the written document, that is, the injunction.

¹⁰Now when Daniel knew that the written document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open ^atoward Jerusalem); and he continued ^bkneeling on his knees three times a day, ^cpraying and ^dgiving thanks before his God, ¹as he had been doing previously. ¹¹Then these men came ¹^,^aby agreement and found Daniel seeking to make a petition and making supplication before his God. ¹²Then they came near and ^asaid before the king concerning the king’s injunction, “Did you not sign an injunction that any man who seeks to make a petition ¹to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions’ den?” The king answered and said, “The word is certain, according to the ^blaw of the Medes and Persians, which ²may not be revoked.” ¹³Then they answered and said before the king, “^aDaniel, who is one of the ¹exiles from Judah, pays ^bno attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps seeking to make his petition three times a day.”

¹⁴Then, as soon as the king heard this word, he was greatly ^adistressed within himself and set his mind on saving Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to deliver him. ¹⁵Then these men came ¹by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a ^alaw of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

¹⁶Then the king said the word, and Daniel was brought in and ^acast into the lions’ den. The king answered and said to Daniel, “¹^,^bYour God whom you constantly serve will Himself save you.” ¹⁷And a ^astone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. ¹⁸Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night ^afasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his ^bsleep fled from him.

¹⁹Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and hurriedly went to the lions’ den. ²⁰When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has ^ayour God, whom you constantly serve, been ^bable to save you from the lions?” ²¹Then Daniel spoke ¹to the king, “^aO king, live forever! ²²“My God ^asent His angel and ^bshut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as ¹I was found innocent before Him; and also ²toward you, O king, I have done no harm.” ²³Then the king was greatly pleased and said for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and ^ano harm whatsoever was found on him because he had ^bbelieved in his God. ²⁴The king then said the word, and they brought those men who had ¹brought charges against Daniel, and they ^acast them, their ^bchildren, and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

²⁵Then Darius the king wrote to all the ^apeoples, nations, and men of every tongue who were inhabiting all the land: “^bMay your ¹peace abound! ²⁶“¹I ^amake a decree that in all the ²dominion of my kingdom, men are to fear and be in dread before the God of Daniel; For He is the ^bliving God and ^cenduring forever,And ^dHis kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,And His ³dominion will be unto the end.

²⁷“He saves and delivers and does ^asigns and wondersIn heaven and on earth,Who has also saved Daniel from the ¹power of the lions.”

²⁸So this ^aDaniel enjoyed success in the kingdom of Darius and in the kingdom of ^bCyrus the Persian.

Testing Your Faith

1¹^,^aJames, a ^bslave of God and ^cof the Lord Jesus Christ, To ^dthe twelve tribes who are in the ^eDispersion: ^fGreetings.

²^aConsider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter ^bvarious ¹trials, ³knowing that ^athe testing of your ^bfaith brings about ^cperseverance. ⁴And let ^aperseverance have its perfect work, so that you may be ¹^,^bperfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵But if any of you ^alacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and ¹without reproach, and ^bit will be given to him. ⁶But he must ^aask in faith, ^bdoubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, ^cdriven and tossed by the wind. ⁷For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸being a ¹^,^adouble-minded man, ^bunstable in all his ways.

⁹^aBut the ¹brother of humble circumstances is to boast in his high position; ¹⁰and the rich man is to boast in his humiliation, because ^alike ¹flowering grass he will pass away. ¹¹For the sun rises with ¹^,^aa scorching heat and ^bwithers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.

¹²^aBlessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has ¹been approved, he will receive ^bthe crown of life which the Lord ^chas promised to those who ^dlove Him. ¹³Let no one say when he is tempted, “^aI am being tempted ¹by God”; for God cannot be tempted ²by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵Then ^awhen lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when ^bsin is fully matured, it brings forth death. ¹⁶^aDo not be ¹deceived, ^bmy beloved brothers. ¹⁷Every good thing given and every perfect gift is ^afrom above, coming down from ^bthe Father of lights, ^cwith whom there is no variation or ¹shifting shadow. ¹⁸In the exercise of ^aHis will He ^bbrought us forth by ^cthe word of truth, so that we would be ¹a kind of ^dfirst fruits ²among His creatures.

Doers of the Word

¹⁹¹^,^aKnow this, ^bmy beloved brothers. But everyone must be quick to hear, ^cslow to speak and ^dslow to anger; ²⁰for ^athe anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. ²¹Therefore, ^alaying aside all filthiness and all ¹that remains of wickedness, in gentleness receive ^bthe implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ²²^aBut become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his ¹natural face ^ain a mirror; ²⁴for once he looked at himself and has gone away, ¹he immediately forgot what kind of person he was. ²⁵But one who looks intently at the perfect law, ^athe law of freedom, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man will be ^bblessed in ¹what he does.

²⁶If anyone thinks himself to be religious while not ¹^,^abridling his tongue but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. ²⁷Pure and undefiled religion ^abefore our God and Father is this: to ^bvisit ^corphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained ¹by ^dthe world.

The Sin of Favoritism

2^aMy brothers, ^bdo not hold your faith in our ¹^,^cglorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of ^dpersonal favoritism. ²For if a man comes into your ¹assembly with a gold ring and dressed in ^abright clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in ^bdirty clothes, ³and you ¹pay special attention to the one who is wearing the ^abright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” ⁴have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges ^awith evil thoughts? ⁵Listen, ^amy beloved brothers: did not ^bGod choose the poor ¹of this world to be ^crich in faith and ^dheirs of the kingdom which He ^epromised to those who love Him? ⁶But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and they themselves ^adrag you into ¹court? ⁷^aDo they not blaspheme the good name ¹by which you have been called?

⁸If, however, you ^aare fulfilling the ¹royal law according to the Scripture, “^bYou shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹But if you ^ashow partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the ¹law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole ¹law and yet ^astumbles in one point, he has become ^bguilty of all. ¹¹For He who said, “^aDo not commit adultery,” also said, “^bDo not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the ¹law. ¹²So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by ^athe law of freedom. ¹³For ^ajudgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy ¹triumphs over judgment.

The Counsel of Yahweh Will Stand

19^aBetter is a poor man who ^bwalks in his integrityThan he who is crooked in lips and is a fool.²Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,And he who hurries ¹^,^ahis footsteps sins.³The ^afolly of man subverts his way,But his heart ^brages against Yahweh.⁴^aWealth adds many friends,But a poor man is separated from his friend.⁵A ¹^,^afalse witness will not go unpunished,And he who ^bbreathes out lies will not escape.⁶^aMany will seek the favor of a noble man,And everyone is a friend to a man who ^bgives gifts.⁷All the brothers of a poor man hate him;How much more do his ^afriends distance themselves from him!He ^bpursues them with words, but they are no more.⁸He who acquires a heart of wisdom loves his own soul;He who keeps discernment will ^afind good.⁹A ¹^,^afalse witness will not go unpunished,And he who breathes out lies will perish.¹⁰Luxury is ^anot fitting for a fool;Much less for a ^bslave to rule over princes.¹¹A man’s ^ainsight makes him slow to anger,And it is his honor ^bto overlook a transgression.¹²The ^aking’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,But his favor is like ^bdew on the grass.¹³A ^afoolish son is destruction to his father,And the ^bcontentions of a wife are a constant dripping.¹⁴House and wealth are an ^ainheritance from fathers,But a wife who has insight is from Yahweh.¹⁵^aLaziness casts into a deep sleep,And a slack-handed soul will suffer hunger.¹⁶He who ^akeeps the commandment keeps his soul,But he who despises his way will die.¹⁷He who ^ais gracious to a poor man lends to Yahweh,And He will repay him for his ^bbountiful deed.¹⁸^aDiscipline your son while there is hope,And do not ¹direct your soul to put him to death.¹⁹A man of great wrath will bear the penalty,For if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.²⁰^aListen to counsel and receive discipline,That you may be wise in ¹the end of your days.²¹Many ¹^,^athoughts are in a man’s heart,But it is the ^bcounsel of Yahweh that will stand.²²What is desirable in a man is his lovingkindness,And better is a poor man than a man of falsehood.²³The ¹^,^afear of Yahweh leads to life,So that one may sleep ^bsatisfied, not ^cvisited by evil.²⁴The ^asluggard buries his hand ^bin the dish,But will not even bring it back to his mouth.²⁵^aStrike a scoffer and the simple may become prudent,But ^breprove one who has understanding and he will understand knowledge.²⁶He ^awho assaults his father and causes his mother to fleeIs a son who brings shame and humiliation.²⁷Cease listening, my son, to discipline,And you will stray from the words of knowledge.²⁸A vile witness scoffs at justice,And the mouth of the wicked ^aswallows up iniquity.²⁹¹Judgments are established for ^ascoffers,And ^bbeatings for the back of fools.