^{23 Ref} But you have been lifting yourself up against the Lord of heaven, and they have put the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your women, have taken wine in them; and you have given praise to gods of silver and gold, of brass and iron and wood and stone, who are without the power of seeing or hearing, and without knowledge: and to the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, you have not given glory;

^{24 Ref} Then the part of the hand was sent out from before him, and this writing was recorded.

²⁵ And this is the writing which was recorded, Mene, tekel, peres.

^{26 Ref} This is the sense of the words: Mene; your kingdom has been numbered by God and ended.

^{27 Ref} Tekel; you have been put in the scales and seen to be under weight.

^{28 Ref} Peres; your kingdom has been cut up and given to the Medes and Persians.

^{29 Ref} Then, by the order of Belshazzar, they put a purple robe on Daniel, and a gold chain round his neck, and a public statement was made that he was to be a ruler of high authority in the kingdom.

^{30 Ref} That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldaeans, was put to death.