WEBVTT 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:03.700 Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:05.700 taking this journey together to read the Bible 00:00:05.700 --> 00:00:09.099 in a year. Today's reading is from the book of 00:00:09.099 --> 00:00:13.259 Daniel, chapter 5. Belshazzar the king made a 00:00:13.259 --> 00:00:15.880 great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank 00:00:15.880 --> 00:00:18.579 wine in the presence of the thousand. While he 00:00:18.579 --> 00:00:20.519 tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command 00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:23.359 to bring the gold and silver vessels which his 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:25.960 father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple 00:00:25.960 --> 00:00:28.550 which had been in Jerusalem. that the king and 00:00:28.550 --> 00:00:30.989 his lords, his wives and his concubines might 00:00:30.989 --> 00:00:34.210 drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels 00:00:34.210 --> 00:00:36.429 that had been taken from the temple of the house 00:00:36.429 --> 00:00:38.829 of God, which had been in Jerusalem. And the 00:00:38.829 --> 00:00:41.710 king and his lords, his wives and his concubines 00:00:41.710 --> 00:00:44.369 drank from them. They drank wine and praised 00:00:44.369 --> 00:00:47.009 the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, 00:00:47.130 --> 00:00:50.179 wood and stone. In the same hour, the fingers 00:00:50.179 --> 00:00:53.259 of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the 00:00:53.259 --> 00:00:56.380 lampstand on a plaster of the wall of the king's 00:00:56.380 --> 00:00:58.840 palace, and the king saw the part of the hand 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:01.340 that wrote. Then the king's countenance changed, 00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:04.299 and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints 00:01:04.299 --> 00:01:07.000 of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:10.640 against each other. The king cried aloud to bring 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:14.060 in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. 00:01:14.180 --> 00:01:17.000 The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, 00:01:17.530 --> 00:01:20.730 Whoever reads this writing and tells me its interpretation 00:01:20.730 --> 00:01:23.469 shall be clothed with purple and have a chain 00:01:23.469 --> 00:01:25.909 of gold around his neck, and he shall be the 00:01:25.909 --> 00:01:28.430 third ruler in the kingdom. Now all the king's 00:01:28.430 --> 00:01:31.090 wise men came, but they could not read the writing 00:01:31.090 --> 00:01:33.750 or make known to the king its interpretation. 00:01:34.129 --> 00:01:36.890 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his 00:01:36.890 --> 00:01:39.790 countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished. 00:01:40.230 --> 00:01:42.969 The queen, because of the words of the king and 00:01:42.969 --> 00:01:45.469 his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen 00:01:45.469 --> 00:01:48.819 spoke, saying, O king, live forever. Do not let 00:01:48.819 --> 00:01:51.500 your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance 00:01:51.500 --> 00:01:54.239 change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:56.959 is the spirit of the holy God. And in the days 00:01:56.959 --> 00:01:59.719 of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, 00:01:59.859 --> 00:02:02.480 like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him. 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:05.319 And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, Your father 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:08.580 the king made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:12.199 Chaldeans, and soothsayers. Inasmuch as an excellent 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:14.659 spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting 00:02:14.659 --> 00:02:18.120 dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:21.120 were found in this Daniel, whom the king named 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:24.120 Belshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he 00:02:24.120 --> 00:02:27.120 will give the interpretation. Then Daniel was 00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:29.699 brought in before the king. The king spoke and 00:02:29.699 --> 00:02:32.500 said to Daniel, Are you that Daniel, who is one 00:02:32.500 --> 00:02:35.060 of the captives from Judah? whom my father the 00:02:35.060 --> 00:02:38.039 king brought from Judah? I have heard of you 00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:40.539 that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light 00:02:40.539 --> 00:02:42.879 and understanding and excellent wisdom are found 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:46.300 in you. Now the wise men astrologers have been 00:02:46.300 --> 00:02:48.819 brought in before me, that they should read this 00:02:48.819 --> 00:02:51.400 writing and make known to me its interpretation. 00:02:51.719 --> 00:02:53.919 But they could not give the interpretation of 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:56.659 the thing. And I have heard of you that you can 00:02:56.659 --> 00:03:00.050 give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now 00:03:00.050 --> 00:03:02.729 if you can read the writing and make known to 00:03:02.729 --> 00:03:05.129 me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with 00:03:05.129 --> 00:03:07.789 purple and have a chain of gold around your neck 00:03:07.789 --> 00:03:10.330 and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. 00:03:10.610 --> 00:03:12.909 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, 00:03:13.169 --> 00:03:15.810 Let your gifts be for yourself and give your 00:03:15.810 --> 00:03:18.569 rewards to another. Yet I will read the writing 00:03:18.569 --> 00:03:21.469 to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 00:03:21.990 --> 00:03:25.009 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar 00:03:25.009 --> 00:03:27.669 your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and 00:03:27.669 --> 00:03:30.469 honor. And because of the majesty that he gave 00:03:30.469 --> 00:03:34.090 him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled 00:03:34.090 --> 00:03:37.069 and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he 00:03:37.069 --> 00:03:39.409 executed. Whomever he wished, he kept alive. 00:03:39.830 --> 00:03:42.409 Whomever he wished, he set up. And whomever he 00:03:42.409 --> 00:03:45.409 wished, he put down. But when his heart was lifted 00:03:45.409 --> 00:03:48.469 up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he 00:03:48.469 --> 00:03:51.490 was deposed from his kingly throne, and they 00:03:51.490 --> 00:03:54.530 took his glory from him. Then he was driven from 00:03:54.530 --> 00:03:56.960 the sons of men. his heart was made like the 00:03:56.960 --> 00:03:59.759 beasts and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:03.319 they fed him with grass like oxen and his body 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:06.699 was wet with the dew of heaven till he knew that 00:04:06.699 --> 00:04:09.340 the most high god rules in the kingdom of men 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:13.319 and appoints over it whomever he chooses but 00:04:13.319 --> 00:04:16.459 you his son belshazzar have not humbled your 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:19.420 heart although you knew all this and you have 00:04:19.420 --> 00:04:22.019 lifted yourself up against the lord of heaven 00:04:22.490 --> 00:04:25.050 they have brought the vessels of his house before 00:04:25.050 --> 00:04:27.850 you and you and your lords your wives and your 00:04:27.850 --> 00:04:31.110 concubines have drunk wine from them and you 00:04:31.110 --> 00:04:33.930 have praised the gods of silver and gold bronze 00:04:33.930 --> 00:04:37.430 and iron wood and stone which did not see or 00:04:37.430 --> 00:04:40.589 hear or know and a god who holds your breath 00:04:40.589 --> 00:04:44.370 in his hand and owns all your ways you have not 00:04:44.370 --> 00:04:47.649 glorified then the fingers of the hand were sent 00:04:47.649 --> 00:04:50.790 from him and this writing was written And this 00:04:50.790 --> 00:04:57.209 is the inscription that was written. This is 00:04:57.209 --> 00:05:00.829 the interpretation of each word. God has numbered 00:05:00.829 --> 00:05:04.569 your kingdom and finished it. You have been weighed 00:05:04.569 --> 00:05:08.889 in the balances and found wanting. Your kingdom 00:05:08.889 --> 00:05:11.829 has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians. 00:05:12.319 --> 00:05:14.759 Then Belshazzar gave the command and enclosed 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:17.420 Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around 00:05:17.420 --> 00:05:19.839 his neck, and made a proclamation concerning 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:22.379 him that he should be the third ruler in the 00:05:22.379 --> 00:05:25.660 kingdom. That very night Belshazzar, king of 00:05:25.660 --> 00:05:28.779 the Chaldeans, was slain, and Darius the Mede 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:32.819 received the kingdom, being about 62 years old. 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:40.040 I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as 00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:42.160 I did. and I look forward to seeing you again 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:44.579 tomorrow to continue on our journey. God bless 00:05:44.579 --> 00:05:45.660 you and have a great day.