Coverdale(i)
1 Balthasar the kynge made a greate bancket to his thousande lordes: withall these thousande he made greate cheare,
2 and when he was dronken wt wyne, he commaunded to brynge him ye golden and syluer vessel, which his father Nabuchodonosor had taken out of the temple at Ierusalem: that the kynge and his lordes (with his quene and concubynes) might drike therout.
3 So they brought the golden vessel, that was take out of the temple of the LORDES house at Ierusalem. Then the kynge and his lordes with his quene and concubines dronke out of them.
4 They dronke wyne, and praysed their Idols of golde, syluer, copper, yron, wodde and stone.
5 In the very same houre there appeared fyngers, as it had bene of a mans honde writynge, right ouer agaynst the candelsticke vpon the playne wall in the kynges palace: and the kynge sawe the palme of ye honde yt wrote.
6 Then chaunged the kynge his countenaunce, and his thoughtes troubled him: so that the ioyntes off his body shoke, and his knees smote one agaynst the other.
7 Wherfore the kynge cryed mightely, that they shulde brynge him the charmers, Caldees and coniurers of deuels. The kynge spake also to the wyse men of Babilon, and sayde: Who so can rede this wrytynge, and shewe me the playne meanynge theroff: shall be clothed with purple, haue a cheyne off golde aboute his necke, and rule the thirdeparte off my kyngdome.
8 Vpon this, came all the kynges wyse men: but they coude nether rede the wrytinge, ner shewe the kynge what it signified.
9 The was the kynge sore afrayed, in so moch, that his coloure chaunged, and his lordes were sore vexed.
10 So by reason off this matter, yt had happened to the kynge & his lordes, the quene went vp herself in to the bancket house, and spake vnto the kynge, sayenge: O kynge God saue thy life for euer: Let not yi thoughtes trouble the, and let not thy countenaunce be chaunged.
11 For why: there is a man in ye kyngdome, that hath the sprete off the holy goddes within him, as it was sene in thy fathers dayes. He hath vnderstondinge ad wysdome like the goddes. Yee the kynge Nabuchodonosor thy father made this man chefe of the soythsayers, charmers, Caldees and deuel coniurers:
12 because that soch an abundaunt sprete, knowlege & wisdome (to expoude dreames, to open secretes, and to declare harde dowtes) was founde in him: yee euen in Daniel, whom the kynge named Balthasar. Let this same Daniel be sente for, and he shall tell, what it meaneth.