Belshazzar, king of Babylon in Daniel’s time, was a profane, impious idolater. One night, when his enemies were all round about the walls of the city, he made a great feast to a thousand of his lords. To show his contempt for the God of Israel he sent for the holy vessels which Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken out of the temple at Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. Belshazzar and his guests drank wine out of those sacred vessels and praised the gods of Babylon.
Suddenly a hand appeared and wrote some strange solemn words on the wall before the king. He trembled with fear until his knees knocked against each other. The words written were:
Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin
None of the wise men of Babylon could interpret the writing, so the king called for Daniel. Daniel interpreted the solemn message, part of which is shown below, but the letters are not finished. Draw straight lines to complete the letters and you will see what they read.
That night Darius the Mede and his army took Babylon, and Belshazzar the king was slain.
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation.”
ML-01/28/1979