Do you like to go to parties？Maybe you like birthday parties best, or Christmas or New Year's parties. Well, today won't you join me for a different kind of party right in the palace of the king of Babylon!
你喜歡去聚會嗎？可能你最喜歡生日聚會, 或聖誕節或新年聚會。好不好，我們今天一起去參加一個在巴比倫王宮舉行的另外一種聚會!
Can you imagine that we would see such rich decorations, and elegantly clothed people, and oh! Imagine the delicious food! The Bible tells us in Daniel Chapter 5 that King Belshazzar had made a great feast for a thousand of his lords. This was a big party! But sad to say, it was not the kind of party you and I would have enjoyed, for the people were doing very foolish things. The Bible indicates they were drinking lots of wine, which caused them to say and do sinful things.
你能想象一下我們將見到富麗堂皇的裝飾以及穿著典雅的人嗎？還有，哇，想象一下那美味可口的食物!聖經在但以理書第五章裡告訴我們伯沙撒王為他的一千個大臣大擺宴席。這是一個盛大的聚會!但很遺憾, 這不是你我想參加的那種聚會, 因為那些人都做很愚昧的事。聖經說他們喝著許多酒, 導致他們行為和言語犯罪。
The servants were commanded by King Belshazzar to bring the golden and silver vessels that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple of the true and living God in Jerusalem. King Belshazzar was King Nebuchadnezzar's son or grandson, and although he knew about the true and living God, he had chosen to worship idols. As the king and all his lords and ladies drank wine from the holy vessels from the Lord's house, the Bible says they "praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone." How foolish to worship the things God has made, rather than to glorify the God Who made all things!
伯沙撒王命令僕人拿來尼布甲尼撒王從耶路撒冷真神的聖殿掠來的金銀器皿。伯沙撒王是尼布甲尼撒王的兒子或孫子, 雖然他知道那又真又活的神, 他卻選擇拜偶像。當王和他的大臣用從聖殿裡掠來的器皿喝酒時，聖經說他們“稱讚金，銀, 銅, 鐵, 木頭, 和石頭所造的神。"去敬拜神所造的, 而不是敬拜那創造萬物的神是多麼愚蠢啊。
How foolish for King Belshazzar to worship the things God made, rather than to glorify the God Who made all things! Daniel 5：5 says, "In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace：and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote。
多麼愚蠢的伯沙撒王，他敬拜神所造的，而不去榮耀創造萬物的神!但以理書5：5說, “當時，忽有人的指頭顯出，在王宮與燈臺相對的粉牆上寫字。王看見寫字的指頭。”
Suddenly the party was over! The king's proud face changed to fear, and he was so frightened, his knees knocked together. He called for his astrologers, his Chaldeans, all his wise men of Babylon to come quickly. "Whoever can read this writing on the wall and tell me what it means shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." But none of the king's wisemen could figure out this strange writing nor what it meant. Now the king was even more frightened and troubled. He must have known this message was bad news, but what could it be？
突然之間這個聚會要結束了!王驕傲的面孔變成恐懼, 並且他是如此害怕, 以至雙膝彼此相碰，他吩咐將用法術的和迦勒底人並觀兆的領進來，對巴比倫的哲士說：“誰能讀這文字，把講解告訴我，他必身穿紫袍，項帶金鍊，在我國中位列第三。”但是王的一切哲士都不能讀那文字，也不能把講解告訴王。伯沙撒王就甚驚惶，臉色改變。他知道這一定是個壞消息, 但是這是個什麼樣的壞消息呢？
The king's mother or grandmother came in and gave the king some very good advice. She reminded the king that there was a man of great wisdom who had served under King Nebuchadnezzar. He had revealed dreams and given such wise counsel to King Nebuchadnezzar that the king had made him master of his wise men. Can you guess the name of this wise man？The queen mother said, "Now let Daniel be called, and he will show you what this message is."
王的母親或祖母進來給國王提了一些非常好建議。她提醒國王在尼布甲尼撒王手下曾有一位非常有智慧的人。他能解夢，也能給尼布甲尼撒王各樣智慧的建議。尼布甲尼撒王就讓他管理他的哲士。你能猜出這個有智慧的人的名字嗎？
Don't you wonder why King Belshazzar had not been seeking Daniel's good counsel before now？When Daniel came before the king, the king said, "Are you that Daniel from the captives of Judah that King Nebuchadnezzar brought out？I have heard that there is excellent wisdom in you. If you can read this writing on the wall and tell me what it means, you shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold around your neck, and you shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."
太后說, "現在讓人把但以理叫來, 他將告訴你這文字的意思。"你想不想知道，為什麼在此之前伯沙撒王沒有尋問但以理的建議？當但以理來到國王面前, 國王說, "你就是被尼布甲尼撒王所俘擄的猶太人但以理嗎？我聽說你有驚人的智慧。現在你若能讀這文字，把講解告訴我，就必身穿紫袍，項戴金鍊，在我國中位列第三。”
Then Daniel answered the king："Let your gifts be to yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to you and tell you what it means. O king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor. Because of all the power God gave your father, all people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before King Nebuchadnezzar. Whoever he wanted to kill, he killed. Whoever he wanted to keep alive, he kept alive. But when the king's heart was lifted up and his mind hardened in pride, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. He became like a beast, and even lived in the field, eating grass like a beast, until he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men and that it was God that appoints over kingdoms whomever He will."
但以理回答說：“你的贈品可以歸你自己，你的賞賜可以歸給別人；我卻要為王讀這文字，把講解告訴王。王啊，至高的神曾將國位、大權、榮耀、威嚴賜與你父尼布甲尼撒，因神所賜他的大權，各方、各國、各族的人都在他面前戰兢恐懼。他可以隨意生殺，隨意升降。但他心高氣傲，靈也剛愎，甚至行事狂傲，就被革去王位，奪去榮耀。他被趕出離開世人，他的心變如獸心，與野驢同居，吃草如牛，等他知道至高的神在人的國中掌權，憑自己的意旨立人治國。
Daniel was careful to glorify God, calling Him the "most high God" that rules over all.Daniel reminded King Belshazzar that even though he knew all the things that happened to King Nebuchadnezzar because of his pride, yet Belshazzar had not humbled himself to give glory to the most high God. Daniel said, "You have praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know：and the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, you have not glorified."
但以理提醒伯沙撒王, 雖然伯沙撒王知道尼布甲尼撒王因自傲而發生的一切事, 但他並沒有謙卑自己而歸榮耀給至高神.但以理說："你又讚美那不能看、不能聽、無知無識、金、銀、銅、鐵、木、石所造的神，卻沒有將榮耀歸與那手中有你氣息，管理你一切行動的神。"
Daniel told Belshazzar that He had not glorified the God who had given him his very breath. And then Daniel read the mysterious message written on the palace wall. The writing was：MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. What could those strange words mean？Daniel knew precisely what they meant and he explained them for the king. MENE：God has numbered your kingdom and finished it. TEKEL：You are weighed in the balances and found wanting. PERES：Your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
但以理告訴尼布甲尼撒他沒有榮耀那賜給他氣息的神。然後但以理讀寫在宮牆上的神秘信息。所寫的文字是：彌尼，彌尼，提客勒，烏法珥新。這些奇怪的話是什麼意思哪？但以理精確的知道那話的意思並且講訴給王聽。彌尼，就是神已經數算你國的年日到此完畢；提客勒，就是你被稱在天平裡，顯出你的虧欠；勒斯（注：與“烏法珥新”同義），就是你的國分裂，歸與瑪代人和波斯人。”
Daniel told Belshazzar he did not please the Lord, and his kingdom was going to be taken from him and given to the Medes and Persians. Belshazzar probably did not dream it would be that very night. History books tell us that even as the lavish party was going on in the palace, the enemy armies were digging a trench and draining the river that ran under the high, thick strong walls of Babylon. Their clever plan worked, and the army was able to come under the walls using the drained river bed. That very night the Bible says Belshazzar was killed and Darius the Mede took over the great kingdom of Babylon, just as God had shown Daniel.
但以理告訴伯沙撒他沒有使神喜悅，所以他的王國將要從他手中奪取並交給瑪代人和波斯人。伯沙撒可能做夢也沒想到這就發生在當夜。歷史書告訴我們就在這個盛大宴會在王宮進行時，敵軍在挖壕溝把巴比侖高大的堅固牆底下的河水放掉。他們的計劃成功了，敵軍通過排乾的河床從牆下進來。聖經說伯沙撒當夜被殺，瑪代人大利烏統治了巴比倫王國，正如神向但以理顯示的。
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