¹ Belshazzar the king hath made a great feast to a thousand of his great men, and before the thousand he is drinking wine;

² Belshazzar hath said -- while tasting the wine -- to bring in the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple that [is] in Jerusalem, that drink with them may the king, and his great men, his wives, and his concubines.

³ Then they have brought in the vessels of gold that had been taken out of the temple of the house of God that [is] in Jerusalem, and drunk with them have the king and his great men, his wives and his concubines;

⁴ they have drunk wine, and have praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

⁵ In that hour come forth have fingers of a man's hand, and they are writing over-against the candlestick, on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king is seeing the extremity of the hand that is writing;

⁶ then the king's countenance hath changed, and his thoughts do trouble him, and the joints of his loins are loosed, and his knees are smiting one against another.

⁷ Call doth the king mightily, to bring up the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. Answered hath the king, and said to the wise men of Babylon, that, `Any man who doth read this writing, and its interpretation doth shew me, purple he putteth on, and a bracelet of gold [is] on his neck, and third in the kingdom he doth rule.'

⁸ Then coming up are all the wise men of the king, and they are not able to read the writing, and the interpretation to make known to the king;

⁹ then the king Belshazzar is greatly troubled, and his countenance is changing in him, and his great men are perplexed.

¹⁰ The queen, on account of the words of the king and his great men, to the banquet-house hath come up. Answered hath the queen, and said, `O king, to the ages live; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor thy countenance be changed:

¹¹ there is a man in thy kingdom in whom [is] the spirit of the holy gods: and, in the days of thy father, light, and understanding, and wisdom -- as the wisdom of the gods -- was found in him; and king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, chief of the scribes, enchanters, Chaldeans, soothsayers, established him -- thy father, O king --

¹² because that an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of enigmas, and loosing of knots was found in him, in Daniel, whose name the king made Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and the interpretation he doth show.'

¹³ Then Daniel hath been caused to come up before the king; answered hath the king, and said to Daniel, `Thou art that Daniel who [art] of the sons of the Removed of Judah, whom the king my father brought in out of Judah?

¹⁴ And I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods [is] in thee, and light, and understanding, and excellent wisdom have been found in thee.

¹⁵ `And now, caused to come up before me have been the wise men, the enchanters, that this writing they may read, and its interpretation to cause me to know: and they are not able to shew the interpretation of the thing:

¹⁶ and I -- I have heard of thee, that thou art able to give interpretations, and to loose knots: now, lo -- thou art able to read the writing, and its interpretation to cause me to know -- purple thou dost put on, and a bracelet of gold [is] on thy neck, and third in the kingdom thou dost rule.'

¹⁷ Then hath Daniel answered and said before the king, `Thy gifts be to thyself, and thy fee to another give; nevertheless, the writing I do read to the king, and the interpretation I cause him to know;

¹⁸ thou, O king, God Most High, a kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and honour, gave to Nebuchadnezzar thy father:

¹⁹ and because of the greatness that He gave to him, all peoples, nations, and languages were trembling and fearing before him: whom he willed he was slaying, and whom he willed he was keeping alive, and whom he willed he was raising up, and whom he willed he was making low;

²⁰ and when his heart was high, and his spirit was strong to act proudly, he hath been caused to come down from the throne of his kingdom, and his glory they have caused to pass away from him,

²¹ and from the sons of men he is driven, and his heart with the beasts hath been like, and with the wild asses [is] his dwelling; the herb like oxen they cause him to eat, and by the dew of the heavens is his body wet, till that he hath known that God Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and whom He willeth He raiseth up over it.

²² `And thou, his son, Belshazzar, hast not humbled thy heart, though all this thou hast known;

²³ and against the Lord of the heavens thou hast lifted up thyself; and the vessels of His house they have brought in before thee, and thou, and thy great men, thy wives, and thy concubines, are drinking wine with them, and gods of silver, and of gold, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, that are not seeing, nor hearing, nor knowing, thou hast praised: and the God in whose hand [is] thy breath, and all thy ways, Him thou hast not honoured.

²⁴ `Then from before Him sent is the extremity of the hand, and the writing is noted down;

²⁵ and this [is] the writing that is noted down: Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, and Divided.

²⁶ This [is] the interpretation of the thing: Numbered -- God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it.

²⁷ Weighed -- Thou art weighed in the balances, and hast been found lacking.

²⁸ Divided -- Divided is thy kingdom, and it hath been given to the Medes and Persians.'

²⁹ Then hath Belshazzar said, and they have clothed Daniel with purple, and a bracelet of gold [is] on his neck, and they have proclaimed concerning him that he is the third ruler in the kingdom.

³⁰ In that night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans is slain,

³¹ and Darius the Mede hath received the kingdom, when a son of sixty and two years.

¹ He arose from there and came into the borders of Judea and beyond the Jordan. Multitudes came together to him again. As he usually did, he was again teaching them.

² Pharisees came to him testing him, and asked him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

³ He answered, "What did Moses command you?"

⁴ They said, "Moses allowed a certificate of divorce to be written, and to divorce her."

⁵ But Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart, he wrote you this commandment.

⁶ But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female.

⁷ For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife,

⁸ and the two will become one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh.

⁹ What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

¹⁰ In the house, his disciples asked him again about the same matter.

¹¹ He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery against her.

¹² If a woman herself divorces her husband, and marries another, she commits adultery."

¹³ They were bringing to him little children, that he should touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who were bringing them.

¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said to them, "Allow the little children to come to me! Don't forbid them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

¹⁵ Most certainly I tell you, whoever will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child, he will in no way enter into it."

¹⁶ He took them in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

¹⁷ As he was going out into the way, one ran to him, knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

¹⁸ Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except one--God.

¹⁹ You know the commandments: 'Do not murder,' 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not give false testimony,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and mother.'"

²⁰ He said to him, "Teacher, I have observed all these things from my youth."

²¹ Jesus looking at him loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, taking up the cross."

²² But his face fell at that saying, and he went away sorrowful, for he was one who had great possessions.

²³ Jesus looked around, and said to his disciples, "How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into the Kingdom of God!"

²⁴ The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answered again, "Children, how hard is it for those who trust in riches to enter into the Kingdom of God!

²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God."

²⁶ They were exceedingly astonished, saying to him, "Then who can be saved?"

²⁷ Jesus, looking at them, said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God."

²⁸ Peter began to tell him, "Behold, we have left all, and have followed you."

²⁹ Jesus said, "Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News,

³⁰ but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecutions; and in the age to come eternal life.

³¹ But many who are first will be last; and the last first."

³² They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus was going in front of them, and they were amazed; and those who followed were afraid. He again took the twelve, and began to tell them the things that were going to happen to him.

³³ "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death, and will deliver him to the Gentiles.

³⁴ They will mock him, spit on him, scourge him, and kill him. On the third day he will rise again."

³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came near to him, saying, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we will ask."

³⁶ He said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?"

³⁷ They said to him, "Grant to us that we may sit, one at your right hand, and one at your left hand, in your glory."

³⁸ But Jesus said to them, "You don't know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"

³⁹ They said to him, "We are able." Jesus said to them, "You shall indeed drink the cup that I drink, and you shall be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with;

⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand and at my left hand is not mine to give, but for whom it has been prepared."

⁴¹ When the ten heard it, they began to be indignant towards James and John.

⁴² Jesus summoned them, and said to them, "You know that they who are recognized as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

⁴³ But it shall not be so among you, but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant.

⁴⁴ Whoever of you wants to become first among you, shall be bondservant of all.

⁴⁵ For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

⁴⁶ They came to Jericho. As he went out from Jericho, with his disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road.

⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, and say, "Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!"

⁴⁸ Many rebuked him, that he should be quiet, but he cried out much more, "You son of David, have mercy on me!"

⁴⁹ Jesus stood still, and said, "Call him." They called the blind man, saying to him, "Cheer up! Get up. He is calling you!"

⁵⁰ He, casting away his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "Rabboni, that I may see again."

⁵² Jesus said to him, "Go your way. Your faith has made you well." Immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.