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Then all the color drained from the king’s face[a] and he became alarmed.[b] The joints of his hips gave way,[c] and his knees began knocking together. The king called out loudly[d] to summon[e] the astrologers, wise men, and diviners. The king proclaimed[f] to the wise men of Babylon that anyone who could read this inscription and disclose its interpretation would be clothed in purple[g] and have a golden collar[h] placed on his neck and be third ruler in the kingdom.

So all the king’s wise men came in, but they were unable to read the writing or to make known its[i] interpretation to the king.

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Footnotes

  1. Daniel 5:6 tn Aram “[the king’s] brightness changed for him.”
  2. Daniel 5:6 tn Aram “his thoughts were alarming him.”
  3. Daniel 5:6 tn Aram “his loins went slack.”
  4. Daniel 5:7 tn Aram “in strength.”
  5. Daniel 5:7 tn Aram “cause to enter.”
  6. Daniel 5:7 tn Aram “answered and said.”
  7. Daniel 5:7 sn Purple was a color associated with royalty in the ancient world.
  8. Daniel 5:7 tn The term translated “golden collar” here probably refers to something more substantial than merely a gold chain (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT) or necklace (cf. NASB).
  9. Daniel 5:8 tc Read וּפִשְׁרֵהּ (ufishreh, “and its interpretation”) with the Qere rather than וּפִשְׁרָא (ufishraʾ, “and the interpretation”) of the Kethib.