You cry out, 'Sword of the LORD! How long will you go on slashing? Go back to your scabbard, stay there and rest!'

I will bring war on you to punish you for breaking our covenant, and if you gather in your cities for safety, I will send incurable diseases among you, and you will be forced to surrender to your enemies.

By fire and sword he will punish all the people of the world whom he finds guilty---and many will be put to death.

Then the LORD spoke to me.

War will sweep through their cities and break down the city gates. It will destroy my people because they do what they themselves think best.

That worthless shepherd is doomed! He has abandoned his flock. War will totally destroy his power. His arm will wither, and his right eye will go blind."

Kill all their soldiers! Slaughter them! The people of Babylonia are doomed! The time has come for them to be punished!"

So its young men will be killed in the city streets, and all its soldiers will be destroyed on that day. I, the LORD, have spoken.

Are they greedy? I will prepare them a feast and make them drunk and happy. They will go to sleep and never wake up.

I will make its rulers drunk--- men of wisdom, leaders, and soldiers. They will go to sleep and never wake up. I, the king, have spoken; I am the LORD Almighty.

"I have chosen a man who lives in the east; I will bring him to attack from the north. He tramples on rulers as if they were mud, like a potter trampling clay.

One night King Belshazzar invited a thousand noblemen to a great banquet, and they drank wine together.

While they were drinking, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups and bowls which his father Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from the Temple in Jerusalem. The king sent for them so that he, his noblemen, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them.

That same night Belshazzar, the king of Babylonia, was killed;

Your wise men are put to shame; they are confused and trapped. They have rejected my words; what wisdom do they have now?

Who would not honor you, the king of all nations? You deserve to be honored. There is no one like you among all the wise men of the nations or among any of their kings.

The leaders of the city of Zoan are fools! Egypt's wisest people give stupid advice! How do they dare to tell the king that they are successors to the ancient scholars and kings?

The leaders of Zoan and Memphis are fools. They were supposed to lead the nation, but they have misled it.

So I will startle them with one unexpected blow after another. Those who are wise will turn out to be fools, and all their cleverness will be useless."

I make fools of fortunetellers and frustrate the predictions of astrologers. The words of the wise I refute and show that their wisdom is foolishness.

You are powerless in spite of the advice you get. Let your astrologers come forward and save you--- those people who study the stars, who map out the zones of the heavens and tell you from month to month what is going to happen to you.

"They will be like bits of straw, and a fire will burn them up! They will not even be able to save themselves--- the flames will be too hot for them, not a cozy fire to warm themselves by.

He shouted for someone to bring in the magicians, wizards, and astrologers. When they came in, the king said to them, "Anyone who can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in robes of royal purple, wear a gold chain of honor around his neck, and be the third in power in the kingdom."

The royal advisers came forward, but none of them could read the writing or tell the king what it meant.