Daniel 5:23 net — Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and…

NET Bible

"Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone– gods that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control your very breath and all your ways!"

— Daniel 5:23, NET Bible

Read in Another Translation

5 of 21 translations

Daniel 5:23 in Other Translations

6 versions All translations
  • KJV

    “But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast 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 thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:”

  • ASV

    “but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine from them; and thou hast 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 thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified. ”

  • WEB

    “but have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which don't see, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, you have not glorified.”

  • DRB

    “But hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of heaven: and the vessels of his house have been brought before thee: and thou, and thy nobles, and thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them: and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and of gold, and of brass, of iron, and of wood, and of stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor feel: but the God who hath thy breath in his hand, and all thy ways, thou hast not glorified.”

  • BBE

    “But you have been lifting yourself up against the Lord of heaven, and they have put the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your women, have taken wine in them; and you have given praise to gods of silver and gold, of brass and iron and wood and stone, who are without the power of seeing or hearing, and without knowledge: and to the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, you have not given glory;”

  • KJVA

    “But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast 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 thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:”

Daniel 5 — Context

20

And when his mind became arrogant and his spirit filled with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and his honor was removed from him.

21

He was driven from human society, his mind was changed to that of an animal, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until he came to understand that the most high God rules over human kingdoms, and he appoints over them whomever he wishes.

22

“But you, his son Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, although you knew all this.

23

Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone– gods that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control your very breath and all your ways!

24

Therefore the palm of a hand was sent from him, and this writing was inscribed.

25

“This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEQEL, and PHARSIN.

26

This is the interpretation of the words: As for mene– God has numbered your kingdom’s days and brought it to an end.

Daniel 5:23 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does Daniel 5:23 say?
Daniel 5:23 in the NET Bible reads: “Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone– gods that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control your very breath and all your ways!”
Where is Daniel 5:23 in the Bible?
Daniel 5:23 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Daniel, chapter 5, verse 23.
Who wrote Daniel?
Daniel is traditionally attributed to Daniel (traditional). Conservative scholarship dates Daniel to the 6th century BC; critical scholarship often proposes a 2nd-century-BC date for the apocalyptic portions. It was written c. 605–530 BC.
What is the book of Daniel about?
Daniel is a young exile in Babylon who, with his three friends, refuses to bow to the world's gods. The book combines courageous narratives — the fiery furnace, the lions' den — with sweeping prophetic visions of the kingdoms of earth giving way to the everlasting kingdom of the Son of Man.
What are the major themes of Daniel?
Daniel explores themes including Sovereignty, Faithfulness, Prophecy, Kingdoms, Son of Man. These themes shape the meaning and context of Daniel 5:23.
What translation should I read Daniel 5:23 in?
Daniel 5:23 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize Daniel 5:23?
Daniel 5:23 reads (NET): “Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone– gods that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control your very breath and all your ways!” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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