October 21
Daniel 5 & Mark 4
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Daniel 5

Chapter 5

5:1King Belshazzar held a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles and drank wine in their presence. 2Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines could drink from them. 3So they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them. 4They drank the wine and praised their gods made of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5At that moment the fingers of a man's hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the king's palace wall next to the lampstand. As the king watched the hand that was writing, 6his face turned pale, and his thoughts so terrified him that his hip joints shook and his knees knocked together. 7The king called out to bring in the mediums, Chaldeans, and astrologers. He said to these wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this inscription and gives me its interpretation will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around his neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom." 8So all the king's wise men came in, but none could read the inscription or make its interpretation known to him. 9Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face turned pale, and his nobles were bewildered.
10Because of the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen came to the banquet hall. "May the king live forever," she said. "Don't let your thoughts terrify you or your face be pale. 11There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your predecessor he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the diviners, mediums, Chaldeans, and astrologers. Your own predecessor, the king, 12did this because Daniel, the one the king named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and perception, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems. Therefore, summon Daniel, and he will give the interpretation."
13Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, "Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles that my predecessor the king brought from Judah? 14I've heard that you have the spirit of the gods in you, and that you have insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom. 15Now the wise men and mediums were brought before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not give its interpretation. 16However, I have heard about you that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around your neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom."
17Then Daniel answered the king, "You may keep your gifts, and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him. 18Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar. 19Because of the greatness He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages were terrified and fearful of him. He killed anyone he wanted and kept alive anyone he wanted; he exalted anyone he wanted and humbled anyone he wanted. 20But when his heart was exalted and his spirit became arrogant, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him. 21He was driven away from people, his mind was like an animal's, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until he acknowledged that the Most High God is ruler over the kingdom of men and sets anyone He wants over it.
22"But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in His hand and who controls the whole course of your life. 24Therefore, He sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed.
25"This is the writing that was inscribed:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.
26This is the interpretation of the message:
MENE means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.
27TEKEL means that you have been weighed in the balance and found deficient.
28PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."
29Then Belshazzar gave an order, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed, 31and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of 62.

Mark 4

Chapter 4

4:1Again He began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around Him. So He got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was on the shore facing the sea. 2He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them: 3"Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4As he sowed, this occurred: Some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn't have much soil, and it sprang up right away, since it didn't have deep soil. 6When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it didn't have a root, it withered. 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn't produce a crop. 8Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop that increased 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown." 9Then He said, "Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!"
10When He was alone with the Twelve, those who were around Him asked Him about the parables. 11He answered them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables 12so that
they may look and look,
yet not perceive;
they may listen and listen,
yet not understand;
otherwise, they might turn back-
and be forgiven."
13Then He said to them: "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any of the parables? 14The sower sows the word. 15These are the ones along the path where the word is sown: when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them. 16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. 17But they have no root in themselves; they are short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately stumble. 18Others are sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19but the worries of this age, the seduction of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20But the ones sown on good ground are those who hear the word, welcome it, and produce a crop: 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown."
21He also said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn't it to be put on a lampstand? 22For nothing is concealed except to be revealed, and nothing hidden except to come to light. 23If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen!" 24Then He said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure you use, it will be measured and added to you. 25For to the one who has, it will be given, and from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."
26"The kingdom of God is like this," He said. "A man scatters seed on the ground; 27he sleeps and rises-night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows-he doesn't know how. 28The soil produces a crop by itself-first the blade, then the head, and then the ripe grain on the head. 29But as soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle, because the harvest has come."
30And He said: "How can we illustrate the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to describe it? 31It's like a mustard seed that, when sown in the soil, is smaller than all the seeds on the ground. 32And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the vegetables, and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade."
33He would speak the word to them with many parables like these, as they were able to understand. 34And He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, He would explain everything to His own disciples.
35On that day, when evening had come, He told them, "Let's cross over to the other side of the sea." 36So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. And other boats were with Him. 37A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, "Teacher! Don't you care that we're going to die?"
39He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Silence! Be still!" The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40Then He said to them, "Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?"
41And they were terrified and asked one another, "Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

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