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Daniel & The Writing on The Wall
September 15, 2026 · 22 min
# 243 - The Writing on The Wall - In this episode of The Chosen People, A drunken feast in Babylon is shattered by a disembodied hand writing judgment on the wall—MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. Walk with Daniel in Daniel 5 as he deciphers the message, confronting pride, false worship, and the urgency to humble ourselves before the God who numbers our days.Sign up for The Chosen People devotionals at https://www.thechosenpeople.com/sign-up Episode 243 of The Chosen People is inspired by the Book of Joshua.Today's opening prayer is inspired by John 10:27, My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.Listen to some of the greatest Bible stories ever told and make prayer a priority in your life by downloading the Pray.com app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Series The Chosen People September 15, 2026 · 22 min · The Chosen People
# 243 - The Writing on The Wall - In this episode of The Chosen People, A drunken feast in Babylon is shattered by a disembodied hand writing judgment on the wall—MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. Walk with Daniel in Daniel 5 as he deciphers the message, confronting pride, false worship, and the urgency to humble ourselves before the God who numbers our days.Sign up for The Chosen People devotionals at https://www.thechosenpeople.com/sign-up Episode 243 of The Chosen People is inspired by the Book of Joshua.Today's opening prayer is inspired by John 10:27, My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.Listen to some of the greatest Bible stories ever told and make prayer a priority in your life by downloading the Pray.com app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. ...more Show the full description Show less # 243 - The Writing on The Wall - In this episode of The Chosen People, A drunken feast in Babylon is shattered by a disembodied hand writing judgment on the wall—MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. Walk with Daniel in Daniel 5 as he deciphers the message, confronting pride, false worship, and the urgency to humble ourselves before the God who numbers our days.Sign up for The Chosen People devotionals at https://www.thechosenpeople.com/sign-up Episode 243 of The Chosen People is inspired by the Book of Joshua.Today's opening prayer is inspired by John 10:27, My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.Listen to some of the greatest Bible stories ever told and make prayer a priority in your life by downloading the Pray.com app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Series The Chosen People In this video 0:00 Daniel & The Writing on The Wall12:21 The Handwriting on the Wall18:14 Daniel Confronts the King26:00 The Interpretation and Judgment
Daniel & The Writing on The Wall 0:00 Push your limits, train with precision, see the results. At Equinox, that's high performance loving. Iconic spaces that inspire. Personal training backed by real data. Unlimited group0:11 fitness classes from yoga and Pilates to strength and conditioning. Elevate your post performance ritual with saunas, steam rooms, cold plunges, and more. Everything you need to lock in and unlock your potential at0:23 Equinox. Start today at equinox dot com.0:30 Do you hear that? That sound. Right? It that means that summer's officially here. It means that grown adults just sprint into the street for a frozen dessert shaped like a cartoon. But this summer, Mint Mobile has a0:40 better treat. Every plan including unlimited is 15 dollars a month. And unlike ice cream, it won't, drip down your wrist or look nothing like the picture. Does anyone have any cash? Give it a try at Mint Mobile dot com0:50 slash switch.0:51 Upfront payment of 45 dollars for 3 months, 90 dollars for 6 months, or 180 dollars for 12 month plan required, 15 dollars per month equivalent. Taxes and fees1:00 I'm Gwen Washington, host of Snap Judgment,1:04 the award winning storytelling podcast from KQED. Every week, Snap deals a new card like the girl whose sister was a monkey or the man who lived in the woods for1:15 30 years or even the woman who snuck her lover out of prison in a dog crate. Pick a card, any card.1:24 Tap to
1:25 listen now to Snap Judgment from KQED on Spotify.
1:30 Previously on The Chosen People.
1:33 The tree, great king, is you. What? Don't act surprised. Fanged ignorance is unbecoming of you.
1:44 Then my fate is that of the tree to be stripped away?
1:50 Your greatness has grown. It reaches the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.
1:58 As is my destiny, I am the king of Babylon.
2:02 You are too great in your own eyes and in the eyes of men. Who else matters? The lord matters, and he has seen you for what you are.
2:15 And what am I? A beast. What what is happening?
2:25 He tore the robe from his body. He belonged more to the beasts than to men.
2:32 Nebuchadnezzar, your sentence is almost served. The god who judged you is also the god who restores.
2:41 Lift your eyes to heaven, oh king. The beast king crawling on all fours stood on his hind legs and turned his cheek toward the sunlight peeking through
2:53 the clouds.
2:54 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways
3:07 just. And those who walk in pride, he is able to humble.
3:21 Push your limits, train with precision, see the results. At Equinox, that's high performance loving. Iconic spaces that inspire. Personal training backed by real data. Unlimited group
3:33 fitness classes from yoga and Pilates to strength and conditioning. Elevate your post performance ritual with saunas, steam rooms, cold plunges, and more. Everything you need to lock in and unlock your potential at
3:44 Equinox. Start today at equinox dot com.
3:52 Do you hear that? That sound. Right? It that means that summer's officially here. It means that grown adults just sprint into the street for a frozen dessert shaped like a cartoon. But this summer, Mint Mobile has a
4:01 better treat. Every plan including unlimited is 15 dollars a month. And unlike ice cream, it won't, drip down your wrist or look nothing like the picture. Does anyone have any cash? Give it a try at mint mobile dot com
4:11 slash switch.
4:12 Upfront payment of 45 dollars for 3 months, 90 dollars for 6 months, or 180 dollars for 12 month plan required, 15 dollars per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan per moment.
4:19 Greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy. See terms.
4:21 I'm Gwen Washington from Snap Judgment,
4:23 the storytelling podcast from KQED. Imagine, an iconic piece of paradise overrun by 1 of the most horrific fires in recent memory. Everyone flees. Everyone, except 1 person who
4:35 decides to fight the flames alone. The moment when nature, institutions, and technology fail at the exact same time. That's all systems down and new snap
4:46 judgment miniseries from KQED. Tap to listen now.
4:53 The palace reeked of wine and sweat. Music swelled from the banquet hall, not in elegant courtly strains, but in a pounding, frenzied
5:05 beat meant to drive the blood faster. The air was moist with a heavy incense, cloying, and meant to mask the scent of too many bodies pressed together.
5:18 Silks were strewn across the floor, goblets overturned, roasted meats torn apart, and left 0.5 eaten where they fell. On the central dais,
5:30 sprawled across cushions, King Belshazzar held court like a man determined to defecate on his father's legacy. He raised his cup, belched,
5:42 and laughed.
5:46 More wine. If the Persians are camped at our gates, let them hear our laughter over their wardrobes.
5:57 The guests roared approval. He leaned in toward a pair of young women reclining beside him, whispering something that made them cover their mouths and giggle. Their
6:09 bracelets clinked as they draped themselves over his shoulders. Belshazzar's gaze swept the hall. He gestured to them all, the satraps with their perfumed
6:21 beards, the generals who laughed a little too hard at his jokes, The priests of Marduk, fat with his father's gold.
6:34 Yes. Let us toast to my late father, the great and feared Nebuchadnezzar. Excuse me.
6:48 May he rest in the arms of, well, whatever god he happened to be groveling before at the time.
7:00 King Belshazzar was nothing like his father. He was indulgent, out of control, and too spoiled to see how fragile his fortunes were. Even with
7:12 the threat of Persia and King Darius howling from the north, King Belshazzar wouldn't cease his dancing. He drowned every conviction and sense of duty to his
7:24 country with another gulp of wine. He forced a servant girl onto his lap and played with her hair, ignorant to the look of disgust on her face.
7:36 You know, my father paid homage to a foreign god right before he died. Yeah. The same god that damned him to the forest.
7:48 Can you believe it?
7:50 You know what? I think
7:52 we still have some chalices, and other fine treasures from that that god's temple. Shall we ever shall we ever look, see? Bring me the treasures my father
8:04 sat from Jerusalem.
8:06 A ripple passed through the hall, part thrill, part unease. Servants exchanged glances, hesitating until his voice cracked like a whip.
8:18 Now. They went and soon returned bearing gold and silver vessels, the sacred cups taken by Nebuchadnezzar from the temple of Yahweh decades before.
8:30 Their surfaces gleamed, chased with Hebrew inscriptions. Belshazzar seized 1, turning it into the inscriptions. Belshazzar seized 1, turning it in his hands as though examining an exotic toy.
8:42 Oh, look at the work. Yeah. So fine. It's fit for a god. Well,
8:55 tonight, that god will serve me.
9:00 He poured wine into the cup until it spilled over, running down his arms, staining the hem of his robe. Then he raised it high.
9:10 To Bel, to Marduk, to Ishtar, to the gods who feast and take their fill, not the ones who hide in scrolls and scold kings.
9:25 Laughter. Cheers. Guests snatched the temple vessels from the servants' hands, slopped wine into them, and passed them from mouth to mouth. The gold, once
9:37 used for sacrifice, now caught the sheen of grease from roasted meat and the glisten of wine wet lips. A naked priestess rose from the crowd, swaying
9:49 to the music. She took a gulp from 1 of the cups and let the wine run down her chest, dripping to the marble floor. The crowd howled. Belshazzar
10:01 reclined deeper into his cushions, satisfied, until he noticed the torches. The flames were shrinking. No, not shrinking,
10:12 bleeding. As though heavy, the fire began to fall onto the floor. The red flames slid across the great hall until they arrived at a singular bare wall.
10:24 The laughter faltered. Then all went dark. Belshazzar pushed himself up, his eyes narrowing toward the wall. Something was
10:36 emerging out of the dark cold wall. A hand, pale, sharp, ghastly. It had no body, just the hand.
10:48 Long fingers, the skin unnaturally smooth, the movement slowly and deliberately moving. The 1st fingertip touched the plaster. Black
11:00 lines bloomed under it, each stroke burning like hot iron into the wall. The musicians stopped. The priestess froze mid step.
11:13 What is happening?
11:16 The hand was writing something. The letters formed in a language he did not know. Yet something in them This pre dog could unferdic is only made by hand finished. Dedicated
11:27 team creative task. Steve Patina, Max Bard, Zack Schlebarger, and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People. Narrated by Paul Kolterfjan. Characters are
11:39 voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Sells, Mike Reagan, Steven Roald, Sylvia Saragaw, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Leshinski.
11:52 Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Tom Salvato, Bree Roseley, and Chris Beige.
11:57 You can Bey. You
11:58 can hear
11:59 more prey dot com productions on the prey dot com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoy the silent people, please rate all over suffocating. The guests
12:11 stared at the blackened words on the plaster as if expecting them to shift under their gaze. Belshazzar stood rigid, gripping the edge of the dais, his knuckles
The Handwriting on the Wall
12:23 white against the gold.
12:26 Whoever could tell me what this means? Shall we clothe them purple? Yes. I'll make them important. I'll give him a gold chain around his neck and make him a, 0.333 ruler in this kingdom.
12:39 That declaration was like a steaming pile of dung to the flies of Babylon. Slimy politicians all brought their own personal sorcerers,
12:51 priests and priestesses of Bel, Marduk, and Ishtar did incantations and dances before the writing, but to no avail. None could interpret
13:03 the strange carvings. Menna, Menna, Tekel, Upharsin. All the while, King Belshazzar was growing more pale with anxiety.
13:15 All the colour had drained from his face, and as the night drew on, he became like a ghost of anxiety and fear. Then came the sound of sandals echoing from
13:27 the corridor beyond the great doors. The Queen Mother entered without ceremony, her attendants trained behind like shadows. She did not rush, she did
13:39 not bow. The music had stopped, but her eyes swept the hall as though she was surveying the aftermath of a battlefield. Goblets overturned, grease smeared
13:51 on sacred vessels, 0.5 dressed revellers clinging to cushions. Her lip curled into a snarl.
13:59 What
14:00 have you done?
14:03 Belshazzar straightened, trying to pull his robe over his bare chest.
14:08 Mother, Do not call me that here. Speaking to me like a toddler when you sit on your father's throne. I swear you have no idea how to rule.
14:19 Her gaze moved to the gold vessels in the guest's hands and then to the wall where the writing glowed faintly.
14:27 I stood beside your father when he commanded armies and built this entire empire from the bones of nations.
14:35 Yes. Of course. Father was grand. He was a monolith in his own right, I know.
14:40 Do you now? If you know, then you certainly don't show it. Your father knew how to rule, but he also knew when to yield. I saw him
14:52 kneel when the god of Israel tore his mind from him and made him crawl like a beast. And you, you think you can mock that god and escape judgment?
15:05 Foolish boy.
15:08 Belshazzar opened his mouth, but she cut him off with a raised hand.
15:13 Look at you, drunk, when the Persians prepare their battering rams on the yards away from our gates. You shame this throne. You shame the house of your father.
15:24 Her voice was carrying now, slicing through the air. The guests lowered their eyes.
15:31 And look at this.
15:33 She gestured to the chalices of the lord's temple, the ones he defiled moments before the hand appeared.
15:41 You dare to drink from the vessels of the god who humbled the greatest king this world has ever known? You are a child playing king. No wonder Persia is going to sack this
15:53 place and place your head on a pike.
15:55 No. That's enough. I'm king, and you'll mind how you speak to me.
16:00 Or what? You'll imprison me? I'll be better off there than being dragged out of my chambers by King Darius.
16:09 Belshazzar's throat strained to answer, but nothing came out. The Queen Mother took a step closer to the dais, her shadow falling over him. She locked eyes with her
16:21 son, then pointed to the words behind her.
16:24 You want answers to this ghastly warning written in stone? Don't look at these fools in your court. 0.333 of them are as drunk as you are. The other 0.667 are either
16:36 scared of you or hoping you'll make them rich. They won't tell you the truth.
16:43 Then who shall I call upon?
16:46 There is a man, an exile from Judah. Your father called for him when his own gods were silent. He told your father things no magus, no diviner, no priest dared to
16:57 speak. He walks with a spirit not of this world.
17:02 She glanced at the wall again, then back at her son.
17:06 If there is a man alive who can tell you what those words mean, it is Daniel of Judah. Your father named him Belshazzar. He saw Daniel as a shield from the wrath of the god you've angered.
17:18 And if you have any hope, any hope, you will send for him.
17:25 Belshazzar swallowed hard, his eyes darting from the Queen Mother to the writing, then to the silent, watchful guests.
17:35 Bring him.
17:37 The Queen Mother stepped back, her expression unreadable, and turned on her heel to leave.
17:45 I won't be around to greet him. I have a carriage awaiting me to take me to the farmlands. Best of luck with the Persians.
17:57 Push your limits, train with precision, see the results. At Equinox, that's high performance loving. Everything you need to lock in and unlock your potential at Equinox. Start today at
18:09 equinox dot com.
18:12 Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile with your summer price forecast. Now, unfortunately, we're seeing rising costs across the country with possibility that big wireless hates you 100 percent. Now over here
Daniel Confronts the King
18:24 at Mint Mobile, we're seeing sunny skies and dropping prices every plan to just 15 dollars a month. Give it a try at mint mobile dot com slash switch.
18:33 Upfront payment of 45 dollars for 3 months, 90 dollars for 6 months, or 180 dollars for 12 month plan required, 15 dollars per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only greater
18:40 than 50 gigabytes means slower network is busy. See terms.
18:43 Anglin Washington, host of
18:45 Snap Judgment, the award winning storytelling podcast from KQED. Every week, Snap deals a new card, like the girl whose sister was a monkey or the man who
18:57 lived in the woods for 30 years or even the woman who snuck her lover out of prison in a dog crate. Pick a card, any card. Tap to listen now to Snap Judgment
19:09 from KQED on Spotify.
19:14 The closer Daniel walked toward the king's hall, the more the air changed. Gone was the cool, dry stillness of the archives. Here, the corridors
19:26 reeked of wine, sweat, and the clawing, disgusting ripeness of debauchery. 2 guards swung the bronze plated doors wide. Daniel
19:38 stepped in. The smell hid 1st, a heady, sour blend of spilled drink and overripe fruit. Then the sight. The once gleaming
19:50 hall was littered with overturned cups and broken platters. Draped on couches and leaning against pillars, the king's companions, princes,
20:01 concubines, satraps, stared wide eyed at the far wall, their faces pale and slack. At the center, 0.5 slumped on his throne, was
20:13 Belshazzar. His crown sat crooked, his tunic 0.5 loosened, his eyes wide and glassy with terror. He was staring at the wall opposite
20:25 him, staring at the words, Menna, Menna, Tekel, Ulfarsin. They blazed faintly as though written in fresh lamp oil,
20:37 each letter scored deep into the stone. Daniel took in the scene slowly, his gaze resting briefly on the golden vessels strewn across the floor,
20:49 the sacred vessels from the temple in Jerusalem, now stained with Babylonian wine offered to idols. Daniel felt a slow, cold anger beneath
21:01 his ribs. And yet, when his eyes came back to Belshazzar, pity surfaced. The king's lips worked soundlessly for a moment before his voice
21:13 broke free, hoarse and ragged. You you you the 1 they call Belteshazzar?
21:21 Daniel, 1 of the exiles? I'll I've heard the spirit of the gods is in you. Tell me you can give interpretations,
21:34 solve mysteries?
21:37 I can. But tell me, great king, why do these words disturb you so? What are a few rooms to the man who owns the world?
21:47 Belshazzar swallowed hard, his eyes flicking toward the glowing letters.
21:53 Because because there was a hand and of a ghost to his ear. Irela's words, right before my eyes. I can't read it. None of my
22:05 magi, none of the enchanters. No 1 could they could
22:11 Daniel's gaze drifted again to the wall, then back to the king. He stepped forward slowly until they were close enough to speak without the whole court hearing.
22:23 Great king, the most high God gave your father, Nebuchadnezzar, sovereignty, greatness, glory, and splendor. All nations trembled before him,
22:35 but when his heart grew proud, he was brought low. He lived with the wild donkeys until he acknowledged that the most high rules over the kingdoms of men.
22:47 Belshazzar's jaw worked. Daniel could tell he was expecting a rebuke. But Daniel saw the scared boy underneath the crown and fine robes. You
22:59 knew all this about your father and
23:02 the god that I serve, and yet you still did this? Why? I
23:09 I the the Persians knock at our door. I feel powerless, and your
23:21 god, he defeated my father.
23:24 The king looked away, but Daniel leaned in just slightly, his tone almost fatherly now.
23:32 And you thought you would grasp at power by shaming the god who shamed your fathers?
23:37 Belshazzar's breathing was shallow. He gestured to the wall. Tell me, Daniel.
23:44 Tell me what the words say.
23:46 Daniel turned to the wall, the glowing words casting faint shadows across his lined face. He read them aloud, each syllable crisp as a
23:58 chisel strike.
24:00 Babylon burns so much of our scrolls, The true wisdom is found in the heart of our god. It cannot be consumed by flame. Your father learned that the hard way.
24:13 Daniel pressed his palm against the wall and traced his fingers against the carvings. He expected them to be hot to the touch, but instead, they were ice cold.
24:24 Mene, god has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
24:31 The 1st hammer struck Belshazzar's chest.
24:35 Tekle,
24:36 you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
24:41 Daniel sighed, lingering on the last word.
24:46 Ares, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
24:53 The final word hung in the air like a drawn blade. Belshazzar's mouth opened, but no sound came. His eyes darted to the letters,
25:05 then to Daniel's face, as if searching for some reprieve. But Daniel's gaze held steady, not in cruelty, but in the sorrow of a man who knows
25:17 the sentence is already past. Somewhere, far off, a faint tremor passed through the floor. It could have been the tread of soldiers, or the
25:29 shifting of walls, or the 1st distant rumble of an empire's fall.
25:52 Push your limits, train with precision, see the results. At Equinox, that's high performance living. Everything you need to lock in and unlock your potential at Equinox. Start today at
The Interpretation and Judgment
26:04 equinox dot com.
26:07 Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile with your summer price forecast. Now, unfortunately, we're seeing rising costs across the country with possibility that big wireless hates you 100 percent. Now over here
26:19 at Mint Mobile, we're seeing sunny skies and dropping prices every plan to just 15 dollars a month. Give it a try at mint mobile dot com slash switch.
26:28 Upfront payment of 45 dollars for 3 months, 90 dollars for 6 months, or 180 dollars for 12 month plan required, 15 dollars per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only greater
26:36 than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms.
26:39 I'm Glyn Washington, host of Snap Judgment from KQED. Every week, Snap drops you inside someone's biggest decision. The kind of decision you can only make once. With
26:50 everything on the line, what do you believe? What do you want? And what would you risk to get it? Find out. Tap to listen now to Snap
27:02 Judgment from KQED on Spotify.
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