This was the dream. Now we will set forth before the king its interpretation.

We inquired of those elders, asking them, ‘Who gave you the authority to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?’

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

Then they went on to Gilead and to the region of Tahtim Hodshi, coming to Dan Jaan and on around to Sidon.

Exercise appropriate caution so that there is no negligence in this matter. Why should danger increase to the point that kings sustain damage?”

They also asked them, “What are the names of the men who are building this edifice?”

Because of this the king got furiously angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

Now at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought malicious accusations against the Jews.

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

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

So King Darius issued the written interdict.

So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

At that time Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues came to them and asked, “Who gave you authority to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?”

“I hereby give orders that if anyone changes this directive a beam is to be pulled out from his house and he is to be raised up and impaled on it, and his house is to be reduced to a rubbish heap for this indiscretion.

With this money you should be sure to purchase bulls, rams, and lambs, along with the appropriate meal offerings and libations. You should bring them to the altar of the temple of your God which is in Jerusalem.

And in that you saw iron mixed with wet clay, so people will be mixed with one another without adhering to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.

(This is a copy of the letter they sent to him:) “To King Artaxerxes, from your servants in Trans-Euphrates:

In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, we are sending the king this information

We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”

But God was watching over the elders of Judah, and they were not stopped until a report could be dispatched to Darius and a letter could be sent back concerning this.