²² “Belshazzar, you, his [^CNebuchadnezzar’s] ·son [descendant; or successor; ^Cnot his literal son; v. 1], already knew these things. Still you have not ·been sorry for what you have done [^Lhumbled your heart]. ²³ Instead, you have ·set yourself [exalted yourself] against the Lord of heaven. You ordered the drinking cups from the Temple of the Lord to be brought to you. Then you and your ·royal [important; noble] guests, your wives, and your ·slave women [concubines; ^Csecondary wives] drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone that cannot see or hear or understand anything [^Cthey are not really gods]. You did not honor God, who has power over your ·life [very breath] and ·everything you do [all your ways]. ²⁴ So ·God sent [^Lbefore his presence was sent] the hand that wrote.