This passage gives an account of a feast made by Belshazzar in which he profaned the vessels of the temple by using them to honor his idols. Vessels dedicated to holy use were now instruments used to honor the gods of the heathen who had, as Belshazzar presumed, given them dominance over Israel. Such absurdity provoked the displeasure of the Lord who wrote a message on the wall for the king. The terrified king called for all the wise men of his kingdom to interpret the writing, but none could decipher its meaning. It was the queen who admonished Belshazzar to call for Daniel who had previously made interpretations for Nebuchadnezzar.