belshazzar, idolatry, and vanity enter. the ask belshazzar why he looks so sad and stops talking so suddenly. belshazzar says he doesn't know the source of the intense pain he feels. it is death approaching that none of the trio can see. death shows himself to belshazzar who is shocked and terrified. he asks death who he is; death tells belshazzar that he is a creditor here to collect a debt that belshazzar owes. thought rethinks his decision to lead death to belshazzar. belshazzar asks what he owes. death shows him a book that has the debt listed, but belshazzar states that the book is one he lost. death says the debt was written down by belshazzar himself. he reads back what belshazzar wrote about owing his life to death. death tells belshazzar that today is not the day that he has come to collect the debt, but that the day is coming. death exits.