Daniel 14

¹ King Astyages was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus the Persian received his kingdom.

² Daniel lived with the king, and was honored above all his friends.

³ Now the Babylonians had an idol called Bel, and every day twelve great measures of fine flour, forty sheep, and six firkins of wine were spent on it.

⁴ The king honored it and went daily to worship it; but Daniel worshiped his own God. The king said to him, “Why don’t you worship Bel?”

⁵ He said, “Because I may not honor idols made with hands, but only the living God, who has created the sky and the earth, and has sovereignty over all flesh.”

⁶ Then the king said to him, “Don’t you think that Bel is a living god? Don’t you see how much he eats and drinks every day?”

⁷ Then Daniel laughed, and said, “O king, don’t be deceived; for this is just clay inside, and brass outside, and never ate or drank anything.”

⁸ So the king was angry, and called for his priests, and said to them, “If you don’t tell me who this is who devours these expenses, you shall die.

⁹ But if you can show me that Bel devours them, then Daniel shall die; for he has spoken blasphemy against Bel.” Daniel said to the king, “Let it be according to your word.”

¹⁰ Now there were seventy priests of Bel, besides their wives and children. The king went with Daniel into Bel’s temple.

¹¹ So Bel’s priests said, “Behold, we will leave; but you, O king, set out the food, and mix the wine and set it out, shut the door securely, and seal it with your own signet.

¹² When you come in the morning, if you don’t find that Bel has eaten everything, we will suffer death, or else Daniel, who speaks falsely against us.”

¹³ They weren’t concerned, for under the table they had made a secret entrance, by which they entered in continually, and consumed those things.

¹⁴ It happened, when they had gone out, the king set the food before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and they scattered them all over the temple in the presence of the king alone. Then they went out, shut the door, sealed it with the king’s signet, and so departed.

¹⁵ Now in the night, the priests came with their wives and children, as they usually did, and ate and drank it all.

¹⁶ In the morning, the king arose, and Daniel with him.

¹⁷ The king said, “Daniel, are the seals whole?” He said, “Yes, O king, they are whole.”

¹⁸ And as soon as he had opened the door, the king looked at the table, and cried with a loud voice, “You are great, O Bel, and with you is no deceit at all!”

¹⁹ Then Daniel laughed, and held the king that he should not go in, and said, “Behold now the pavement, and mark well whose footsteps these are.”

²⁰ The king said, “I see the footsteps of men, women, and children.” Then the king was angry,

²¹ and took the priests with their wives and children, who showed him the secret doors, where they came in and consumed the things that were on the table.

²² Therefore the king killed them, and delivered Bel into Daniel’s power, who overthrew it and its temple.

²³ In that same place there was a great dragon which the people of Babylon worshiped.

²⁴ The king said to Daniel, “Will you also say that this is of brass? Behold, he lives, eats and drinks. You can’t say that he is no living god. Therefore worship him.”

²⁵ Then Daniel said, “I will worship the Lord my God; for he is a living God.

²⁶ But allow me, O king, and I will kill this dragon without sword or staff.” The king said, “I allow you.”

²⁷ Then Daniel took pitch, fat, and hair, and melted them together, and made lumps of them. He put these in the dragon’s mouth, so the dragon ate and burst apart. Daniel said, “Behold, these are the gods you all worship.”

²⁸ When the people of Babylon heard that, they took great indignation, and conspired against the king, saying, “The king has become a Jew. He has pulled down Bel, slain the dragon, and put the priests to the sword.”

²⁹ So they came to the king, and said, “Deliver Daniel to us, or else we will destroy you and your house.”

³⁰ Now when the king saw that they trapped him, being constrained, the king delivered Daniel to them.

³¹ They cast him into the lion’s den, where he was six days.

³² There were seven lions in the den, and they had been giving them two carcasses and two sheep every day, which then were not given to them, intending that they would devour Daniel.

³³ Now there was in Jewry the prophet Habakkuk, who had made stew, and had broken bread into a bowl. He was going into the field to bring it to the reapers.

³⁴ But the angel of the Lord said to Habakkuk, “Go carry the dinner that you have into Babylon to Daniel, in the lions’ den.”

³⁵ Habakkuk said, “Lord, I never saw Babylon. I don’t know where the den is.”

³⁶ Then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown, and lifted him up by the hair of his head, and with the blast of his breath set him in Babylon over the den.

³⁷ Habakkuk cried, saying, “O Daniel, Daniel, take the dinner which God has sent you.”

³⁸ Daniel said, “You have remembered me, O God! You haven’t forsaken those who love you!”

³⁹ So Daniel arose and ate; and the angel of God set Habakkuk in his own place again immediately.

⁴⁰ On the seventh day, the king came to mourn for Daniel. When he came to the den, he looked in, and, behold, Daniel was sitting.

⁴¹ Then the king cried with a loud voice, saying, “Great are you, O Lord, you God of Daniel, and there is none other beside you!”

⁴² So he drew him out, and cast those that were the cause of his destruction into the den; and they were devoured in a moment before his face.

¹ AAnd Daniel was the king’s guest, and was honoured above all his friends.

² Now the Babylonians had an idol called Bel: and there was spent upon him every day twelve great measures of fine flour, and forty sheep, and six vessels of wine.

³ The king also worshipped him, and went every day to adore him: but Daniel adored his God. And the king said to him: Why dost thou not adore Bel?

⁴ And he answered, and said to him: Because I do not worship idols made with hands, but the living God, that created heaven and earth, and hath power over all flesh.

⁵ And the king said to him: Doth not Bel seem to thee to be a living god? Seest thou not how much he eateth and drinketh every day?

⁶ Then Daniel smiled, and said: O king, be not deceived: for this is but clay within, and brass without, neither hath he eaten at any time.

⁷ And the king being angry, called for his priests, and said to them: If you tell me not who it is that eateth up these expenses, you shall die.

⁸ But if you can shew that Bel eateth these things, Daniel shall die, because he hath blasphemed against Bel. And Daniel said to the king: Be it done according to thy word.

⁹ Now the priests of Bel were seventy, besides their wives, and little ones, and children. And the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel.

¹⁰ And the priests of Bel said: Behold, we go out: and do thou, O king, set on the meats, and make ready the wine, and shut the door fast, and seal it with thy own ring:

¹¹ And when thou comest in the morning, if thou findest not that Bel hath eaten up all, we will suffer death, or else Daniel, that hath lied against us.

¹² And they little regarded it, because they had made under the table a secret entrance, and they always came in by it, and consumed those things.

¹³ So it came to pass after they were gone out, the king set the meats before Bel: and Daniel commanded his servants, and they brought ashes, and he sifted them all over the temple before the king: and going forth, they shut the door, and having sealed it with the king’s ring, they departed.

¹⁴ But the priests went in by night, according to their custom, with their wives, and their children: and they ate and drank up all.

¹⁵ And the king arose early in the morning, and Daniel with him.

¹⁶ And the king said: Are the seals whole, Daniel? And he answered: They are whole, O king.

¹⁷ And as soon as he had opened the door, the king looked upon the table, and cried out with a loud voice: Great art thou, O Bel, and there is not any deceit with thee.

¹⁸ And Daniel laughed: and he held the king, that he should not go in: and he said: Behold the pavement, mark whose footsteps these are.

¹⁹ And the king said: I see the footsteps of men, and women, and children. And the king was angry.

²⁰ Then he took the priests, and their wives, and their children: and they shewed him the private doors by which they came in, and consumed the things that were on the table.

²¹ The king, therefore, put them to death, and delivered Bel into the power of Daniel: who destroyed him and his temple.

²² And there was a great dragon in that place, and the Babylonians worshipped him.

²³ And the king said to Daniel: Behold, thou canst not say now, that this is not a living god: adore him, therefore.

²⁴ And Daniel said: I adore the Lord, my God: for he is the living God: but that is no living god.

²⁵ But give me leave, O king, and I will kill this dragon without sword or club. And the king said, I give thee leave.

²⁶ Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and boiled them together: and he made lumps, and put them into the dragon’s mouth, and the dragon burst asunder. And he said: Behold him whom you worship.

²⁷ And when the Babylonians had heard this, they took great indignation: and being gathered together against the king, they said: The king is become a Jew. He hath destroyed Bel, he hath killed the dragon, and he hath put the priests to death.

²⁸ And they came to the king, and said: Deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and thy house.

²⁹ And the king saw that they pressed upon him violently: and being constrained by necessity: he delivered Daniel to them.

³⁰ And they cast him into the den of lions, and he was there six days.

³¹ And in the den there were seven lions, and they had given to them two carcasses every day, and two sheep: but then they were not given unto them, that they might devour Daniel.

³² Now there was in Judea a prophet called Habacuc, and he had boiled pottage, and had broken bread in a bowl: and was going into the field, to carry it to the reapers.

³³ And the angel of the Lord said to Habacuc: Carry the dinner which thou hast into Babylon, to Daniel, who is in the lions’ den.

³⁴ And Habacuc said: Lord, I never saw Babylon, nor do I know the den.

³⁵ And the angel of the Lord took him by the top of his head, and carried him by the hair of his head, and set him in Babylon, over the den, in the force of his spirit.

³⁶ And Habacuc cried, saying: O Daniel, thou servant of God, take the dinner that God hath sent thee.

³⁷ And Daniel said, Thou hast remembered me, O God, and thou hast not forsaken them that love thee.

³⁸ And Daniel arose, and ate. And the angel of the Lord presently set Habacuc again in his own place.

³⁹ And upon the seventh day the king came to bewail Daniel: and he came to the den, and looked in, and behold Daniel was sitting in the midst of the lions.

⁴⁰ And the king cried out with a loud voice, saying: Great art thou, O Lord, the God of Daniel. And he drew him out of the lions’ den.

⁴¹ But those that had been the cause of his destruction, he cast into the den, and they were devoured in a moment before him.

⁴² Then the king said: Let all the inhabitants of the whole earth fear the God of Daniel: for he is the Saviour, working signs, and wonders in the earth: who hath delivered Daniel out of the lions’ den.