Open English Translation G DAN Chapter 14

14 King[fn] Astuages was gathered to his fathers, and Koresh (Cyrus) the Persian received his kingdom. 2 Daniyel lived with the king, and was honoured 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 250 litres of wine were spent on it. 4 The king honoured it and went daily to worship it; but Daniyel worshipped his own God. The king said to him, “Why don’t you worship Bel?”

5 He said, “Because I may not honour idols made with hands, but only the living god, who’s 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 Daniyel laughed, and said, “Oh 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’ll die. 9 But if you can show me that Bel devours them, then Daniyel will die; for he’s spoken blasphemy against Bel.”

Daniyel 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 Daniyel into Bel’s temple. 11 So Bel’s priests said, “Listen, we’ll leave; but you, Oh 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’ll suffer death, or else Daniyel, who speaks falsely against us.”

13 They weren’t concerned, for under the table they’d made a secret entrance, by which they entered in continually, and consumed those things. 14 It happened, when they’d gone out, the king set the food before Bel. Now Daniyel 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 Daniyel with him. 17 The king said, “Daniyel, are the seals whole?”

He said, “Yes, Oh king, they’re whole.”

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

19 Then Daniyel laughed, and held the king that he shouldn’t go in, and said, “Listen 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 Daniyel’s power, who overthrew it and its temple.

23 In that same place there was a great dragon which Bavel’s (Babylon’s) people worshipped. 24 The king said to Daniyel, “Will you also say that this is of brass? Listen, he lives, eats and drinks. You can’t say that he’s no living god. Therefore worship him.”

25 Then Daniyel said, “I’ll worship the master my god; for he’s a living god. 26 But allow me, Oh king, and I’ll kill this dragon without sword or staff.”

The king said, “I allow you.”

27 Then Daniyel 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. Daniyel said, “Listen, these are the gods you all worship.”

28 When Bavel’s people heard that, they took great indignation, and conspired against the king, saying, “The king has become a Yehudi (Jew). He’s pulled down Bel, slain the dragon, and put the priests to the sword.” 29 So they came to the king, and said, “Deliver Daniyel to us, or else we’ll destroy you and your house.”

30 Now when the king saw that they trapped him, being constrained, the king delivered Daniyel to them. 31 They threw him into the lion’s den, where he was six days. 32 There were seven lions in the den, and they’d been giving them two carcasses and two sheep every day, which then weren’t given to them, intending that they’d devour Daniyel.

33 Now there was in Yehudah (Judea) the prophet Havakuk (Habakkuk),[fn] who’d made stew, and had broken bread into a bowl. He was going into the field to bring it to the harvesters. 34 But the angel of the master said to Havakuk, “Go carry the dinner that you have into Bavel to Daniyel, in the lions’ den.”

35 Havakuk said, “master, I never saw Bavel. I don’t know where the den is.”

36 Then the angel of the master 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 Bavel over the den.

37 Havakuk cried, saying, “Oh Daniyel, Daniyel, take the dinner which God has sent you.”

38 Daniyel said, “You’ve remembered me, Oh God! You haven’t forsaken those who love you!” 39 So Daniyel arose and ate; and the angel of God set Havakuk in his own place again immediately. 40 On the seventh day, the king came to mourn for Daniyel. When he came to the den, he looked in, and Daniyel was sitting. 41 Then the king cried with a loud voice, saying, “Great are you, Oh master, you God of Daniyel, and there’s none other beside you!” 42 So he drew him out, and threw those that were the cause of his destruction into the den; and they were devoured in a moment before his face.