Bel and the Dragon

From the prophecy of Habakkuk the son of Jesus of the tribe of Levi.

There was a certain man a priest, by name Daniel, son of Abal, a companion of the King of Babylon.

And there was an idol Bel whom the Babylonians worshipped. And they expended on him daily twelve artabas of fine wheaten flour, and four sheep, and six measures of oil.

The king also used to worship him, and the king used to go daily to do homage to him; but Daniel used to pray to the Lord. So the king said to Daniel, Why bowest thou not down to Bel?

Then Daniel said to the king, None do I worship save the Lord, the God who created the heaven and the earth, even Him who has sovereignty over all flesh.

Then the king said to him, Is this then not a god? Dost thou not see how much is spent on him daily?

Daniel therefore said to him, Let no one by any means mislead thee by false reasoning, for this is within of clay and without of bronze: and I swear by the Lord the god of gods that this never did eat anything.

So the king became angry and summoned the overseers of the temple, and said to them, Show me who eats the things prepared for Bel, othewise ye shall die.

Or ⁽if ye do show that Bel devours them⁽, Daniel, who alleges that these things are not eaten by him, ⁽shall die⁽. But they said, It is Bel himself who devours these things. Then Daniel said to the king, Let it be thus. If I shall not show that it is not Bel who devours these things, let me suffer death together with all my friends.

Now Bel had seventy priests besides ⁽their⁽ wives and children. So they conducted the king into the idol temple.

Then the food was laid out in the presence of the king and of Daniel, and mixed wine was brought on and set out for Bel.

And Daniel said, Thou thyself seest that these things are in their places, O king.

Do thou therefore seal the bolts of the temple, when it is shut. And the utterance pleased the king.

Then Daniel ordered those with him to put out of the temple all ⁽the rest⁽ and to besprinkle the temple with wood ashes, none of them outside the same knowing ⁽it⁽. And then he shut the temple and gave orders to have it sealed with the king’s signet ring and with the signet rings of certain priests of high rank: and this was done.

And it came to pass on the morrow that they came back to the place, but the priests had, in the meantime, entered through secret doors and devoured all that had been placed before Bel and drunk up the wine.

Then Daniel said, O priests, look at your seals, whether they remain ⁽intact⁽; and do thou, O king, mark well whether anything has happened of which thou disapprovest.

And they found ⁽the state of things⁽ as it was ⁽the day before⁽; so they cast away the seals.

But on opening the door they saw that what had been set out for Bel had been consumed and that the tables were empty. The king accordingly rejoiced, and said to Daniel, Great is Bel, and with him is no deception.

And Daniel laughed heartily and said to the king, Come, see the deception of the priests. Then Daniel said, O king, whose footprints are these?

And the king said, ⁽Those⁽ of men, women, and children.

Then he went to the house in which the priests resided, and found Bel’s food together with the wine. And Daniel showed the king the secret doors through which the priests entered for the purpose of consuming what had been set before Bel.

The king therefore led them out of Bel’s temple and delivered them up to Daniel; and what had been provided by purchase for him he gave to Daniel, but Bel he destroyed.

Now there was a dragon in the same place, and the Babylonians worshipped ⁽it⁽.

And the king said to Daniel, Thou wilt not, wilt thou, say of this also that it is bronze? Lo, he liveth, eateth, and drinketh: do homage to him.

But Daniel said, Give me the power and I will destroy the dragon without sword or staff. So the king conceded this to him, and said, It is granted thee.

Then Daniel took thirty minas of pitch, fat, and hair, and boiled them together, and made a cake ⁽out of them⁽ and threw ⁽it⁽ into the dragon’s mouth; and after it had eaten ⁽the cake⁽ it burst asunder. And he showed it to the king, saying, Is it not the case that ye worship these ⁽fragments⁽?

Then there assembled against the king all the inhabitants of the country, and they said, The king has become a Jew; Bel he has overthrown and slain the dragon.

So they came to the king, and said, Deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and thine house.

And when the king saw that the mob from the country was gathered against him he called his companions, and said, I give ⁽up⁽ Daniel to be destroyed.

Now there, was a den in which seven lions were kept to which those who plotted against the king used to be delivered up, two bodies of persons condemned to death being provided for them daily ⁽as food⁽.

So the crowds cast Daniel into that den that he might be devoured and find no burial. And Daniel was in the lions’ den six days.

Now it happened on the sixth day that Habakkuk had wheaten loaves crumbled in a bowl, cooked, and an earthen jar of mixed wine, and that he was proceeding into the field to the reapers.

Then the angel of the Lord spake to Habakkuk, saying, Thus says the Lord God to thee: The dinner which thou holdest, take it away to Daniel to the lions’ den in Babylon.

But Habakkuk said, O Lord God, I have not seen Babylon and the den—I do not know where ⁽it⁽ is.

Then the angel of the Lord laid hold of Habakkuk by the hair of his head and set him over the den in Babylon.

And Habakkuk said to Daniel, Arise, and eat the dinner which the Lord God has sent thee.

Then said Daniel, ⁽Yea⁽, for the Lord God who forsakes not those who love Him has remembered me.

So Daniel ate; and the angel of the Lord set Habakkuk down ⁽in the place⁽ whence he had taken him on the same day. But the Lord God remembered Daniel.

⁽Then⁽ the king after these things went forth bewailing Daniel; and as he stooped to pry into the den he saw him sitting ⁽there⁽.

So the king cried out and said, Great is the Lord God, and there is no other ⁽god⁽ besides Him.

And the king led Daniel out of the den, and those who would have brought about his destruction he cast into the den in the presence of Daniel, and they were devoured.