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

¶(1) And king Astyages was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus the Persian received his kingdom.

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

¶(2) And Daniel lived with the king, and was honoured above all his friends.

¶3 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.

(3) Now the Babylonians had an idol, called Bel, and there were spent upon him every day twelve great measures of fine flour, and forty sheep, and six firkins of wine.

¶4 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?

¶(4) And the king did honour to it, and went daily to worship it: but Daniel worshipped his own God. And the king said unto him, Why dost thou not worship Bel?

5 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.

(5) And he said, Because I may not do honour to idols made with hands, but to the living God, who hath created the heaven and the earth, and hath sovereignty over all flesh.

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

¶(6) Then said the king unto him, Thinkest thou not that Bel is a living God? or seest thou not how much he eateth and drinketh every day?

7 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.

(7) Then Daniel laughed, and said, O king, be not deceived: for this is but clay within, and brass without, and did never eat or drink anything.

¶8 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.

¶(8) So the king was wroth, and called for his priests, and said unto them, If ye tell me not who this is that devoureth these expenses, ye shall die.

9 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.

(9) But if ye can show me that Bel devoureth them, then Daniel shall die: for he hath spoken blasphemy against Bel. And Daniel said unto the king, Let it be according to thy word.

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

(10) Now the priests of Bel were threescore and ten, beside their wives and children. And the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel.

¶11 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.

¶(11) So Bel’s priests said, Lo, we will get us out: but thou, O king, set on the meat, and mingle the wine and set it forth, and shut the door fast, and seal it with thine own signet;

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

(12) and when thou comest in the morning, if thou find not that Bel hath eaten up all, we will suffer death: or else Daniel, that speaketh falsely against us.

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

(13) And they little regarded it: for under the table they had made a privy entrance, whereby they entered in continually, and consumed those things.

¶14 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.

¶(14) And it came to pass, when they were gone forth, the king set the meat before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and they strewed all the temple with them in the presence of the king alone: then went they out, and shut the door, and sealed it with the king’s signet, and so departed.

15 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.

(15) Now in the night came the priests with their wives and children, as they were wont to do, and did eat and drink up all.

16 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.

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

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

¶(17) And the king said, Daniel, are the seals whole? And he said, Yea, O king, they be whole.

18 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.

(18) And he said, Yea, O king, they be whole. And as soon as he had opened the door, the king looked upon the table, and cried with a loud voice, Great art thou, O Bel, and with thee is no deceit at all.

19 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?

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

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

¶(20) And the king said, I see the footsteps of men, women, and children.

21 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.

(21) And then the king was angry, and took the priests with their wives and children, who showed him the privy doors, where they came in, and consumed such things as were upon the table.

22 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.

(22) Therefore the king slew them, and delivered Bel into Daniel’s power, who overthrew him and his temple.

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

¶(23) And in that same place there was a great dragon, which they of Babylon worshipped.

24 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.

(24) And the king said unto Daniel, Wilt thou also say that this is of brass? lo, he liveth, and eateth and drinketh: thou canst not say that he is no living God: therefore worship him.

(25) Then said Daniel, I will worship the Lord my God: for he is a living God.

¶26 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.

¶(26) But give me leave, O king, and I shall slay this dragon without sword or staff. The king said, I give thee leave.

27 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)?

(27) Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and did seethe them together, and made lumps thereof: this he put in the dragon’s mouth, so the dragon did eat and burst in sunder: and Daniel said, Lo, these are the gods ye worship.

¶28 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.

¶(28) When they of Babylon heard that, they took great indignation, and conspired against the king, saying, The king is become a Jew, and he hath pulled down Bel, and slain the dragon, and put the priests to the sword.

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

¶30 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.

(30)Now when the king saw that they pressed him sore, being constrained, the king delivered Daniel unto them: who cast him into the lions’ den:

¶31 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).

(31) where he was six days.

32 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.

(32) And in the den there were seven lions, and they had given them every day two carcases, and two sheep: which then were not given to them, to the intent that they might devour Daniel.

33 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.

¶(33) Now there was in Jewry the prophet Habakkuk, who had made pottage, and had broken bread into a bowl, and was going into the field, for to bring it to the reapers.

34 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.

(34) But the angel of the Lord said unto Habakkuk, Go carry the dinner that thou hast into Babylon unto Daniel, in the lions’ den.

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

¶(35) And Habakkuk said, Lord, I never saw Babylon; neither do I know where the den is.

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

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

(37) And Habakkuk cried, saying, O Daniel, Daniel, take the dinner which God hath sent thee.

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

(38) And Daniel said, Thou hast remembered me, O God: neither hast thou forsaken them that love thee.

¶39 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.

¶(39) So Daniel arose, and did eat: and the angel of God set Habakkuk in his own place again immediately.

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

(40) Upon the seventh day the king came to bewail Daniel: and when he came to the den, he looked in, and, behold, Daniel was sitting.

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

(41) Then cried the king with a loud voice, saying, Great art thou, O Lord, thou God of Daniel, and there is none other beside thee.

42 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.

(42) And 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.