The Resurrection of the Dead

12 “At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. ² Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth^[a] shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ³ Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky,^[b] and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. ⁴ But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil^[c] shall increase.”

⁵ Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others appeared, one standing on this bank of the stream and one on the other. ⁶ One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was upstream, “How long shall it be until the end of these wonders?” ⁷ The man clothed in linen, who was upstream, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven. And I heard him swear by the one who lives forever that it would be for a time, two times, and half a time,^[d] and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be accomplished. ⁸ I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” ⁹ He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are to remain secret and sealed until the time of the end. ¹⁰ Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked shall continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. ¹¹ From the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that desolates is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred ninety days. ¹² Happy are those who persevere and attain the thousand three hundred thirty-five days. ¹³ But you, go your way,^[e] and rest; you shall rise for your reward at the end of the days.”

Daniel’s Prayer for the People

9 In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, by birth a Mede, who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, must be fulfilled for the devastation of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

³ Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying,

“Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love with those who love you and keep your commandments, ⁵ we have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and ordinances. ⁶ We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

⁷ “Righteousness is on your side, O Lord, but open shame, as at this day, falls on us, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. ⁸ Open shame, O Lord, falls on us, our kings, our officials, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. ⁹ To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him, ¹⁰ and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

¹¹ “All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. So the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against you. ¹² He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers, by bringing upon us a calamity so great that what has been done against Jerusalem has never before been done under the whole heaven. ¹³ Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us. We did not entreat the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and reflecting on his^[a] fidelity. ¹⁴ So the Lord kept watch over this calamity until he brought it upon us. Indeed, the Lord our God is right in all that he has done; for we have disobeyed his voice.

¹⁵ “And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made your name renowned even to this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly. ¹⁶ O Lord, in view of all your righteous acts, let your anger and wrath, we pray, turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become a disgrace among all our neighbors. ¹⁷ Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, and for your own sake, Lord,^[b] let your face shine upon your desolated sanctuary. ¹⁸ Incline your ear, O my God, and hear. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that bears your name. We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercies. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act and do not delay! For your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people bear your name!”

The Seventy Weeks

²⁰ While I was speaking, and was praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God on behalf of the holy mountain of my God— ²¹ while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen before in a vision, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. ²² He came^[c] and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come out to give you wisdom and understanding. ²³ At the beginning of your supplications a word went out, and I have come to declare it, for you are greatly beloved. So consider the word and understand the vision:

²⁴ “Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.^{[d] 25} Know therefore and understand: from the time that the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the time of an anointed prince, there shall be seven weeks; and for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with streets and moat, but in a troubled time. ²⁶ After the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing, and the troops of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its^[e] end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. ²⁷ He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease; and in their place^[f] shall be an abomination that desolates, until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator.”

Conflict of Nations and Heavenly Powers

10 In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The word was true, and it concerned a great conflict. He understood the word, having received understanding in the vision.

² At that time I, Daniel, had been mourning for three weeks. ³ I had eaten no rich food, no meat or wine had entered my mouth, and I had not anointed myself at all, for the full three weeks. ⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris), ⁵ I looked up and saw a man clothed in linen, with a belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist. ⁶ His body was like beryl, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the roar of a multitude. ⁷ I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; the people who were with me did not see the vision, though a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled and hid themselves. ⁸ So I was left alone to see this great vision. My strength left me, and my complexion grew deathly pale, and I retained no strength. ⁹ Then I heard the sound of his words; and when I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a trance, face to the ground.

¹⁰ But then a hand touched me and roused me to my hands and knees. ¹¹ He said to me, “Daniel, greatly beloved, pay attention to the words that I am going to speak to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.” So while he was speaking this word to me, I stood up trembling. ¹² He said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. ¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me twenty-one days. So Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia,^{[g] 14} and have come to help you understand what is to happen to your people at the end of days. For there is a further vision for those days.”

¹⁵ While he was speaking these words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and was speechless. ¹⁶ Then one in human form touched my lips, and I opened my mouth to speak, and said to the one who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision such pains have come upon me that I retain no strength. ¹⁷ How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For I am shaking,^[h] no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.”

¹⁸ Again one in human form touched me and strengthened me. ¹⁹ He said, “Do not fear, greatly beloved, you are safe. Be strong and courageous!” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” ²⁰ Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Now I must return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I am through with him, the prince of Greece will come. ²¹ But I am to tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth. There is no one with me who contends against these princes except Michael, your prince. 11 ¹ As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to support and strengthen him.

² “Now I will announce the truth to you. Three more kings shall arise in Persia. The fourth shall be far richer than all of them, and when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. ³ Then a warrior king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and take action as he pleases. ⁴ And while still rising in power, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted and go to others besides these.

⁵ “Then the king of the south shall grow strong, but one of his officers shall grow stronger than he and shall rule a realm greater than his own realm. ⁶ After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to ratify the agreement. But she shall not retain her power, and his offspring shall not endure. She shall be given up, she and her attendants and her child and the one who supported her.

“In those times ⁷ a branch from her roots shall rise up in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall take action against them and prevail. ⁸ Even their gods, with their idols and with their precious vessels of silver and gold, he shall carry off to Egypt as spoils of war. For some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north; ⁹ then the latter shall invade the realm of the king of the south, but will return to his own land.

¹⁰ “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall advance like a flood and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. ¹¹ Moved with rage, the king of the south shall go out and do battle against the king of the north, who shall muster a great multitude, which shall, however, be defeated by his enemy. ¹² When the multitude has been carried off, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall overthrow tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. ¹³ For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, larger than the former, and after some years^[i] he shall advance with a great army and abundant supplies.

¹⁴ “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south. The lawless among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. ¹⁵ Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks, and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, not even his picked troops, for there shall be no strength to resist. ¹⁶ But he who comes against him shall take the actions he pleases, and no one shall withstand him. He shall take a position in the beautiful land, and all of it shall be in his power. ¹⁷ He shall set his mind to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of peace^[j] and perform them. In order to destroy the kingdom,^[k] he shall give him a woman in marriage; but it shall not succeed or be to his advantage. ¹⁸ Afterward he shall turn to the coastlands, and shall capture many. But a commander shall put an end to his insolence; indeed,^[l] he shall turn his insolence back upon him. ¹⁹ Then he shall turn back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.

²⁰ “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an official for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he shall be broken, though not in anger or in battle. ²¹ In his place shall arise a contemptible person on whom royal majesty had not been conferred; he shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom through intrigue. ²² Armies shall be utterly swept away and broken before him, and the prince of the covenant as well. ²³ And after an alliance is made with him, he shall act deceitfully and become strong with a small party. ²⁴ Without warning he shall come into the richest parts^[m] of the province and do what none of his predecessors had ever done, lavishing plunder, spoil, and wealth on them. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. ²⁵ He shall stir up his power and determination against the king of the south with a great army, and the king of the south shall wage war with a much greater and stronger army. But he shall not succeed, for plots shall be devised against him ²⁶ by those who eat of the royal rations. They shall break him, his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall slain. ²⁷ The two kings, their minds bent on evil, shall sit at one table and exchange lies. But it shall not succeed, for there remains an end at the time appointed. ²⁸ He shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. He shall work his will, and return to his own land.

²⁹ “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but this time it shall not be as it was before. ³⁰ For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall lose heart and withdraw. He shall be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay heed to those who forsake the holy covenant. ³¹ Forces sent by him shall occupy and profane the temple and fortress. They shall abolish the regular burnt offering and set up the abomination that makes desolate. ³² He shall seduce with intrigue those who violate the covenant; but the people who are loyal to their God shall stand firm and take action. ³³ The wise among the people shall give understanding to many; for some days, however, they shall fall by sword and flame, and suffer captivity and plunder. ³⁴ When they fall victim, they shall receive a little help, and many shall join them insincerely. ³⁵ Some of the wise shall fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed,^[n] until the time of the end, for there is still an interval until the time appointed.

³⁶ “The king shall act as he pleases. He shall exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and shall speak horrendous things against the God of gods. He shall prosper until the period of wrath is completed, for what is determined shall be done. ³⁷ He shall pay no respect to the gods of his ancestors, or to the one beloved by women; he shall pay no respect to any other god, for he shall consider himself greater than all. ³⁸ He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these; a god whom his ancestors did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. ³⁹ He shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall make more wealthy, and shall appoint them as rulers over many, and shall distribute the land for a price.

The Time of the End

⁴⁰ “At the time of the end the king of the south shall attack him. But the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. He shall advance against countries and pass through like a flood. ⁴¹ He shall come into the beautiful land, and tens of thousands shall fall victim, but Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites shall escape from his power. ⁴² He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. ⁴³ He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the riches of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians^[o] shall follow in his train. ⁴⁴ But reports from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to bring ruin and complete destruction to many. ⁴⁵ He shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with no one to help him.

The Resurrection of the Dead

12 “At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. ² Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth^[p] shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ³ Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky,^[q] and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. ⁴ But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil^[r] shall increase.”

⁵ Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others appeared, one standing on this bank of the stream and one on the other. ⁶ One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was upstream, “How long shall it be until the end of these wonders?” ⁷ The man clothed in linen, who was upstream, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven. And I heard him swear by the one who lives forever that it would be for a time, two times, and half a time,^[s] and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be accomplished. ⁸ I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” ⁹ He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are to remain secret and sealed until the time of the end. ¹⁰ Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked shall continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. ¹¹ From the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that desolates is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred ninety days. ¹² Happy are those who persevere and attain the thousand three hundred thirty-five days. ¹³ But you, go your way,^[t] and rest; you shall rise for your reward at the end of the days.”

Susanna’s Beauty Attracts Two Elders

13 There was a man living in Babylon whose name was Joakim. ² He married the daughter of Hilkiah, named Susanna, a very beautiful woman and one who feared the Lord. ³ Her parents were righteous, and had trained their daughter according to the law of Moses. ⁴ Joakim was very rich, and had a fine garden adjoining his house; the Jews used to come to him because he was the most honored of them all.

⁵ That year two elders from the people were appointed as judges. Concerning them the Lord had said: “Wickedness came forth from Babylon, from elders who were judges, who were supposed to govern the people.” ⁶ These men were frequently at Joakim’s house, and all who had a case to be tried came to them there.

⁷ When the people left at noon, Susanna would go into her husband’s garden to walk. ⁸ Every day the two elders used to see her, going in and walking about, and they began to lust for her. ⁹ They suppressed their consciences and turned away their eyes from looking to Heaven or remembering their duty to administer justice. ¹⁰ Both were overwhelmed with passion for her, but they did not tell each other of their distress, ¹¹ for they were ashamed to disclose their lustful desire to seduce her. ¹² Day after day they watched eagerly to see her.

¹³ One day they said to each other, “Let us go home, for it is time for lunch.” So they both left and parted from each other. ¹⁴ But turning back, they met again; and when each pressed the other for the reason, they confessed their lust. Then together they arranged for a time when they could find her alone.

The Elders Attempt to Seduce Susanna

¹⁵ Once, while they were watching for an opportune day, she went in as before with only two maids, and wished to bathe in the garden, for it was a hot day. ¹⁶ No one was there except the two elders, who had hidden themselves and were watching her. ¹⁷ She said to her maids, “Bring me olive oil and ointments, and shut the garden doors so that I can bathe.” ¹⁸ They did as she told them: they shut the doors of the garden and went out by the side doors to bring what they had been commanded; they did not see the elders, because they were hiding.

¹⁹ When the maids had gone out, the two elders got up and ran to her. ²⁰ They said, “Look, the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us. We are burning with desire for you; so give your consent, and lie with us. ²¹ If you refuse, we will testify against you that a young man was with you, and this was why you sent your maids away.”

²² Susanna groaned and said, “I am completely trapped. For if I do this, it will mean death for me; if I do not, I cannot escape your hands. ²³ I choose not to do it; I will fall into your hands, rather than sin in the sight of the Lord.”

²⁴ Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and the two elders shouted against her. ²⁵ And one of them ran and opened the garden doors. ²⁶ When the people in the house heard the shouting in the garden, they rushed in at the side door to see what had happened to her. ²⁷ And when the elders told their story, the servants felt very much ashamed, for nothing like this had ever been said about Susanna.

The Elders Testify against Susanna

²⁸ The next day, when the people gathered at the house of her husband Joakim, the two elders came, full of their wicked plot to have Susanna put to death. In the presence of the people they said, ²⁹ “Send for Susanna daughter of Hilkiah, the wife of Joakim.” ³⁰ So they sent for her. And she came with her parents, her children, and all her relatives.

³¹ Now Susanna was a woman of great refinement and beautiful in appearance. ³² As she was veiled, the scoundrels ordered her to be unveiled, so that they might feast their eyes on her beauty. ³³ Those who were with her and all who saw her were weeping.

³⁴ Then the two elders stood up before the people and laid their hands on her head. ³⁵ Through her tears she looked up toward Heaven, for her heart trusted in the Lord. ³⁶ The elders said, “While we were walking in the garden alone, this woman came in with two maids, shut the garden doors, and dismissed the maids. ³⁷ Then a young man, who was hiding there, came to her and lay with her. ³⁸ We were in a corner of the garden, and when we saw this wickedness we ran to them. ³⁹ Although we saw them embracing, we could not hold the man, because he was stronger than we, and he opened the doors and got away. ⁴⁰ We did, however, seize this woman and asked who the young man was, ⁴¹ but she would not tell us. These things we testify.”

Because they were elders of the people and judges, the assembly believed them and condemned her to death.

⁴² Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, “O eternal God, you know what is secret and are aware of all things before they come to be; ⁴³ you know that these men have given false evidence against me. And now I am to die, though I have done none of the wicked things that they have charged against me!”

⁴⁴ The Lord heard her cry. ⁴⁵ Just as she was being led off to execution, God stirred up the holy spirit of a young lad named Daniel, ⁴⁶ and he shouted with a loud voice, “I want no part in shedding this woman’s blood!”

Daniel Rescues Susanna

⁴⁷ All the people turned to him and asked, “What is this you are saying?” ⁴⁸ Taking his stand among them he said, “Are you such fools, O Israelites, as to condemn a daughter of Israel without examination and without learning the facts? ⁴⁹ Return to court, for these men have given false evidence against her.”

⁵⁰ So all the people hurried back. And the rest of the^[u] elders said to him, “Come, sit among us and inform us, for God has given you the standing of an elder.” ⁵¹ Daniel said to them, “Separate them far from each other, and I will examine them.”

⁵² When they were separated from each other, he summoned one of them and said to him, “You old relic of wicked days, your sins have now come home, which you have committed in the past, ⁵³ pronouncing unjust judgments, condemning the innocent and acquitting the guilty, though the Lord said, ‘You shall not put an innocent and righteous person to death.’ ⁵⁴ Now then, if you really saw this woman, tell me this: Under what tree did you see them being intimate with each other?” He answered, “Under a mastic tree.”^{[v] 55} And Daniel said, “Very well! This lie has cost you your head, for the angel of God has received the sentence from God and will immediately cut^[w] you in two.”

⁵⁶ Then, putting him to one side, he ordered them to bring the other. And he said to him, “You offspring of Canaan and not of Judah, beauty has beguiled you and lust has perverted your heart. ⁵⁷ This is how you have been treating the daughters of Israel, and they were intimate with you through fear; but a daughter of Judah would not tolerate your wickedness. ⁵⁸ Now then, tell me: Under what tree did you catch them being intimate with each other?” He answered, “Under an evergreen oak.”^{[x] 59} Daniel said to him, “Very well! This lie has cost you also your head, for the angel of God is waiting with his sword to split^[y] you in two, so as to destroy you both.”

⁶⁰ Then the whole assembly raised a great shout and blessed God, who saves those who hope in him. ⁶¹ And they took action against the two elders, because out of their own mouths Daniel had convicted them of bearing false witness; they did to them as they had wickedly planned to do to their neighbor. ⁶² Acting in accordance with the law of Moses, they put them to death. Thus innocent blood was spared that day.

⁶³ Hilkiah and his wife praised God for their daughter Susanna, and so did her husband Joakim and all her relatives, because she was found innocent of a shameful deed. ⁶⁴ And from that day onward Daniel had a great reputation among the people.

Daniel and the Priests of Bel

14 When King Astyages was laid to rest with his ancestors, Cyrus the Persian succeeded to his kingdom. ² Daniel was a companion of the king, and was the most honored of all his Friends.

³ Now the Babylonians had an idol called Bel, and every day they provided for it twelve bushels of choice flour and forty sheep and six measures^[z] of wine. ⁴ The king revered it and went every day to worship it. But Daniel worshiped his own God.

So the king said to him, “Why do you not worship Bel?” ⁵ He answered, “Because I do not revere idols made with hands, but the living God, who created heaven and earth and has dominion over all living creatures.”

⁶ The king said to him, “Do you not think that Bel is a living god? Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every day?” ⁷ And Daniel laughed, and said, “Do not be deceived, O king, for this thing is only clay inside and bronze outside, and it never ate or drank anything.”

⁸ Then the king was angry and called the priests of Bel^[aa] and said to them, “If you do not tell me who is eating these provisions, you shall die. ⁹ But if you prove that Bel is eating them, Daniel shall die, because he has spoken blasphemy against Bel.” Daniel said to the king, “Let it be done as you have said.”

¹⁰ Now there were seventy priests of Bel, besides their wives and children. So the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel. ¹¹ The priests of Bel said, “See, we are now going outside; you yourself, O king, set out the food and prepare the wine, and shut the door and seal it with your signet. ¹² When you return in the morning, if you do not find that Bel has eaten it all, we will die; otherwise Daniel will, who is telling lies about us.” ¹³ They were unconcerned, for beneath the table they had made a hidden entrance, through which they used to go in regularly and consume the provisions. ¹⁴ After they had gone out, the king set out the food for Bel. Then Daniel ordered his servants to bring ashes, and they scattered them throughout the whole temple in the presence of the king alone. Then they went out, shut the door and sealed it with the king’s signet, and departed. ¹⁵ During the night the priests came as usual, with their wives and children, and they ate and drank everything.

¹⁶ Early in the morning the king rose and came, and Daniel with him. ¹⁷ The king said, “Are the seals unbroken, Daniel?” He answered, “They are unbroken, O king.” ¹⁸ As soon as the doors were opened, the king looked at the table, and shouted in a loud voice, “You are great, O Bel, and in you there is no deceit at all!”

¹⁹ But Daniel laughed and restrained the king from going in. “Look at the floor,” he said, “and notice whose footprints these are.” ²⁰ The king said, “I see the footprints of men and women and children.”

²¹ Then the king was enraged, and he arrested the priests and their wives and children. They showed him the secret doors through which they used to enter to consume what was on the table. ²² Therefore the king put them to death, and gave Bel over to Daniel, who destroyed it and its temple.

Daniel Kills the Dragon

²³ Now in that place^[ab] there was a great dragon, which the Babylonians revered. ²⁴ The king said to Daniel, “You cannot deny that this is a living god; so worship him.” ²⁵ Daniel said, “I worship the Lord my God, for he is the living God. ²⁶ But give me permission, O king, and I will kill the dragon without sword or club.” The king said, “I give you permission.”

²⁷ Then Daniel took pitch, fat, and hair, and boiled them together and made cakes, which he fed to the dragon. The dragon ate them, and burst open. Then Daniel said, “See what you have been worshiping!”

²⁸ When the Babylonians heard about it, they were very indignant and conspired against the king, saying, “The king has become a Jew; he has destroyed Bel, and killed the dragon, and slaughtered the priests.” ²⁹ Going to the king, they said, “Hand Daniel over to us, or else we will kill you and your household.” ³⁰ The king saw that they were pressing him hard, and under compulsion he handed Daniel over to them.

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

³¹ They threw Daniel into the lions’ den, and he was there for six days. ³² There were seven lions in the den, and every day they had been given two human bodies and two sheep; but now they were given nothing, so that they would devour Daniel.

³³ Now the prophet Habakkuk was in Judea; he had made a stew and had broken bread into a bowl, and was going into the field to take it to the reapers. ³⁴ But the angel of the Lord said to Habakkuk, “Take the food that you have to Babylon, to Daniel, in the lions’ den.” ³⁵ Habakkuk said, “Sir, I have never seen Babylon, and I know nothing about the den.” ³⁶ Then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown of his head and carried him by his hair; with the speed of the wind^[ac] he set him down in Babylon, right over the den.

³⁷ Then Habakkuk shouted, “Daniel, Daniel! Take the food that God has sent you.” ³⁸ Daniel said, “You have remembered me, O God, and have not forsaken those who love you.” ³⁹ So Daniel got up and ate. And the angel of God immediately returned Habakkuk to his own place.

⁴⁰ On the seventh day the king came to mourn for Daniel. When he came to the den he looked in, and there sat Daniel! ⁴¹ The king shouted with a loud voice, “You are great, O Lord, the God of Daniel, and there is no other besides you!” ⁴² Then he pulled Daniel^[ad] out, and threw into the den those who had attempted his destruction, and they were instantly eaten before his eyes.