CHAPTER 14

Bel and the Dragon

And king Astyages was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus of Persia received his kingdom.
And Daniel conversed with the king, and was honoured above all his friends.
Now the Babylons had an idol, called Bel, and there were spent upon him every day twelve great measures of fine flour, and forty sheep, and six vessels of wine.
And the king worshipped it and went daily to adore it: but Daniel worshipped his own God. And the king said unto him, Why dost not thou worship Bel?
Who answered and said, Because I may not worship idols made with hands, but the living God, who hath created the heaven and the earth, and hath sovereignty over all flesh.
Then said the king unto him, Thinkest thou not that Bel is a living God? Seest thou not how much he eateth and drinketh every day?
Then Daniel smiled, and said, O king, be not deceived: for this is but clay within, and brass without, and did never eat or drink any thing.
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 expences, ye shall die.
But if ye can certify 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.
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.
So Bel's priests said, Lo, we go out: but thou, O king, set on the meat, and make ready the wine, and shut the door fast and seal it with thine own signet;
And to morrow when thou comest in, if thou findest not that Bel hath eaten up all, we will suffer death: or else Daniel, that speaketh falsely against us.
And they little regarded it: for under the table they had made a privy entrance, whereby they entered in continually, and consumed those things.
So when they were gone forth, the king set meats before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and those they strewed throughout all the temple 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.
Now in the night came the priests with their wives and children, as they were wont to do, and did eat and drinck up all.
In the morning betime the king arose, and Daniel with him.
And the king said, Daniel, are the seals whole? And he said, Yea, O king, they be whole.
And as soon as he had opened the dour, 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.
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.
And the king said, I see the footsteps of men, women, and children. And then the king was angry,

And took the priests with their wives and children, who shewed him the privy doors, where they came in, and consumed such things as were upon the table.
Therefore the king slew them, and delivered Bel into Daniel's power, who destroyed him and his temple.
And in that same place there was a great dragon, which they of Babylon worshipped.
And the king said unto Daniel, Wilt thou also say that this is of brass? lo, he liveth, he eateth and drinketh; thou canst not say that he is no living god: therefore worship him.
Then said Daniel unto the king, I will worship the Lord my God: for he is the living God.
But give me leave, O king, and I shall slay this dragon without sword or staff. The king said, I give thee leave.
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, and so the dragon burst in sunder : and Daniel said, Lo, these are the gods ye worship.
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 destroyed Bel, he hath slain the dragon, and put the priests to death.
So they came to the king, and said, Deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and thine house.
Now when the king saw that they pressed him sore, being constrained, he delivered Daniel unto them:
Who cast him into the lions' den: where he was six days.
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 they might devour Daniel.
Now there was in Jewry a prophet, called Habbacuc, who had made pottage, and had broken bread in a bowl, and was going into the field, for to bring it to the reapers.
But the angel of the Lord said unto Habbacuc, Go, carry the dinner that thou hast into Babylon unto Daniel, who is in the lions' den.
And Habbacuc said, Lord, I never saw Babylon; neither do I know where the den is.
Then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown, and bare him by the hair of his head, and through the vehemency of his spirit set him in Babylon over the den.
And Habbacuc cried, saying, O Daniel, Daniel, take the dinner which God hath sent thee.
And Daniel said, Thou hast remembered me, O God: neither hast thou forsaken them that seek thee and love thee.
39So Daniel arose, and did eat: and the angel of the Lord set Habbacuc in his own place again immediately.
Upon the seventh day the king went to bewail Daniel: and when he came to the den, he looked in, and behold, Daniel was sitting.
Then cried the king with a loud voice, saying, Great art Lord God of Daniel, and there is none other beside thee.
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.

- King James Versiom (KJV)

2 Or, lived with the King.7 Ecclus. 30. 19.23 Some add this title: Of the Dragon.27 Or, Behold what you worship.30 Dan.6.16.32 Or, two slaves.33 Or, sodde.36 Ezek.8.3.37 1 King. 17.4.42 Ier. 37.17

Bel and the Dragon

After King Astyages* was gathered to his ancestors, Cyrus the Persian succeeded to his kingdom. 
Daniel was a companion of the king and was held in higher honor than any of the Friends of the King. 
The Babylonians had an idol called Bel,* and every day they provided for it six bushels of fine flour, forty sheep, and six measures of wine. 
The king revered it and went every day to worship it; but Daniel worshiped only his God. 
When the king asked him, “Why do you not worship Bel?” Daniel replied, “Because I do not revere idols made with hands, but only the living God who made heaven and earth and has dominion over all flesh.” 
Then the king continued, “You do not think Bel is a living god? Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every day?” 
Daniel began to laugh. “Do not be deceived, O king,” he said; “it is only clay inside and bronze outside; it has never eaten or drunk anything.” 
Enraged, the king called his priests and said to them, “Unless you tell me who it is that consumes these provisions, you shall die. But if you can show that Bel consumes them, Daniel shall die for blaspheming Bel.” 
Daniel said to the king, “Let it be as you say!” There were seventy priests of Bel, besides their wives and children. 
10* When the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel, 
the priests of Bel said, “See, we are going to leave. You, O king, set out the food and prepare the wine; then shut the door and seal it with your ring. 
12* If you do not find that Bel has eaten it all when you return in the morning, we are to die; otherwise Daniel shall die for his lies against us.” 
They were not perturbed, because under the table they had made a secret entrance through which they always came in to consume the food. 
After they departed the king set the food before Bel, while Daniel ordered his servants to bring some ashes, which they scattered through the whole temple; the king alone was present. Then they went outside, sealed the closed door with the king’s ring, and departed. 
15* The priests entered that night as usual, with their wives and children, and they ate and drank everything.
Early the next morning, the king came with Daniel. 
“Are the seals unbroken, Daniel?” he asked. And Daniel answered, “They are unbroken, O king.” 
As soon as he had opened the door, the king looked at the table and cried aloud, “You are great, O Bel; there is no deceit in you.” 
19* But Daniel laughed and kept the king from entering. He said, “Look at the floor and consider whose footprints these are.” 
“I see the footprints of men, women, and children!” said the king. 

21* In his wrath the king arrested the priests, their wives, and their children. They showed him the secret door by which they used to enter to consume what was on the table. 
The king put them to death, and handed Bel over to Daniel, who destroyed it and its temple.
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 it.” 
But Daniel answered, “I worship the Lord, my God, for he is the living God. 
Give me permission, O king, and I will kill this dragon without sword or club.” “I give you permission,” the king said. 
Then Daniel took some pitch, fat, and hair; these he boiled together and made into cakes. He put them into the mouth of the dragon, and when the dragon ate them, he burst. “This,” he said, “is what you revered.”
When the Babylonians heard this, they were angry and turned against the king. “The king has become a Jew,” they said; “he has destroyed Bel, killed the dragon, and put the priests to death.” 
They went to the king and demanded: “Hand Daniel over to us, or we will kill you and your family.” 
30When he saw himself threatened with violence, the king was forced to hand Daniel over to them. 
31They threw Daniel into a lions’ den,* where he remained six days. 32In the den were seven lions. Two carcasses and two sheep had been given to them daily, but now they were given nothing, so that they would devour Daniel.
The prophet Habakkuk was in Judea. He mixed some bread in a bowl with the stew he had boiled, and was going to bring it to the reapers in the field, 
when an angel of the Lord told him, “Take the meal you have to Daniel in the lions’ den at Babylon.” 
But Habakkuk answered, “Sir, I have never seen Babylon, and I do not know the den!” 
The angel of the Lord seized him by the crown of his head and carried him by the hair;a with the speed of the wind, he set him down in Babylon above the den. 
“Daniel, Daniel,” cried Habakkuk, “take the meal God has sent you.” 
“You have remembered me, O God,” said Daniel; “you have not forsaken those who love you.” 
So Daniel ate, but the angel of God at once brought Habakkuk back to his own place.
On the seventh day the king came to mourn for Daniel. As he came to the den and looked in, there was Daniel, sitting there. 
The king cried aloud, “You are great, O Lord, the God of Daniel, and there is no other besides you!” 
He brought Daniel out, but those who had tried to destroy him he threw into the den, and they were devoured in a moment before his eyes.

- New American Bible Revised Edition (NAB)

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