Bel and the Dragon 1 — ASVBT
1Verse 1And king Astyages was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus the Persian received his kingdom.Verse 2And Daniel lived with the king, and was honored above all his friends.Verse 3Now 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.Verse 4And the king did honor to it, and went daily to worship it: but Daniel worshiped his own God. And the king said unto him, Why dost thou not worship Bel?Verse 5And he said, Because I may not do honor to idols made with hands, but to the living God, who hath created the heaven and the earth, and hath sovereignty over all flesh.Verse 6Then 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?Verse 7Then 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.Verse 8So 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.Verse 9But 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.Verse 10Now the priests of Bel were threescore and ten, beside their wives and children. And the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel.Verse 11So 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;Verse 12and 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.Verse 13And they little regarded it: for under the table they had made a privy entrance, whereby they entered in continually, and consumed those things.Verse 14And 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.Verse 15Now in the night came the priests with their wives and children, as they were wont to do, and did eat and drink up all.Verse 16In the morning betimes the king arose, and Daniel with him.Verse 17And the king said, Daniel, are the seals whole? And he said, Yea, O king, they are whole.Verse 18And 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.Verse 19Then 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.Verse 20And the king said, I see the footsteps of men, women, and children. And then the king was angry,Verse 21and 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.Verse 22Therefore the king slew them, and delivered Bel into Daniel’s power, who overthrew him and his temple.Verse 23And in that same place there was a great dragon, which they of Babylon worshiped.Verse 24And 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.Verse 25Then said Daniel, I will worship the Lord my God: for he is a living God.Verse 26But give me leave, O king, and I shall slay this dragon without sword or staff. The king said, I give thee leave.Verse 27Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and did boil 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.Verse 28When 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.Verse 29So they came to the king, and said, Deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and thy house.Verse 30Now when the king saw that they pressed him sore, being constrained, the king delivered Daniel unto them:Verse 31who cast him into the lion’s den: where he was six days.Verse 32And in the den there were seven lions, and they had given them every day two carcasses, and two sheep: which then were not given to them, to the intent they might devour Daniel.Verse 33Now there was in Judea the prophet Habakkuk, who had made pottage, and had broken bread into a bowl, and was going into the field, to bring it to the reapers.Verse 34But the angel of the Lord said unto Habakkuk, Go carry the dinner that thou hast into Babylon unto Daniel, in the lions’ den.Verse 35And Habakkuk said, Lord, I never saw Babylon; neither do I know where the den is.Verse 36Then 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.Verse 37And Habakkuk cried, saying, O Daniel, Daniel, take the dinner which God hath sent thee.Verse 38And Daniel said, Thou hast remembered me, O God: neither hast thou forsaken them that love thee.Verse 39So Daniel arose, and did eat: and the angel of God set Habakkuk in his own place again immediately.Verse 40Upon the seventh day the king came to bewail Daniel: and when he came to the den, he looked in, and, behold, Daniel was sitting.Verse 41Then cried the king with a loud voice, saying, Great art thou, O Lord, thou God of Daniel, and there is none other beside thee.Verse 42And 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.