Greek Daniel 14:1–42

¹ King Astyages was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus the Persian received his kingdom. (WEB) ² Daniel lived with the king, and was honored above all his friends. (WEB) ³ Now the Babylonians had an idol called Bel, and every day twelve great measures of fine flour, forty sheep, and six firkins of wine were spent on it. (WEB) ⁴ The king honored it and went daily to worship it; but Daniel worshiped his own God. The king said to him, “Why don’t you worship Bel?” (WEB) ⁵ He said, “Because I may not honor idols made with hands, but only the living God, who has created the sky and the earth, and has sovereignty over all flesh.” (WEB) ⁶ Then the king said to him, “Don’t you think that Bel is a living god? Don’t you see how much he eats and drinks every day?” (WEB) ⁷ Then Daniel laughed, and said, “O king, don’t be deceived; for this is just clay inside, and brass outside, and never ate or drank anything.” (WEB) ⁸ So the king was angry, and called for his priests, and said to them, “If you don’t tell me who this is who devours these expenses, you shall die. (WEB) ⁹ But if you can show me that Bel devours them, then Daniel shall die; for he has spoken blasphemy against Bel.” Daniel said to the king, “Let it be according to your word.” (WEB) ¹⁰ Now there were seventy priests of Bel, besides their wives and children. The king went with Daniel into Bel’s temple. (WEB) ¹¹ So Bel’s priests said, “Behold, we will leave; but you, O king, set out the food, and mix the wine and set it out, shut the door securely, and seal it with your own signet. (WEB) ¹² When you come in the morning, if you don’t find that Bel has eaten everything, we will suffer death, or else Daniel, who speaks falsely against us.” (WEB) ¹³ They weren’t concerned, for under the table they had made a secret entrance, by which they entered in continually, and consumed those things. (WEB) ¹⁴ It happened, when they had gone out, the king set the food before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and they scattered them all over the temple in the presence of the king alone. Then they went out, shut the door, sealed it with the king’s signet, and so departed. (WEB) ¹⁵ Now in the night, the priests came with their wives and children, as they usually did, and ate and drank it all. (WEB) ¹⁶ In the morning, the king arose, and Daniel with him. (WEB) ¹⁷ The king said, “Daniel, are the seals whole?” He said, “Yes, O king, they are whole.” (WEB) ¹⁸ And as soon as he had opened the door, the king looked at the table, and cried with a loud voice, “You are great, O Bel, and with you is no deceit at all!” (WEB) ¹⁹ Then Daniel laughed, and held the king that he should not go in, and said, “Behold now the pavement, and mark well whose footsteps these are.” (WEB) ²⁰ The king said,… (WEB)