Bel and the Dragon
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Daniel and the Priests of Bel
1 When King Astyages was laid to rest with his ancestors, Cyrus the Persian succeeded to his kingdom.(A) 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 of wine.(B) 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?”(C) 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.”(D)
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 has never eaten or drunk anything.”(E)
8 Then the king was angry and called the priests of Bel[a] and said to them, “If you do not tell me who is eating these provisions, you shall die.(F) 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.”(G)
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.(H) 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.(I) 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.(J) 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.”(K) 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.(L) 22 Therefore the king put them to death and gave Bel over to Daniel, who destroyed it and its temple.(M)
Daniel Kills the Dragon
23 Now in that place[b] there was a great dragon[c] that 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 a living God.(N) 26 But give me permission, O king, and I will kill the dragon[d] 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.[e] The dragon[f] 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[g] and slaughtered the priests.”(O) 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.(P) 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.(Q) 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 a gust of wind[h] he set him down in Babylon, right over the den.(R)
37 Then Habakkuk shouted, “Daniel, Daniel! Take the food that God has sent you.”(S) 38 Daniel said, “You have remembered me, O God, and have not abandoned those who love you.”(T) 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!(U) 41 The king shouted with a loud voice, “You are great, O Lord, the God of Daniel, and there is no other besides you!”(V) 42 Then he pulled Daniel[i] out and threw into the den those who had attempted his destruction, and they were instantly eaten before his eyes.(W)
Bel and the Dragon
Common English Bible
Bel’s Secret
1 When King Astyages was buried with his ancestors, Cyrus the Persian took over his kingdom. 2 Daniel was a companion of the king, honored above all Cyrus’ political advisors.[a] 3 Now the Babylonians had an idol named Bel. Each day they supplied it with twelve bushels of fine flour, forty sheep, and sixty gallons[b] of wine. 4 The king honored Bel and worshipped it daily, but Daniel worshipped his own God. So the king said to him, “Why don’t you worship Bel?”
5 He said, “I don’t honor idols made by humans, rather the living God who created heaven and earth and has authority over all living things.”
6 The king said to him, “You believe Bel is a living god, don’t you? Haven’t you seen how much he eats and drinks every day?”
7 Daniel laughed and said, “Don’t be taken in, Your Majesty! This is clay on the inside and brass on the outside. It hasn’t eaten or drunk anything, ever!”
8 Furious, the king called for his priests. He said to them,“If you don’t tell me who eats these provisions, you die! But if you can prove that Bel eats them, Daniel will die for insulting Bel.”
9 Daniel said to the king,“That’s fair enough.”
Now Bel had seventy priests plus their wives and children. 10 The king went with Daniel to Bel’s temple. 11 Bel’s priests said, “We’re going outside now. Your Majesty, you set out the food and mix the wine. Lock the door and seal it with your own seal. Early tomorrow, if you don’t find that Bel has eaten everything, you can kill us. Otherwise, kill Daniel for lying about us!” (12 The priests weren’t worried because they had made a hidden entrance under the table, which they regularly used to enter to eat everything.)
13 When the priests went out, the king set out Bel’s food. 14 But Daniel ordered his servants to bring ashes and sprinkle the whole temple, with only the king watching. Then everyone went out, locked the door, sealed it with the king’s seal, and left.
15 The priests came that night, as usual, with their wives and children, and ate and drank everything. 16 The king and Daniel got up very early the next morning. 17 The king said,“Are the seals unbroken, Daniel?”
He answered,“Unbroken, Your Majesty.”
18 As soon as the doors were opened, the king looked at the table and yelled,“You are great, Bel! There’s nothing fake about you!”
19 But Daniel laughed and held the king back from going in. He said,“Look at the floor. Whose tracks are these?”
20 The king said,“I see the footprints of men, women, and children!” 21 Then the king became angry. He arrested the priests, their wives, and children. They showed him the hidden doors through which they regularly entered to eat what was on the table. 22 The king killed them and handed Bel over to Daniel, who tore it and its temple down.
A living god?
23 Now there was a big snake that the Babylonians worshipped. 24 The king said to Daniel,“You can’t say that this one isn’t a living god. So worship it!”
25 Daniel said,“I will keep worshipping the Lord my God, because he is a living God. But, Your Majesty, just give me permission, and I’ll kill the snake without using a sword or stick!”
26 The king said,“I give you permission.”
27 Then Daniel took tar and cooking grease and hair. He boiled them down, made patties, and put them into the snake’s mouth. The snake swallowed them and burst open. Daniel said,“Look at what you have been worshipping!”
Daniel in the lions’ pit
28 When the Babylonians heard what happened, they were very angry. They came together as a mob and started toward the king, saying,“The king has become a Jew! He’s torn down Bel, killed the snake, and murdered the priests!” 29 When they reached the king, they said,“Hand Daniel over to us! If you don’t, we’ll kill you and your family!”
30 The king saw that he was in a bind and was forced to hand Daniel over to them. 31 They threw Daniel into a pit of lions. He was there six days. 32 There were seven lions in the pit. Usually they were fed two bodies and two sheep daily, but now they were fed nothing so that they would devour Daniel.
33 At the same time, the prophet Habakkuk was in Judah. He had boiled a stew, put some bread in a bowl, and was carrying it to the people harvesting the field. 34 But the Lord’s angel said to Habakkuk,“Take this lunch to Babylon, to Daniel in the lions’ pit.”
35 Habakkuk said,“Lord, I’ve never seen Babylon, and I’m not familiar with that pit.” 36 So the Lord’s angel lifted Habakkuk by his hair and brought him in a rush of wind[c] to Babylon, right above the pit. 37 Habakkuk yelled,“Daniel! Daniel! Take the lunch that God has sent to you!”
38 Daniel said,“God, you remembered me! You don’t abandon the people who love you.” 39 Daniel got up and ate, while God’s angel took Habakkuk instantly back to his own place.
40 On the seventh day the king came to the pit to grieve for Daniel. He looked in, and there was Daniel, sitting there! 41 Then the king shouted out loud, “You are great, Lord, Daniel’s God! There’s no other but you!” 42 He pulled Daniel out. But he threw the ones who had planned Daniel’s destruction into the pit, and they were eaten instantly, right in front of him.
Footnotes
- Bel and the Dragon 1:2 Or Friends
- Bel and the Dragon 1:3 Gk metretai, a liquid measure of approximately ten gallons
- Bel and the Dragon 1:36 Or in the rush of his spirit
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible