1. AND Daniel was the kings ghest, and honoured aboue al his freindes.
2. There was also an idol among the Babylonians named Bel: and there were bestowed on him euerie day of floure twelue arctabaes, and fourtie sheepe, and of wine six greate pottes.
3. The king also did worshipe him, and went euery day to adore him: But Daniel adored his God. & the king sayd to him: Why dost thou not adore Bel.
4. Who answering, sayd to him: Because I worshipe not idols made with hand, but the liuing God, that created heauen, and earth, and hath powre ouer al flesh.
5. And the king sayd to him: Doeth not Bel seme vnto thee to be a liuing God? Seest thou not how much he eateth and drinketh euerie day?
6. And Daniel smiling sayd: Be not deceiued o king: For this same is within of clay, and without of brasse, neither hath he eaten at any time.
7. And the king being wrath called his priests, & sayd to them: Vnlesse you tel me, who it is that eateth these expenses, you shal dye.
8. But if you shew, that Bel eateth these things Daniel shal dye, because he hath blasphemed against Bel. And Daniel sayd to the king: Be it done according to thy word.
9. And the priests of Bel were seuentie, beside their wiues, and litle ones, & children. And the king came with Daniel into the temple of Bel.
10. And the priestes of Bel sayd: Behold we goe forth: & thou o king set the meates, & mingle the wine, & shut the doore, & seale it with thy ring:
11. and when thou shalt come in the morning, vnles thou finde al eaten of Bel, dying we wil dye, or Daniel that hath lyed against vs.
12. And they contemned, because they had made vnder the table a secrete entrance, & by it they came in alwayes, and deuoured those thinges.
13. It came to passe therfore after they were gone out, the king set the meates before Bel: & Daniel commanded his seruants, and they brought ashes, and he sifted them ouer al the temple before the king: and going forth they shut the doore, and sealing it with the kings ring, they departed.
14. But the priestes went in by night, according to their custome, and their wiues, and their children: and they did eate, and drinke al.
15. And the king arose in the first breake of day, and Daniel with him.
16. And the king said: Are the seales safe, Daniel? Who answered: Safe o king.
17. And forthwith when he had opened the doore, the king looking on the table, cried out with a lowd voice: Great art thou o Bel, and there is not any deceite with thee.
18. And Daniel laughed: and he held the king that he should not goe in: and he sayd: Behold the pauement, marke whose steppes these are.
19. And the king sayd: I see the steppes of men, & wemen, and of infantes. And the king was angrie.
20. Then apprehended he the priests, & their wiues, & their children: and they shewed him secrete litle doores by which they came in, & consumed the thinges that were on the table.
21. The king therfore slewe them, & he deliuered Bel into the powre of Daniel: who ouerthrewe him, & his temple.
22. And there was a great dragon in that place, & the Babylonians worshipped him.
23. And the king sayd to Daniel: Loe now thou canst not say, that this same is not a liuing god: adore him therfore.
24. And Daniel sayd: The Lord my God I doe adore: because he is the liuing God:
25. but thou o king geue me licence, and I wil kil the dragon without sword and clubbe. And the king sayd: I geue thee licence.
26. Daniel therfore tooke pitch, and fatte, and heares, and sod them together: & he made lumpes, and gaue into the dragons mouth, & the dragon burst in sunder. And he sayd: Loe whom you worshipped.
27. Which when the Babylonians had heard, they were wrath excedingly: and being gathered together against the king, they said: The king is become a Iewe. Bel he hath destroyed, the dragon he hath killed, & he hath slaine the priests.
28. And they sayd when they were come to the king: Deliuer vs Daniel, otherwise we wil kil thee, & thy house.
29. The king therfore saw they they pressed vpon him vehemently: and compelled by necessity he deliuered Daniel to them.
30. Who cast him into the lake of lions, and he was there six dayes.
31. Moreouer in the lake were seuen lions, & there were geuen to them two bodies euerie day, & two sheepe: and they were not geuen vnto them, that they might deuoure Daniel.
32. And there was Habacuc a prophete in Iewrie, & he had boyled broth, & had broken bread in a bowle: and he went into the field, to carie it to the reapers.
33. And the Angel of our Lord sayd to Habacuc: Carie the dinner which thou hast, into Babylon to Daniel, who is in the lake of lions.
34. And Habacuc sayd: Lord, Babylon I haue not sene, and the lake I know not.
35. And the Angel of our Lord tooke him by the toppe of his head, and caried him by the heare of his head, & put him into Babylon ouer the lake in the force of his spirit.
36. And Habacuc cried, saying: Daniel, take the dinner that God hath sent to thee.
37. And Daniel sayd: Thou hast remembred me o God, and hast not forsaken them that loue thee.
38. And Daniel rysing vp did eate. Moreouer the Angel of our Lord restored Habacuc forthwith in his place.
39. The king therfore came the seuenth day to lament Daniel: and he came to the lake, and looked in, and behold Daniel sitting in the middes of the lions.
40. And the king cried out with a lowd voice, saying: Great art thou o Lord the God of Daniel. And he drew him out of the lake of lions.
41. But those that had bene the cause of his perdition, he cast into the lake, and they were deuoured in a moment before him.
42. Then the king sayd: Let al inhabitants in the whole earth feare the God of Daniel: because he is the Sauiour, doing signes, & meruels in the earth: who hath deliuered Daniel out of the lions denne.