30 and she came with her father and mother, her children, and all her kindred. 31 Now Susanna was a very delicate woman, and beautiful to behold. 32 These wicked men commanded her to be unveiled, for she was veiled, that they might be filled with her beauty. 33 Therefore her friends and all who saw her wept. 34 Then the two elders stood up in the midst of the people and laid their hands upon her head. 35 She, weeping, looked up towards heaven; for her heart trusted in the Lord.
36 The elders said, “As we walked in the garden alone, this woman came in with two maids, shut the garden doors, and sent the maids away. 37 Then a young man who was hidden there came to her and lay with her. 38 And we, being in a corner of the garden, saw this wickedness and ran to them. 39 And when we saw them together, we couldn’t hold the man; for he was stronger than we, and opened the doors, and leapt out. 40 But having taken this woman, we asked who the young man was, but she would not tell us. We testify these things.
41 Then the assembly believed them, as those who were elders of the people and judges; so they condemned her to death.
42 Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, “O everlasting God, you know the secrets, and know all things before they happen. 43 You know that they have testified falsely against me. Behold, I must die, even though I never did such things as these men have maliciously invented against me.”
44 The Lord heard her voice. 45 Therefore when she was led away to be put to death, God raised up the holy spirit of a young youth, whose name was Daniel. 46 He cried with a loud voice, “I am clear from the blood of this woman!”
47 Then all the people turned them towards him, and said, “What do these words that you have spoken mean?”
48 So he, standing in the midst of them, said, “Are you all such fools, you sons of Israel, that without examination or knowledge of the truth you have condemned a daughter of Israel? 49 Return again to the place of judgement; for these have testified falsely against her.”
50 Therefore all the people turned again in haste, and the elders said to him, “Come, sit down amongst us, and show it to us, seeing God has given you the honour of an elder.”
51 Then Daniel said to them, “Put them far apart from each another, and I will examine them.” 52 So when they were put apart one from another, he called one of them, and said to him, “O you who have become old in wickedness, now your sins have returned which you have committed before, 53 in pronouncing unjust judgement, condemning the innocent, and letting the guilty go free; although the Lord says, ‘You shall not kill the innocent and righteous.’ 54 Now then, if you saw her, tell me, under which tree did you see them companying together?”
He answered, “Under a mastick tree.”
55 And Daniel said, “You have certainly lied against your own head; for even now the angel of God has received the sentence of God and will cut you in two.” 56 So he put him aside, and commanded to bring the other, and said to him, “O you seed of Canaan, and not of Judah, beauty has deceived you, and lust has perverted your heart. 57 Thus you have dealt with the daughters of Israel, and they for fear were intimate with you; but the daughter of Judah would not tolerate your wickedness. 58 Now therefore tell me, under which tree did you take them being intimate together?”
He answered, “Under an evergreen oak tree.”
59 Then Daniel said to him, “You have also certainly lied against your own head; for the angel of God waits with the sword to cut you in two, that he may destroy you.”
60 With that, all the assembly cried out with a loud voice, and blessed God, who saves those who hope in him. 61 Then they arose against the two elders, for Daniel had convicted them of false testimony out of their own mouth. 62 According to the law of Moses they did to them what they maliciously intended to do to their neighbour. They put them to death, and the innocent blood was saved the same day. 63 Therefore Helkias and his wife praised God for their daughter Susanna, with Joakim her husband, and all the kindred, because there was no dishonesty found in her. 64 And from that day forth, Daniel had a great reputation in the sight of the people.
14
Bel and the Dragon
1 †King Astyages was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus the Persian received his kingdom. 2 Daniel lived with the king, and was honoured above all his friends.
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. 4 The king honoured it and went daily to worship it; but Daniel worshipped his own God. The king said to him, “Why don’t you worship Bel?”
5 He said, “Because I may not honour idols made with hands, but only the living God, who has created the sky and the earth, and has sovereignty over all flesh.”
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?”
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.”
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. 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.”
10 Now there were seventy priests of Bel, besides their wives and children. The king went with Daniel into Bel’s temple. 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. 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.”
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. 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.
15 Now in the night, the priests came with their wives and children, as they usually did, and ate and drank it all. 16 In the morning, the king arose, and Daniel with him. 17 The king said, “Daniel, are the seals whole?”
He said, “Yes, O king, they are whole.”
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!”
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.”
20 The king said, “I see the footsteps of men, women, and children.” Then the king was angry, 21 and took the priests with their wives and children, who showed him the secret doors, where they came in and consumed the things that were on the table. 22 Therefore the king killed them, and delivered Bel into Daniel’s power, who overthrew it and its temple.
23 In that same place there was a great dragon which the people of Babylon worshipped. 24 The king said to Daniel, “Will you also say that this is of brass? Behold, he lives, eats and drinks. You can’t say that he is no living god. Therefore worship him.”
25 Then Daniel said, “I will worship the Lord my God; for he is a living God. 26 But allow me, O king, and I will kill this dragon without sword or staff.”
The king said, “I allow you.”
27 Then Daniel took pitch, fat, and hair, and melted them together, and made lumps of them. He put these in the dragon’s mouth, so the dragon ate and burst apart. Daniel said, “Behold, these are the gods you all worship.”
28 When the people of Babylon heard that, they took great indignation, and conspired against the king, saying, “The king has become a Jew. He has pulled down Bel, slain the dragon, and put the priests to the sword.” 29 So they came to the king, and said, “Deliver Daniel to us, or else we will destroy you and your house.”
30 Now when the king saw that they trapped him, being constrained, the king delivered Daniel to them. 31 They cast him into the lion’s den, where he was six days. 32 There were seven lions in the den, and they had been giving them two carcasses and two sheep every day, which then were not given to them, intending that