And Daniel was a companion of the king, and honored above all his friends. And they made light of the matter, because they had made a secret entrance, where they entered every day and devoured all.

And the people of Babylon had an idol named Bel, and they spent for him every day twelve measures of fine flour, and forty sheep, and six firkins of wine. Then said Daniel, I worship the Lord my God, for He is the living God. When the people of Babylon heard this, they were exceedingly wroth and gathered together against the king, saying, The king has become a Jew! So he broke Bel to pieces and killed the dragon and slew the priests.

And the king worshipped him, and went every day to bow down to him; but Daniel worshipped his own God. Then the king said, Why dost thou not bow down to Bel? Then said Daniel, O God, Thou hast remembered me, and hast not forsaken them that love Thee. And on the seventh day the king came to mourn for Daniel, and he drew near to the pit and looked, and behold, Daniel sat there.

For he said, I worship not idols made with hands, but the living God, the creator of heaven and earth, who hath dominion over all flesh.

Then said the king unto him, Thinkest thou that Bel is not a living god? Or seest thou not how much he eats and drinks every day?

Then Daniel laughed and said, O king, thou art deceived, for this within is clay and without is brass, and he hath never eaten.

Then the king was wroth and called his priests, and said unto them, If ye tell me not who eats this provision, ye shall die.

And if ye make it appear that Bel eats these things, Daniel shall die, because he hath blasphemed Bel. And they said unto the king, Let him do as thou sayest.

Now the priests of Bel were seventy priests, besides women and children. And the king and Daniel came to the house of Bel.

Then the priests of Bel said, Behold, we go forth; and do thou set the food, and mix the wine, and place it; then shut the door and seal it with thy signet.

And tomorrow, return; and if thou find not that Bel hath eaten all, then we shall die; otherwise, Daniel who hath slandered us shall die.

When they had gone forth, the king set the food for Bel. And Daniel commanded his servants to bring ashes; and they brought them and strewed them throughout the whole temple.

Then they went out and shut the door and sealed it with the king's signet, and departed.

And when it was night, the priests went in as was their custom, they and their wives and their children, and ate and drank all.

And the king rose early in the morning with Daniel.

And he said, Are the seals unbroken, O Daniel? He said, Unbroken, O king.

And when the doors were opened, the king looked at the table and cried with a loud voice, Great art thou, O Bel, and in thee is no deceit!

Then Daniel laughed and restrained the king lest he should enter further, and said, Look at the pavement and know what these footprints are.

Then the king said, I see the footprints of men and women and the children of the priests upon the table.

Then he seized the priests and their wives and their children, and they showed him the secret doors through which they entered and ate what was on the table.

So the king slew them and delivered Bel into the hands of Daniel, who destroyed him and his temple.

And there was in Babylon a great dragon, and the people worshipped him.

Then the king said to Daniel, Wilt thou say of this also that it is brass? Behold, he is alive, he eats and drinks, and thou canst not say that he is not a living god; therefore worship him.

And thou, O king, grant me authority, and I will slay the dragon without sword or staff. And the king said, I have granted it unto thee. So Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and boiled them together, and made cakes, and put them into the dragon's mouth, and the dragon ate them and burst asunder. Then he said, Behold your deities!

And they came to the king and said unto him, Deliver Daniel unto us, or else we will slay thee and thine house.

When the king saw them raging against him, he was constrained and delivered Daniel unto them.

And they cast him into the den of lions, and he was there six days.

And in the den were seven lions, to whom two carcasses and two sheep were given every day; but then nothing was given to them, that they might devour Daniel.

Now Habakkuk the prophet was in the land of Judea, and he had made pottage and broken bread into a bowl, and was going to the field to carry it to the reapers.

Then the angel of the Lord said unto Habakkuk, Carry the meal that thou hast with thee to Babylon, to Daniel, in the den of lions.

Then Habakkuk said, O Lord, I have never seen Babylon, nor do I know the den.

So the angel of the Lord took him by the crown of his head and carried him by the hair of his head, and set him in Babylon at the den, with a swift spirit.

Then Habakkuk cried out, saying, O Daniel, O Daniel, take the meal which God hath sent thee!

And Daniel rose and ate. And the angel of the Lord immediately returned Habakkuk to his own place.

Then he cried with a loud voice and said, Great art Thou, O Lord God of Daniel! There is none other God but Thee. And Daniel brought him forth from the den of lions.

But those who sought his destruction, he cast into the den, and they were devoured immediately before him.

Then the king said, Let all the inhabitants of the earth fear the God of Daniel, for He is the Deliverer, who works signs and wonders in the earth, and it was He who saved Daniel from the den of lions.