| 1 καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀστυάγης προσετέθη πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας αὐτοῦ καὶ παρέλαβεν Κῦρος ὁ Πέρσης τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ 2 καὶ ἦν Δανιηλ συμβιωτὴς τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἔνδοξος ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς φίλους αὐτοῦ 3 καὶ ἦν εἴδωλον τοῖς Βαβυλωνίοις ᾧ ὄνομα Βηλ καὶ ἐδαπανῶντο εἰς αὐτὸν ἑκάστης ἡμέρας σεμιδάλεως ἀρτάβαι δώδεκα καὶ πρόβατα τεσσαράκοντα καὶ οἴνου μετρηταὶ ἕξ 4 καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐσέβετο αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπορεύετο κα{Q'} ἑκάστην ἡμέραν προσκυνεῖν αὐτῷ Δανιηλ δὲ προσεκύνει τῷ θεῷ αὐτοῦ 5 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεύς διὰ τί οὐ προσκυνεῖς τῷ Βηλ ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ὅτι οὐ σέβομαι εἴδωλα χειροποίητα ἀλλὰ τὸν ζῶντα θεὸν τὸν κτίσαντα τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ ἔχοντα πάσης σαρκὸς κυριείαν 6 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεύς οὐ δοκεῖ σοι Βηλ εἶναι ζῶν θεός ἦ οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅσα ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει κα{Q'} ἑκάστην ἡμέραν 7 καὶ εἶπεν Δανιηλ γελάσας μὴ πλανῶ βασιλεῦ οὗτος γὰρ ἔσωθεν μέν ἐστι πηλὸς ἔξωθεν δὲ χαλκὸς καὶ οὐ βέβρωκεν οὐδὲ πέπωκεν πώποτε 8 καὶ θυμωθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκάλεσεν τοὺς ἱερεῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἐὰν μὴ εἴπητέ μοι τίς ὁ κατέσθων τὴν δαπάνην ταύτην ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐὰν δὲ δείξητε ὅτι Βηλ κατεσθίει αὐτά ἀποθανεῖται Δανιηλ ὅτι ἐβλασφήμησεν εἰς τὸν Βηλ |
1 Of this king, Daniel was the courtier, and valued above all his other friends. 2 A great idol there was, that the men of Babylon worshipped; Bel was the name of it, and day by day it must be fed with thirty-two bushels of fine flour, and forty sheep, and of wine thirty-six gallons. 3 The king himself honoured it with the rest, and no day passed but he went to pay it reverence. A time came when he asked Daniel, that worshipped no God but his own, why Bel he would not worship; 4 and this answer Daniel made him, that for idols made by men’s hands worship he had none, only for that living God that made heaven and earth, and of all mankind held the sovereignty. 5 What,cried the king, wilt thou have it Bel is not a living god? Hast thou no eyes for the great trencherman he is, day in, day out, of food and drink both? 6 Nay, my lord king, Daniel answered with a smile, give no heed to false tales. Clay he is within, and bronze without; I warrant thee, eat he cannot. 7 Whereupon the king, in high displeasure, summoned Bel’s priests. You shall give account, said he, of yonder revenues, and that on pain of your lives. Who is it has the eating of them? 8 Prove to me it is Bel himself, and Daniel shall die instead, that blasphemed him. As it pleases the king’s grace, said Daniel. |
1 Erat autem Daniel conviva regis, et honoratus super omnes amicos ejus. 2 Erat quoque idolum apud Babylonios nomine Bel: et impendebantur in eo per dies singulos similæ artabæ duodecim, et oves quadraginta, vinique amphoræ sex. 3 Rex quoque colebat eum, et ibat per singulos dies adorare eum: porro Daniel adorabat Deum suum. Dixitque ei rex: Quare non adoras Bel? 4 Qui respondens ait ei: Quia non colo idola manufacta, sed viventem Deum, qui creavit cælum, et terram, et habet potestatem omnis carnis. 5 Et dixit rex ad eum: Non videtur tibi esse Bel vivens deus? an non vides quanta comedat et bibat quotidie? 6 Et ait Daniel arridens: Ne erres, rex: iste enim intrinsecus luteus est, et forinsecus æreus, neque comedit aliquando. 7 Et iratus rex vocavit sacerdotes ejus, et ait eis: Nisi dixeritis mihi quis est qui comedat impensas has, moriemini. 8 Si autem ostenderitis quoniam Bel comedat hæc, morietur Daniel, quia blasphemavit in Bel. Et dixit Daniel regi: Fiat juxta verbum tuum. |