The history of Bel, and of the great serpent worshipped by the Babylonians.

 1 And Daniel was the king's guest, and was honoured above all his friends.
Erat autem Daniel conviva regis, et honoratus super omnes amicos ejus.

 2 Now the Babylonians had an idol called Bel: and there were spent upon him every day twelve great measures of fine flour, and forty sheep, and sixty vessels of wine.
Erat quoque idolum apud Babylonios nomine Bel : et impendebantur in eo per dies singulos similae artabae duodecim, et oves quadraginta, vinique amphorae sex.

 3 The king also worshipped him, and went every day to adore him: but Daniel adored his God. And the king said to him: Why dost thou not adore Bel?
Rex quoque colebat eum, et ibat per singulos dies adorare eum : porro Daniel adorabat Deum suum. Dixitque ei rex : Quare non adoras Bel?

 4 And he answered, and said to him: Because I do not worship idols made with hands, but the living God, that created heaven and earth, and hath power over all flesh.
Qui respondens ait ei : Quia non colo idola manufacta, sed viventem Deum, qui creavit caelum, et terram, et habet potestatem omnis carnis.

 5 And the king said to him: Doth not Bel seem to thee to be a living god? Seest thou not how much he eateth and drinketh every day?
Et dixit rex ad eum : Non videtur tibi esse Bel vivens deus? an non vides quanta comedat et bibat quotidie?

 6 Then Daniel smiled and said: O king, be not deceived: for this is but clay within, and brass without, neither hath he eaten at any time.
Et ait Daniel arridens : Ne erres, rex : iste enim intrinsecus luteus est, et forinsecus aereus, neque comedit aliquando.

 7 And the king being angry called for his priests, and said to them: If you tell me not, who it is that eateth up these expenses, you shall die.
Et iratus rex vocavit sacerdotes ejus, et ait eis : Nisi dixeritis mihi quis est qui comedat impensas has, moriemini.

 8 But if you can shew that Bel eateth these things, Daniel shall die, because he hath blasphemed against Bel. And Daniel said to the king: Be it done according to thy word.
Si autem ostenderitis quoniam Bel comedat haec, morietur Daniel, quia blasphemavit in Bel. Et dixit Daniel regi : Fiat juxta verbum tuum.

 9 Now the priests of Bel were seventy, besides their wives, and little ones, and children. And the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel.
Erant autem sacerdotes Bel septuaginta, exceptis uxoribus, et parvulis, et filiis. Et venit rex cum Daniele in templum Bel.

 10 And the priests of Bel said: Behold we go out: and do thou, O king, set on the meats, and make ready the wine, and shut the door fast, and seal it with thy own ring:
Et dixerunt sacerdotes Bel : Ecce nos egredimur foras : et tu, rex, pone escas, et vinum misce, et claude ostium, et signa annulo tuo :

 11 And when thou comest in the morning, if thou findest not that Bel hath eaten up all, we will suffer death, or else Daniel that hath lied against us.
et cum ingressus fueris mane, nisi inveneris omnia comesta a Bel, morte moriemur, vel Daniel qui mentitus est adversum nos.

 12 And they little regarded it, because they had made under the table a secret entrance, and they always came in by it, and consumed those things.
Contemnebant autem, quia fecerant sub mensa absconditum introitum, et per illum ingrediebantur semper, et devorabant ea.

 13 So it came to pass after they were gone out, the king set the meats before Bel: and Daniel commanded his servants, and they brought ashes, and he sifted them all over the temple before the king: and going forth they shut the door, and having sealed it with the king's ring, they departed.
Factum est igitur postquam egressi sunt illi, rex posuit cibos ante Bel : praecepit Daniel pueris suis, et attulerunt cinerem, et cribravit per totum templum coram rege : et egressi clauserunt ostium, et signantes annulo regis abierunt.

 14 But the priests went in by night, according to their custom, with their wives and their children: and they ate and drank up all.
Sacerdotes autem ingressi sunt nocte juxta consuetudinem suam, et uxores et filii eorum, et comederunt omnia, et biberunt.

 15 And the king arose early in the morning, and Daniel with him.
Surrexit autem rex primo diluculo, et Daniel cum eo.

 16 And the king said: Are the seals whole, Daniel? And he answered: They are whole, O king.
Et ait rex : Salvane sunt signacula, Daniel? Qui respondit : Salva, rex.

 17 And as soon as he had opened the door, the king looked upon the table, and cried out with a loud voice: Great art thou, O Bel, and there is not any deceit with thee.
Statimque cum aperuisset ostium, intuitus rex mensam, exclamavit voce magna : Magnus es, Bel, et non est apud te dolus quisquam.

 18 And Daniel laughed: and he held the king that he should not go in: and he said: Behold the pavement, mark whose footsteps these are.
Et risit Daniel, et tenuit regem ne ingrederetur intro : et dixit : Ecce pavimentum : animadverte cujus vestigia sint haec.

 19 And the king said: I see the footsteps of men, and women, and children. And the king was angry.
Et dixit rex : Video vestigia virorum, et mulierum, et infantium. Et iratus est rex.

 20 Then he took the priests, and their wives, and their children: and they shewed him the private doors by which they came in, and consumed the things that were on the table.
Tunc apprehendit sacerdotes, et uxores, et filios eorum : et ostenderunt ei abscondita ostiola, per quae ingrediebantur, et consumebant quae erant super mensam.

 21 The king therefore put them to death, and delivered Bel into the power of Daniel: who destroyed him, and his temple.
Occidit ergo illos rex, et tradidit Bel in potestatem Danielis : qui subvertit eum, et templum ejus.

 22 And there was a great dragon in that place, and the Babylonians worshipped him.
Et erat draco magnus in loco illo, et colebant eum Babylonii.

 23 And the king said to Daniel: Behold thou canst not say now, that this is not a living god: adore him therefore.
Et dixit rex Danieli : Ecce nunc non potes dicere quia iste non sit deus vivens : adora ergo eum.

 24 And Daniel said: I adore the Lord my God: for he is the living God: but that is no living god.
Dixitque Daniel : Dominum Deum meum adoro, quia ipse est Deus vivens : iste autem non est deus vivens.

 25 But give me leave, O king, and I will kill this dragon without sword or club. And the king said: I give thee leave.
Tu autem, rex, da mihi potestatem, et interficiam draconem absque gladio et fuste. Et ait rex : Do tibi.

 26 Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and boiled them together: and he made lumps, and put them into the dragon's mouth, and the dragon burst asunder. And he said: Behold him whom you worshipped.
Tulit ergo Daniel picem, et adipem, et pilos, et coxit pariter : fecitque massas, et dedit in os draconis, et diruptus est draco. Et dixit : Ecce quem colebatis.

 27 And when the Babylonians had heard this, they took great indignation: and being gathered together against the king, they said: The king is become a Jew. He hath destroyed Bel, he hath killed the dragon, and he hath put the priests to death.
Quod cum audissent Babylonii, indignati sunt vehementer : et congregati adversum regem, dixerunt : Judaeus factus est rex : Bel destruxit, draconem interfecit, et sacerdotes occidit.

 28 And they came to the king, and said: Deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and thy house.
Et dixerunt cum venissent ad regem : Trade nobis Danielem, alioquin interficiemus te, et domum tuam.

 29 And the king saw that they pressed upon him violently: and being constrained by necessity he delivered Daniel to them.
Vidit ergo rex quod irruerent in eum vehementer : et necessitate compulsus, tradidit eis Danielem.

 30 And they cast him into the den of lions, and he was there six days.
Qui miserunt eum in lacum leonum, et erat ibi diebus sex.

 31 And in the den there were seven lions, and they had given to them two carcasses every day, and two sheep: but then they were not given unto them, that they might devour Daniel.
Porro in lacu erant leones septem, et dabantur eis duo corpora quotidie, et duae oves : et tunc non data sunt eis, ut devorarent Danielem.

 32 Now there was in Judea a prophet called Habacuc, and he had boiled pottage, and had broken bread in a bowl: and was going into the field, to carry it to the reapers.
Erat autem Habacuc propheta in Judaea, et ipse coxerat pulmentum, et intriverat panes in alveolo : et ibat in campum ut ferret messoribus.

 33 And the angel of the Lord said to Habacuc: Carry the dinner which thou hast into Babylon to Daniel, who is in the lions' den.
Dixitque angelus Domini ad Habacuc : Fer prandium quod habes in Babylonem Danieli, qui est in lacu leonum.

 34 And Habacuc said: Lord, I never saw Babylon, nor do I know the den.
Et dixit Habacuc : Domine, Babylonem non vidi, et lacum nescio.

 35 And the angel of the Lord took him by the top of his head, and carried him by the hair of his head, and set him in Babylon over the den in the force of his spirit.
Et apprehendit eum angelus Domini in vertice ejus, et portavit eum capillo capitis sui, posuitque eum in Babylone supra lacum in impetu spiritus sui.

 36 And Habacuc cried, saying: O Daniel, thou servant of God, take the dinner that God hath sent thee.
Et clamavit Habacuc, dicens : Daniel serve Dei, tolle prandium quod misit tibi Deus.

 37 And Daniel said: Thou hast remembered me, O God, and thou hast not forsaken them that love thee.
Et ait Daniel : Recordatus es mei, Deus, et non dereliquisti diligentes te.

 38 And Daniel arose and ate. And the angel of the Lord presently set Habacuc again in his own place.
Surgensque Daniel comedit. Porro angelus Domini restituit Habacuc confestim in loco suo.

 39 And upon the seventh day the king came to bewail Daniel: and he came to the den, and looked in, and behold Daniel was sitting in the midst of the lions.
Venit ergo rex die septimo ut lugeret Danielem : et venit ad lacum, et introspexit, et ecce Daniel sedens in medio leonum.

 40 And the king cried out with a loud voice, saying: Great art thou, O Lord the God of Daniel. And he drew him out of the lions' den.
Et exclamavit voce magna rex, dicens : Magnus es, Domine Deus Danielis. Et extraxit eum de lacu leonum.

 41 But those that had been the cause of his destruction, he cast into the den, and they were devoured in a moment before him.
Porro illos, qui perditionis ejus causa fuerant, intromisit in lacum, et devorati sunt in momento coram eo.

 42 Then the king said: Let all the inhabitants of the whole earth fear the God of Daniel: for he is the Saviour, working signs, and wonders in the earth: who hath delivered Daniel out of the lions' den.
Tunc rex ait : Paveant omnes habitantes in universa terra Deum Danielis : quia ipse est salvator, faciens signa et mirabilia in terra : qui liberavit Danielem de lacu leonum.