Daniel

Chapter 1

1 In the third year of the reign of Joakim, king of Judea, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

2 And the Lord delivered it into his hands, along with Joakim the king of Judea and a portion of the sacred vessels of the Lord, and he carried them off to Babylon and deposited them in his idol temple.

3 And the king told Abiesdri, his chief eunuch, to bring to him, from the sons of the nobles of Israel and from the royal family and from the choice ones,

4 young men without blemish, handsome, and skilled in all wisdom, learned in letters, intelligent, wise, and strong, so that they might be in the king's house, and to teach them the letters and language of the Chaldeans,

5 and that a daily allowance be given them from the king's house and from the royal table and from the wine which the king drinks, and to educate them for three years, and from among them to set some before the king.

6 And there were, from the race of the sons of Israel who were from Judea: Daniel, Ananias, Misael, Azarias.

7 And the chief eunuch gave them names: to Daniel, Baltasar; to Ananias, Sedrach; to Misael, Misach; and to Azarias, Abdenago.

8 And Daniel resolved in his heart that he would not be defiled by the king's dinner and by the wine which he drank, and he begged the chief eunuch that he might not be polluted.

9 And the Lord gave Daniel honor and favor before the chief eunuch.

10 And the chief eunuch said to Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink, lest he see your faces looking downcast and weak compared to the young men of the foreigners being brought up with you, and I risk my own neck."

11 And Daniel said to Abiesdri, who had been appointed chief eunuch over Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and Azarias,

12 "Please test your servants for ten days, and let there be given to us some of the pulse of the land, so that we may eat of it and drink water;

13 and if our appearance seems more downcast than the other young men who eat from the royal dinner, then deal with your servants as you wish."

14 And he dealt with them in this manner and tested them for ten days.

15 And after the ten days their appearance was fair, and their bodily condition better than that of the other young men who ate the royal dinner.

16 And Abiesdri kept taking away their dinner and their wine and gave them pulse instead.

17 And to the young men the Lord gave knowledge and understanding and skill in all the art of letters; and to Daniel he gave understanding in every word and vision and in dreams and in all wisdom.

18 And after these days the king ordered them to be brought in, and they were brought in by the chief eunuch to King Nebuchadnezzar.

19 And the king conversed with them, and among the wise men none was found like Daniel and Ananias and Misael and Azarias; and they remained with the king.

20 And in every matter of speech and understanding and learning that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times wiser than the sophists and philosophers in all his kingdom; and the king honored them and appointed them rulers and declared them wise beyond all his men in affairs throughout all his land and in his kingdom.

21 And Daniel remained until the first year of the reign of Cyrus, king of the Persians.

Chapter 2

1 And in the second year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, it came to pass that the king fell into visions and dreams and was troubled by his dream, and his sleep departed from him.

2 And the king commanded that the enchanters and the magicians and the sorcerers of the Chaldeans be brought in to declare to the king his dreams; and they came and stood before the king.

3 And the king said to them, "I have seen a dream, and my spirit was stirred; therefore I wish to know the dream."

4 And the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Syrian, "O lord king, live forever! Tell your dream to your servants, and we will declare to you its interpretation."

5 But the king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "Unless you report to me the dream truthfully and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be made an example of, and your possessions shall be taken into the royal treasury.

6 But if you explain the dream to me and declare its interpretation, you shall receive gifts of all kinds and be honored by me. Make known to me the dream and interpret it."

7 And they answered a second time, saying, "O king, tell the vision, and your servants will interpret it accordingly."

8 And the king said to them, "In truth I know that you are buying time, since you have seen that the matter has departed from me. Therefore, as I have commanded, so it shall be:

9 unless you report the dream to me truthfully and make known its interpretation, you shall meet with death. For you have conspired together to speak false words before me until the time changes. Now then, if you tell me the matter which I saw in the night, I will know that you can also make known its interpretation."

10 And the Chaldeans answered before the king, "No one on earth will be able to tell the king what he has seen, as you demand, and no king or ruler asks such a thing of any wise man or magician or Chaldean.

11 And the word which you seek, O king, is weighty and lofty, and there is no one who will make these things known to the king, except an angel, whose dwelling is not with any flesh; wherefore it cannot come to pass as you suppose."

12 Then the king, becoming gloomy and very sorrowful, commanded that all the wise men of Babylonia be led out;

13 and it was decreed that all should be killed, and Daniel and all who were with him were sought, that they might perish together with them.

14 Then Daniel spoke the counsel and judgment which he had to Arioch, the chief cook of the king, whom he had commanded to lead out the wise men of Babylonia,

15 and inquired of him, saying, "For what reason is such a bitter decree issued by the king?" Then Arioch made the command known to Daniel.

16 And Daniel went in quickly to the king and asked that time be given him by the king, and he would make everything known before the king.

17 Then Daniel, going to his house, revealed everything to Hananiah and Mishael and Azariah, his companions;

18 and he enjoined fasting and supplication, and to seek help from the Lord Most High concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and those with him might not be given over to destruction together with the wise men of Babylon.

19 Then to Daniel in a vision in that very night the mystery of the king was revealed clearly. Then Daniel blessed the Lord Most High

20 and, crying out, said, "May the name of the great Lord be blessed forever, for wisdom and majesty are his;

21 and he changes seasons and times, removing kings and setting them up, giving wisdom to the wise and understanding to those who have knowledge,

22 uncovering deep and hidden things and knowing what is in the darkness and what is in the light, and with him is rest.

23 To you, Lord of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and prudence, and now you have shown me what I asked, that I might make these things known to the king."

24 Then Daniel, going in to Arioch, who had been appointed by the king to kill all the wise men of Babylonia, said to him, "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylonia, but bring me in to the king, and I will make everything known to the king."

25 Then Arioch in haste brought Daniel in to the king and said to him, "I have found a wise man from the captivity of the sons of Judea, who will make everything known to the king."

26 And the king answered and said to Daniel, who was called in Chaldean Baltasar, "Will you be able to make known to me the vision which I saw, and its interpretation?"

27 And Daniel, crying out before the king, said, "The mystery which the king has seen, its disclosure is not of the wise men and sorcerers and enchanters and soothsayers;

28 but there is a God in heaven who uncovers mysteries, who has made known to King Nabuchodonosor what must come to pass in the last days. O king, live forever! This is the dream and the vision of your head upon your bed.

29 You, O king, lying upon your bed, saw all that must come to pass in the last days, and he who uncovers mysteries has made known to you what must come to pass.

30 And to me this mystery was revealed not because of any wisdom in me beyond all men, but in order that it might be made known to the king; what you conceived in your heart in knowledge was shown to me.

31 And you, O king, looked, and behold, a single image; and that image was exceedingly great, and its appearance, towering, stood before you, and the appearance of the image was terrible.

32 And its head was of fine gold, its breast and arms silver, its belly and thighs bronze,

33 and its legs iron, its feet part iron and part clay.

34 You watched until a stone was cut from a mountain without hands, and it struck the image upon its feet of iron and clay and ground them to powder.

35 Then the iron and the clay and the bronze and the silver and the gold became fine dust all together, and became finer than chaff on a threshing floor, and the wind swept them away so that nothing was left of them; and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and struck the whole earth.

36 This is the vision; and we shall tell the interpretation before the king.

37 You, O king, are king of kings, and to you the Lord of heaven has given the rule and the kingdom and the strength and the honor and the glory;

38 in all the inhabited world, of men and wild beasts and birds of heaven and fish of the sea, he has delivered them into your hands to rule over all: you are the head of gold.

39 And after you shall arise a kingdom inferior to you, and a third kingdom, another, of bronze, which shall rule all the earth.

40 And a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, which subdues all things and cuts down every tree, and the whole earth shall be shaken.

41 And as you saw its feet, part of potter's clay and part of iron, there shall be in it another kingdom, divided in two, just as you saw the iron mixed together with the earthen clay.

42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so part of the kingdom shall be strong and part of it shall be broken.

43 And as you saw the iron mingled with the earthen clay, they shall be mixed together in the offspring of men, but they shall not be of one mind nor well disposed toward one another, just as iron cannot be blended with clay.

44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven shall set up another kingdom, which shall endure forever and shall not be destroyed; and this kingdom shall not permit another nation, but shall strike and destroy those kingdoms, and it shall stand forever,

45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain without hands, and it crushed the clay, the iron, the bronze, the silver, and the gold. The great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass in the last days; and the vision is exact, and its interpretation trustworthy.

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face to the ground and did homage to Daniel, and commanded that sacrifices and libations be offered to him.

47 And the king cried out to Daniel and said, "Truly your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings, who alone reveals hidden mysteries, since you were able to make this mystery known."

48 Then King Nebuchadnezzar magnified Daniel and gave him great and many gifts, and set him over the affairs of Babylonia, and appointed him ruler and chief of all the wise men of Babylonia.

49 And Daniel asked the king that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be set over the affairs of Babylonia; and Daniel was in the royal court.

Chapter 3

1 In the eighteenth year, Nebuchadnezzar the king, ruling cities and lands and all those dwelling upon the earth from India as far as Ethiopia, made a golden image, its height sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits, and he set it up in the plain of the enclosure of the land of Babylonia.

2 And Nebuchadnezzar, king of kings and lord of the whole inhabited world, sent to gather together all the nations and tribes and tongues—satraps, generals, local governors and consuls, administrators and those in authority throughout the land, and all those throughout the inhabited world—to come to the dedication of the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

3 And those written above stood before the image.

4 And the herald proclaimed to the crowds: "It is commanded to you, nations and lands, peoples and tongues:

5 whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, pipe and lyre, sambuca and psaltery, symphony and every kind of music, fall down and worship the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up;

6 and everyone who does not fall down and worship, they will cast him into the burning furnace of fire."

7 And at that time, when all the nations heard the sound of the trumpet and every sound of music, all the nations, tribes, and tongues, falling down, worshiped the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up, in front of it.

8 At that time Chaldean men came forward and accused the Jews,

9 and answering they said: "O lord king, live forever!

10 You, O king, commanded and decreed that every man who hears the sound of the trumpet and every sound of music should fall down and worship the golden image,

11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the burning furnace of fire.

12 Now there are certain Jewish men, whom you appointed over the land of Babylonia; Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, those men did not fear your command, and they did not serve your idol, and they did not worship your golden image which you set up."

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, enraged with anger, commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought; then the men were brought to the king.

14 And when Nebuchadnezzar the king saw them, he said to them: "Why, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, do you not serve my gods and not worship the golden image which I set up?

15 And now, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the trumpet and every sound of music, to fall down and worship the golden image which I set up, well; but if not, know that if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the burning furnace of fire; and what god will deliver you out of my hands?"

16 And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to King Nebuchadnezzar: "O king, we have no need to answer you concerning this command;

17 for there is a God in the heavens, one Lord of ours, whom we fear, who is able to deliver us out of the furnace of fire, and out of your hands, O king, he will deliver us;

18 and then it will be evident to you that we neither serve your idol nor worship your golden image which you set up."

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the form of his face was changed, and he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than it should have been heated;

20 and he ordered the strongest men in the army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the burning furnace of fire.

21 Then those men were bound, having their sandals and their turbans upon their heads, together with their clothing, and were thrown into the furnace.

22 Since the king's command was urgent and the furnace was heated seven times beyond what it was before, the men who had been appointed, having bound them and brought them to the furnace, cast them into it.

23 Now as for the men who had bound those with Azariah, the flame coming out of the furnace burned them up and killed them, but they themselves were preserved.

24 Thus, then, Hananiah and Azariah and Mishael prayed and sang hymns to the Lord, when the king ordered them to be cast into the furnace.

25 And Azariah, standing, prayed thus, and opening his mouth he gave thanks to the Lord together with his companions in the midst of the fire, while the furnace was being intensely stoked by the Chaldeans, and they said:

26 "Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, and praiseworthy and glorified is your name forever,

27 for you are righteous in all that you have done to us, and all your works are true, and your ways are straight, and all your judgments are true,

28 and you have executed judgments of truth in everything that you brought upon us and upon your holy city, the city of our fathers, Jerusalem, because in truth and judgment you did all these things on account of our sins.

29 For we have sinned in everything and acted lawlessly in departing from you, and we have sinned in everything and have not obeyed the commandments of your law,

30 nor have we kept them, nor have we done as you commanded us, so that it might go well with us.

31 And now, everything that you have brought upon us and everything that you have done to us, you have done in true judgment,

32 and you have handed us over into the hands of our lawless enemies and most hateful apostates, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the earth.

33 And now it is not possible for us to open our mouth; shame and reproach have come upon your servants and those who worship you.

34 Do not hand us over utterly, for your name's sake, and do not annul your covenant,

35 and do not withdraw your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, the one loved by you, and for the sake of Isaac your servant and Israel your holy one,

36 as you spoke to them, saying that you would multiply their seed like the stars of heaven and like the sand along the shore of the sea.

37 For, O Master, we have been made smaller than all the nations, and we are humbled in all the earth today because of our sins,

38 and there is at this time no ruler or prophet or leader, no burnt offering or sacrifice or oblation or incense, no place to offer fruit before you and to find mercy;

39 but with a broken soul and a humbled spirit may we be accepted, as with burnt offerings of rams and bulls and as with tens of thousands of fat lambs;

40 so let our sacrifice be before you today, and make atonement behind you, for there is no shame for those who trust in you, and bring it to completion behind you.

41 And now we follow you with a whole heart and fear you and seek your face; do not put us to shame,

42 but deal with us according to your clemency and according to the abundance of your mercy,

43 and deliver us according to your marvelous works, and give glory to your name, O Lord.

44 And may all who display evils against your servants be put to shame, and may they be disgraced from all their dominion, and may their strength be crushed;

45 let them know that you alone are Lord God and glorious over the whole inhabited world."

46 And the servants of the king who cast them in did not cease heating the furnace. And when they had cast the three at once into the furnace, and the furnace was blazing with sevenfold heat, and when they had cast them in, those who cast them in were above them, while others kept feeding the fire from beneath them with naphtha and tow and pitch and brushwood.

47 And the flame poured out above the furnace to forty-nine cubits,

48 and it spread out and burned up those of the Chaldeans whom it found around the furnace.

49 But an angel of the Lord came down into the furnace together with those with Azariah, and shook the flame of the fire out of the furnace,

50 and made the midst of the furnace as if a moist breeze were whistling through, and the fire did not touch them at all, nor grieve nor trouble them.

51 Then the three, as with one mouth, sang hymns and glorified and blessed and exalted God in the furnace, saying:

52 "Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, and praised and exalted forever, and blessed is your glorious holy name, and praised above all and exalted forever.

53 Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, and hymned above all and glorious above all forever.

54 Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, and hymned and exalted forever.

55 Blessed are you, who behold the depths, seated upon the cherubim, and praised and glorified forever.

56 Blessed are you in the firmament, and hymned and glorified forever.

57 Bless the Lord, all works of the Lord; sing hymns to him and exalt him forever.

58 Bless the Lord, you angels of the Lord; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

59 Bless the Lord, you heavens; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

60 Bless the Lord, all you waters above the heaven; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

61 Bless the Lord, all you powers of the Lord; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

62 Bless the Lord, sun and moon; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

63 Bless the Lord, you stars of heaven; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

64 Bless the Lord, every shower and dew; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

65 Bless the Lord, all you winds; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

66 Bless the Lord, fire and heat; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

67 Bless the Lord, frost and cold; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

68 Bless the Lord, dews and snowfalls; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

69 Bless the Lord, ice and cold; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

70 Bless the Lord, hoarfrosts and snows; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

71 Bless the Lord, nights and days; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

72 Bless the Lord, light and darkness; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

73 Bless the Lord, lightnings and clouds; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

74 Let the earth bless the Lord; let it sing hymns and exalt him forever.

75 Bless the Lord, mountains and hills; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

76 Bless the Lord, all things that grow upon the earth; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

77 Bless the Lord, you springs; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

78 Bless the Lord, seas and rivers; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

79 Bless the Lord, you sea monsters and all that move in the waters; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

80 Bless the Lord, all you birds of the heaven; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

81 Bless the Lord, you four-footed beasts and wild animals of the earth; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

82 Bless the Lord, you sons of men; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

83 Bless the Lord, O Israel; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

84 Bless the Lord, you priests; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

85 Bless the Lord, you servants; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

86 Bless the Lord, you spirits and souls of the righteous; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

87 Bless the Lord, you who are holy and humble in heart; sing hymns and exalt him forever.

88 Bless the Lord, Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael; sing hymns and exalt him forever, because he has delivered us from Hades and saved us from the hand of death, and rescued us from the midst of the burning flame, and redeemed us from the fire.

89 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.

90 Bless him, all you who worship the God of gods; sing hymns and give thanks, for his mercy endures forever and unto the ages of ages."

91 And it came to pass, when the king heard them singing hymns, and standing there beheld them alive, then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste and said to his friends:

92 "Behold, I see four men, loosed, walking about in the fire, and no harm at all has come upon them, and the appearance of the fourth is the likeness of an angel of God."

93 And the king, approaching the door of the furnace burning with fire, called them by name: "Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, servants of the God of gods, the Most High, come out of the fire." And so the men came out from the midst of the fire.

94 And the governors, prefects, chief officers, and the friends of the king gathered together and beheld those men, that the fire had not touched their bodies, and their hair had not been singed, and their trousers were not changed, nor was there any smell of fire upon them.

95 And King Nebuchadnezzar answered and said: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, who sent his angel and saved his servants who hoped in him; for they set aside the command of the king and gave up their bodies to burning, so that they might not serve or worship any other god but their own God.

96 And now I decree that every nation and all tribes and all tongues—whoever blasphemes against the Lord, the God of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, shall be dismembered, and his house shall be confiscated, for there is no other god who can deliver in this way."

97 So then the king, having given Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego authority over the whole land, appointed them rulers.

Chapter 4

4 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, he said: I was at peace in my house and prospering upon my throne.

5 I saw a dream, and I was alarmed, and fear fell upon me.

10 I was asleep, and behold, a tall tree growing upon the earth; its appearance was great, and there was no other like it.

11 And its appearance was great; its top drew near to heaven, and its trunk to the clouds, filling the regions beneath heaven; the sun and the moon dwelt in it and gave light to all the earth.

12 Its branches were about thirty stadia in length, and beneath it all the beasts of the earth found shade, and in it the birds of heaven nested; its fruit was abundant and good, and it provided for all living creatures.

13 I was watching in my sleep, and behold, an angel was sent in strength from heaven,

14 and he cried out and said to him: Cut it down and destroy it; for it has been decreed by the Most High to uproot it and render it useless.

15 And thus he said: Leave one root of it in the earth, so that with the beasts of the earth it may graze on grass like an ox in the mountains;

16 and let its body be changed by the dew of heaven, and let it be pastured with them for seven years,

17 until it knows that the Lord of heaven has authority over all things in heaven and on earth, and whatever he wills, he does among them.

17a Before my eyes it was cut down in one day, and its destruction came in one hour of the day, and its branches were given to every wind, and it was dragged away and cast out; and it ate the grass of the earth with the beasts of the earth, and it was handed over to prison and was bound by them with fetters and bronze handcuffs. I marveled greatly at all these things, and my sleep departed from my eyes.

18 And rising in the morning from my bed, I called Daniel, the chief of the wise men and the leader of those who interpret dreams, and I recounted the dream to him, and he showed me its entire interpretation.

19 And Daniel marveled greatly, and apprehension pressed upon him, and being afraid, with trembling seizing him and his countenance changed, he shook his head; and after marveling for a single hour, he answered me in a gentle voice: O king, may this dream come upon those who hate you, and its interpretation upon your enemies.

20 The tree planted in the earth, whose appearance is great, you are it, O king.

21 And all the birds of heaven that nest in it — the strength of the earth and of the nations and of all the tongues to the ends of the earth, and all the lands serve you.

22 And as for that tree being lifted up and drawing near to heaven, and its trunk touching the clouds: you, O king, have been exalted above all the men who are upon the face of all the earth; your heart was lifted up in pride and power against the Holy One and his angels; your works have been seen, in that you laid waste the house of the living God on account of the sins of the sanctified people.

23 And the vision that you saw — that an angel was sent in strength from the Lord, and that he said to remove the tree and cut it down: the judgment of the great God will come upon you,

24 and the Most High and his angels are pursuing you;

25 they will lead you away to prison and will send you to a desolate place.

26 And as for the root of the tree that was left, since it was not uprooted: the place of your throne will be preserved for you until a time and an hour. Behold, they are preparing against you and will scourge you and bring the things decreed upon you.

27 The Lord lives in heaven, and his authority is over all the earth; entreat him concerning your sins, and redeem all your iniquities with acts of mercy, so that clemency may be granted to you and you may be long-lived upon the throne of your kingdom, and he may not destroy you. Cherish these words; for my word is exact, and your time is full.

28 And at the conclusion of the words, Nebuchadnezzar, when he heard the interpretation of the vision, kept the words in his heart.

29 And after twelve months, the king was walking upon the walls of the city with all his glory, and was passing along its towers,

30 and answering he said: This is Babylon the great, which I built, and the house of my kingdom shall be called, by the strength of my power, for the honor of my glory.

31 And at the conclusion of his speech, he heard a voice from heaven: To you it is said, King Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom of Babylon has been taken from you and is being given to another, to a despised man in your house; behold, I am setting him over your kingdom, and he will take over your authority and your glory and your luxury, so that you may know that the God of heaven has authority over the kingdom of men, and to whomever he wills he will give it; and before the rising of the sun another king will make merry in your house and will take possession of your glory and your strength and your authority.

32 And the angels will pursue you for seven years, and you shall not be seen nor speak with any man; they will feed you grass like an ox, and your pasture will be from the green herbage of the earth; behold, instead of your glory they will bind you, and another will possess the house of your luxury and your kingdom.

33 And by morning all things will be accomplished upon you, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and nothing of all these things shall fall short.

33a I, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was bound for seven years; they fed me grass like an ox, and I ate from the green herbage of the earth. And after seven years I gave my soul to supplication, and I made petition concerning my sins before the Lord, the God of heaven, and concerning my ignorances I entreated the great God of gods.

33b And my hair became like the wings of an eagle, my nails like those of a lion; my flesh and my heart were changed; naked I walked about with the beasts of the earth. I saw a dream, and forebodings seized me, and after a time a deep sleep took hold of me and drowsiness fell upon me.

34 And at the completion of the seven years, the time of my redemption came, and my sins and my ignorances were fulfilled before the God of heaven; and I entreated the great God of gods concerning my ignorances, and behold, an angel called me from heaven, saying: Nebuchadnezzar, serve the holy God of heaven and give glory to the Most High; the kingdom of your nation is being restored to you.

36 At that time my kingdom was restored to me, and my glory was given back to me.

37 I make confession to the Most High and I praise him who created heaven and earth and the seas and the rivers and all things in them; I confess and praise, because he is God of gods and Lord of lords and King of kings, because he does signs and wonders and changes seasons and times, removing the kingdom of kings and setting up others in their place.

37a From now on I will serve him, and from fear of him trembling has seized me, and I praise all his holy ones. For the gods of the nations have no power in themselves to turn away the kingdom of a king to another king, or to kill and to make alive, or to perform signs and wonders great and fearful, or to change exceedingly great matters, as the God of heaven has done with me and has changed great matters concerning me. I, all the days of my kingdom, will offer sacrifices for my soul to the Most High for a sweet-smelling savor to the Lord, and I will do what is pleasing before him, I and my people, my nation and my lands that are under my authority. And as many as have spoken against the God of heaven, and as many as are caught saying anything, these I will condemn to death.

37b And king Nebuchadnezzar wrote a circular letter to all the nations in every place, and to the lands and all the tongues that dwell in all the lands, throughout generations and generations: Praise the Lord, the God of heaven, and bring sacrifice and offering to him gloriously. I, king of kings, give thanks to him gloriously, because thus he has done with me: on that very day he set me upon my throne, and I took hold of my authority and my kingdom among my people, and my majesty was restored to me.

37c Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the nations and all the lands and all who dwell in them: may peace be multiplied to you at every season. And now I will show you the deeds which the great God has done with me. It seemed good to me to declare to you and to your wise men that there is a God, and his wonders are great, his kingdom is a kingdom forever, his dominion is from generations to generations. And he sent letters concerning all the things that had happened to him in his kingdom to all the nations that were under his kingdom

Chapter 5

1. King Baltasar made a great banquet for his companions and was drinking wine.

2. And his heart was exalted, and he ordered that the gold and silver vessels of the house of God be brought, which Nabouchodonosor his father had carried away from Jerusalem, and that wine be poured in them for his companions.

3. And they were brought, and they drank from them,

4. and they blessed their handmade idols, but the God of eternity, who has authority over their spirit, they did not bless.

5. In that very hour there came forth fingers as of a human hand, and they wrote upon the wall of his house, on the plaster, opposite the light, before King Baltasar, and he saw a hand writing.

6. And his appearance was changed, and fears and suspicions pressed upon him. So the king hastened and rose up and was looking at that writing, and his companions round about him were boasting.

7. And the king cried out with a loud voice to call the enchanters and sorcerers and Chaldeans and diviners, to declare the interpretation of the writing. And they came in to look upon and see the writing, but they were unable to interpret the meaning of the writing for the king. Then the king issued a decree, saying: Any man who shows the interpretation of the writing, he shall clothe him in purple and place a gold chain about him, and there shall be given to him authority over a third part of the kingdom.

8. And the enchanters and sorcerers and diviners came in, and no one was able to declare the interpretation of the writing.

9. Then the king summoned the queen concerning the sign, and showed her how great it was, and that no man was able to declare to the king the interpretation of the writing.

10. Then the queen made mention to him of Daniel, who was of the captivity of Judea,

11. and she said to the king: The man was learned and wise, surpassing all the wise men of Babylon,

12. and a holy spirit is in him, and in the days of your father the king he showed extraordinary interpretations to Nabouchodonosor your father.

13. Then Daniel was brought in to the king, and the king answered and said to him:

16. O Daniel, can you show me the interpretation of the writing? Then I will clothe you in purple and place a gold chain about you, and you shall have authority over a third part of my kingdom.

17. Then Daniel stood before the writing and read it, and thus he answered the king: This is the writing: It has been numbered; it has been reckoned; it has been taken away. And the hand that wrote stopped. And this is their interpretation.

23. O king, you made a banquet for your friends and drank wine, and the vessels of the house of the living God were brought to you, and you drank from them, you and your nobles, and you praised all the handmade idols of men; but the living God you did not bless—though your spirit is in his hand, and he himself gave you your kingdom—and you did not bless him nor give him praise.

26–28. This is the interpretation of the writing: the time of your kingdom has been numbered; your kingdom is coming to an end; your kingdom has been cut short and brought to completion; it is given to the Medes and the Persians.

29. Then King Baltasar clothed Daniel in purple and placed a gold chain about him, and gave him authority over a third part of his kingdom.

30. And the interpretation came upon King Baltasar, and the kingdom was taken away from the Chaldeans and given to the Medes and the Persians.

Chapter 6

1 And Artaxerxes of the Medes received the kingdom. And Darius was full of days and honored in old age;

2 and he appointed one hundred twenty-seven satraps over all his kingdom,

3 and over them three men to lead them, and Daniel was one of the three men,

4 having authority above all in the kingdom. And Daniel was clothed in purple and was great and honored before Darius the king, inasmuch as he was honored and knowledgeable and understanding, and a holy spirit was in him, and he prospered in the affairs of the king which he conducted. Then the king resolved to appoint Daniel over all his kingdom, along with the two men whom he had appointed with him, and the one hundred twenty-seven satraps.

5 But when the king resolved to appoint Daniel over all his kingdom, then the two young men took counsel and formed a plan among themselves, saying to one another, since they found no sin nor error against Daniel concerning which they might accuse him before the king

6 and they said, "Come, let us establish a decree against ourselves, that no man shall make a petition nor pray a prayer to any god for thirty days, except to Darius the king; otherwise he shall die", in order that they might bring Daniel down before the king and he be thrown into the pit of lions. For they knew that Daniel prayed and made petition to the Lord his God three times a day.

7 Then those men approached and said before the king,

8 "We have established a decree and ordinance, that any man who prays a prayer or makes any petition to any god for thirty days, except to Darius the king, shall be thrown into the pit of lions."

9 And they petitioned the king to establish the decree and not to alter it, because they knew that Daniel prayed and made petition three times a day, so that he might be brought down through the king and be thrown into the pit of lions.

10 And thus King Darius established and ratified it.

11 But Daniel, learning of the decree that he had established against him, opened windows in his upper room facing Jerusalem and fell upon his face three times a day, just as he did before, and made petition.

12 And they watched Daniel and caught him praying three times a day, every day.

13 Then these men appealed to the king and said, "Darius, O king, did you not ordain a decree that no man shall pray a prayer nor make a petition to any god for thirty days, except to you, O king; and otherwise he shall be thrown into the pit of lions?" And the king answered and said to them, "The word is exact, and the decree shall stand."

13a And they said to him, "We adjure you by the ordinances of the Medes and Persians, that you not alter the command nor show partiality, and that you not diminish anything of what has been said, and that you punish the man who did not abide by this decree." And he said, "I will do thus as you say, and this stands fixed for me."

14 And they said, "Behold, we have found Daniel your friend praying and making petition before the face of his God three times a day."

15 And the king, grieving, said that Daniel should be thrown into the pit of lions according to the decree which he had established against him. Then the king was exceedingly grieved over Daniel, and he strove to rescue him from the hands of the satraps until the setting of the sun,

16 and he was not able to rescue him from them.

17 And Darius the king cried out and said to Daniel, "Your God, whom you serve continually three times a day, he himself will rescue you from the hand of the lions; be of good courage until morning."

18 Then Daniel was thrown into the pit of lions, and a stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the pit, and the king sealed it with his own ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel might not be taken up by them, nor the king draw him up out of the pit.

19 Then the king returned to his palace and passed the night fasting, and he was grieving over Daniel. Then the God of Daniel, taking thought for him, shut the mouths of the lions, and they did not trouble Daniel.

20 And King Darius rose early in the morning and took the satraps with him, and going out he stood at the mouth of the pit of lions.

21 Then the king called Daniel with a loud voice, with weeping, saying, "O Daniel, are you then alive, and has your God, whom you serve continually, saved you from the lions, and have they done you no harm?"

22 Then Daniel answered with a loud voice and said, "O king, I am still alive,

23 and God has saved me from the lions, inasmuch as righteousness was found in me before him; and before you also, O king, neither error nor sin was found in me; but you listened to men who lead kings astray, and you threw me into the pit of lions to destruction."

24 Then all the forces gathered and saw Daniel, how the lions had not troubled him.

25 Then those two men who had testified against Daniel, they and their wives and their children, were thrown to the lions, and the lions killed them and crushed their bones.

26 Then Darius wrote to all the nations and lands and tongues, to those dwelling in all his land, saying,

27 "Let all the people who are in my kingdom worship and serve the God of Daniel, for he is the God who abides and lives unto generations of generations, forever.

28 I, Darius, will worship and serve him all my days, for the handmade idols are not able to save, as the God of Daniel redeemed Daniel."

29 And King Darius was gathered to his people, and Daniel was set over the kingdom of Darius; and Cyrus the Persian received his kingdom.

Chapter 7

1 In the first year of the reign of Belshazzar over the land of Babylonia, Daniel saw a vision at his head upon his bed; then Daniel wrote down the vision which he saw in summary of the words.

2 Upon my bed I was watching in a dream of the night, and behold, the four winds of heaven fell upon the great sea.

3 And four beasts were coming up out of the sea, differing one from another.

4 The first was like a lioness having wings like an eagle's; I watched until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted from the earth and set upon human feet, and a human heart was given to it.

5 And behold, after it another beast having the likeness of a bear, and it was set up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth, and thus it said: Arise, devour much flesh.

6 And after these things I watched another beast like a leopard, and four wings stretched out above it, and the beast had four heads, and a tongue was given to it.

7 And after these things I watched in a vision of the night a fourth beast, terrible, and the fear of it surpassing in strength, having great iron teeth, eating and crushing, trampling all around with its feet, behaving differently from all the beasts before it; and it had ten horns,

8 and many designs were in its horns. And behold, another one horn sprang up in the midst of them, small among its horns, and three of the first horns were withered by it; and behold, eyes like human eyes were in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things, and it made war against the holy ones.

9 I watched until thrones were set, and an Ancient of Days sat, having a garment like snow, and the hair of his head like pure white wool; his throne like a flame of fire,

10 and a river of fire went forth before his face; a thousand thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood beside him; and a court sat, and books were opened.

11 I watched then the sound of the great words which the horn was speaking, and the beast was beaten to death, and its body perished and was given to the burning of fire.

12 And those around it he removed from their authority, and a time of life was given to them until a time and a season.

13 I watched in a vision of the night, and behold, upon the clouds of heaven one like a son of man came, and he was present as the Ancient of Days, and those standing by were present with him.

14 And authority was given to him, and all the nations of the earth according to their kinds, and all glory serving him; and his authority is an everlasting authority, which shall never be taken away, and his kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.

15 And I, Daniel, being distressed at these things in the vision of the night,

16 approached one of those standing there and sought the exact truth from him concerning all these things. And answering he speaks to me and made clear to me the interpretation of the words:

17 These great beasts are four kingdoms, which shall perish from the earth;

18 and the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and they shall possess the kingdom unto the age and unto the age of ages.

19 Then I wished to inquire exactly concerning the fourth beast, which was destroying all things and was exceedingly terrible and behold, its teeth were of iron and its claws of bronze, devouring all around and trampling with its feet

20 and concerning its ten horns on its head and the one other that grew up, and three fell before it, and that horn had eyes and a mouth speaking great things, and its appearance surpassed the others.

21 And I observed that horn making war against the holy ones and routing them,

22 until the Ancient of Days came, and he gave judgment to the holy ones of the Most High, and the time was given, and the holy ones took possession of the kingdom.

23 And it was said to me concerning the fourth beast: There shall be a fourth kingdom upon the earth, which shall differ from all the earth and shall overturn it and grind it down.

24 And the ten horns of the kingdom, ten kings shall arise, and the other king shall arise after these, and he shall surpass in evils those before him, and he shall humble three kings.

25 And he shall speak words against the Most High and shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High, and shall undertake to change times and law, and all things shall be delivered into his hands until a time and times and until half a time.

26 And the court shall sit, and they shall destroy his authority, and they shall plot to defile and destroy unto the end.

27 And the kingdom and the authority and their greatness, and the dominion of all the kingdoms under heaven, he gave to the holy people of the Most High, to reign an everlasting kingdom; and all authorities shall be subjected to him and shall obey him.

28 Until the conclusion of the matter, I, Daniel, was greatly gripped by amazement, and my condition changed upon me, and I fixed the word in my heart.

Chapter 8

1 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, a vision, which I, Daniel, saw after I had seen the first one.

2 And I saw in the vision of my dream, while I was in the city of Susa, which is in the land of Elymais, while I was still at the gate Ailam.

3 Looking up, I saw one great ram standing before the gate, and it had horns, and one was higher than the other, and the higher one was rising up.

4 And after this I saw the ram butting toward the east and toward the north and toward the west and the south, and none of the beasts could stand before it, and there was no one to deliver from its hands, and it did as it pleased and was exalted.

5 And I was pondering, and behold, a he-goat of the goats came from the west over the face of the earth and did not touch the ground, and the goat had one horn between its eyes.

6 And it came against the ram that had the horns, which I had seen standing at the gate, and it ran at it in the fury of its wrath.

7 And I saw it drawing near to the ram, and it was enraged against it and struck it and shattered its two horns, and there was no longer strength in the ram to stand before the goat; and it dashed it to the ground and crushed it, and there was no one to deliver the ram from the goat.

8 And the he-goat of the goats grew exceedingly strong, and when it grew strong, its great horn was shattered, and four other horns came up after it toward the four winds of heaven.

9 And from one of them there sprang up one strong horn, and it grew strong and struck toward the south and toward the east and toward the north.

10 And it was exalted up to the stars of heaven, and it was dashed to the earth from the stars, and by them it was trampled,

11 until the commander-in-chief shall deliver the captivity, and because of him the mountains from of old were dashed down, and their place was taken away, and the sacrifice; and he brought it down to the very ground upon the earth, and he prospered and succeeded, and the sanctuary shall be made desolate.

12 And sins came upon the sacrifice, and righteousness was cast down to the ground, and he acted and prospered.

13 And I heard another holy one speaking, and the other said to the certain one who was speaking, "How long shall the vision stand, and the sacrifice that has been taken away, and the sin of desolation that has been given, and the holy places be made desolate for trampling?"

14 And he said to him, "Until evening and morning, two thousand three hundred days, and the sanctuary shall be cleansed."

15 And it came to pass, as I, Daniel, beheld the vision, I sought to understand it, and behold, there stood before me something like the appearance of a man.

16 And I heard a man's voice in the midst of the Ulai, and it called and said, "Gabriel, make that one understand the vision." And crying out, the man said, "The vision concerns that decree."

17 And he came and stood near where I stood, and as he came I was troubled and fell upon my face, and he said to me, "Understand, son of man, for this vision is yet for the hour of the appointed time."

18 And as he spoke with me, I fell asleep with my face to the ground, and touching me he raised me up in my place,

19 and he said to me, "Behold, I declare to you what shall come to pass at the end of the wrath upon the sons of your people; for it yet remains for the hours of the time of the end.

20 The ram which you saw, the one having the horns, is the king of the Medes and Persians.

21 And the he-goat of the goats is the king of the Greeks; and the great horn between its eyes is the first king himself.

22 And the four horns that were shattered and came up after it, four kings of his nation shall arise, but not with his strength.

23 And at the end of their kingdom, when their sins are fulfilled, there shall arise a king impudent of face, devising riddles.

24 And his strength shall be established, yet not by his own strength, and he shall destroy marvelously and shall prosper and act, and he shall destroy mighty ones and the people of the holy ones.

25 And his intent shall be against the holy ones, and falsehood shall prosper in his hands, and his heart shall be exalted, and by deceit he shall destroy many, and he shall stand for the destruction of men, and he shall make a gathering of his hand and shall give it up.

26 The vision of the evening and morning has been found true; and now the vision is sealed up, for it is yet for many days."

27 I, Daniel, having been sick for many days, arose and again attended to the king's business. And I was faint over the vision, and there was no one who understood it.

Chapter 9

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Xerxes, of the Median race, who reigned over the kingdom of the Chaldeans,

2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, considered in the books the number of the years, when the command came to the land, concerning Jeremiah the prophet, to arise for the completion of the reproach of Jerusalem, seventy years.

3 And I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek prayer and mercy with fastings and sackcloth and ashes.

4 And I prayed to the Lord God and made confession and said: Behold, Lord, you are the great and mighty and fearful God, keeping the covenant and mercy for those who love you and keep your commandments.

5 We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted impiously, and we have rebelled and transgressed your commandments and your judgments,

6 and we have not listened to your servants the prophets, in the things they spoke in your name to our kings and our rulers and our fathers, and to every nation upon the earth.

7 To you, Lord, belongs righteousness, and to us shame of face at this day, to the men of Judah and those dwelling in Jerusalem and to all the people of Israel, those near and those far off in all the lands into which you scattered them there, because of the transgression by which they transgressed against you.

8 O Master, to us belongs shame of face, and to our kings and rulers and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.

9 To the Lord belong righteousness and mercy, because we have rebelled from you

10 and have not heeded the voice of the Lord our God, to follow your law, which you gave before Moses and us through your servants the prophets.

11 And all Israel forsook your law and turned away so as not to hear your voice, and the curse came upon us, and the oath written in the law of Moses, servant of God, because we sinned against him.

12 And he established for us his ordinances, all that he spoke against us and against our judges, all that you decreed for us—to bring upon us great evils, such as have not happened under heaven as happened in Jerusalem.

13 According to what is written in the covenant of Moses, all these evils came upon us; and we did not seek the face of the Lord our God, to turn away from our sins and to consider your righteousness, O Lord.

14 And the Lord God watched over the evils and brought them upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all that he does, and we did not heed his voice.

15 And now, O Master, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with your uplifted arm and made for yourself a name to this day—we have sinned, we have gone astray.

16 O Master, according to your righteousness let your wrath and your anger turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; for by our sins and by the ignorances of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people, O Lord, have become a reproach among all those around us.

17 And now hearken, O Master, to the prayer of your servant and to my supplications, and let your face look upon your holy mountain, which is desolate, for the sake of your servants, O Master.

18 Incline, O Lord, your ear and hear me; open your eyes and see our desolation and that of your city, upon which your name has been called; for we do not present our supplications in our prayers before you on account of our righteous deeds, but because of your mercy.

19 O Lord, be merciful. O Lord, hear and act, and do not delay, for your own sake, O Master, because your name has been called upon your city Zion and upon your people Israel.

20 And while I was still speaking, praying and confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel, and making supplication in my prayers before the Lord my God, also on behalf of the holy mountain of our God,

21 and while I was still speaking in my prayer, behold, the man whom I had seen in my dream at the beginning, Gabriel, borne swiftly, drew near to me at the hour of the evening sacrifice.

22 And he came and spoke with me and said: Daniel, I have now come out to show you understanding.

23 At the beginning of your supplication a command went forth from the Lord, and I have come to show you, because you are pitied; so consider the command.

24 Seventy weeks have been decreed upon your people and upon the city Zion, for sin to be brought to completion and iniquities to become scarce, and to blot out the iniquities, and to understand the vision, and for everlasting righteousness to be given, and for the vision to be fulfilled, and to gladden a holy of holies.

25 And you shall know and understand and rejoice, and you shall find commandments to be answered, and you shall build Jerusalem as a city for the Lord.

26 And after seven and seventy and sixty-two, the anointing shall be removed and shall be no more; and a kingdom of nations shall destroy the city and the sanctuary along with the anointed one, and his end shall come with wrath, even until the time of the end; it shall be warred against by war.

27 And the covenant shall prevail over many, and it shall return again and be rebuilt in breadth and length; and at the completion of times, and after seven and seventy times and sixty-two years, until the time of the end of war, the desolation shall be removed when the covenant prevails for many weeks; and at the end of the week the sacrifice and the drink offering shall be taken away, and upon the temple shall be an abomination of desolations until the end, and an end shall be given to the desolation.

Chapter 10

1 In the first year of Cyrus the king of the Persians, a decree was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Baltasar, and the vision and the decree were true, and the mighty multitude will understand the decree, and I understood it in a vision.

2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three weeks;

3 I did not eat desirable bread, and meat and wine did not enter my mouth; I did not anoint myself with oil until I completed the three weeks of days.

4 And it came to pass on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, that I was on the bank of the great river, which is the Tigris,

5 and I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in fine linen, and his loins girded with fine linen, and from his midst was light,

6 and his body was like tharsis, and his face like the appearance of lightning, and his eyes like lamps of fire, and his arms and feet like flashing bronze, and the voice of his speech like the voice of a tumult.

7 And I, Daniel, saw this great vision, and the men who were with me did not see this vision, and a mighty fear fell upon them, and they fled in haste.

8 And I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me, and behold, a spirit turned upon me unto destruction, and I had no strength.

9 And I did not hear the voice of his speech; I had fallen upon my face on the ground.

10 And behold, a hand touched me and raised me up on my knees, on the soles of my feet.

11 And he said to me, "Daniel, you are a man to be pitied; understand the decrees which I speak to you, and stand in your place, for now I have been sent to you." And while he spoke this decree with me, I stood trembling.

12 And he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel; for from the first day on which you set your face to understand and to humble yourself before the Lord your God, your word was heard, and I have come because of your word.

13 And the general of the king of the Persians withstood me twenty-one days, and behold, Michael, one of the chief rulers, came to help me, and I left him there with the general of the king of the Persians.

14 And he said to me, "I have come to show you what will befall your people in the last of the days, for the vision is yet for days."

15 And while he was speaking these decrees with me, I set my face to the ground and was silent.

16 And behold, something like the likeness of a man's hand touched my lips; and I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who stood before me, "Lord, at the sight of you my inward parts turned within me, and there was no strength in me;

17 and how shall your servant be able to speak with his lord? For I have grown weak, and there is no strength in me, and no breath is left in me."

18 And again something like the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me,

19 and said to me, "You are a man to be pitied; do not fear; be well; be manful and strong." And while he spoke with me I was strengthened and said, "Let my lord speak, for he has strengthened me."

20 And he said to me, "Do you know why I have come to you? And now I shall return to fight with the general of the king of the Persians; and as I was going out, behold, the general of the Greeks was coming in.

21 But indeed I will show you what is inscribed first in the writing of truth, and there was no one helping me concerning these things except Michael the angel."

Chapter 11

1 And in the first year of Cyrus the king he told me to be strong and to act courageously.

2 And now I have come to show you the truth. Behold, three kings have arisen in Persia, and the fourth shall grow rich with great riches beyond all; and when he has grown strong in his riches, he shall rise up against every king of the Greeks.

3 And a mighty king shall arise and shall rule a great dominion and shall do as he pleases.

4 And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and shall be divided to the four winds of heaven, not according to his might nor according to his dominion which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be taken away, and he shall teach these things to others.

5 And he shall strengthen the kingdom of Egypt; and one of the princes shall prevail over him and shall rule; his dominion shall be a great dominion.

6 And at the end of years he shall lead them, and the king of Egypt shall enter into the kingdom of the north to make treaties; and he shall by no means prevail, for his arm shall not establish strength, and his arm shall grow numb, and those of the ones going along with him, and he shall remain for a season.

7 And a plant shall arise out of his root by itself, and the king of the north shall come against his power in his strength and shall cause turmoil and shall prevail.

8 And he shall overthrow their gods together with their molten images and their multitudes together with the vessels of their desirable things; the silver and the gold they shall carry off in captivity into Egypt; and there shall be a year for the king of the north.

9 And he shall enter into the kingdom of Egypt for days, and he shall return to his own land

10 with his son. And he shall be provoked and shall gather an assembly of a great multitude and shall enter against it, sweeping through; he shall pass on and shall return and shall be exceedingly enraged.

11 And the king of Egypt shall be angered and shall make war with the king of the north, and the assembly shall be delivered into his hands;

12 and he shall take the assembly, and his heart shall be lifted up, and he shall trouble many and shall not fear.

13 And the king of the north shall return and shall gather an assembly of a city greater than the first, at the end of the season of a year, and he shall enter into it against him with a great multitude and with much wealth.

14 And in those times purposes shall arise against the king of Egypt; and he shall rebuild the fallen things of your nation and shall rise up to establish the prophecy, and they shall stumble.

15 And the king of the north shall come and shall turn his spears and shall take the fortified city, and the arms of the king of Egypt shall stand with his princes, and he shall have no strength to withstand him.

16 And he who comes in against him shall do according to his will, and there shall be no one standing against him; and he shall stand in the land, and everything shall be accomplished by his hands.

17 And he shall set his face to come by force upon all his work, and he shall make treaties with him; and he shall give him a daughter of man in order to corrupt her, but she shall not obey, and it shall not be.

18 And he shall set his face toward the sea and shall take many, and he shall turn back the wrath of their reproach with an oath according to his own reproach.

19 He shall turn his face to prevail over his own land, and he shall stumble and fall and shall not be found.

20 And there shall arise from his root a plant of the kingdom for restoration, a man striking the glory of a king; and in the last days he shall be broken, and not in wrath nor in war.

21 And there shall arise in his place one to be despised, and the glory of a king shall not be given to him; and he shall come suddenly; a king shall prevail by his inheritance.

22 And the arms that were broken he shall break before his face;

23 and along with the covenant and a people arrayed with him he shall work deceit, and against a strong nation with a very small nation.

24 Suddenly he shall lay waste a city and shall do what his fathers did not do, nor the fathers of his fathers; plunder and spoils and wealth he shall give to them, and he shall devise against the strong city, but his reasonings shall come to nothing.

25 And his strength and his heart shall be stirred up against the king of Egypt with a great multitude, and the king of Egypt shall be provoked to war with an exceedingly, very strong multitude; and he shall not stand, for schemes shall be devised against him;

26 and his cares shall consume him and shall turn him away, and he shall pass on and sweep through, and many shall fall wounded.

27 And the two kings alone shall dine together and shall eat at one table and shall speak lies and shall not prosper; for the end is yet for an appointed time.

28 And he shall return to his own land with much wealth, and his heart shall be against the covenant of the holy one; he shall act and shall return to his own land

29 at the appointed time. And he shall enter into Egypt, and it shall not be as the first and the last.

30 And Romans shall come and shall drive him out and shall rebuke him; and he shall return and be angered against the covenant of the holy one; and he shall act and shall return and shall devise against them, because they forsook the covenant of the holy one.

31 And arms from him shall stand and shall defile the sanctuary of fear and shall remove the sacrifice and shall set up an abomination of desolation.

32 And by the sins of the covenant they shall defile with a hard people, and the people who know these things shall be strong and shall act.

33 And those of the nation who understand shall give understanding to many; and they shall stumble by the sword and shall be worn out by it, and by captivity and by plundering of days they shall be stained.

34 And when they are broken, they shall gather a little strength, and many shall gather against them upon a city, and many as in an inheritance.

35 And some of those who understand shall devise so as to purify themselves and to be chosen and to be purified until the time of the end; for there is yet a time for seasons.

36 And the king shall do according to his will, and he shall be enraged and shall be exalted above every god, and against the God of gods he shall speak monstrous things, and he shall prosper until the wrath is completed; for upon him the end comes.

37 And to the gods of his fathers he shall pay no regard, and to the desire of women he shall pay no regard, for he shall be exalted in everything, and strong nations shall be subjected to him.

38 In his place he shall move, and a god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver and precious stone. And with desirable things

39 he shall deal with cities and shall come to a strong fortress; with a foreign god, whomever he acknowledges, he shall increase glory and shall exercise dominion over him greatly and shall parcel out land as a gift.

40 And at the hour of the end the king of Egypt shall contend with him, and the king of the north shall be enraged against him with chariots and with many horses and with many ships, and he shall enter into the land of Egypt

41 and shall come into my land,

42 and in the land of Egypt there shall be no one in it who escapes.

43 And he shall take possession of the place of the gold and the place of the silver and of every desirable thing of Egypt, and Libyans and Ethiopians shall be in his multitude.

44 And a report shall trouble him from the east and the north, and he shall go forth in strong fury and with a sword to destroy and to kill many.

45 And he shall pitch his tent then between the seas and the mountain of the will of the holy one; and the hour of his end shall come, and there shall be no one to help him.

Chapter 12

1 And at that time Michael, the great angel who stands over the sons of your people, shall pass by; that day shall be a day of tribulation, such as has not come to pass since they came into being until that day; and on that day all the people who shall be found written in the book shall be exalted.

2 And many of those who sleep in the breadth of the earth shall arise, some to everlasting life, some to reproach, and some to dispersion and everlasting shame.

3 And those who understand shall shine like the luminaries of heaven, and those who hold fast my words like the stars of heaven forever and ever.

4 And you, Daniel, cover up the commands and seal the book until the time of the end, until the many rage madly and the earth is filled with injustice.

5 And I, Daniel, saw, and behold, two others were standing, one on this side of the river and one on that.

6 And I said to the one clothed in fine linen, who was above: When, then, shall be the end of these wonders which you have told me, and the cleansing of these things?

7 And I heard the one clothed in fine linen, who was above the water of the river, say: Until the time of the end. And he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven and swore by the God who lives forever, that at a time and times and half a time shall be the completion of the release of the hands of the holy people, and all these things shall be accomplished.

8 And I heard, but I did not understand at that very time, and I said: Lord, what is the interpretation of this word, and to what do these parables belong?

9 And he said to me: Run along, Daniel, for the commands are covered up and sealed, until

10 many are tested and sanctified, and the sinners sin; and none of the sinners shall understand, but those who understand shall pay heed.

11 From the time when the perpetual sacrifice is removed and the abomination of desolation is prepared to be set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.

12 Blessed is he who endures and attains to one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.

13 And you, go your way and rest; for there are yet days and hours until the fulfillment of the end, and you shall rest and shall rise to your glory at the end of days.

Chapter 13

6 And lawsuits came to them from other cities.

7-8 These men, seeing a woman elegant in appearance, the wife of their brother from the sons of Israel, named Susanna, daughter of Chelkias, wife of Joakim, walking in her husband's garden in the late afternoon, and lusting after her,

9 perverted their mind and turned away their eyes so as not to look toward heaven nor remember righteous judgments.

10-11 And both were smitten with passion for her, and neither disclosed to the other the evil that possessed them concerning her, nor did the woman know of this matter.

12 And when dawn came, they would come and steal past one another, hurrying to see who would appear to her first and speak with her.

13-14 And behold, she was walking as usual, and one of the elders had come, and behold, the other arrived, and the one questioned the other, saying, "Why did you go out so early in the morning without taking me along?" And they confessed to one another, each his anguish.

19 And one said to the other, "Let us go to her." And having agreed together, they approached her and tried to force her.

22 And the Jewess said to them, "I know that if I do this thing, it is death for me, and if I do not do it, I shall not escape your hands.

23 But it is better for me not to do it and to fall into your hands than to sin before the Lord."

28 But the lawless men turned away, threatening within themselves and lying in wait so that they might put her to death. And they came to the assembly of the city where they dwelt, and all the sons of Israel who were there sat in council.

29 And the two elders and judges rose up and said, "Send for Susanna, daughter of Chelkias, who is the wife of Joakim." And they immediately summoned her.

30 And when the woman arrived with her father and mother, her servants and maidservants, being five hundred in number, also arrived, and the four children of Susanna.

31 Now the woman was very delicate.

32 And the lawless men ordered that she be uncovered, so that they might be filled with desire for her beauty.

33 And all those with her wept, and all who knew her.

34 Then the elders and judges, rising up, laid their hands upon her head.

35 But her heart trusted in the Lord her God, and lifting up her head she wept within herself, saying,

35a "O Lord, the eternal God, who knows all things before they come to be, you know that I have not done what these lawless men wickedly allege against me." And the Lord heard her supplication.

36 And the two elders said, "We were walking in her husband's garden,

37 and as we went around the course we saw this woman lying with a man, and standing still we watched them consorting with one another,

38 and they did not know that we were standing there. Then we agreed with one another, saying, 'Let us find out who these people are.'

39 And approaching, we recognized her, but the young man fled, covered up. 40 But laying hold of this woman, we asked her, 'Who is the man?'

41 And she would not tell us who he was. These things we testify." And the whole assembly believed them, since they were elders and judges of the people.

44-45 And behold, an angel of the Lord, as she was being led out to be destroyed and the angel, as he was commanded, gave a spirit of understanding to Daniel, who was a youth.

48 And Daniel, parting the crowd and standing in their midst, said, "Are you such fools, sons of Israel? Without examining or knowing the plain truth, have you condemned a daughter of Israel?

51 Now then, separate them far from one another for me, so that I may examine them."

52 And when they had been separated, Daniel said to the assembly, "Now do not regard the fact that these are elders, saying, 'They would never lie'; but I shall examine them according to what occurs to me." And he called one of them, and they brought the elder to the youth, and Daniel said to him, "Listen, listen, you who have grown old in evil days: now your sins have come home, which you committed before,

53 when you were entrusted to hear and judge cases carrying the death penalty; and you condemned the innocent while releasing the guilty, though the Lord says, 'The innocent and righteous you shall not kill.'

54 Now then, under what tree, and in what sort of place in the garden, did you see them being together?" And the impious man said, "Under a mastic tree."

55 And the youth said, "Rightly have you lied against your own soul; for the angel of the Lord will split your soul today."

56 And removing this one, he ordered them to bring the other to him; and to this one he said, "Why is your seed perverted, like that of Sidon and not like that of Judah? Beauty deceived you, foul lust.

57 And thus you dealt with the daughters of Israel, and they, in fear, consorted with you; but a daughter of Judah would not endure to bear your disease in lawlessness.

58 Now then, tell me: under what tree, and in what place in the garden, did you catch them consorting with one another?" And he said, "Under a holm oak."

59 And Daniel said, "Sinner, now the angel of the Lord stands holding the sword, until the people destroy you utterly, so that he may saw you in two."

60-62 And the whole assembly shouted over the youth, since out of their own mouths he had established them both as confessed false witnesses; and as the law prescribes, they did to them just as they had wickedly plotted against their sister. And they gagged them and led them out and threw them into a ravine; then the angel of the Lord cast fire through the midst of them. And innocent blood was saved on that day.

63 Therefore the young men are beloved of Jacob in their simplicity. And let us watch over young men that they may be mighty sons; for the young will act piously, and there will be in them a spirit of knowledge and understanding forever and ever.

Chapter 14

1 From the prophecy of Habakkuk, son of Jesus, of the tribe of Levi.

2 There was a certain man, a priest, whose name was Daniel, son of Abal, a companion of the king of Babylon.

3 And there was an idol, Bel, which the Babylonians worshipped; and there were expended on it each day twelve artabas of fine flour and four sheep and six measures of oil.

4 And the king worshipped it, and the king went each day and did obeisance to it; but Daniel prayed to the Lord.

5 And the king said to Daniel, "Why do you not do obeisance to Bel?" And Daniel said to the king, "I worship no one except the Lord God who created heaven and earth and who has dominion over all flesh."

6 And the king said to him, "Is this then not a god? Do you not see how much is spent on him each day?"

7 And Daniel said to him, "By no means; let no one deceive you, for this thing is clay within and bronze without; and I swear to you by the Lord, the God of gods, that this thing has never eaten anything."

8 And the king, being enraged, called those in charge of the temple and said to them, "Show me the one who eats what is prepared for Bel; otherwise you shall die, or else Daniel, who claims that these things are not eaten by him." And they said, "It is Bel himself who devours them."

9 And Daniel said to the king, "Let it be so: if I do not prove that it is not Bel who devours these things, I shall die, and all who are with me." Now Bel had seventy priests, apart from wives and children.

10 And they brought the king to the idol's temple.

11 And the food was set out in the presence of the king and of Daniel, and mixed wine was brought in and set before Bel. And Daniel said, "You yourself see that these things are laid out, O king; do you then seal the keys of the temple when it has been shut."

13 And the word pleased the king.

14 But Daniel ordered those with him, after driving everyone out of the temple, to sift ash over the whole temple, no one outside knowing of it. And then he ordered the temple to be sealed with the king's ring and with the rings of certain distinguished priests; and it was done so.

15-17 And it came to pass on the next day that they came to the place; but the priests of Bel had entered through false doors and had devoured everything set before Bel and had drunk up the wine. And Daniel said, "Look at your seals, whether they remain, gentlemen priests; and you too, O king, consider whether anything has occurred amiss for you." And they found the seal as it had been, and they removed the seal.

18 And opening the doors they saw that everything that had been set out was consumed and the tables empty; and the king rejoiced and said to Daniel, "Great is Bel, and there is no deceit in him."

19 And Daniel laughed heartily and said to the king, "Come, see the deceit of the priests." And Daniel said, "O king, whose are these footprints?"

20 And the king said, "Of men and women and children."

21 And he went to the house in which the priests were dwelling, and found the food of Bel and the wine; and Daniel showed the king the false doors through which the priests would enter and consume what was set before Bel.

22 And the king led them out of the temple of Bel and handed them over to Daniel; and the provision expended on it he gave to Daniel, and Bel he overthrew.

23 And there was a serpent in that same place, and the Babylonians worshipped it.

24 And the king said to Daniel, "Surely you will not say of this one too that it is bronze? Behold, it lives and eats and drinks; do obeisance to it."

25 And Daniel said, "O king, give me the authority, and I will kill the serpent without iron or staff."

26 And the king consented to him and said to him, "It is granted to you."

27 And Daniel took thirty minas of pitch and fat and hair, boiled them together, made a cake, and threw it into the serpent's mouth, and having eaten it, it burst open. And he showed it to the king, saying, "Are these not what you worship, O king?"

28 And all those from the country gathered together against Daniel and said, "The king has become a Jew: he has overthrown Bel and killed the serpent."

30 And when the king saw that the crowd of the country had gathered against him, he called his companions and said, "I give Daniel over to destruction."

31-32 Now there was a pit in which seven lions were kept, to whom those who plotted against the king were handed over, and two bodies of the condemned were supplied to them each day. And the crowds threw Daniel into that pit, so that he might be devoured and not even obtain burial. And Daniel was in the pit six days.

33 And it came to pass on the sixth day that Habakkuk had bread crumbled in a bowl in stew and a jar of mixed wine, and was going to the field to the reapers.

34 And an angel of the Lord spoke to Habakkuk, saying, "Thus says the Lord God to you: Take the meal that you have to Daniel, into the lions' pit in Babylon."

35 And Habakkuk said, "Lord God, I have not seen Babylon, and I do not know where the pit is."

36 And the angel of the Lord, taking hold of Habakkuk by the hair of his head, set him above the pit that is in Babylon.

37 And Habakkuk said to Daniel, "Rise up and eat the meal which the Lord God has sent you."

38 And Daniel said, "For the Lord God has remembered me, he who does not forsake those who love him."

39 And Daniel ate; and the angel of the Lord set Habakkuk back where he had taken him from, on the same day. And the Lord God remembered Daniel.

40 And after these things the king went out mourning for Daniel, and stooping down into the pit he saw him sitting there.

41 And the king cried out and said, "Great is the Lord God, and there is no other besides him."

42 And the king brought Daniel out of the pit; and those responsible for his destruction he threw into the pit in the presence of Daniel, and they were devoured.