Daniel Chapters

1 | ¹In the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign as king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem. ²The Lord delivered into his hands King Jehoiakim of Judah and some of the vessels from the temple of God as well. He carried these off to the land of Shinar and placed them in the treasure house of his god.

³King Nebuchadnezzar ordered his chief eunuch Ashpenaz to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility: ⁴young men without physical defects, handsome, intelligent and wise; well-informed, quick to learn and understand, and suitable for service in the king’s palace. They were to be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans. ⁵They were allotted a daily portion of food and wine from the king’s table and were trained for three years, after which they were to enter the king’s service.

⁶Among these were young men of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ⁷whose names the chief eunuch changed—Daniel to Belteshazzar, Hananiah to Shadrach, Mishael to Meshach, and Azariah to Abednego.

Daniel Refuses To Eat Unclean Food

•  ⁸Daniel was resolved not to make himself unclean with the king’s food or wine, so he begged the chief eunuch to spare him this defilement. ⁹By the grace of God, the chief eunuch had been sympathetic to Daniel. ¹⁰But he was afraid of the king, so he said, “If the king, who has allotted your food and drink, sees that you look more emaciated than the other young men of your age, he might think ill of me. It will put my life in danger to give in to your wish.”

¹¹Daniel then turned to the steward, the chief eunuch who had put Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in charge. ¹²“Please test your servants for ten days. Give us only vegetables to eat and water to drink, ¹³and see how we look compared to the young men who eat food from the king’s table. Then treat us by what you see.”

¹⁴The steward agreed and tested them for ten days, ¹⁵at the end of which, they looked healthier and better fed than any of the young men who ate the king’s food. ¹⁶The steward continued giving them vegetables instead of choosing food and wine.

¹⁷ God gave these four youths wisdom and proficiency in literature and the gift of interpreting visions and dreams to Daniel.

¹⁸At the end of the period set by the king for the youths’ training, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹The king talked with them and found none to equal Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. These four became members of the king’s court. ²⁰In any matter of wisdom and discernment about which the king consulted, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom. ²¹Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2 | • ¹In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, he had a series of troubling dreams which rendered him sleepless. ²The king summoned magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldean diviners to interpret his dreams. When they arrived and stood in his presence, ³the king said, “I had a terrible dream, and I want to know its meaning.”

⁴The Chaldeans answered in Aramaic, “Live forever, O king! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give it meaning.”

⁵The king replied, “You have to tell me the dream and interpret it, too. That is my decision. If you don’t do it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses razed to the ground. ⁶But if you can tell me the dream and its meaning, I will give you presents and reward you with great honor.”

⁷They insisted, “Let the king tell us his dream, and we will explain it.”

⁸The king said, “You are only trying to gain time, for you know what I will surely do, ⁹that, if you do not tell me my dream, there is only one sentence for you. You have conspired to mislead me with a deceitful interpretation, hoping that times will change. But if you can show me that you know what my dream was, I can be sure that you also have the power to understand its meaning.”

¹⁰The Chaldeans exclaimed, “No one on earth can do what your majesty asks. Never has any king, however great and mighty, asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or diviner. ¹¹What the king demands is too difficult. No one can tell him that except the gods, who do not live among mortals.”

¹²This made the king so furious that he ordered all the wise men of Babylon executed. ¹³Upon issuance of the decree to put the wise men to death, a search was also made for Daniel and his companions to have them killed. ¹⁴Daniel talked prudently with Arioch, the commander of the king’s guards, who had gone out to kill the wise men. ¹⁵“Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Daniel asked, and Arioch explained. ¹⁶Daniel then went to the king and asked for the suspension of the execution to give him time to interpret the dream.

¹⁷Daniel returned home and informed his companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ¹⁸He asked them to implore God’s mercy regarding this mystery so that they would not perish with the rest of Babylon’s wise men. ¹⁹Then, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. He blessed the God of heaven:

²⁰Blessed be God’s name forever and ever,

for his are wisdom and power.

²¹He changes times and seasons;

he sets up and deposes kings.

He gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to the discerning.

²²He reveals things deep and hidden;

he knows what lies in darkness;

for the light dwells with him.

²³I give thanks and praise to you, O God of my ancestors.

You have given me wisdom and power;

you have shown me what we asked for—

you have made known to us the dream of the king.

²⁴After this, Daniel went to Arioch, the commander appointed by the king, to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Do not execute the wise men yet. Bring me to the king, and I will interpret his dreams.” ²⁵At once, Arioch took Daniel to the king and said, “Here is a man found among the Judean captives who says he can interpret the king’s dream.”

²⁶The king asked Daniel, who had been named Belteshazzar, “Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?”

Daniel Interprets the Dream

•  ²⁷Daniel answered, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can interpret the king’s dream. ²⁸But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries and has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. I will tell you about your dreams and visions.

²⁹As you lay in bed, O king, your thoughts turned to the future, and he who reveals mysteries showed you what will happen. ³⁰This mystery has been revealed to me, not because I am wiser than anybody else, but so that you may know what it means and what went on in your mind.

³¹In your vision, you saw a giant, very bright, terrible-looking statue. ³²Its head was of pure gold, its chest, and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, ³³its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. ³⁴As you watched, a rock cut from a mountain, but not by human hands, struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, smashing them. ³⁵All at once, the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold crumbled into pieces as fine as chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind swept them off, and not a trace was left. But the rock that struck the statue became a great mountain that filled the whole earth.

³⁶That was the dream; now, the interpretation. ³⁷You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given dominion, strength, power, and glory, ³⁸and into whose hand he has placed humankind, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, making you ruler over them. You are that head of gold.

³⁹After you, another kingdom inferior to yours will rise. Then, a third kingdom of bronze will rule the whole world. ⁴⁰Last shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, and just as iron breaks and crushes everything else, so will it break and smash all the others. ⁴¹The partly clay and partly iron feet and toes mean that it will be a divided kingdom, yet it will have some of the strength of the iron, just as you saw iron mixed with clay. ⁴²The toes were partly iron and clay, so the kingdom was partly solid and weak. ⁴³Just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, the people will be a mixture but will not remain united any more than iron mixes with clay.

⁴⁴In the time of those kings, the God of heaven set up a kingdom that was never to be destroyed or delivered to other people. It will crush all those kingdoms and put an end to them, and it will endure forever. ⁴⁵This is the meaning of your vision of a rock cut from a mountain not by human hands; the rock which struck the statue and broke into pieces the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God showed the king what would happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation reliable.”

⁴⁶King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and ordered that oblation and incense be offered to him. ⁴⁷The king told Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods, the Master of kings and the Revealer of mysteries. That is why you were able to reveal this mystery.”

⁴⁸The king gave Daniel a high position and showered him with gifts. He made him governor of the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. ⁴⁹At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego administrators of the province of Babylon while Daniel remained at the king’s court.

The Golden Statue

3 | ¹King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden statue, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, erected on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. ²Then he summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial officials to come for the dedication of the statue. ³All those summoned came together for the dedication and stood before the statue set up by King Nebuchadnezzar. ⁴There a herald proclaimed aloud, “Nations and peoples of every language, you are now commanded ⁵to fall and worship the golden statue as soon as you hear the music played on the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all other instruments. ⁶Whoever fails to do this will at once be thrown into a burning furnace.” ⁷At this command, all the peoples of every nation and language who heard the sound of music on the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other instruments fell and worshiped the statue set up by King Nebuchadnezzar.

The Jews: Accused and Condemned

•  ⁸It was then that Chaldean diviners came to the king accusing the Jews. ⁹They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Live forever, O king! ¹⁰You issued a decree that, upon hearing the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, everyone must fall and worship the golden statue, ¹¹and whoever failed to do so was to be thrown into a burning furnace. ¹²There are some Jews, those whom you appointed administrators of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who gave no heed to your order. They would not serve your gods or worship the golden image you set up.”

¹³Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were immediately brought before the king. ¹⁴King Nebuchadnezzar questioned them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden statue I have set up? ¹⁵If you hear now the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other instruments, will you fall down and worship the statue I made? If you won’t, you know the punishment: you will immediately be thrown into a burning furnace. And then what god can deliver you out of my hands?”

¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we need not defend ourselves before you. ¹⁷If you order us to be thrown into the furnace, the God we serve will rescue us. ¹⁸But even if he won’t, we would like you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.”

¹⁹Nebuchadnezzar’s face reddened with fury as he looked at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual ²⁰ He commanded some of his strongest soldiers to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the burning furnace. ²¹At once, they were bound and thrown into the furnace, with their hats, shoes, and garments on, ²²for the king’s order was very urgent. So fierce was the fire in the furnace that it devoured even the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into it. ²³The three, bound fast, fell into the midst of the blazing furnace.

²⁴They walked about in the flames, singing to God and praising the Lord. ²⁵Azariah stood up in the midst of the fire and prayed aloud:

²⁶Blessed and worthy of praise are you,

O Lord God of our fathers!

Your name is glorious forever!

²⁷Justice is in all that you do;

your acts are faultless, your ways are right,

and your judgments are always true.

•  ²⁸You have given a just sentence in bringing evil upon us and Jerusalem, the Holy City of our fathers. You have acted by truth and justice as punishment for our sins.

²⁹For we have sinned and acted perversely by deserting you. We have sinned gravely in everything and have not listened to your commandments. ³⁰We have not observed them or fulfilled everything you commanded us for our good.

³¹All the evils you have brought upon us, all that you have done to us, you have done according to your just sentence.

³²You have given us into the hands of our enemies, lawless people, the worst of the impious, into the hands of an unjust king, the most perverse in all the world.

³³Today, we cannot even open our mouths; shame and humiliation have overcome those who serve and worship you.

³⁴Do not abandon us forever; accept your Covenant for your name’s sake.

³⁵Do not withdraw your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, your friend, of Isaac, your servant, of Israel, your holy one, ³⁶to whom you promised to multiply their race as the stars of heaven and the sand on the sea's shore.

³⁷Lord, see, we have become the least among the nations in all the world, and we are humiliated because of our sins.

³⁸At this time, we no longer have a king, prophet, or leader. We cannot offer you holocausts, sacrifices, offerings, or incense. We have nowhere to present the first fruits of our crops to you, so we are obtaining your favor.

³⁹But when we present ourselves with a contrite soul and humbled spirit, may we be acceptable to you, ⁴⁰more than by offerings of rams and calves as holocausts and of thousands of fat lambs.

May this sacrifice of ours today obtain your favor, for we know that those who trust in you will never be disappointed.

⁴¹And now, we serve you with our whole heart; we fear you, and we seek your face. ⁴²Do not leave us humiliated; treat us according to your kindness and great mercy. ⁴³Free us, keeping with your wonders, and give us the glory of your name, Lord.

⁴⁴Let those who maltreat your servants be confounded; may they be covered with shame and deprived of all their power. Crush their strength, ⁴⁵and let them know that you alone are God and Lord, glorious over all the earth.”

⁴⁶The king’s servants who had thrown them into the furnace did not stop kindling the fire with oil, tar, tow, and vine shoots, ⁴⁷so that the flames rose to about twenty-five meters above the furnace, ⁴⁸and, extending out, burnt the Chaldeans who were standing around.

⁴⁹But the angel of the Lord came down into the furnace beside Azariah and his companions; he drove the flames of the fire outside the furnace and blew upon them, 50 in the middle of the furnace, a coolness, like that of wind and dew, so that the fire did not touch them or cause them pain.

⁵¹Then the three began singing together, glorifying and blessing God within the furnace, and saying:

⁵²“Blessed are you, Lord, God of our fathers, be praised and exalted forever.

Blessed is your holy and glorious name, celebrated and exalted forever.

⁵³Blessed are you in the temple of your sacred glory; your praises are sung forever.

⁵⁴Blessed are you, on the throne of your kingdom; honored and glorified forever.

⁵⁵Blessed are you, who fathom the depths, who are enthroned on the cherubim; praised and exalted forever.

⁵⁶Blessed are you, in the firmament of heaven; praised and glorified forever.

⁵⁷All the works of the Lord, bless him, praise him, exalt him forever.

⁵⁸Angels of the Lord, bless him, praise and glorify him forever.

⁵⁹Heavens, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever.

⁶⁰All the waters above the heavens, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever.

⁶¹All the powers of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever.

⁶²Sun and moon, praise and exalt him forever. ⁶³Stars of heaven, praise and exalt him forever.

⁶⁴Rain and dew, praise and exalt him forever. ⁶⁵All winds, praise and exalt him forever.

⁶⁶Fire and heat, praise and exalt him forever. ⁶⁷ Cold and heat, praise and exalt him forever.

⁶⁸Dew and frost, praise and exalt him forever. ⁶⁹ Ice and cold, praise and exalt him forever.

⁷⁰Frost and snow, praise and exalt him forever. ⁷¹Days and nights, praise and exalt him forever.

⁷²Light and darkness, praise and exalt him forever. ⁷³Lightning and clouds, praise and exalt him forever.

⁷⁴Earth, praise and exalt him forever.

⁷⁵Mountains and hills, praise and exalt him forever.

⁷⁶Everything that sprouts on the earth, praise and exalt him forever.

⁷⁷Springs of water, praise and exalt him forever. ⁷⁸Seas and rivers, praise and exalt him forever.

⁷⁹Whales and fish praise and exalt him forever. ⁸⁰All the birds of heaven praise and exalt him forever. ⁸¹ Animals, wild and tame, praise and exalt him forever.

⁸²All people on earth praise and exalt him forever.

⁸³Israel, praise and exalt him forever.

⁸⁴Priests of the Lord, praise and exalt him forever. ⁸⁵Servants of the Lord, praise and exalt him forever.

⁸⁶Spirits and souls of the just praise and exalt him forever.

⁸⁷Those who are holy and humble of heart praise and exalt him forever.

⁸⁸Ananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him forever.

For he has taken us out from the netherworld, saved us from the hands of death, freed us from the furnace of burning flames, and rescued us from the midst of the fire.

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

⁹⁰All who worship the Lord, bless the God of gods; praise and acknowledge him, for his mercy is everlasting.”

⁹¹Then, King Nebuchadnezzar suddenly rose in amazement and asked his counselors, “Did we not throw three men bound into the fire?” They answered, “Certainly.” ⁹²The king said, “But I can see four men walking about freely through the fire, without suffering any harm, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

⁹³Nebuchadnezzar approached the mouth of the blazing furnace and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here.” So they came out from the midst of the fire.

⁹⁴The king's officials, prefects, governors, and counselors drew near to examine them: the fire had no effect on their bodies, their hair was not singed, their garments were not burned, and they did not even smell of smoke.

⁹⁵Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel to free his servants who, trusting in him, disobeyed the king’s order and preferred to give their bodies to the fire rather than serve and worship any other god but their God.

⁹⁶I give this command, therefore: From every race, nation, and language, anyone who speaks irreverently of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut into pieces, and his house shall be destroyed, for there is no other god who can save like this.”

⁹⁷And the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream and Insanity

⁹⁸Nebuchadnezzar, the king: to all peoples, all nations on the earth, whatever be their language: Peace. ⁹⁹It pleases me to tell you the signs and wonders the Most High God has done in me.

¹⁰⁰How great are his signs,

how mighty his wonders!

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

his dominion lasts for all generations.

4 | ¹I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at peace in my house and content in my palace when I had a dream which appalled me. ²The nightmares I had as I lay in bed and the visions that passed through my mind tormented me. ³So I summoned all the wise men of Babylon that they might explain to me what the dream meant.

⁴The wise men, seers, and astrologers came, and I recounted the dream to them, but they could not explain it to me. ⁵So Daniel came in before me—he was renamed Belteshazzar after the name of my god, for in him dwells the spirit of the holy God. I told him my dream: ⁶Belteshazzar, chief of the wise men, I know that you have the spirit of the holy God and that no mystery is ever difficult. Examine the dream I have had and explain it to me.

⁷These were my dreams as I lay in bed. There was a very tall tree at the center of the world.

⁸The tree grew; it became big and reached heaven, and its branches could be seen from the ends of the earth.

⁹Its leaves were beautiful, its fruits abundant; there was food for all in it. Animals of the field found refuge in its shade, the birds of heaven nested in its branches, and all living things fed on it.

¹⁰I was looking at this interior vision when a watchful, holy one came down from heaven.

¹¹He cried loudly: Cut the tree down; cut off its branches, strip off its leaves, and throw away its fruits. Let the beasts and the birds flee from under it. ¹²But leave in the earth the stump, and the roots, bound with iron and bronze bands, in the grass of the field.

Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him share the grass of the earth with the animals. ¹³Let his heart cease from being human and let a beast’s heart be given him and pass over him seven times.

¹⁴This is the sentence given by the watchful ones, the question settled by the holy ones, so that every living thing may know that the Most High is higher than any human authority. He confers power on whom he pleases and raises the most humble of men.

¹⁵This was the dream I had, I, King Nebuchadnezzar. You, Belteshazzar, explain it to me since not one of the wise men in my kingdom has been able to interpret it for me. But you can, for the spirit of the holy God dwells in you.

¹⁶Then Daniel, renamed Belteshazzar, was stunned for a while and looked very much upset. The king said, “Belteshazzar, what is in that dream or its interpretation that upsets you?” Belteshazzar answered, ¹⁷“My lord, may this dream be meant for your enemies and its content refer to your foes!”

¹⁸The tree you saw grew big and strong, reached heaven, and was visible through all the earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, which had food for all, under which animals of the field found refuge and in whose branches the birds of heaven built their nests—¹⁹this tree is you, O king, whose power has increased, reaching up to heaven; whose empire extends to the ends of the earth.

²⁰Now, regarding what the king has seen: a watchful one, a holy one, who came down from heaven and said: Cut the tree down; destroy it; but leave the stump, and the roots in the ground, with bands of iron and bronze; in the grass of the field, let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and share a lot of the animals of the field until they have passed over him seven times. ²¹Now I shall explain it to you:

This is the decree of the Most High regarding the king, my lord. ²²You shall be driven out from among human society and live with the beasts of the field. You shall eat grass like the oxen and be drenched by the dew of heaven. Seven times shall pass over you until you acknowledge that the Most High is higher than any human authority and that he gives the power to whom he pleases.

²³The order to leave the stump and the roots means that you shall recover your kingdom when you have acknowledged that all power comes from heaven. ²⁴May it please the king to accept my advice: wipe out your sins with works of justice and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; perhaps you may lengthen your prosperity.”

²⁵All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁶Twelve months later, while walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, ²⁷the king said, “Is this not the great Babylon I built with the strength of my power as my royal residence, and for the glory of my majesty?”

²⁸These words were still in the mouth of the king when a voice came down from heaven:

“King Nebuchadnezzar, I speak to you: your empire is finished.

²⁹You shall be driven from among people and live with the animals of the field; you shall eat grass like oxen and seven times shall pass over you until you acknowledge that the Most High disposes of the power among mortals and gives it to whom he pleases.”

³⁰These words were fulfilled at once. Nebuchadnezzar was driven from among humans, fed on grass like oxen, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.

³¹At the end of this time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, so I blessed the Most High:

Blessed and glorified is he who lives forever, whose dominion is everlasting, and whose kingdom lasts through all generations.

³²All the earth's inhabitants are before him as if they were nothing. He does as he pleases with the army of heaven and the earth's inhabitants. No one can stop his hand or ask him to render an account.

³³At that moment, I regained my reason, recovered my throne, and began to govern for the glory of my kingdom. My counselors and noblemen acclaimed me; they restored me to my throne, giving me greater power.

³⁴So now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and glorify the King of heaven. All his works are true, and his ways are just; he knows how to humble those who walk in pride.

The Banquet of Belshazzar

5 | • ¹King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for his nobles; a thousand of them attended, and he drank wine with them. ²Under the influence of wine, he ordered that the gold and silver vessels his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem be brought in, so that he and his nobles, his wives and concubines might drink from them. ³The gold and silver vessels taken from God’s temple were brought in, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and concubines drank from them. ⁴While they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone.

⁵Suddenly, a man’s fingers appeared opposite the lampstand and wrote on the plastered wall of the king’s palace. Watching the hand as it wrote, the king turned pale. ⁶So terrified was he that his knees knocked and his legs gave way.

⁷He shouted, calling for his enchanters and Chaldean diviners. “Whoever reads this writing and tells me its meaning,” said he to the wise men of Babylon, “will be clothed in purple, wear a gold chain around his neck, and be made the third highest ruler in my kingdom.”

⁸All the king’s wise men came, but none could read the writing or tell its meaning. ⁹King Belshazzar became very frightened, and his face grew even paler. His nobles were likewise terrified and confused.

¹⁰Hearing the troubled voices of the king and his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall and said, “Live forever, O king! Do not be alarmed and become pale. ¹¹In your kingdom is a man with the spirit of the holy gods. He was found to have discernment and god-like wisdom during your father’s lifetime. He was appointed chief of the magicians, enchanters, and diviners by your father, King Nebuchadnezzar. ¹²This man, Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, knew how to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”

¹³Daniel was brought in and questioned by the king, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father brought from Judah? ¹⁴I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods, insight, and extraordinary wisdom. ¹⁵Wise men and enchanters were brought here, but none could read this writing and tell its meaning. ¹⁶I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple, wear a gold chain around your neck, and be appointed third in rank in my kingdom.”

¹⁷Daniel replied, “You may keep your gifts or give them to someone else. Just the same, I will read and interpret the writing for you. ¹⁸God the Most High gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and a great kingdom. ¹⁹Because of the greatness God gave him, he was feared by nations and peoples of every language. He had the power of life and death over everyone. He exalted or humbled whomsoever he wished. ²⁰But when he became arrogant and insolent, he was deposed and stripped of his glory. ²¹He became an outcast and as senseless as a beast. He lived with wild asses, ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he acknowledged that God the Most High rules over the human kingdoms and appoints whom he pleases to govern them. ²²But you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself although you knew all this. ²³You have defied the Lord of heaven. You had the vessels from his temple brought to you, and, with your nobles, your wives, and concubines, you drank wine from them. You praised the idols made of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, and stones, which neither see, nor hear, nor understand, but you never glorified God who has power over your life and all your fortunes. ²⁴So he sent the hand that wrote the inscription, ²⁵which read MENE, TEKEL, PERES. And these words mean: ²⁶MENE, God has numbered the days of your reign and put an end to it; ²⁷TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; ²⁸PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.”

²⁹On Belshazzar’s order, Daniel was clothed in purple, given a gold chain to wear around his neck, and proclaimed the third-highest ruler in the kingdom. ³⁰That very night, however, the Chaldean king, Belshazzar, was slain.

6 | ¹Darius the Mede, at the age of sixty-two, took over the kingdom.

Daniel Is Thrown Into the Lion’s Den

²Darius appointed one hundred and twenty satraps throughout the whole kingdom. They were made accountable to three administrators, one of whom was Daniel. This ensured that no loss or harm should come to the king. ³Daniel excelled above all the other administrators and satraps because of his extraordinary spirit, so the king planned to give him authority over the entire kingdom. ⁴This provoked envy among the administrators and satraps, who tried to find grounds for filing charges against Daniel regarding his performance of official duties. But he was so trustworthy that neither corruption nor negligence could be found in him. ⁵Finally, the men decided: “We will never find any grounds for charges against this man Daniel except in something that has to do with the law of his God.”

⁶These administrators and satraps, therefore, went as a group to the king and said to him, “Live forever, O king Darius! ⁷The administrators of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, counselors, and governors agreed that the king should issue and enforce a decree that anyone who prays and makes a petition to any god or man within the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. ⁸And now, O king, put the decree in writing and have it signed at once so that it cannot be altered or annulled, by Medo-Persian laws. ⁹King Darius put in writing and signed the prohibition, thus making it a law.

¹⁰Daniel heard about the new law, but just as usual, he returned home and prayed three times a day, giving thanks to his God in his room upstairs, with the windows opened towards Jerusalem. ¹¹There, the men spying on him found Daniel kneeling in prayer and asking God for help. ¹²So they went to the king and reminded him about the prohibition, “O king, did you not publish a decree that anyone who prays or makes petition to any god or man except you would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “Yes, and the decree stands, by Medo-Persian laws which cannot be altered or annulled.”

¹³Then they said, “But the Jewish exile Daniel pays no attention to you and your decree. He still prays to some god other than you three times daily.”

¹⁴Greatly aggrieved at what he heard, the king decided to help Daniel. He made every effort till sundown to save him.

¹⁵But the men kept coming to him and insisting, “Remember, O king, that under the Medo-Persian laws, every decree or prohibition issued by the king is irrevocable.”

¹⁶The king, therefore, could not help ordering Daniel to be brought and thrown into the lions’ den. The king told Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve faithfully, save you.”

¹⁷A stone was placed at the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his signet ring and that of his nobles so that Daniel’s situation might remain unchanged. ¹⁸The king returned to his palace and spent sleepless nights refusing food and entertainment. ¹⁹Very early next morning, he rose and hurried to the lions’ den. ²⁰As he came near, he called in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, did your God, whom you serve faithfully, save you from the lions?”

²¹Daniel answered, “Live forever, O king! ²²My God sent his angel, who closed the lions’ mouths so they did not hurt me. God did that because I am innocent in his sight. Neither have I wronged you, O king.”

²³The king felt very glad and ordered Daniel released from the lions’ den. No wound was found on him, for he had trusted in his God. ²⁴At the king’s order, the men who had accused Daniel were thrown into the lions’ den, together with their wives and children. No sooner had they reached the den's floor than the lions lunged at them and tore them to pieces.

²⁵King Darius wrote to the nations, to peoples of every language, “Peace to you all! ²⁶I decree that people should reverence and fear the God of Daniel throughout my kingdom.

“For he is the living God,

and forever he endures;

his kingdom will not be crushed,

his dominion will never cease.

²⁷He rescues, and he delivers;

he performs signs and wonders

both in heaven and on earth.

And he came to Daniel’s rescue

saving him from the lions’ tooth and claw.”

²⁸Daniel greatly prospered during the reign of Darius and Cyrus, the Persians.

The Vision of the Four Empires

7 | ¹In the first year of the reign of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions in his mind as he was sleeping. When he woke up, he wrote down the dream. This is how the narrative began:

²Daniel said, “I saw the following in my vision: the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea, ³and four great beasts, each one different from the other, came out of the sea.

⁴The first was like a lion with an eagle’s wings. As I looked at it, its wings were torn off. It was lifted from the ground, stood on its feet like a man, and given a human heart. ⁵The second was a beast like a bear; it was raised on one side and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told: Go and devour much flesh. ⁶I looked and saw another beast like a leopard with four wings on its back; it had four heads, and dominion was given to it.

⁷I continued seeing my visions of the night and saw a terrible fourth beast. It was fearful and extraordinarily strong; it had great iron teeth, ate, tore into pieces, and crushed underfoot whatever remained. It was different from the previous beasts and had ten horns. ⁸I was looking at the horns when another small horn sprang among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots to make way for the new. It had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that uttered insolent words.

The Son of Man

•  ⁹I looked and saw the following:

Some thrones were set in place, and One of Great Age took his seat. His robe was white as snow, and his hair was white as washed wool. His throne was made of flames of fire with wheels of blazing fire. 10 A river of fire sprang forth and flowed before him. Thousands upon thousands served him, and a countless multitude stood before him.

Those in the tribunal took their seats and opened the book. ¹¹But as I remembered the haughty words of the horn with human eyes and mouth, which I had seen before, this animal was killed before my eyes, and its body destroyed and cast into the fire. ¹²Dominion was taken from the other animals, though they were allowed to stay alive until the fixed time.

¹³I continued watching the nocturnal vision:

One like a son of man came on the clouds of heaven. He faced the One of Great Age and was brought into his presence.

¹⁴ He was given Dominion, honor, and kingship, and every language's peoples and nations served him. His dominion is eternal and shall never pass away; his kingdom will never be destroyed.

¹⁵I, Daniel, was deeply troubled since these visions terrified me. ¹⁶I approached one standing there and asked him to tell me what all this meant. He answered me and gave me the interpretation of these things:

¹⁷‘These four beasts are kings who will rise from the earth. ¹⁸But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, to possess it eternally, forever and ever.’

¹⁹Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, different from the others, extraordinarily terrifying, with iron teeth and bronze claws, that ate, tore into pieces, and crushed underfoot whatever remained. ²⁰I also wanted to know about the ten horns it had on its head, and about the other horn which had sprung up, and the three first horns that fell, and about this horn with eyes and a mouth that spoke with arrogance, and that looked greater than the other horns.

²¹As I looked, this horn waged war against the holy ones and was subduing them ²²until the One of Great Age came to do justice for the holy ones of the Most High, and the time came for the holy ones to take possession of the kingdom.

²³Then I was told:

•  ‘The fourth animal shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, different from all the kingdoms. It will devour the earth, crush it, and destroy it.

²⁴The ten horns are ten kings who shall rise from this kingdom. Another one will rise up after them and destroy the three kings.

²⁵This king shall insult the Most High and persecute the holy ones of the Most High. He shall try to change the feasts and the laws. The holy ones shall be handed over to his power for a time, two times, and half a time.

²⁶Judgment will come, and dominion will be taken from him; he shall be destroyed and utterly wiped out. ²⁷The kingship, dominion, and leadership of all the world's kingdoms shall be given to the people of the holy ones of God Most High: his kingdom will be without end. All the kingdoms shall serve him and be subject to him.’

²⁸Here ends the narrative. I, Daniel, was greatly disturbed in my thoughts; I grew pale and kept these things in my heart.”

Another Vision About King Antiochus

8 | • ¹In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, I, Daniel, had another vision. ²In the vision, I saw myself in Susa, the fortified city in the province of Elam; I noticed that I was by the river Ulai.

³I raised my eyes and saw a ram standing before the river. It had two long horns, but one was longer than the other. ⁴I saw the ram charging westward, northward, and southward. No animal could resist it; none could escape its power. It did as it pleased and so became great.

⁵As I was thinking, a he-goat came from the west, as if flying above the entire earth, without touching the ground; it had a great horn between its eyes. ⁶It approached the ram with the two horns, which I had seen by the river, and it ran towards the ram with all the fury of its strength. ⁷I saw how it reached the ram and directed itself against it; it charged the ram and broke its two horns, and the ram was unable to resist. It cast it down to the ground and crushed it. No one could free the ram from its power.

⁸The he-goat became very great, but when it was powerful, the great horn snapped, and in its place sprang four great horns facing the four winds of heaven. ⁹From one of these, the small one sprang a horn, which grew prominent towards the south and east and towards the Beautiful Land.

¹⁰It grew up to the army of heaven and flung part of the stars to the ground, crushing them underfoot. ¹¹ It even came to the Commander of the army, deprived him of the perpetual sacrifice, and made useless his temple ¹²and the army. It put Abomination in place of the sacrifice and flung Truth to the ground. And whatever it undertook succeeded.

¹³Then I heard a holy one speaking and another who asked him in return, “When shall the vision be fulfilled? What about the perpetual offering, the Abomination of the devastator, the Sanctuary handed over, and the army trampled underfoot?” ¹⁴He answered, “Until two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings have gone by, the temple shall be restored.”

¹⁵As I, Daniel, looked at this vision and tried to understand it, I suddenly saw before me someone like a man, ¹⁶and I heard a human voice over the river Ulai that cried out to him: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”

¹⁷He approached the place where I was. When he came, I was terrified and fell on my face. He said, “Son of man, understand: this vision refers to the end-time.” ¹⁸As he spoke, I lost consciousness and fell face down on the ground. He touched me and raised me to my feet. ¹⁹Then he said, “See, I will reveal to you what will happen when the wrath ends, for the end is set.

²⁰The ram you have seen, with its two horns, stands for the two kings of the Medes and the Persians. ²¹The hairy he-goat is the king of Greece; the great horn between its eyes is the first of its kings; this horn snapped, ²²and the four horns that sprang up in its place are the four kingdoms that will rise from his nation, but will not overpower him.

²³At the end of their reign, when the sinners have reached their total number, a king will arise, insolent and wise in cunning. ²⁴His strength will increase so that he shall plot things unheard of before.

Whatever he undertakes shall prosper; he shall destroy the powerful and the very people of the holy ones. 25 He shall carry out his deceits, will be believed in by many, and, in the fullness of peace, shall destroy many. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes, but he shall be destroyed without the intervention of any human hand.

²⁶What I said of the vision of the mornings and evenings is true, but keep the vision secret, for it will be fulfilled only in the remote future.”

²⁷I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for several days. Then, I got up to attend to the king’s affairs. I remained frightened because of the vision and did not understand it.

The Prayer of Daniel

9 | • ¹In the first year of the reign of Darius, son of Ahasuerus, of the Median race, who was king of Chaldea, the following happened:

²I, Daniel, thought about the number of years, according to the scriptures, before Jerusalem should be left in ruins. The Lord spoke of seventy years to the prophet Jeremiah. ³I turned to the Lord God and begged him. I pleaded with prayers and fasting. I did penance, put on sackcloth, and sat on an ash pile.

⁴I prayed to the Lord, my God, and made this confession: “Lord God, great and to be feared, you keep your Covenant and love for those who love you and observe your commandments. ⁵We have sinned; we have not been just; we have been rebels, and have turned away from your commandments and laws. ⁶We have not listened to your servants, the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land.

⁷Lord, justice is yours, but ours is a face full of shame, as it is to this day—we, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, near and far away, in all the lands where you have dispersed us because of the infidelity we have committed against you. ⁸Ours is the shame, O Lord, for we, our kings, princes, and fathers, have sinned against you. ⁹We hope for pardon and mercy from the Lord, our God because we have rebelled against him. ¹⁰We have not listened to the voice of the Lord, our God, or followed the laws, which he has given us through his servants, the prophets.

¹¹All Israel has broken your law and has turned away from it rather than listen to your voice. Therefore, the curse and the threats written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have come upon us. Because we have sinned against him, ¹²He has carried out the threats he pronounced against us and against those who governed us. He brought a terrible calamity upon us. No, never could there be anything worse than what has come upon Jerusalem.

¹³All these disasters have struck us with dread, as it was written in the law of Moses, but we have not tried to calm the anger of the Lord, our God. We have not turned away from our sins and learned to listen to your truth. ¹⁴The Lord made true his threat and brought this calamity upon us, for the Lord, our God, is just in all his works, while we have not obeyed his voice.

¹⁵And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt by your mighty hand and gained renown to this day; we have sinned; we have been unfaithful. ¹⁶Lord, in keeping with your kindness, turn away your anger and wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy mountain, for because of our sins and the wickedness of our fathers, Jerusalem, and your people are the laughingstock of all around us.

¹⁷So now, our God, listen to the prayer and pleading of your servant and, for your own sake, let your face shine upon your desolate Sanctuary. ¹⁸My God, incline your ear and listen. Open your eyes and see how the city lies in ruins, the city upon which your name has been pronounced. We do not rely on our good works but pour out our plea before you, trusting in your great mercy.

¹⁹Listen, Lord! Lord, forgive! Pay attention to us, Lord! Act, my God, and do not delay, for your own sake, since your name calls your city and people.”

The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks

•  ²⁰At the hour of the evening sacrifice, I was still speaking, confessing my sins and those of Israel, my people, begging the Lord my God, on behalf of his holy mountain.

²¹At that moment, Gabriel, whom I had seen at the beginning of the vision, came to me, flying, ²²and he said, “Daniel, I have come now to make you understand. ²³As you were praying, a word was uttered, and I have come to teach it to you because God loves you. Pay attention to this word and understand the vision:

²⁴Seventy weeks are set, for your people and your Holy City, to put an end to transgression, to put sin under lock, to wipe out the offense, and to bring everlasting justice so that the visions and the prophecies will be fulfilled and the Holy of Holies be anointed.

²⁵Understand this, then:

Seven weeks shall pass from when the order to rebuild Jerusalem was given until an anointed leader comes.

Then, in sixty-two weeks, squares and walls will be rebuilt, but in a difficult time.

²⁶After the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one will be cut off; the city and the temple shall be destroyed by the people of a king who will come. They will be carried along, as by a flood. Until the end, there will be wars and disasters which God has decreed.

²⁷He will impose his law on a significant part of the people for a week. By mid-week, he will put a stop to the sacrifices and offerings. The devastator shall place the abominable idol in the temple until the ruin decreed by God comes upon the devastator.”

History of the Time of the Maccabees: A Symbolic Narrative

10 | • ¹In the third year of the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia, God gave a message to Daniel, renamed Belteshazzar. This message spoke of fidelity and great anguish. Daniel paid attention to these words and the following vision:

² I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks at that time. ³I ate no rich food, took no meat or wine, and did not perfume myself for three weeks.

⁴On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I stood on the bank of the river Tigris, ⁵I raised my eyes and saw this: a man clothed in linen with a belt of pure gold around his waist. ⁶His body was like chrysolite, his face had the brilliance of lightning, his eyes were like blazing torches, and the sound of his words was like the noise of a crowd.

⁷I, Daniel, alone saw this vision; the men with me did not see it, but they were seized with great fear and fled to hide. ⁸So I was left alone gazing at this vision. I was powerless. The appearance of my face changed fearfully, and I retained absolutely no strength. ⁹I heard the sound of his words, and when I heard it, I fainted face down to the ground. ¹⁰Then a hand touched me and made me tremble on my knees.

¹¹He told me, “Daniel, man loved by God, pay attention to the words I shall say to you and stand up, for I have been sent to you now.” When I heard these words, I stood up and trembled.

¹²Then he said to me, “Daniel, do not be afraid, for from that first day, when you resolved to acquire understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your supplications were heard, and it is precisely because of this that I have come.

¹³The prince of the Persian kingdom has resisted me for twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the leading angels, has come to my assistance. I left him there with the kings of Persia, ¹⁴ and I have come to tell you what will happen to your people in the coming days. For this new vision, too, refers to those days.”

¹⁵When he said these words, I bowed and kept silent, but someone like a man touched my lips. ¹⁶Then I opened my mouth to speak and told him who was before me, “My lord, anguish overcomes me at this vision, and I have no strength. ¹⁷How can I speak to my lord when my strength fails me, and I cannot breathe?”

¹⁸The one who looked like a man touched me again, and he strengthened me. ¹⁹He told me, “Man chosen by God, do not fear. Peace be with you. Have courage and be strong.” ²⁰As he spoke, I felt strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, now that I feel strong.”

Then he asked me, “Do you know why I have come to you? ²¹I shall reveal what is written in the book of truth. After that, I had to return to fight against the angel of Persia; then, the angel of Greece would come. No one supports me in all this except Michael, your angel.

11 | ¹He helps and strengthens me like I have helped him in the first year of Darius, the Mede. ²But now, I shall tell you the truth.

There will be three more kings in Persia, and the fourth will have more riches than all the others. When he has grown strong with his riches, he will stir up everything against the kingdom of Greece.

³A powerful king will rise and reign over a vast empire and do as he pleases. ⁴But as soon as he has secured his reign, his empire will be broken up and divided among the four winds of heaven, though not among his descendants. It will not be the same dynasty, but his kingdom will be taken from them and passed on to others.

⁵The king of the South will grow powerful, but one of his leaders will grow more powerful still and will have an empire greater than his. ⁶Some years later, they will be allies, and the daughter of the king of the South shall come to the king of the North, to conclude the alliance. But she will not endure, for she will be put to death with those who brought her and her son and husband as well. ⁷Then, a bud from her roots will sprout in her place, cross the land of “the army,” and enter the fortress of the king of the North. ⁸He will be victorious in wars and will appropriate to himself their gods, statues, and objects of silver and gold: all this plunder will be brought into Egypt. For some years, he shall remain far away from the king of the North.

⁹The king of the North will invade the kingdom of the South and then return to his own country. ¹⁰His sons will prepare for war and assemble many troops. One of them will come, like an overflowing river; he will break through and withdraw after having fought right up to his fortress. ¹¹Then the king of the South, enraged, will set out to fight against the king of the North. He will mobilize a great army, and the multitude will fall into his hands ¹²and perish. Then, he will become proud and crush tens of thousands of men, but his strength will not last.

¹³The king of the North will attack after mobilizing a greater army than the first. After several years, he would come with a large army and abundant provisions and supplies. ¹⁴Then many will rise against the king of the South, and the violent among your people will rise against him, trusting in a vision, but they will throw up siegeworks. They will capture the fortified city. ¹⁵The king of the South will not be able to resist; he and the picked troops of his people.

¹⁶He who marches against him will do as he pleases, and none can resist him; and he will settle in the Beautiful Land, bringing destruction. ¹⁷He shall plan to reign over his whole kingdom and conclude an agreement with him, giving him one of his daughters to destroy the kingdom. But he will not succeed, so it will not happen.

¹⁸Then he will turn against the islands and seize a good number of them, but a commander will humble him, and he will not be able to avenge himself. ¹⁹So he will turn against the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble, fall, and never rise again.

²⁰In his place will rise another, who will send a tax collector to despoil the glory of his kingdom, but he will be overthrown within a few days, though neither with arms nor in battle.

²¹In his place, a contemptible man will rise to whom royal dignity has not been given, but he will intervene unexpectedly and gain possession of the kingdom by intrigue. ²²The enemy forces will be completely routed and utterly destroyed by him and the Prince of the Covenant. ²³He will act cunningly, making good use of the pacts concluded with him, and with a few men, he will grow strong.

²⁴He will invade the most prosperous provinces and do what his predecessors had not done. He will divide the plunder, the booty, and the riches among his friends. He will devise plans against fortresses only up to a specific period.

²⁵He will direct his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will go to war with a great and powerful army but will not be able to resist, for conspiracies have been plotted against him. ²⁶ Those who ate from his table will ruin him; his army will be disbanded, and many will fall dead by the sword.

²⁷While sitting at the same table, the two kings will think nothing of doing harm and deceiving each other. But they will not accomplish anything since there is still time before the appointed moment.

²⁸The king of the North will return to his land with great riches and devise plans against the holy Covenant. He will act against it and then return to his land. ²⁹In due time, he will return to the South, but this second time, things will not be as before.

³⁰The ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will have to abandon his plan, but he will vent his anger against the holy Covenant and again favor those who have turned away from the holy Covenant. ³¹He will send some forces to profane the Citadel Sanctuary, suppress the perpetual sacrifice, and set up the Abominable Idol of the devastator there. ³²He will corrupt, with flattery, those who violate the Covenant, but the people who know their God will stand firm.

³³The most intelligent among the people will teach many, but they will fall by the sword, be burned, exiled, or plundered of their goods for some time. ³⁴And when they fall, they will receive little help; but many will join them, in deceit. ³⁵Some among the learned will stumble, but this will be to prove them, to purify and cleanse them until the end, which is to come at its appointed time.

³⁶The king will act according to his whims, becoming conceited and exalting himself above all the gods; he will speak outrageous blasphemies against the God of gods. He will prosper until the wrath is filled to overflow, for what has been decreed will be fulfilled. ³⁷He will pay no heed to his father’s gods, will not mind the favorite god of the women or any other god, but will exalt only himself as greater than them all. ³⁸In their place, he will worship the god of fortresses, a god unknown to his ancestors, and honor him with gold, silver, and precious stones and jewels. ³⁹Trusting in a foreign god, he will attack the fortresses. Those who adore him will be given great honor; they will have the authority to divide the land as a reward.

⁴⁰When the end time comes, the king of the South will confront him. The king of the North will attack him with chariot cavalry and many ships. He will enter his lands, invade them, and pass through them.

⁴¹He will come to the Beautiful Land, where many will fall; only the people of Edom, Moab, and the best of the Ammonites will escape. ⁴²He will stretch out his hand to many countries, including Egypt. ⁴³He will seize the treasures of gold and silver and all precious objects of Egypt. Libyans and Ethiopians will join him.

⁴⁴But reports from the East and the North will worry him, and he will set out in a rage, determined to utterly wipe out and destroy many.

⁴⁵He will set up the tent of his military camp between the sea and the holy mountain of the beautiful land. Then he will come to his end, and no one will come to his aid.

Those Who Sleep Will Awake To Everlasting Life

12 | • ¹At that time, Michael will rise, the Great Commander who defends your people. It shall be a time of anguish as never before since the nations first existed until this very day.

Then, all those whose names are written in the book will be saved. ²Many who sleep in the Region of the Dust will awake, some to everlasting life but others to eternal horror and shame. ³Those who acquired knowledge will shine, like the brilliance of the firmament; those who taught people to be just will shine, like the stars, for all eternity.

⁴You, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the appointed time. Many will wander, looking here and there. Wickedness will go on increasing.”

•  ⁵I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing, one on either side of the river. ⁶One said to the man clothed in linen who was upstream, “When will these wonderful things take place?”

⁷And I heard the answer of the man in linen who was upstream. He raised his hands to heaven and swore by the One who lives eternally: “Everything will be fulfilled within a time, two times and a half a time. When the holy people are completely crushed, and without any strength, these things will be fulfilled.”

⁸I heard but did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?” ⁹He said, “Go, Daniel, for these words are secret and sealed until the appointed time of the end. ¹⁰Many will be purified, cleansed, and proved. The impious will go on doing evil; none of them will understand anything; only the learned will understand.

¹¹ There shall be a thousand two hundred ninety days when the perpetual sacrifice is suppressed, and the Abominable Idol of the devastator is installed. ¹²Fortunate is the one who waits and reaches a thousand three hundred thirty-five days. ¹³And you, go your way until your end. You shall rest and then rise to receive your reward at the end of time.”

Three stories added to the book of Daniel

The Story of Susanna

13 | • ¹There lived in Babylon a man named Joakim, ²who was married to a very beautiful, God-fearing woman, Susanna, Hilkiah’s daughter, ³whose pious parents had trained her in the law of Moses. ⁴A very rich man and greatly respected by all the Jews, Joakim was frequently visited by the Jews in his house adjoining a garden.

⁵That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges, in whom this word of the Lord became true, “Wickedness has come forth from Babylon, through the elders appointed judges, who were supposed to govern the people.” ⁶These men frequented Joakim’s house and all who had legal disputes used to come to them.

⁷After the people had left at noon, Susanna would walk into her husband’s garden. ⁸The two old men began to lust for her as they watched her enter the garden every day. ⁹Forgetting the demands of justice and virtue, their lust grew all the more as they made no effort to turn their eyes to heaven. ¹⁰Although both were possessed of the same passion for her, they concealed that from each other, ¹¹for they were ashamed to reveal their lustful desire. ¹²But they continued watching her, day after day.

¹³One day, before lunch, they parted, saying to each other, “Let us go home, for it is mealtime. So off they went, in different directions. ¹⁴But both turned back and coming face to face again, each was obliged to explain his action and admit his lust. They agreed to wait for an opportunity to meet her alone.

¹⁵One day, as they were waiting for an opportune time, Susanna entered the garden, as usual, with only two maids. She decided to bathe, for it was a hot day. ¹⁶Nobody else was there except the two elders watching her from where they had hidden themselves.

¹⁷She told the maids, “Bring me oil and ointments, and shut the garden doors while I bathe.” ¹⁸Unaware of the elders hidden inside the garden, the two maids did as ordered, shutting the doors and leaving by the side entrance to the house to fetch what she had asked for.

¹⁹When the maids had left, the two elders hurried to her and said, ²⁰“Look, the garden doors are shut, and no one sees us. We desire to possess you. ²¹If you refuse to give in, we will testify that you sent your maids away, for there was a young man here with you.”

²²Susanna moaned, “Whatever I do, I am trapped. If I give in to your desire, it will be death for me; if I refuse, I won’t escape your persecution. ²³I would rather be persecuted than sin in the eyes of the Lord.”

²⁴Susanna shrieked, but the old men shouted, blaming her. ²⁵One of them ran and opened the garden doors. ²⁶ Hearing the noise in the garden, the household servants rushed in by the side entrance to see what was happening. ²⁷They were taken aback when they heard the elders’ accusation, for never had anything like this been said of Susanna.

²⁸The next day, a meeting was held at Joakim’s house. The two elders arrived, vindictively determined to have Susanna sentenced to death. ²⁹They ordered, before all the people, “Send for Susanna, Hilkiah’s daughter and Joakim’s wife.” ³⁰They sent for her, and she came with her parents, children, and relatives.

³¹Susanna was a very refined and beautiful woman. ³²She had her veil on, but the wicked elders ordered her to uncover her face for them to feast on her beauty. ³³Her family and friends, and all who saw her, wept.

³⁴The two elders stood up and laid their hands upon her head. ³⁵Completely trusting the Lord, she opened her tearful eyes to heaven.

³⁶The elders started making their accusation, “We were taking a walk in the garden when this woman came in with two maids. She ordered them to shut the garden doors and dismissed them. ³⁷Then, a young man came out of hiding and lay with her. ³⁸We were in a corner of the garden and saw this crime from there. We ran to them, ³⁹and caught them in the act of embracing. We were unable to take hold of the man. He was too strong for us. He dashed for the door, opened it, and ran off. ⁴⁰But we were able to seize this woman. We asked her who the young man was, ⁴¹but she refused to tell us. This is our statement, and we testify to its truth.”

The assembly took their word since they were elders and judges of the people. Susanna was condemned to death. ⁴²She cried aloud, “Eternal God, nothing is hidden from you; you know everything before they come to be. ⁴³You know that these men have testified falsely against me. Would you let me die, though I am not guilty of all their malicious charges?”

⁴⁴The Lord heard her, ⁴⁵and as she was being led to her execution, God aroused the holy spirit residing in a young lad named Daniel. ⁴⁶He shouted, “I will have no part in the death of this woman!”

⁴⁷Those present turned to him, “What did you say?” they all asked.

⁴⁸Standing in their midst, he said to them, “Have you become fools, you Israelites, to condemn a daughter of Israel without due process and in the absence of clear evidence? ⁴⁹Return to court, for those men have testified falsely against her.”

⁵⁰Hurriedly, they returned, and the elders said to Daniel, “Come and sit with us, for you also possess the gifts bestowed by God upon the elders.”

⁵¹Daniel told the people, “Separate these two from one another, and I will examine each of them.”

⁵²When the two elders were separated from each other, Daniel called one of them and said, “How wicked you have grown with age. Your sins of earlier days have piled up against you, and now is the time of reckoning. ⁵³Remember how you have passed unjust sentences, condemning the innocent and freeing the guilty, although the Lord has said, ‘The innocent and the just should not be put to death.’ ⁵⁴Now, if you really witnessed the crime, under what tree did you see them do it?”

⁵⁵The elder answered, “Under a mastic tree.”

Daniel said, “Your lie will cost you your head. You will be cut in two as soon as the Lord’s angel receives your sentence from God.”

⁵⁶Putting the first one aside, Daniel called the other elder and said to him, “You offspring of Canaan and not of Judah, you have long allowed yourself to be perverted by lust. ⁵⁷This is how you have dealt with the daughters of Israel, who, out of fear, have yielded to you. But here is Judah's daughter who would not tolerate your wickedness. ⁵⁸Tell me then, under what tree did you catch them committing the crime?”

The answer came, “Under an oak.”

⁵⁹“Your lie has also cost you your head,” Daniel said. “God’s angel waits to cut you both in two.”

⁶⁰The whole assembly shouted and blessed God for helping those who hope in him. ⁶¹They turned against the two elders who, through Daniel’s efforts, had been convicted by their own mouths. By Moses’ law, the penalty the two elders had intended to impose upon their neighbor was inflicted upon them. ⁶²They were sentenced to death. This was the life of an innocent woman spared that day.

⁶³Hilkiah and his wife praised God for the justice given to Susanna, and so did Joakim, her husband, and all her relatives, for she was not found guilty of any shameful deed. ⁶⁴Daniel was greatly esteemed by the people from that day onward.

Daniel and the Priests of Bel

14 | ¹When King Astyages died, Cyrus, the Persian, ascended the throne. ²Daniel was very close to the king, who held him in higher esteem than any of his other friends.

³The Babylonians had an idol called Bel, to which twelve bushels of fine flour, forty sheep, and six measures of wine were offered daily. ⁴The king participated in this cult and worshiped the idol daily. On the other hand, Daniel worshiped only his own God. ⁵The king asked him, “Why don’t you worship Bel?”

Daniel answered, “I worship no man-made idols, but only the living God, who made heaven and earth and rules over all peoples.” ⁶The king asked, “Don’t you think Bel is a living god? Don’t you see how much he eats and drinks every day?”

⁷Daniel laughed. “Do not be deceived, O king. This is only clay inside and bronze outside. It never ate or drank anything.”

⁸Enraged, the king called his priests and said, “If you do not tell me who consumes all these offerings, you will all die. ⁹But if you can show that Bel consumes them, Daniel will die for blaspheming.” Daniel told the king, “Let it be as you say.”

¹⁰There were seventy priests of Bel, besides their wives and children; together, with Daniel, the king went to Bel’s temple. ¹¹The priests said to the king, “See, we are going outside. We will leave you here inside, O king, to set out the food and prepare the wine. Then you can leave them, shut the door, and seal it with your ring. ¹²You will return in the morning, and if you find that Bel has not eaten the food and drunk the wine, we are ready to be executed. But if the reverse happens, Daniel must die for telling lies and slandering us.”

¹³They were confident, for they had made a secret entrance under the table, through which they used to come in to consume the food and wine offerings. ¹⁴When the priests had left, the king set the food before Bel while Daniel ordered his servants to scatter ashes all over the temple floor. Then they left after shutting the door and sealing it with the king’s ring. ¹⁵That night, the priests and their wives and children came and, as usual, ate and drank the offerings.

¹⁶ The king returned to the temple early the following day with Daniel. ¹⁷“Are the seals unbroken, Daniel?” the king asked. Daniel answered, “They are unbroken, O king.” ¹⁸Opening the door, the king looked at the table, then exclaimed, “You are indeed great, O Bel. There is no deception in you.”

¹⁹Daniel laughed, restraining the king from entering; he said, “But look at the floor and see whose footprints these are.” ²⁰The king said, “I see footprints of men, women, and children.”

²¹Enraged, the king ordered the priests, their wives, and children to be seized. They were compelled to show him the secret door they used to enter to consume the offerings on the table. ²²They were put to death on orders of the king. And Bel was handed over to Daniel, who destroyed the idol and its temple.

Daniel and the Dragon

²³In Babylon, there was a giant dragon, which was also worshiped. ²⁴“Look,” said the king to Daniel, “this is alive, not made of bronze. Would you deny that this is a living god? Worship it.”

²⁵Daniel replied, “I will worship no one but the Lord my God, for he alone is the living God. With your permission, O king, I will slay this dragon without sword or club.” ²⁶The king answered, “You have my permission.”

²⁷Then Daniel took some pitch, fat, and hair and boiled them together. He made them into cakes, which he fed to the dragon. The dragon burst after eating them. Daniel told the king, “Now look at what happened to the thing you worship.”

²⁸The Babylonians became angry upon hearing of this. “Our king has become a Jew,” they said. “He destroyed Bel, killed the dragon, and put the priests to death.” ²⁹They went to the king and said, “Hand Daniel over to us, or we will kill you and your family!” ³⁰The king was forced to hand Daniel over to the people.

³¹Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den, where he stayed for six days. ³² Seven lions lived in the den and were fed two human bodies and two sheep daily. This food was withheld from them to ensure that they would devour Daniel.

³³Now in Judea was a prophet named Habakkuk. He had put some bread and stew in a basket and was about to take them to the reapers in the field ³⁴when an angel of the Lord appeared and said to him, “Take that lunch to Daniel, in the lion’s den at Babylon.”

³⁵Habakkuk said, “Sir, I have never been to Babylon, nor have I seen the lions’ den.” ³⁶The angel then took him by the crown of his head, carried him by his hair, and soon, they were alighting above the lion’s den in Babylon. ³⁷“Daniel, Daniel,” cried Habakkuk, “take this lunch God has sent you.”

³⁸Daniel thanked God, saying, “You have remembered me, O God, and have not forsaken those who love you.” ³⁹Daniel ate, and the Lord’s angel returned Habakkuk to his place.

⁴⁰On the seventh day, the king came to the lions’ den to mourn for Daniel. He looked inside and saw Daniel sitting there. ⁴¹The king cried aloud, “How great you are, O Lord God of Daniel! Surely there is no other God but you!” ⁴²He took Daniel out and threw those who tried to destroy him into the den. They were at once devoured before his eyes.