Set apart from the beginning of Daniel, because it is not in the Hebrew, as neither the Narration of Bel and the Dragon.
Bel and the Dragon may speak to modern celebrative worship by "gods" who are about to get caught slipping into the pantry.
His various names in the Old and New Testaments demonstrate the various aspects in which he was regarded. Thus in Exodus he was named Ba`al-Tsephon, the god of the crypt. He was likewise named Seth or Sheth, signifying a pillar (phallus); and it was owing to these associations that he was considered a hidden god. Among the Ammonites, a people of East Palestine, he was known as Moloch (the king); at Tyre he was called Melcarth. The worship of Ba`al was introduced into Israel under Ahab, his wife being a Phoenician princess.
"Typhon, called Set, who was a great god in Egypt during the early dynasties, is an aspect of Baal and Ammon as also of Siva, Jehovah and other gods. Baal is the all-devouring Sun, in one sense, the fiery Moloch" As to the leaping of the prophets of Ba`al, mentioned in the Bible (1 Kings 18:26), Blavatsky writes: "It was simply a characteristic of the Sabean worship, for it denoted the motion of the planets round the sun. That the dance was a Bacchic frenzy is apparent. Sistra were used on the occasion"
1:1 And king Astyages
was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus of Persia received his kingdom.
1:2 And Daniel conversed
with the king, and was honoured above all his friends.
1:3 Now the Babylons had
an idol, called Bel, and there were spent upon him every day twelve great measures
of fine flour, and forty sheep, and six vessels of wine.
1:4 And the king worshipped
it and went daily to adore it: but Daniel worshipped his own God. And the king
said unto him, Why dost not thou worship Bel?
1:5 Who answered and said,
Because I may not worship idols made with hands, but the living God, who hath
created the heaven and the earth, and hath sovereignty over all flesh.
1:6 Then said the king
unto him, Thinkest thou not that Bel is a living God? seest thou not how much
he eateth and drinketh every day?
1:7 Then Daniel smiled,
and said, O king, be not deceived: for this is but clay within, and brass without,
and did never eat or drink any thing.
1:8 So the king was wroth,
and called for his priests, and said unto them, If ye tell me not who this is
that devoureth these expences, ye shall die.
1:9 But if ye can certify
me that Bel devoureth them, then Daniel shall die: for he hath spoken blasphemy
against Bel. And Daniel said unto the king, Let it be according to thy word.
1:10 Now the priests
of Bel were threescore and ten, beside their wives and children. And the king
went with Daniel into the temple of Bel.
1:11 So Bel's priests
said, Lo, we go out: but thou, O king, set on the meat, and make ready the wine,
and shut the door fast and seal it with thine own signet;
1:12 And to morrow when
thou comest in, if thou findest not that
0:0 that speaketh falsely
against us.
1:13 And they little
regarded it: for under the table they had made a privy entrance, whereby they
entered in continually, and consumed those things.
1:14 So when they were
gone forth, the king set meats before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants
to bring ashes, and those they strewed throughout all the temple in the presence
of the king alone: then went they out, and shut the door, and sealed it with
the king's signet, and so departed.
1:15 Now in the night
came the priests with their wives and children, as they were wont to do, and
did eat and drinck up all.
1:16 In the morning betime
the king arose, and Daniel with him.
1:17 And the king said,
Daniel, are the seals whole? And he said, Yea, O king, they be whole.
1:18 And as soon as he
had opened the dour, the king looked upon the table, and cried with a loud voice,
Great art thou, O Bel, and with thee is no deceit at all.
1:19 Then laughed Daniel,
and held the king that he should not go in, and said, Behold now the pavement,
and mark well whose footsteps are these.
1:20 And the king said,
I see the footsteps of men, women, and children. And then the king was angry,
1:21 And took the priests
with their wives and children, who shewed him the privy doors, where they came
in, and consumed such things as were upon the table.
1:22 Therefore the king
slew them, and delivered Bel into Daniel's power, who destroyed him and his
temple.
1:23 And in that same
place there was a great dragon, which they of Babylon worshipped.
1:24 And the king said
unto Daniel, Wilt thou also say that this is of brass? lo, he liveth, he eateth
and drinketh; thou canst not say that he is no living god: therefore worship
him.
1:25 Then said Daniel
unto the king, I will worship the Lord my God: for he is the living God.
1:26 But give me leave,
O king, and I shall slay this dragon without sword or staff. The king said,
I give thee leave.
1:27 Then Daniel took
pitch, and fat, and hair, and did seethe them together, and made lumps thereof:
this he put in the dragon's mouth, and so the dragon burst in sunder : and Daniel
said, Lo, these are the gods ye worship.
1:28 When they of Babylon
heard that, they took great indignation, and conspired against the king, saying,
The king is become a Jew, and he hath destroyed Bel, he hath slain the dragon,
and put the priests to death.
1:29 So they came to
the king, and said, Deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and thine
house.
1:30 Now when the king
saw that they pressed him sore, being constrained, he delivered Daniel unto
them:
1:31 Who cast him into
the lions' den: where he was six days.
1:32 And in the den there
were seven lions, and they had given them every day two carcases, and two sheep:
which then were not given to them, to the intent they might devour Daniel.
1:33 Now there was in
Jewry a prophet, called Habbacuc, who had made pottage, and had broken bread
in a bowl, and was going into the field, for to bring it to the reapers.
1:34 But the angel of
the Lord said unto Habbacuc, Go, carry the dinner that thou hast into Babylon
unto Daniel, who is in the lions' den.
1:35 And Habbacuc said,
Lord, I never saw Babylon; neither do I know where the den is.
1:36 Then the angel of
the Lord took him by the crown, and bare him by the hair of his head, and through
the vehemency of his spirit set him in Babylon over the den.
1:37 And Habbacuc cried,
saying, O Daniel, Daniel, take the dinner which God hath sent thee.
1:38 And Daniel said,
Thou hast remembered me, O God: neither hast thou forsaken them that seek thee
and love thee.
1:39 So Daniel arose,
and did eat: and the angel of the Lord set Habbacuc in his own place again immediately.
1:40 Upon the seventh
day the king went to bewail Daniel: and when he came to the den, he looked in,
and behold, Daniel was sitting.
1:41 Then cried the king
with a loud voice, saying, Great art Lord God of Daniel, and there is none other
beside thee.
1:42 And he drew him
out, and cast those that were the cause of his destruction into the den: and
they were devoured in a moment before his face.
Keep this website alive, a Donation will be highly appreciated
Please consider a donation supporting our efforts.
66.7% | United States | |
9% | Russian Federation | |
4.7% | Germany | |
4% | Canada | |
2.1% | United Kingdom | |
2% | Republic Of Moldova | |
1.4% | Australia | |
1.3% | Netherlands | |
1.1% | China | |
0.9% | France |
Yesterday: | 22 |
This Week: | 22 |
Last Week: | 80 |
This Month: | 131 |
Last Month: | 923 |
Total: | 463590 |
Please report broken links to the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
This is a Non-Commercial Web page, © 1998-2011 L.C.Geerts The Netherlands all rights reserved. It is strictly forbidden to publish or copy anything of my book without permission of the author, permission is granted for the recourses, for personal use only. |