Danielis 14

VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Erat autem Daniel conviva regis, et honoratus super omnes amicos ejus.	1 When King Astyages joined his ancestors, Cyrus of Persia succeeded him.
2 Erat quoque idolum apud Babylonios nomine Bel : et impendebantur in eo per dies singulos similæ artabæ duodecim, et oves quadraginta, vinique amphoræ sex.	2 Daniel was very close to the king, who respected him more than any of his other friends.
3 Rex quoque colebat eum, et ibat per singulos dies adorare eum : porro Daniel adorabat Deum suum. Dixitque ei rex : Quare non adoras Bel ?	3 Now, in Babylon there was an idol cal ed Bel, to which twelve bushels of the finest flour, forty sheepand six measures of wine were offered every day.
4 Qui respondens ait ei : Quia non colo idola manufacta, sed viventem Deum, qui creavit cælum, et terram, et habet potestatem omnis carnis.	4 The king venerated this idol and used to go and worship it every day. Daniel, however, worshipped hisown God.
5 Et dixit rex ad eum : Non videtur tibi esse Bel vivens deus ? an non vides quanta comedat et bibat quotidie ?	5 'Why do you not worship Bel?' the king asked Daniel. 'I do not worship idols made by human hand,'Daniel replied, 'I worship the living God who made heaven and earth and who is lord over al living creatures.'
6 Et ait Daniel arridens : Ne erres, rex : iste enim intrinsecus luteus est, et forinsecus æreus, neque comedit aliquando.	6 'Do you not believe, then,' said the king, 'that Bel is a living god? Can you not see how much he eatsand drinks each day?'
7 Et iratus rex vocavit sacerdotes ejus, et ait eis : Nisi dixeritis mihi quis est qui comedat impensas has, moriemini.	7 Daniel laughed. 'Your Majesty,' he said, 'do not be taken in; he is clay inside, and bronze outside, andhas never eaten or drunk anything.'
8 Si autem ostenderitis quoniam Bel comedat hæc, morietur Daniel, quia blasphemavit in Bel. Et dixit Daniel regi : Fiat juxta verbum tuum.	8 This made the king angry; he summoned his priests, 'Tel me who eats all this food,' he said, 'or die.Prove to me that Bel real y eats it, and I wil have Daniel put to death for blaspheming him.'
9 Erant autem sacerdotes Bel septuaginta, exceptis uxoribus, et parvulis, et filiis. Et venit rex cum Daniele in templum Bel.	9 Daniel said to the king, 'Let it be as you say.'
10 Et dixerunt sacerdotes Bel : Ecce nos egredimur foras : et tu, rex, pone escas, et vinum misce, et claude ostium, et signa annulo tuo :	10 There were seventy of these priests, to say nothing of their wives and children. The king went to thetemple of Bel, taking Daniel with him.
11 et cum ingressus fueris mane, nisi inveneris omnia comesta a Bel, morte moriemur, vel Daniel qui mentitus est adversum nos.	11 The priests of Bel said to him, 'We shal now go out, and you, Your Majesty, wil lay out the meal andmix the wine and set it out. Then, lock the door and seal it with your personal seal. If, when you return in themorning, you do not find that everything has been eaten by Bel, let us be put to death; otherwise let Daniel, thatslanderer!'
12 Contemnebant autem, quia fecerant sub mensa absconditum introitum, et per illum ingrediebantur semper, et devorabant ea.	12 They were thinking -- hence their confidence -- of a secret entrance which they had made under thetable, and by which they came in regularly and took the offerings away.
13 Factum est igitur postquam egressi sunt illi, rex posuit cibos ante Bel : præcepit Daniel pueris suis, et attulerunt cinerem, et cribravit per totum templum coram rege : et egressi clauserunt ostium, et signantes annulo regis abierunt.	13 When the priests had gone and the king had set out the food for Bel,
14 Sacerdotes autem ingressi sunt nocte juxta consuetudinem suam, et uxores et filii eorum, et comederunt omnia, et biberunt.	14 Daniel made his servants bring ashes and spread them all over the temple floor, with no otherwitness than the king. They then left the building, shut the door and, sealing it with the king's seal, went away.
15 Surrexit autem rex primo diluculo, et Daniel cum eo.	15 That night, as usual, the priests came with their wives and children; they ate and drank everything.
16 Et ait rex : Salvane sunt signacula, Daniel ? Qui respondit : Salva, rex.	16 The king was up very early next morning, and Daniel with him.
17 Statimque cum aperuisset ostium, intuitus rex mensam, exclamavit voce magna : Magnus es, Bel, et non est apud te dolus quisquam.	17 'Daniel,' said the king, 'are the seals intact?' 'They are intact, Your Majesty,' he replied.
18 Et risit Daniel, et tenuit regem ne ingrederetur intro : et dixit : Ecce pavimentum : animadverte cujus vestigia sint hæc.	18 The king then opened the door and, taking one look at the table, exclaimed, 'You are great, O Bel!There is no deception in you!'
19 Et dixit rex : Video vestigia virorum, et mulierum, et infantium. Et iratus est rex.	19 But Daniel laughed; and, restraining the king from going in any further, he said, 'Look at the floor andtake note whose footmarks these are!'
20 Tunc apprehendit sacerdotes, et uxores, et filios eorum : et ostenderunt ei abscondita ostiola, per quæ ingrediebantur, et consumebant quæ erant super mensam.	20 'I can see the footmarks of men, of women and of children,' said the king,
21 Occidit ergo illos rex, et tradidit Bel in potestatem Danielis : qui subvertit eum, et templum ejus.	21 and angrily ordered the priests to be arrested, with their wives and children. They then showed himthe secret door through which they used to come and take what was on the table.
22 Et erat draco magnus in loco illo, et colebant eum Babylonii.	22 The king had them put to death and handed Bel over to Daniel who destroyed both the idol and itstemple.
23 Et dixit rex Danieli : Ecce nunc non potes dicere quia iste non sit deus vivens : adora ergo eum.	23 There was a great dragon which the Babylonians worshipped too.
24 Dixitque Daniel : Dominum Deum meum adoro, quia ipse est Deus vivens : iste autem non est deus vivens.	24 The king said to Daniel, 'Are you going to tel me that this is made of bronze? Look, it is alive; it eatsand drinks; you cannot deny that this is a living god; worship it, then.'
25 Tu autem, rex, da mihi potestatem, et interficiam draconem absque gladio et fuste. Et ait rex : Do tibi.	25 Daniel replied, 'I wil worship the Lord my God; he is the living God. With your permission, YourMajesty, without using either sword or club, I shal kil this dragon.'
26 Tulit ergo Daniel picem, et adipem, et pilos, et coxit pariter : fecitque massas, et dedit in os draconis, et diruptus est draco. Et dixit : Ecce quem colebatis.	26 'You have my permission,' said the king.
27 Quod cum audissent Babylonii, indignati sunt vehementer : et congregati adversum regem, dixerunt : Judæus factus est rex : Bel destruxit, draconem interfecit, et sacerdotes occidit.	27 Whereupon, Daniel took some pitch, some fat and some hair and boiled them up together, rol ed themixture into bal s and fed them to the dragon; the dragon swallowed them and burst. Daniel said, 'Now look atthe sort of thing you worship!'
28 Et dixerunt cum venissent ad regem : Trade nobis Danielem, alioquin interficiemus te, et domum tuam.	28 The Babylonians were furious when they heard about this and rose against the king. 'The king hasturned Jew,' they said, 'he has al owed Bel to be overthrown, and the dragon to be kil ed, and he has put thepriests to death.'
29 Vidit ergo rex quod irruerent in eum vehementer : et necessitate compulsus, tradidit eis Danielem.	29 So they went to the king and said, 'Hand Daniel over to us or else we shall kil you and your family.'
30 Qui miserunt eum in lacum leonum, et erat ibi diebus sex.	30 They pressed him so hard that the king found himself forced to hand Daniel over to them.
31 Porro in lacu erant leones septem, et dabantur eis duo corpora quotidie, et duæ oves : et tunc non data sunt eis, ut devorarent Danielem.	31 They threw Daniel into the lion pit, and there he stayed for six days.
32 Erat autem Habacuc propheta in Judæa, et ipse coxerat pulmentum, et intriverat panes in alveolo : et ibat in campum ut ferret messoribus.	32 In the pit were seven lions, which were given two human bodies and two sheep every day; but forthis period they were not given anything, to make sure they would eat Daniel.
33 Dixitque angelus Domini ad Habacuc : Fer prandium quod habes in Babylonem Danieli, qui est in lacu leonum.	33 Now, the prophet Habakkuk was in Judaea: he had been making a stew and breaking up bread intoa basket. He was on his way to the fields, taking this to the harvesters,
34 Et dixit Habacuc : Domine, Babylonem non vidi, et lacum nescio.	34 when the angel of the Lord spoke to him, 'Take the meal you are carrying to Babylon, and give it toDaniel in the lion pit.'
35 Et apprehendit eum angelus Domini in vertice ejus, et portavit eum capillo capitis sui, posuitque eum in Babylone supra lacum in impetu spiritus sui.	35 'Lord,' replied Habakkuk, 'I have not even seen Babylon and know nothing about this pit.'
36 Et clamavit Habacuc, dicens : Daniel serve Dei, tolle prandium quod misit tibi Deus.	36 The angel of the Lord took hold of his head and carried him off by the hair to Babylon where, with agreat blast of his breath, he set Habakkuk down on the edge of the pit.
37 Et ait Daniel : Recordatus es mei, Deus, et non dereliquisti diligentes te.	37 'Daniel, Daniel,' Habakkuk shouted, 'take the meal that God has sent you.'
38 Surgensque Daniel comedit. Porro angelus Domini restituit Habacuc confestim in loco suo.	38 And Daniel said, 'You have kept me in mind, O God; you have not deserted those who love you.'
39 Venit ergo rex die septimo ut lugeret Danielem : et venit ad lacum, et introspexit, et ecce Daniel sedens in medio leonum.	39 Rising to his feet, he ate the meal, while the angel of God carried Habakkuk back in a moment to hisown country.
40 Et exclamavit voce magna rex, dicens : Magnus es, Domine Deus Danielis. Et extraxit eum de lacu leonum.	40 On the seventh day, the king came to lament over Daniel; on reaching the pit he looked inside, andthere sat Daniel.
41 Porro illos, qui perditionis ejus causa fuerant, intromisit in lacum, et devorati sunt in momento coram eo.	41 'You are great, O Lord, God of Daniel,' he exclaimed, 'there is no god but you!'
42 Tunc rex ait : Paveant omnes habitantes in universa terra Deum Danielis : quia ipse est salvator, faciens signa et mirabilia in terra : qui liberavit Danielem de lacu leonum.	42 He then had Daniel released from the pit and the plotters of Daniel's ruin thrown in instead, wherethey were instantly eaten before his eyes.