Septuagint (Greek Old Testament)

And they little regarded it: for under the table they had made a privy entrance, whereby they entered in continually, and consumed those things.

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.

Now in the night came the priests with their wives and children, as they were wont to do, and did eat and drink up all.

In the morning betime the king arose, and Daniel with him.

And the king said, Daniel, are the seals whole? And he said, Yea, O king, they be whole.

And as soon as he had opened the door, 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.

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.

And the king said, I see the footsteps of men, women, and children. And then the king was angry,

and took the priests with their wives and children, who shewed him the private doors, where they came in, and consumed such things as were upon the table.

Therefore the king slew them, and delivered Bel into Daniel's power, who destroyed him and his temple.

And in that same place there was a great dragon, which they of Babylon worshipped.

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.

Then said Daniel unto the king, I will worship the Lord my God: for he is the living God.

But give me leave, O king, and I shall slay this dragon without sword or staff. The king said, I give thee leave.

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.

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.

So they came to the king, and said, Deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and thine house.

Now when the king saw that they pressed him sore, being constrained, he delivered Daniel unto them;

who cast him into the lions' den: where he was six days.

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.

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.

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.

And Habbacuc said, Lord, I never saw Babylon; neither do I know where the den is.

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.

And Habbacuc cried, saying, O Daniel, Daniel, take the dinner which God hath sent thee.

And Daniel said, Thou hast remembered me, O God: neither hast thou forsaken them that seek thee and love thee.

So Daniel arose, and did eat: and the angel of the Lord set Habbacuc in his own place again immediately.

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.

Then cried the king with a loud voice, saying, Great art thou, O Lord God of Daniel, and there is none other beside thee.

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.

And it happened, after that Alexander [son] of Philip, the Macedonian, who came out of the land of Chettiim, had smitten Darius king of the Persians and Medes, that he reigned in his stead, the first over Greece,

and made many wars, and won many strong holds, and slew the kings of the earth,

and went through to the ends of the earth, and took spoils of many nations, insomuch that the earth was quiet before him; whereupon he was exalted, and his heart was lifted up.

And he gathered a mighty strong host, and ruled over countries, and nations, and kings, who became tributaries unto him.

And after these things he fell sick, and perceived that he should die.

Wherefore he called his servants, such as were honourable, and had been brought up with him from his youth, and parted his kingdom among them, while he was yet alive.

So Alexander reigned twelve years, and [then] died.

And his servants bare rule every one in his place.

And after his death they all put crowns [upon themselves]; so did their sons after them many years: and evils were multiplied in the earth.

And there came out of them a wicked root, Antiochus [surnamed] Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king, who had been an hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the hundred and thirty and seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.

In those days went there out of Israel wicked men, who persuaded many, saying, Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen that are round about us: for since we departed from them we have had much sorrow.

So this device pleased them well.

Then certain of the people were so forward herein, that they went to the king, who gave them licence to do after the ordinances of the heathen:

whereupon they built a place of exercise at Jerusalem according to the customs of the heathen:

and made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathen, and were sold to do mischief.

Now when the kingdom was established before Antiochus, he thought to reign over Egypt, that he might have the dominion of two realms.

Wherefore he entered into Egypt with a great multitude, with chariots, and elephants, and horsemen, and a great navy,

and made war against Ptolemee king of Egypt: but Ptolemee was afraid of him, and fled; and many were wounded to death.

Thus they got the strong cities in the land of Egypt, and he took the spoils thereof.

And after that Antiochus had smitten Egypt, he returned again in the hundred forty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a great multitude,

and entered proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof,

and the table of the shewbread, and the pouring vessels, and the vials, and the censers of gold, and the veil, and the crowns, and the golden ornaments that were before the temple, all which he pulled off.

He took also the silver and the gold, and the precious vessels: also he took the hidden treasures which he found.

And when he had taken all away, he went into his own land, having made a great massacre, and spoken very proudly.

Therefore there was great mourning in Israel, in every place where they were;

so that the princes and elders mourned, the virgins and young men were made feeble, and the beauty of women was changed.

Every bridegroom took up lamentation, and she that sat in the marriage chamber was in heaviness.

The land also was moved for the inhabitants thereof, and all the house of Jacob was covered with confusion.

And after two years fully expired, the king sent his chief collector of tribute unto the cities of Juda, who came unto Jerusalem with a great multitude,

and spake peaceable words unto them, [but all] was deceit: for when they had given him credence, he fell suddenly upon the city, and smote it very sore, and destroyed much people of Israel.

And when he had taken the spoils of the city, he set it on fire, and pulled down the houses and walls thereof on every side.

But the women and children took they captive, and possessed the cattle.

Then builded they the city of David with a great and strong wall, [and] with mighty towers, and made it a stronghold for them.

And they put therein a sinful nation, wicked men, and fortified [themselves] therein.

They stored it also with armour and victuals, and when they had gathered together the spoils of Jerusalem, they laid them up there, and so they became a sore snare:

for it was a place to lie in wait against the sanctuary, and an evil adversary to Israel.

Thus they shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary, and defiled it:

insomuch that the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them: whereupon [the city] was made an habitation of strangers, and became strange to those that were born in her; and her own children left her.

Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness, her feasts were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into reproach, her honour into contempt.

As had been her glory, so was her dishonour increased, and her excellency was turned into mourning.

Moreover king Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people,

and every one should leave his laws: so all the heathen agreed according to the commandment of the king.

Yea, many also of the Israelites consented to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and profaned the sabbath.

For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Juda, that they should follow the strange laws of the land,

and forbid burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink offerings, in the temple; and that they should profane the sabbaths and festival days:

and pollute the sanctuary and holy people:

set up altars, and groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrifice swine's flesh, and unclean beasts:

that they should also leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation:

to the end they might forget the law, and change all the ordinances.

And whosoever would not do according to the commandment of the king, [he said], he should die.

In the selfsame manner wrote he to his whole kingdom, and appointed overseers over all the people, commanding the cities of Juda to sacrifice, city by city.

Then many of the people were gathered unto them, to wit, every one that forsook the law; and so they committed evils in the land;

and drove the Israelites into secret places, even wheresoever they could flee for succour.

Now the fifteenth day of [the month] Casleu, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Juda on every side;

and burnt incense at the doors of their houses, and in the streets.

And when they had rent in pieces the books of the law which they found, they burnt them with fire.

And wheresoever was found with any the book of the testament, or if any consented to the law, the king's commandment was, that they should put him to death.

Thus did they by their authority unto the Israelites every month, to as many as were found in the cities.

Now the five and twentieth day of the month they did sacrifice upon the idol altar, which was upon the altar of God.

At which time according to the commandment they put to death certain women, that had caused their children to be circumcised.

And they hanged the infants about their necks, and rifled their houses, and slew them that had circumcised them.

Howbeit many in Israel were fully resolved and confirmed in themselves not to eat any unclean thing.

Wherefore they chose rather to die, that they might not be defiled with meats, and that they might not profane the holy covenant: so then they died.

And there was very great wrath upon Israel.

In those days arose Mattathias [the son] of John, [the son] of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, from Jerusalem, and dwelt in Modin.

And he had five sons, Joannan, called Caddis:

Simon, called Thassi:

Judas, who was called Maccabeus:

Eleazar, called Avaran: and Jonathan, whose surname was Apphus.

And when he saw the blasphemies that were committed in Juda and Jerusalem,