Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The story of Bel, which is the xiiij. Chapter of Da¦niel after the Latin.

[ A] THere was at Babilon an ymage, called Bel: and there were spent vpon him euery daye, xij. cakes, xl. shepe, and sixe greate pottes of wine. Him dyd the kynge worshipe himself, and wente daylie to hono^r him: but Daniel worshiped his owne God. And the kynge sayde vnto him: Why dost not thou worshi∣pe Bel? he answered and sayde: Because I maye not worshipe thinges, that be made w^t hondes, but the lyuynge God, which made heauen and earth, and hath power vpon all flesh. The kynge sayde vnto him: thinkest thou not, y^t Bel is a lyuynge God? Or seist thou not, how moch he eateth and drynketh euery daye? Daniel smyled, and sayde: O kyn¦ge, disceaue not thyselfe: This is but made of claye within, and of metall without, nether eateth he euer eny thinge.

Then the kynge was wroth, and called [ B] for his prestes, and sayde vnto them: Yf ye tell me not who this is, that eateth vp these expenses, ye shal dye: But yf ye can certifie me, that Bel eateth them, then Daniel shall dye, for he hath spoken blasphemy agaynst Bel. And Daniel sayde vnto the kynge: let it so be, acordinge as thou hast sayde. The pres¦tes of Bel were lxx. besyde their wyues and children. And the kynge wente with Daniel in to the temple of Bel. So Bels prestes say¦de: Lo, we wil go out, & set thou y^e meate the¦re (O kynge) & poure in the wyne: then shutt the dore fast, and seale it with thine owne sig¦net: and tomorow when thou commest in, yf thou fyndest not, that Bel hath eaten vp all, we wil suffre death: or els daniel, that hath lyed vpon vs. The prestes thought them sel¦ues sure ynough, for vnder y^e altare they had [ C] made a preuy intraunce, & there wente they in euer, and ate vp what there was.

So when they were gone forth, the kyn∣ge set meates before Bel. Now Daniel had cōmaunded his seruauntes to bringe aszshes and these he siffted thorow out all the tem∣ple, that the kynge might se. Then wente they out, & sparre the dore, sealinge it with y^e kynges signet, and so departed. In y^e night came the prestes with their wyues and chil¦dren (as they were wonte to do) and ate and dronke vp all. In the mornynge be tymes at the breake of the daye, the kynge arose, & Da¦niel with him. And the kynge sayde: Daniel, are the seales whole yet? He answered: Yee (o kynge) they be whole. Now as soone as he had opened the dore, the kinge loked vnto y^e altare, and cried with a loude voyce: Great•• art thou o Bel, and with the is no disceate. Then laughed Daniel, and helde the kynge, that he shulde not go in, and sayde: Beholde the pauement, marcke well, whose fotestep∣pes are these? The kynge sayde: I se the fote¦steppes of men, women and children.

Therfore the kynge was angrie, and toke [ D] the prestes, with their wyues and childrē, & they shewed him y^e preuy dores, where they came in, & ate vp soch thinges as were vpon y^e altare. For the which cause y^e kynge slewe them, & delyuered Bel in to Daniels power, which destroyed him and his temple.

And in that same place there was a grea∣te dragon, which they of Babilon worship∣ped. And y^e kynge sayde vnto Daniel: sayest thou, y^t this is but a god of metall also? lo, he liueth, he eateth & drinketh: so y^t thou cāst not saye, that he is no lyuinge God, therfore wor¦shipe him. Daniel sayde vnto y^e kinge: I wil worshipe the LORDE my God, he is y^e truely¦uynge God: as for this, he is not the God of life. But geue me leaue (o kynge) & I shal des∣troye this dragon without swearde or staff. The kynge sayde: I geue y^e leaue. Then Da¦niel toke pitch, fatte and hairie woll, and did seyth them together, and made lompes ther¦of: this he put in y^e Dragōs mouth, and so y^e dragon barst in sonder: and Daniel sayde: lo, there is he whom ye worshipped.

When they of Babylon herde that, they [ E] toke greate indignacion, and gathered them together agaynst the kynge, sayenge: The kynge is become a Iewe also, he hath destro¦yed Bel, he hath slayne y^e Dragon, and put the prestes to death. So they came to y^e kyn¦ge, & sayde: let us haue Daniel, or els we w••l destroye the and thine house.

[illustration]

Now whan y^e kynge sawe, that they rus¦shed in so sore vpon him, & that necessite con¦strained him, he deliuered Daniel vnto them: which cast him in to the lyons denne, where he was sixe dayes. In the denne there were seuen lyons, and they had geuen them euery daye two bodies and two shepe: which then were not geuē them, that they might deuou∣re Daniel.

[ F] There was in Iewry a prophet called Abacuc, which had made potage, and bro∣ker bred in a depe platter, and was goinge in to the felde, for to brynge it to y^e mowers. But the angell of the LORDE sayde vnto Abacuc: go cary the meate that thou hast in to Babilon, vnto Daniel, which is in y^e lyōs denne. And Abacuc sayde: LORDE, I ne∣uer sawe Babilon: and as for the denne, I knowe it not. Then the angel of the LORDE toke him by the toppe, and bare him by the hayre of the heade, and (thorow a mightie wynde) set him in Babilon vpon the denne. And Abacuc cried, sayenge: O Daniel thou seruaunt of God, haue, take the breakfast, y^t God hath sent y^e. And Daniel saide: O God, hast thou thought vpon me? wel, thou neuer faylest them that loue the. So Daniel arose, & ate: and the angel of the LORDE set Aba¦cuc in his owne place agayne immediatly.

[ G] Vpon the seuenth daye, the kynge wente to bewepe Daniel: and whan he came to the denne, he loked in: and beholde, Daniel sat in the myddest of the lyons. Then cried y^e kyn¦ge with a loude voyce, sayenge: Greate art thou, o LORDE God of Daniel: & he drewe him out of the denne. As for those that we∣re y^e cause of his destrucciō, he dyd cast thē in to the denne, and they were deuoured in a moment before his face.

After this, wrote the kynge vnto all peo∣ple, kynreddes and tunges, that dwelt in all countrees, sayenge: peace be multiplied with you. My commaundement is, in all the domi¦nyon of my realme: that men feare and ston∣de in awe of Daniels God, for he is the ly∣uynge God, which endureth euer: his kyng∣dome abydeth vncorrupte, and his power is euerlastinge. It is he that can delyuer and saue: he doth wonders and maruelous workes in hea∣uen and in earth, for he hath saued Daniel from the power of the Lyons.

The ende of the Storye of Bel.

Notes

• Deut. 4. c and 5. a Exo. 20. a Deut. 6. d Matt. 4. a
• Eccle 30. e
• Leu. 24. c
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• Luc. 1. c Esa 43. b Ose. 13. b Dan. 3. f