“Now there were seventy priests
Of Bel,
Besides their wives,
With their children.
The king went
With Daniel
Into the temple
Of Bel.
The priests Of Bel said.
‘See!
We are going outside.
You!
Yourself!
O king!
Set out the food!
Prepare the wine!
Shut the door!
Seal it with your signet!
When you return
In the morning,
If you do not find
That Bel has eaten it all,
We will die.
Otherwise,
Daniel will die.
He is telling lies
About us.’
They were unconcerned,
Because beneath the table,
They had made
A hidden entrance,
Through which
They used to go in regularly.
They would consume
The provisions.”
There were 70 priests of Bel, with their wives and children. The king went with Daniel into the Bel temple. The priests then said to them that they were going outside. They wanted the king to set out the food and the wine. Then he should shut and seal the door with his signet. If the next morning he returned, and the god Bel had not eaten the provisions, they should be killed. However, if the god Bel had eaten the food, then Daniel, who had lied against them, should be killed. They were unconcerned, because beneath the table they had made a hidden entrance. They used this secret passageway to regularly consume the provisions set out for the idol god Bel.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 