Image credit
If you read the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, you will learn how Babylonians attacked the kingdom of Judah and carried away many Jews as captives. Daniel also was taken captive but he proved himself wiser than all the magicians and all the astrologers in Babylon, and their king was pleased with him and gave him many gifts and made him rule over the whole province.
There are many stories of Daniel’s wisdom and understanding. Some of them are not really stories about God and so learned men decided to take them out of the bible and put them into another book called the Apocrypha.
The Babylonians had an idol called Bel, and every day they made him an offering of twelve great measures of fine flour, and forty sheep, and six vessels of wine. And the king honored his own God.
“Why do you not worship Bel?” asked the king."
“Because I may not worship idols made with hands, but only then living God, who created heaven and earth, and rules over all living things,” replied Daniel.Then the king said “do you not think that Bel is a living God? Have you not seen how much he eats and drink each day?”
“O king, do not be deceived,” said Daniel smiling, “for this idol clay within and brass without, and it never did eat or drink anything.”
So the king was angry and called for the priests and said “If you do not tell me who it is that devours these offerings, you shall die. But if you can prove to me that Bel devours them, then Daniel shall die, for he has spoken blasphemy against Bel.”
Now the priests of bel were three score and ten in number, besides their wives and children, and the king and Daniel went with them into the temple of Bel.
So Bel’s priests said: “Set on the meat, O king, and make ready the wine. Shut the door fast, and seal it with your own signet. Tomorrow when you come you will if you do not find that Bel has eaten up all, and then we will all suffer death, or else Daniel, who has spoken falsely against us.” Nor were they at all troubled, for they had a secret entrance under the table, through which they entered continually and consumed the offerings.
Then the priests went away and the king set the meat and wine before Bel. Now Daniel had told his servants to bring ashes, and they strewed them upon the floor throughout the temple,in the presence of the king alone.
Then they went out, and shut the door. The king sealed it with with his own signet, and they departed.
Now in the night, the priests with their wives and childrencame as they always did and ate and drank until all was consumed.
In the morning Daniel waited upon the king and went with him to the temple of Bel. And the king said:
“Daniel,are the seals whole?”
“yes, O king, they are whole.”
Then Daniel broke the seals and opened the door, and when the king saw that the table was empty and that all the offerings to Bel had been consumed, he cried with a loud voice:
“Daniel,are the seals whole? ”
“yes,O king, they are whole.”
Then daniel broke the seals and opened the door,and when the king saw that the table was empty and that all the offerings to Bel had been consumed, he cried with a loud voice
“how great is Bel, in whom there is no deceit at all!”
But Daniel laughed, and held the king so that he should not go in, and said:
“look now at the floor, O king, and see whose footsteps are these.”
And the king said: “I see the footsteps of men, women, and children.”
Then the king was angry, and had the priests with their wives and children brought before him,and they showed him the secret door whereby they had come in and consumed such things as were upon the table.
Therefore the king slew them, and delivered Bel into Daniel’s power, who destroyed both the idol and his temple.