¶And king Astyages was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus of Persia received his kingdom.

And Daniel conversed with the king and was honored above all his friends.

Now the Babylons had an idol, called Bel, and every day twelve great measures of fine flour and forty sheep and six vessels of wine were spent upon him.

And the king worshipped it and went daily to adore it; but Daniel worshipped his own God. And the king said to him, “Why do you not worship Bel?”

He answered and said, “Because I may not worship idols made with hands, but only the living God, who has created the heaven and the earth and has sovereignty over all flesh.”

Then the king said to him, “Do you not think that Bel is a living God? Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every day?”

Then Daniel smiled and said, “O king, be not deceived; for this is only clay within and brass without, and did never eat or drink anything.”

So the king was angry and called for his priests, and said to them, “If you do not tell me who it is that devours these expenses, 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.” And Daniel said to the king, “Let it be according to your word.”

¶Now the priests of Bel were seventy, besides their wives and children. And the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel.

So Bel’s priests said, “Lo, we go out; but you, O king, set out the meat and prepare the wine, and shut the door fast and seal it with your own signet;

And tomorrow when you come in, if you do not find that Bel has eaten all, we will suffer death, or else Daniel, who speaks falsely against us.”

And they had little concern about it because under the table they had made a private entrance, whereby they entered in continually and consumed those things.

So when they had gone, the king set out the meats before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and those they strewed throughout the entire temple in the presence of the king alone; then they went out and shut the door, and sealed it with the king’s signet, and so departed.

(15) Now in the night the priests with their wives and children came, as they were accustomed to do, and they ate and drank it all. (16) ¶In the early morning the king arose, and Daniel with him. (17) And the king said, “Daniel, are the seals whole?” And he said, “Yes, O king, they are whole.”

And as soon as he had opened the door, the king looked upon the table and cried with a loud voice, “Great you are, O Bel, and with you is no deceit at all!”

Then Daniel laughed, and held the king back so that he would not go in, and he said, “Behold now the pavement, and mark well whose footsteps these are.”

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

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