Daniel, 14

1. Tendo-se reunido o rei Astíages a seus antepassados, Ciro, o persa, subiu ao trono.

1. And Daniel was the king's guest, and was honoured above all his friends.

2. Daniel era conviva do rei e o mais honrado de todos os seus íntimos.

2. Now the Babylonians had an idol called Bel: and there were spent upon him every day twelve great measures of fine flour, and forty sheep, and sixty vessels of wine.

3. Ora, os babilônios tinham um ídolo chamado Bel, cuja despesa diária era de doze artabes de farinha, quarenta carneiros e seis medidas de vinho.

3. The king also worshipped him, and went every day to adore him: but Daniel adored his God. And the king said to him: Why dost thou not adore Bel?

4. O rei prestava culto ao ídolo e diariamente ia adorá-lo. Daniel, porém, adorava seu Deus.

4. And he answered, and said to him: Because I do not worship idols made with hands, but the living God, that created heaven and earth, and hath power over all flesh.

5. O rei disse-lhe um dia: “Por que não adoras Bel?”. “Porque” – respondeu Daniel, “não venero ídolo feito pela mão do homem, mas sim o Deus vivo que criou o céu e a terra e que exerce seu poder sobre todo homem.”

5. And the king said to him: Doth not Bel seem to thee to be a living god? Seest thou not how much he eateth and drinketh every day?

6. “Assim sendo” – continuou o rei –, “Bel não te parece ser um deus vivo! Não vês o que ele come e o que ele bebe todos os dias?”

6. Then Daniel smiled and said: O king, be not deceived: for this is but clay within, and brass without, neither hath he eaten at any time.

7. Daniel pôs-se a rir: “Desengana-te, ó rei” – disse ele –, “este deus é de barro por dentro e de bronze por fora, e ele nunca comeu coisa alguma”.

7. And the king being angry called for his priests, and said to them: If you tell me not, who it is that eateth up these expenses, you shall die.

8. Irritado, o rei mandou vir seus sacerdotes e lhes disse: “Se não me disserdes quem come essas oferendas, morrereis. Mas se me provardes que é Bel quem as absorve, será Daniel quem morrerá, pois terá blasfemado contra ele”. Daniel respondeu ao rei: “Que se faça segundo tu o dizes!”.

8. But if you can shew that Bel eateth these things, Daniel shall die, because he hath blasphemed against Bel. And Daniel said to the king: Be it done according to thy word.

9. Os sacerdotes de Bel eram setenta em número, sem contar suas mulheres e filhos. O rei foi com Daniel ao templo de Bel.

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

10. Os sacerdotes disseram: “Nós saímos. Manda trazer, ó rei, os alimentos e o vinho misturado; depois fecha a porta e lacra-a com teu sinete.

10. And the priests of Bel said: Behold we go out: and do thou, O king, set on the meats, and make ready the wine, and shut the door fast, and seal it with thy own ring:

11. Se amanhã cedo, quando vieres ao templo, verificares que tudo não foi comido por Bel, nós morreremos; do contrário, será Daniel quem nos terá caluniado”.

11. And when thou comest in the morning, if thou findest not that Bel hath eaten up all, we will suffer death, or else Daniel that hath lied against us.

12. Tinham completa confiança, porque debaixo da mesa haviam feito uma abertura secreta, pela qual pene­travam habitualmente para consumir as oferendas.

12. And they little regarded it, because they had made under the table a secret entrance, and they always came in by it, and consumed those things.

13. Mas, após a saída deles, quando o rei acabava de depor as oferendas diante de Bel, Daniel ordenou aos criados traze­rem cinza, a qual espalhou pelo templo todo na presença do rei. A seguir saíram, fecharam a porta e, depois de tê-la lacrado com o sinete real, retiraram-se.

13. So it came to pass after they were gone out, the king set the meats before Bel: and Daniel commanded his servants, and they brought ashes, and he sifted them all over the temple before the king: and going forth they shut the door, and having sealed it with the king's ring, they departed.

14. Durante a noite, os sacerdotes introduziram-se como de costume (no templo) com suas mulheres e filhos, comeram e beberam tudo.

14. But the priests went in by night, according to their custom, with their wives and their children: and they ate and drank up all.

15. Ao amanhecer, o rei veio com Da­niel.

15. And the king arose early in the morning, and Daniel with him.

16. “Os selos” – disse – “estão intatos, Daniel”. “Intatos, ó rei.”

16. And the king said: Are the seals whole, Daniel? And he answered: They are whole, O king.

17. Logo que a porta foi aberta, o rei olhou para a mesa e exclamou: “Tu és grande, ó Bel! Tu não nos enganaste”.

17. And as soon as he had opened the door, the king looked upon the table, and cried out with a loud voice: Great art thou, O Bel, and there is not any deceit with thee.

18. Mas Daniel pôs-se a rir e impediu o rei de entrar mais adiante. “Olha o chão” – disse-lhe –. “De quem são estes passos?”

18. And Daniel laughed: and he held the king that he should not go in: and he said: Behold the pavement, mark whose footsteps these are.

19. “Vejo, de fato” – respondeu o rei – “passos de homens, de mulheres e de crianças.” E uma cólera violenta apoderou-se dele.

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

20. Então, mandou prender os sacer­dotes com suas mulheres e filhos, os quais lhe mostraram as entradas secretas por onde se introduziam para vir consumir o que havia na mesa.

20. Then he took the priests, and their wives, and their children: and they shewed him the private doors by which they came in, and consumed the things that were on the table.

21. O rei mandou matá-los e pôs Bel à disposição de Daniel que o destruiu, assim como seu templo.*

21. The king therefore put them to death, and delivered Bel into the power of Daniel: who destroyed him, and his temple.

22. Lá havia também um grande dragão, que os babilônios veneravam.

22. And there was a great dragon in that place, and the Babylonians worshipped him.

23. O rei disse a Daniel: “Pretenderás também dizer que aquele é de bronze? Vive, come, bebe. Tu não podes negar que seja um deus vivo.

23. And the king said to Daniel: Behold thou canst not say now, that this is not a living god: adore him therefore.

24. Adora-o, então”. “Eu adoro” – replicou Daniel – “unicamente o Senhor, meu Deus, porque ele é um Deus vivo.

24. And Daniel said: I adore the Lord my God: for he is the living God: but that is no living god.

25. Ó rei, dá-me licença para fazê-lo, e, sem espada nem bastão, matarei o dragão.” “Eu te concedo” – disse o rei.

25. But give me leave, O king, and I will kill this dragon without sword or club. And the king said: I give thee leave.

26. Então, Daniel tomou breu, gordura e pelos, cozinhou tudo junto, e com isso fez umas bolas e meteu-as na boca do dragão, que estourou e morreu. Daniel exclamou: “Eis aí o que adoráveis!”.

26. Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and boiled them together: and he made lumps, and put them into the dragon's mouth, and the dragon burst asunder. And he said: Behold him whom you worshipped.

27. Quando os babilônios souberam, ficaram sumamente indignados, e amotinaram-se contra o rei aos gritos de: “O rei tornou-se judeu! Destruiu Bel; e agora fez perecer o dragão e matar os sacerdotes”.

27. And when the Babylonians had heard this, they took great indignation: and being gathered together against the king, they said: The king is become a Jew. He hath destroyed Bel, he hath killed the dragon, and he hath put the priests to death.

28. Vie­ram à presença do rei e disseram-lhe: “Entrega-nos Daniel; do contrário, nós te mataremos, bem como toda a tua família.

28. And they came to the king, and said: Deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and thy house.

29. Diante da violência com que o ameaçavam, o rei viu-se forçado a entregar-lhes Daniel,

29. And the king saw that they pressed upon him violently: and being constrained by necessity he delivered Daniel to them.

30. que eles jogaram à cova dos leões, onde permaneceu seis dias.

30. And they cast him into the den of lions, and he was there six days.

31. Na cova havia sete leões, aos quais davam cotidianamente dois corpos humanos e dois carneiros. Porém, daquela vez, nada lhes foi distribuído, a fim de que devorassem Daniel.

31. And in the den there were seven lions, and they had given to them two carcasses every day, and two sheep: but then they were not given unto them, that they might devour Daniel.

32. Ora, o profeta Habacuc vivia naquele tempo na Judeia. Acabava de cozinhar um caldo e picava pão dentro dele em uma pane­la, para levá-lo aos ceifadores no campo.

32. Now there was in Judea a prophet called Habacuc, and he had boiled pottage, and had broken bread in a bowl: and was going into the field, to carry it to the reapers.

33. Mas um anjo do Senhor disse-lhe: “Leva esta refeição à Babilônia, a Daniel, que se encontra na cova dos leões”.

33. And the angel of the Lord said to Habacuc: Carry the dinner which thou hast into Babylon to Daniel, who is in the lions' den.

34. “Senhor” – disse Habacuc –, “nunca vi Babilônia, e não conheço essa cova.”

34. And Habacuc said: Lord, I never saw Babylon, nor do I know the den.

35. Então o anjo, segurando-o pelo alto da cabeça, transportou-o pelos cabelos, em um fôlego, até a Babilônia, em cima da cova.

35. And the angel of the Lord took him by the top of his head, and carried him by the hair of his head, and set him in Babylon over the den in the force of his spirit.

36. “Daniel, Daniel, chamou, toma a refeição que Deus te envia.”

36. And Habacuc cried, saying: O Daniel, thou servant of God, take the dinner that God hath sent thee.

37. E Daniel respondeu: “Ó Deus, vós pensastes em mim! Vós não abandonastes os que vos amam!”.

37. And Daniel said: Thou hast remembered me, O God, and thou hast not forsaken them that love thee.

38. Depois disso, pôs-se a comer, enquanto o anjo do Senhor transportava de volta Habacuc a seu domicílio.

38. And Daniel arose and ate. And the angel of the Lord presently set Habacuc again in his own place.

39. Ao sétimo dia, veio o rei chorar Da­niel. Ao acercar-se da cova, porém, olhou para dentro e aí avistou Daniel sentado.

39. And upon the seventh day the king came to bewail Daniel: and he came to the den, and looked in, and behold Daniel was sitting in the midst of the lions.

40. E bem alto exclamou: “Vós sois grande, Senhor, Deus de Daniel. Não existe outro Deus além de vós!”.

40. And the king cried out with a loud voice, saying: Great art thou, O Lord the God of Daniel. And he drew him out of the lions' den.

41. Mandou retirá-lo da cova dos leões e lá jogou todos aqueles que haviam tentado eliminá-lo, os quais foram imediatamente devorados, sob seus olhos.

41. But those that bad been the cause of his destruction, he cast into the den, and they were devoured in a moment before him.

42. Então, disse o rei: “Que todos os habitantes da terra reverenciem o Deus de Daniel, porque é um salvador que opera sinais e prodígios em toda a terra, e salvou Daniel da cova dos leões”.*

42. Then the king said: Let all the inhabitants of the whole earth fear the God of Daniel: for he is the Saviour, working signs, and wonders in the earth: who hath delivered Daniel out of the lions' den.