The jealous princes of Babylon set a trap with surgical precision. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, they crafted a decree forbidding anyone from praying to any god except the king for thirty days. They sealed it with their own signet rings, and Darius confirmed it without realizing it targeted Daniel.
The conspirators found a girl playing outside Daniel's house who told them exactly where he was: in his upper chamber, kneeling at the window that faced the Temple in Jerusalem, praying three times daily as always. They seized him and dragged him before the king. Darius fought for Daniel until sunset, arguing that the decree was born of envy. The princes threatened rebellion. Finally, the king surrendered Daniel to their hands, saying, "The Lord God of the heavens shall close their mouths."
They cast Daniel into a den holding ten lions that were normally fed ten sheep and ten human bodies each day. The lions had been deliberately starved. But when Daniel descended, the beasts showed him a kind face, licked him, and wagged their tails like dogs greeting their master. A stone was rolled over the pit and sealed with the king's ring.
That same day, the prophet Habakkuk was carrying food to his reapers in the land of Judah when God commanded him to bring the meal to Daniel in Babylon. When Habakkuk protested the impossible distance, an angel seized him by the lock of his hair, lifted him together with his food, and set him down in the lions' den. Daniel ate, and the angel returned Habakkuk home before the reapers even noticed he was gone.
At dawn, Darius rushed to the den and heard Daniel singing praises. The seals were intact. Daniel emerged without a scratch. The princes and their families were thrown in instead, and the starving lions crushed their bones to dust before they hit the ground.
LXX. (1) Soon after this, however, the princes of the
army, as well as the other chiefs, governors and dignitaries
of the kingdom envied Daniel, and, meeting in counsel,
they sought for some pretext by which they might over-
throw Daniel. So they resolved to make a decree and a
covenant that every man, old or young, belonging to the
rulers or the princes, who shall during the next thirty days
entreat any god, or ask a request from any being, except
from the king alone, shall be given as food to lions, nor shall
he be rescued by the hand of the king, or redeemed by his
great wealth to annul the decree. Daniel was ignorant of
their machinations, for they cunningly kept their secret
from him, saying, ' If we do not trap him in a religious
matter we shall not be able to overthrow him.' But they
did not know that, as Daniel was faithful to his God, so
would his God prove faithful to him.
(2) The men, having then written down what they had
resolved to do, they each one of them signed it and sealed
it with his seal, in order to give it greater authority.
They thea waited upon the king with their writing, who
took it and read it innocently without suspecting that it
was a secret plot cunningly devised against Daniel.
Therefore he confirmed the decree by sealing it with the
king's seal, and giving it to his scribes to guard for the
appointed time. (3) One day the men went to Daniel's
house to spy, and, finding a girl playing about opposite
the entrance of his house, they asked, ' Where is Daniel,
and what is he doing ?' And she replied, ' Behold, he is in
the upper chamber of his house, praying near the window
which looks towards the holy temple at Jerusalem, and
uttering praises and words of thanksgiving to his God.'
Believing her, they went to the upper chamber, and found
him on his knees with his hands spread towards heaven,
for Daniel supplicated to God three times during the day.
(4) When these men came into Daniel's chamber he was
not frightened, nor did he tremble at the noise of their
voice, and he finished his prayer, when they all immediately
seized him and brought him to the king. But when the
king saw Daniel in the hands of the princes he trembled
very greatly, and was astounded, for he then knew that it
was against Daniel they had made and established such a
decree. Then said the king to the princes, ' What have ye
done to Daniel, and what have ye to do with him?*
(5) And they replied, ' Have we not written down and
sealed the decree in accordance with the law of Media
and Persia, which cannot be changed or frustrated, that
whoever prostrates himself to any being for the whole of
this month other than to the king shall be consigned as
food for the lions ? Behold, Daniel was found in his house
praying to his God, and thus this decree of the King of
Media and Persia was violated, which cannot be. Now,
since Daniel has mocked us in trying to set our laws at
naught, give him into our hands, and we shall cast him
into the den of lions, that no other person may attempt
such a thing again in opposition to the laws of Media
and Persia.' And the king answered the princes, saying,
♦ Ye have devised this plan against Daniel to attack him
for your envy. Now, cease pursuing him, for he is a Jew,
and his God is revered, glorious and mighty, who may
visit you with His anger, and destroy you.' But the
princes seized Daniel with their hands, ready to destroy
him by casting him into the den of lions. The king,
therefore, exerted all his strength to rescue him, but
not one of them helped the king to save Daniel, for they
were all eager for his downfall, and refused, therefore, to
release him. But the king would not listen to the princes,
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and they strove with each other, the princes and the king,
until sunset.
(6) When, however, they saw that the king was with
him, they said with one accord, ' 0 king, know and mark
well, if thou wilt not deliver him into our hands, we shall
know that thou annullest the laws of Media and Persia.'
As soon as the king saw that they were all of them bent on
conspiring against him on account of Daniel, he let him
go, delivering him into their power, and saying to them,
' Tell me, if God delivers him from the mouth of the lions,
how will you hide your reproach and your shame, for ye
shall surely be cast to the lions as food.' And they all
replied, * So it shall be.' The king, having striven with
the princes until it was late, said to Daniel, ' Behold, the
princes have determined to cast thee into the den of lions,
but the Lord God of the heavens, who hath given thee
His holy Spirit, shall close their mouths and prevent
them injuring thee; but I am innocent before thy God, for
I sought to rescue thee, but could not.' Then, drawing
Daniel forth, they cast him into the den in which ten lions
were enclosed. Their daily fare consisted of ten sheep and
ten human bodies. But they starved them, depriving them
of their food, giving them nothing to eat, so that they
should hasten to devour Daniel. When Daniel had, how-
ever, descended to the den of lions they showed him a kind
face, licked him, wagged their tails, and were as rejoiced
to meet him as dogs are to see their master arrive home
from the field. The princes rolled a great stone over the
mouth of the pit, which the king sealed with his ring as
well as with that of the princes, and they each went their
way.
(7) Daniel, in the meantime, praised the name of his
God all the night until the next morning with the voice of
song and thanksgiving, while the lions crouched round
about him, eager to hearken unto his song. But the king
went to his house grieved and bitterly sad, eating no
food, and drinking neither wine nor water. He forbad the
musical instruments to be played before him, and did not
remove his garments, for he was grieved at heart for
Daniel; his sleep also left him, for he was saddened at the
princes' plot against Daniel. Then, turning over on his
side and sighing, he said, ' Would that it were morning, to
see what has become of Daniel.'
(8) On that same day, and at the same time as Daniel
was cast into the den, behold the prophet Habakkuk, in the
land of Judah, returned that evening from harvesting, and
prepared a large dish to feed the reapers. While he was
carrying his burden in his hand to supply the reapers
with food, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ' Go
thou with this food to My servant Daniel, in the land of the
Chaldeans, to the den of lions, where he is cast.' 'But, 0
Lord God, who will lead me there,' said he, ' at this time,
since the distance is so great for me ?' And forthwith an
angel of God lifted him by the lock of his hair, together
with his food, and placed him in the midst of Daniel's den,
where he put down the food. The angel then brought him
forth thence, and restored him to his native place, whence
he was taken before the reapers had had their meal. And
Daniel uttered thanksgiving and praises to his God, in
whose salvation he trusted, for whoever supplicates to his
God communes with Him as well as one who studies His
law, and he need not despair of His kindness.
(9) On the following morning at daybreak the king arose
and hastily went to the den, and when he heard Daniel's
voice singing and the beauty of his praises, he was not
able to speak to him, for his voice was stifled through
his sobbing. But, strengthening himself, he called out,
* Daniel, Daniel, has God withheld thee from the mouth of
the lions, and art thou not torn to pieces ?' And Daniel
replied, ' Indeed, God hath withheld me from the mouth of
the lions, and hath closed their mouths, and prevented
them from injuring me. They, on the contrary, rejoiced
to meet me, just as my own household would rejoice, for
thus my God, in whom I trust, has commanded, and
yesterday food was even given to me through Habakkuk,
through the spirit of my God; but, my lord the king, I have
218 [Lxx. 10
not sinned against thee, nor will any iniquity be found
in me.'
(10) The king then sending for the princes, Daniel's
enemies, they came to him as he was standing by the den.
' Know,' said he, ' and behold the seals of your rings; are
they as ye sealed them, and has there been any mis-
chief ?' And examining the seals, they said, ' They are
untouched and just as we have sealed them.' Then, com-
manding the stone to be rolled away from the mouth of the
pit, Daniel they brought forth, sound and perfect, without
any blemish or hurt. The bystanders, being struck with
wonder at the miracles of the God of Daniel, with a loud
voice shouted, ' The God of Daniel is greater than all other
gods.' The king then ordered his servants to lay hold of
those princes, Daniel's enemies, together with their wives
and children, and to cast them into the den of lions, and
before they reached the floor of the den, the lions, who had
not eaten any food since yesterday, roared at them, and,
tearing them, crushed their bones and ground them to
dust. They then continued roaring from their den so
that the noise could be heard far off, and all the people
trembled, and said, ' The lions have escaped from their
den.'
