1
After the death of King Astyages, Cyrus of Persia took over his kingdom.
2
Daniel was one of King Cyrus' closest companions, and the king thought more highly of Daniel than of any other of his advisers.
3
The Babylonians had an idol named Bel. Each day the people had to provide Bel with an offering of twelve bushels of fine flour, forty sheep, and fifty gallons of wine.
4
King Cyrus believed that Bel was a god, and each day he used to go and worship it. But Daniel worshiped his own God.
5
One day the king asked Daniel, "Why don't you worship Bel?" Daniel answered, "I do not worship idols made with human hands. I worship only the living God, who created heaven and earth and is the Lord of all human beings."
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.