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CHAPTER 12.

When the scattering of the hand of the holy people is accomplished, they will know the holy one, and all these things will be accomplished. And I heard, and I did not understand, and I said: Lord, what is the end of these things? And he said: Go, Daniel, for the words are sealed up until the time of the end. Until many are chosen, and made white, and refined by fire, and the lawless will act lawlessly, and all the ungodly will not understand, but the wise will understand. And from the time of the removal of the continual sacrifice, and for the abomination of desolation to be given, one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who endures and arrives at one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. And you, go, and rest; for there are still days for the fulfillment of the end; and you will rest for your time until the end of days. And you, he says, sit down; for after a long time these things are. Therefore he does not lament concerning the going up, but after the going up concerning those who have gone up.

CHAPTER 13.

And King Astyages was added to his fathers; and Cyrus the Persian took over his kingdom. And Daniel was a companion of the king, and honored above all his friends. The things concerning Bel, Daniel wrote for us. Do you not see, he says, how much he eats and drinks? Alas, what a proof of a god, and sign, to eat and drink much. Daniel did not say this: Is this then a God, tell me? for that one was weak; but he won an overwhelming victory. I tell you of the God [the] who created the heaven and the earth; but do you bring a raging belly into our midst? This would most certainly not be of God; for God will not hunger, nor grow weary. But he does not wish to conquer by reasonings, but by facts. And the king himself appointed the punishment. For what reason does he not eat in their presence, but at night? How did they not perceive this, that they were 56.245 about to be exposed by means of this help? When God is directing things, be surprised at nothing. And he killed them, he says. What then again concerning the dragon? does one worship a beast? And he killed this one too. Do you see how foolish, how unmanly are the kings of the Persians? He gives up Daniel. For what reason, after a victory so brilliant? But Habakkuk, he says, brought a meal to Daniel. See the wonder. For was it not possible for it to be brought to him from elsewhere 56.246, but from Judea? This was pleasing to the prophet, so that he would not do the same things again, as in the case of the eunuch, so that, thinking the table was defiled, he would not prolong the famine. From where did he know Habakkuk? From the kinship according to the voice. He himself was to become a herald to those in Judea of a very great wonder. How was the man not afraid of the beasts? This one was eating, while those were fasting. Granted, it abstained from the body of the just man; for what reason also from the food? As some muzzle and bridle held them back.

35

ΚΕΦΑL. ΙΒʹ.

Ἐν τῷ συντελεσθῆναι διασκορπισμὸν χειρὸς λαοῦ ἡγιασμένου, γνώσονται

ἅγιον, καὶ συντελεσθήσεται ταῦτα πάντα. Καὶ ἐγὼ ἤκουσα, καὶ οὐ συνῆκα, καὶ εἶπον· Κύριε, τί τὰ ἔσχατα τούτων; Καὶ εἶπε· ∆εῦρο, ∆ανιὴλ, ὅτι καὶ ἐμπεφραγμένοι οἱ λόγοι ἕως καιροῦ πέρατος. Ἕως ἐκλεγῶσιν, καὶ ἐκλευκανθῶσιν, καὶ πυρωθῶσι πολλοὶ, καὶ ἀνομήσωσιν ἄνομοι, καὶ οὐ συνήσωσι πάντες ἀσεβεῖς, καὶ οἱ νοήμονες συνήσωσιν. Καὶ ἀπὸ καιροῦ παραλλάξεως τοῦ ἐνδελεχισμοῦ, καὶ δοθῆ-ναι βδέλυγμα ἐρημώσεως, ἡμέραι χίλιαι διακόσιαι ἐννενήκοντα. Μακάριος ὁ ὑπομένων καὶ φθάσας εἰς ἡμέρας χιλίας τριακοσίας τριακονταπέντε. Καὶ σὺ δεῦρο, καὶ ἀναπαύου· ἔτι γὰρ ἡμέραι εἰς ἀναπλήρωσιν συντελείας· καὶ ἀναπαύσεις τὸν καιρόν σου εἰς συντέλειαν ἡμερῶν. Καὶ σὺ, φησὶ, κάθισον· μετὰ γὰρ χρόνον πολὺν ταῦτά ἐστιν. Ἄρα οὐ περὶ τῆς ἀνόδου θρηνεῖ, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸ ἀνελθεῖν περὶ τῶν ἀνελθόντων.

ΚΕΦΑL. ΙΓʹ.

Καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀστυάγης προσετέθη πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας αὐτοῦ· καὶ

παρέλαβεν Κῦρος ὁ Πέρσης τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἦν ∆ανιὴλ συμβιώτης τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἔνδοξος ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς φίλους αὐτοῦ. Τὰ κατὰ τὸν Βὴλ ἡμῖν ἀνέγραψεν ὁ ∆ανιήl. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς, φησὶ, πόσα ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει; Βαβαὶ, ἡλίκον τεκμήριον θεοῦ, καὶ γνώρισμα, τὸ πολλὰ ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν. Ὁ ∆ανιὴλ οὐκ εἶπε τοῦτο· Τοῦτο οὖν Θεὸς, εἰπέ μοι; ἀσθενὴς γὰρ ἦν ἐκεῖνος· ἀλλ' ἐκ περιουσίας ἐνίκησεν. Ἐγώ σοι τὸν Θεὸν [τὸν] κτίσαντα τὸν οὐρανὸν λέγω καὶ τὴν γῆν· σὺ δέ μοι γαστέρα μαινομένην παράγεις εἰς μέσον; Τοῦτο μάλιστα οὐκ ἂν εἴη Θεοῦ· Θεὸς γὰρ οὐ πεινάσει, οὐ κοπιάσει. Ἀλλ' οὐ βούλεται ἀπὸ λογισμῶν, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ πραγμάτων νικᾷν. Καὶ τιμωρίαν ὥρισεν αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεύς. Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐχὶ παρόντων ἐσθίει, ἀλλ' ἐν νυκτί; Πῶς ἐκεῖνοι τοῦτο οὐ συνεῖδον, ὅτι ἤμελ 56.245 λον διὰ τῆς βοηθείας ἐλέγχεσθαι; Ὅταν Θεὸς οἰκονομῇ, μηδὲν θαυμάσῃς. Καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτοὺς, φησί. Τί οὖν πάλιν ἐπὶ τοῦ δράκοντος; θηρίον τις προσκυνεῖ; Καὶ τοῦτον ἀνεῖλεν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἀνόητοι, πῶς ἄνανδροι οἱ βασιλεῖς τῶν Περσῶν; Ἐκδίδωσι τὸν ∆ανιήl. Τίνος ἕνεκεν, μετὰ τὴν νίκην τὴν οὕτω λαμπράν; Ὁ δὲ Ἀμβακοὺμ, φησὶ, ἄριστον ἤνεγκε τῷ ∆ανιήl. Ὅρα τὸ θαῦμα. Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἦν δυνατὸν αὐτῷ ἄλλοθεν 56.246 ἐνεχθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας; Τοῦτο φίλον ἦν τῷ προφήτῃ, ἵνα μὴ τὰ αὐτὰ ποιήσῃ πάλιν, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ εὐνούχου, ἵνα μὴ νομίσας ἠλισγῆσθαι τὴν τράπεζαν, τὸν λιμὸν ἐπιτείνῃ. Πόθεν ἔγνω τὸν Ἀμβακούμ; Ἀπὸ τῆς συγγενείας τῆς κατὰ τὴν φωνήν. Ἔμελλεν αὐτὸς κήρυξ γίνεσθαι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν θαύματος μεγίστου. Πῶς οὐκ ἐφοβήθη τὰ θηρία ὁ ἄνθρωπος; Οὗτος μὲν ἤσθιεν, ἐκεῖνα δὲ ἐνήστευον. Ἔστω, τοῦ σώματος ἀπείχετο τοῦ δικαίου· τίνος ἕνεκεν καὶ τῆς τροφῆς; Ὥσπερ κημός τις καὶ χαλινὸς κατεῖχεν ἐκεῖνα.