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1There was a man named Joakim who lived in Babylon.[#13:1 Chapter 13 is not included in the Hebrew and Aramaic text of Daniel. It is here translated from Theodotion’s Greek text.]
2He married a woman named Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah. She was very beautiful and feared the Lord.
3Susanna’s parents were righteous people, so they had raised her to follow the law of Moses.
4Joakim was very rich and had a garden near his house, and the Jews came to him for counsel because he was the most honored member of their community.
5Two elders were appointed to be judges that year, but the Lord said about them: “Wickedness has come from Babylon, from the elders who were supposed to govern the people.”[#13:5 See Jer 29:20-23.]
6These men came frequently to Joakim’s house, and anyone who needed a dispute settled came to them.
7When the people left each day at noon, Susanna would go out and walk in her husband’s garden.
8The two elders saw her going out to walk in the garden every day, and they began to lust for her.
9They ignored their consciences, shutting out any thoughts of God and disregarding justice.[#13:9 Greek turning their eyes away from heaven.]
10So they were both overcome with passion for her, but neither one revealed his feelings to the other,
11for they were ashamed to let anyone know about their desire to seduce her.
12Every day they eagerly waited for the opportunity to watch her.
13One day they said to each other, “Let’s go home now. It’s time for dinner.” So they left and went their separate ways.
14But then they each circled back to spy on Susanna, and each discovered the other. After questioning each other, they both admitted their lust for Susanna. Then they cooked up a plan to find her alone.
15Once, as they were watching for a chance to find her alone, Susanna went out at the regular time. She was accompanied by only two servant girls, for the day was hot, and she wanted to bathe in the garden.
16No one else was there except the two elders, who had hidden in the garden and were watching her.
17Susanna said to her servants, “Bring me olive oil and ointments, and shut the gates of the garden so I can bathe in privacy.”
18They did as she told them. They shut the gates of the garden and went out by a side gate to get what she had asked for. They didn’t know that the elders were hiding inside.
19When the servant girls had left, the two elders ran over to Susanna and said,
20“Look, the gates of the garden are shut, and no one can see us. We want to have sex with you.
21If you don’t cooperate, we will testify against you in court and say that you sent your servants away because you had arranged to meet a young man in the garden.”
22Susanna groaned in despair and said, “I am trapped no matter what I do. If I agree to have sex with you, it is a sin punishable by death. But if I refuse, I will still not escape your power.
23I choose not to do it! I choose to suffer innocently at your hands rather than to sin against the Lord.”
24With that, Susanna cried out for help, but the two elders began shouting, putting the blame on her.
25Then one of the elders ran to open the front gate of the garden.
26When the servants in the house heard the commotion in the garden, they rushed through the side gate to see what had happened to Susanna.
27As the elders told their story, the servants were dismayed, for no one had ever accused Susanna of such a sin.
28The next day the people came as usual to Joakim’s house. The two elders also came, fully determined to carry out their wicked plot to have Susanna put to death.
29In the presence of all the people, they said, “Send for Hilkiah’s daughter Susanna, the wife of Joakim.” So they sent for her at once.
30And she came to the assembly with her parents, her children, and all her relatives.
31Now Susanna was very refined and beautiful.
32Her face was veiled, but those wicked men commanded that she take off her veil. They did this so that they could at least feast their eyes on her beauty.
33While all Susanna’s friends and everyone else wept,
34the two elders stood up before the assembly to lay hands on her head and accuse her of sin.
35Through her tears, Susanna looked up toward heaven, for she trusted in the Lord.
36Then the elders said: “As we walked in the garden alone, this woman came in with two servant girls and shut the gates of the garden, and then she sent the servants away.
37Then a young man who was hiding there came out and had sex with her.
38We were in a corner of the garden, and when we saw this crime, we ran over to them.
39Although we had seen them lying together, we could not catch the young man because he was too strong for us. He opened the gates and ran off.
40But we did catch this woman. When we asked her who the young man was,
41she would not tell us. We testify that this is what we saw.”
Since the two men were elders and judges, the crowd believed them and condemned Susanna to death.
42Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice: “Eternal God, you know things that are hidden, and you foresee all things.
43You know that these men have testified falsely against me. And now I am going to die, even though I have done none of the things these wicked men have said about me.”
44The Lord heard Susanna’s cry,
45so when she was being led away to her execution, God stirred up the righteous spirit of a young man named Daniel.[#13:45 Greek holy.]
46He shouted, “I will have no part in the shedding of this woman’s blood!”
47Then all the people turned to Daniel and said, “What are you talking about?”
48So he stood before them and said, “Are you so foolish, you people of Israel, that you have condemned a daughter of Israel without a proper trial?
49Return to the court, for these witnesses have given false testimony against her.”
50So all the people quickly returned, and the other elders said to Daniel, “Come, sit here among us, and show us your reasoning, since God has given you the wisdom of old age.”
51Daniel said to them, “Separate these two witnesses, and I will cross-examine them separately.”
52So when they had been separated, he called for one of them and said to him, “How evil you have grown in your old age! Now the sins of your earlier days have caught up with you.
53You made unjust judgments, condemned the innocent, and let the guilty go free, though the Lord said, ‘Never put an innocent or honest person to death.’[#13:53 Exod 23:7.]
54Now then, if you really saw what happened, tell me what kind of tree the couple was lying under when you saw them together.”
The elder answered, “Under a mastic tree.”
55Then Daniel said, “Well, now, this lie has cost you your head. The angel of God has already received the sentence from God and will cut you in two.”[#13:55 The Greek words for mastic tree and cut are similar.]
56Then Daniel dismissed the first elder and called for the second. He said to him, “You filthy Canaanite, beauty has deceived you, and lust has perverted your heart.[#13:56 Greek O you seed of Canaan and not of Judah.]
57This is how you sinned with the daughters of Israel, and in their fear they gave in to you. But here is a daughter of Judah who would not tolerate your wickedness.
58Now then, tell me what kind of tree the couple was lying under when you saw them together.”
The second elder answered, “Under an oak tree.”
59Then Daniel said to him, “Well, now, this lie has cost you your head as well. The angel of God is waiting with his sword to split you in two. Then both of you elders will be destroyed.”[#13:59 The Greek words for oak tree and split are similar.]
60Then the entire assembly gave a great shout and blessed God, who saves those who trust in him.
61And they rose up against the two elders, for Daniel had used their own words to convict them of giving false testimony. In keeping with the law of Moses, the elders received the same punishment they were about to inflict on their neighbor:
62They were put to death. And so an innocent life was saved that day.
63Hilkiah and his wife praised God for their daughter Susanna, as did her husband, Joakim, and all her relatives, because she was found innocent of a shameful crime.
64And Daniel was greatly esteemed by the people from that day forward.