Chapter Tu

Daniel—Buk Wea Olketa Kotem

1, 2. Long wanem wei nao olketa accusim buk bilong Daniel, and why nao iu ting hem important for lukluk long pruv wea defendim hem?

TINGIM iu insaed wanfala kot haos, iu attendim wanfala important kot case. Olketa accusim wanfala man for talem giaman story. Lawyer wea againstim hem sei datfala man hem guilty. Bat, planti pipol savve man wea olketa accusim hem honest man. Waswe, bae iu interest for herem pruv bilong sekson wea defendim hem?

² Iu nao insaed semkaen samting long saed bilong Bible buk bilong Daniel. Planti pipol savve hao man wea raetem hem garem honest fasin. For planti thousand year olketa tinghae long buk wea garem nem bilong hem. Daniel, wanfala Hebrew profet wea stap long mek-seven and mek-six century B.C.E., raetem datfala buk olsem trufala history. Stretfala record bilong olketa date long Bible showimaot disfala buk hem story abaotem taem from 618 go kasem 536 B.C.E., year wea buk hem finis. Bat olketa accusim datfala buk. Samfala encyclopedia and nara reference buk point go or talemaot stret hem wanfala giaman story.

3. Wanem nao The New Encyclopædia Britannica sei abaotem wei wea buk bilong Daniel hem tru?

³ Olsem example, The New Encyclopædia Britannica sei bifor pipol ting long buk bilong Daniel “olsem trufala history, wea garem trufala profesi.” Bat, datfala Britannica sei really samting nao, olketa “raetem [Daniel] bihaen datfala nation kasem trabol—taem olketa Jew safa long strongfala persecution from [king bilong Syria] Antiochus IV Epiphanes.” Encyclopedia hia sei olketa raetem buk midolwan long 167 and 164 B.C.E. Disfala sem buk sei man wea raetem buk bilong Daniel no talem profesi abaotem future bat hem talem nomoa “olketa samting wea happen long bifor olsem olketa profesi wea bae happen long future.”

4. Wanem taem nao pipol start for tok againstim buk bilong Daniel, and wanem nao mekem semkaen wei for againstim kamap insaed samfala handred year wea go finis?

⁴ Olketa idea olsem start kam from wea? Wei for tok againstim buk bilong Daniel hem no niu samting. Hem start long mek-thri century C.E. witim wanfala savveman Porphyry. Olsem planti pipol wea stap insaed long Rul Bilong Rome, hem wari abaotem paoa bilong Christian Wei. Hem raetem 15-fala buk for daonem disfala “niu” religion. Mek-12 buk hem againstim buk bilong Daniel. Porphyry sei datfala buk hem giaman raeting, wea wanfala Jew long mek-tu century B.C.E. nao hem raetem. Semkaen wei for againstim buk hem kamap long mek-18 and mek-19 century. Long tingting bilong pipol wea tok againstim and pipol wea daot, profesi—wei for talem firstaem samting wea bae happen long future—hem kanduit happen. Daniel nao main wan wea olketa targetim. Hem olsem olketa tekem hem and buk bilong hem go long kot. Pipol wea tok againstim sei olketa garem planti pruv for showimaot Daniel no raetem datfala buk long taem wea olketa Jew stap prisoner long Babylon, bat narafala man nao raetem planti handred year bihaen.a Wei for daonem olsem kamap big tumas gogo wanfala man raetem buk wea defendim Daniel wea hem kolem Daniel in the Critics’ Den (Daniel Insaed Hol Bilong Pipol Wea Tok Againstim).

5. Why nao kwestin abaotem wei wea Daniel tru or nomoa hem important?

⁵ Waswe, eni samting pruvim toktok bilong olketa pipol hia? Or waswe, pruv hem saportim olketa wea defendim Daniel? Olketa important samting nao insaed diswan. Hem no just gudfala nem bilong disfala old buk nomoa bat future bilong iumi tu. Sapos buk bilong Daniel hem giaman story, olketa promis bilong hem for future bilong olketa man hem emti toktok nomoa. Bat, sapos hem garem olketa trufala profesi, iu bae wantem tumas for lanem mining bilong olketa for iumi long distaem. Tingim datwan taem iumi lukluk long samfala wei wea olketa daonem Daniel.

6. Wanem nao samfala talem abaotem history insaed long Daniel?

⁶ Olsem example, lukim samting wea The Encyclopedia Americana talem: “Planti information abaotem taem bifor [olsem taem wea olketa Jew stap long Babylon] hem barava olabaot” long Daniel. Waswe, diswan hem tru? Letem iumi lukluk long each wan long thrifala taem wea olketa sei hem mekem mistek.

KING WEA NO STAP

7. (a) Why nao wei wea Daniel story abaotem Belshazzar mekem pipol wea tok againstim Bible hapi? (b) Wanem nao happen long idea wea sei Belshazzar hem mekap man nomoa?

⁷ Daniel hem sei Belshazzar, “son” bilong Nebuchadnezzar, rul olsem king long Babylon taem olketa winim datfala taon. (Daniel 5:1, 11, 18, 22, 30) For longtaem nao samfala pipol attakim disfala point, bikos nem bilong Belshazzar no stap long eni ples moa aotsaed long Bible. Bat, olketa man for raetem history bifor sei Nabonidus, man wea rul bihaen long Nebuchadnezzar, hem nao lastfala king bilong Babylon. So, long 1850, Ferdinand Hitzig sei Belshazzar hem wanfala mekap man nomoa. Bat maet Hitzig no tingting firstaem bifor hem talem datwan. From tingim firstaem, wei wea no eniwan savve abaotem datfala king—wea stap long taem wea olketa no garem planti record abaotem—waswe, diswan really pruvim hem nating stap? Long 1854 olketa faendem samfala smol clay stone long taon bilong Ur long Babylon bifor wea distaem hem south Iraq. Raeting long olketa cuneiform stone hia wea kam from King Nabonidus garem wanfala prea tu for “Bel-sar-ussur, firstborn son bilong mi.” Pipol wea tok againstim tu agree hao: Diswan nao Belshazzar wea buk bilong Daniel story abaot.

8. Wanem nao pruvim hao story bilong Daniel abaotem Belshazzar olsem king wea rul hem tru?

⁸ Nomata olsem, samfala no satisfae yet. Wanfala man wea nem bilong hem H. F. Talbot sei: “Diswan no pruvim eni samting.” Hem sei son wea datfala raeting story abaotem maet wanfala smol pikinini nomoa, bat Daniel story abaotem hem olsem wanfala king wea rul. Bat, wanfala year bihaen Talbot pablisim toktok hia, olketa faendem samfala cuneiform stone moa wea sei Belshazzar garem olketa secretary and servant long haos. Diswan hem no pikinini! Gogo, samfala nara stone pruvim datwan, from olketa sei Nabonidus hem no stap long Babylon for planti year. Olketa stone hia sei long olketa taem olsem, hem “givim go rul” bilong Babylon long firstborn son bilong hem (Belshazzar). Long olketa taem hia, hem olsem Belshazzar nao king—hem rul witim dadi bilong hem.b

9. (a) Wanem nao maet Daniel minim taem hem kolem Belshazzar son bilong Nebuchadnezzar? (b) Why nao samfala pipol rong for sei Daniel no talem eni samting wea showimaot Nabonidus hem stap?

⁹ Bat samfala no satisfae yet and komplen hao Bible kolem Belshazzar, no son bilong Nabonidus, bat son bilong Nebuchadnezzar. Samfala sei Daniel nating talem eni samting wea showimaot Nabonidus hem stap. Bat, sapos iumi lukluk gud long diswan, tufala toktok hia wik tumas. Hem luk olsem Nabonidus maritim dota bilong Nebuchadnezzar. Datwan minim Belshazzar hem granson bilong Nebuchadnezzar. Long Hebrew and Aramaic languis olketa no garem word for “grandadi” or “granson”; so “son bilong” savve minim “granson bilong” or maet “laen pikinini bilong” tu. (Markem Matthew 1:1.) And tu, story long Bible talem samting wea showimaot Belshazzar hem son bilong Nabonidus. Taem hem fraet tumas long secret handraeting long wall, Belshazzar offerim mek-thri ples long kingdom for eniwan wea savve talemaot mining bilong toktok hia. (Daniel 5:7) Why nao mek-thri and no mek-tu? Diswan showimaot samwan stap finis long mek-wan and mek-tu ples. Yes, tufala nao—Nabonidus and son bilong hem, Belshazzar.

10. Why nao Daniel storyim moa samting abaotem kingdom bilong Babylon winim eni nara man wea raetem history bifor?

¹⁰ So wei wea Daniel tok abaotem Belshazzar hem no pruvim story bilong hem “barava olabaot.” Bat, Daniel—nomata hem no raetem history bilong Babylon—talem iumi moa samting abaotem kingdom bilong Babylon winim olketa man for raetem history bilong world bifor olsem Herodotus, Xenophon, and Berossus. Why nao Daniel fit for raetem samting wea olketa missim? Bikos hem stap there long Babylon. Wanfala man wea hemseleva lukim samting nao raetem disfala buk, no wanfala man for giaman wea stap planti handred year bihaen.

HU NAO DARIUS BILONG MEDIA?

11. Olsem Daniel talem, hu nao Darius bilong Media, bat wanem nao pipol talem abaotem hem?

¹¹ Daniel hem sei taem olketa tekovarem Babylon, wanfala king wea nem bilong hem “Darius bilong Media” start for rul. (Daniel 5:31) Pipol for studyim oldfala samting no faendem yet nem bilong Darius bilong Media. Dastawe, The New Encyclopædia Britannica sei disfala Darius hem wanfala “mekap man.”

12. (a) Why nao olketa man wea tok againstim Bible shud no sei Darius bilong Media nating stap bifor? (b) Hu nao maet Darius bilong Media, and wanem pruv nao showimaot diswan?

¹² Samfala savveman moa careful long diswan. Olsem bifor, pipol wea tok againstim sei Belshazzar hem “mekap man” tu. Iumi no daot, diswan bae olsem tu for story bilong Darius. Olketa faendem finis samfala cuneiform stone wea showimaot Cyrus bilong Persia no stretawe tekem title “King bilong Babylon” bihaen hem win. Wanfala man wea duim research sei: “Man wea garem title ‘King bilong Babylon’ hem wanfala king wea stap anda long Cyrus, no Cyrus seleva.” Waswe, maet Darius nao nem, or title, bilong wanfala strongfala bigman bilong Media wea lukaftarem Babylon? Samfala sei maet Darius hem man wea olketa kolem Gubaru. Cyrus putim Gubaru olsem governor long Babylon, and olketa record bilong history sei hem rul witim bigfala paoa. Wanfala cuneiform stone sei Gubaru appointim samfala governor ovarem Babylon. Interesting samting, Daniel hem sei Darius appointim 120 satrap for rulim kingdom bilong Babylon.—Daniel 6:1.

13. Wanem nao wanfala stretfala reason why Darius bilong Media hem stap insaed buk bilong Daniel bat no insaed olketa narafala raeting?

¹³ Gogo, maet olketa bae faendem moa pruv wea showimaot klia hu nao disfala king. Nomata wanem, wei wea olketa no faendem moa eni oldfala samting yet abaotem diswan no givim reason for sei Darius hem “mekap man,” or for sei full buk bilong Daniel hem giaman story. Hem moa fitim for luksavve long raeting bilong Daniel olsem raeting bilong man wea lukim evri samting dastawe hem moa klia winim olketa narafala raeting wea stap distaem.

RUL BILONG JEHOIAKIM

14. Why nao samting wea Daniel and Jeremiah talem abaotem olketa year wea King Jehoiakim rul hem stret?

¹⁴ Daniel 1:1 read olsem: “Long mek-thri year long rul bilong Jehoiakim king bilong Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king bilong Babylon kam and attakim Jerusalem.” Samfala tok againstim diswan bikos disfala scripture no agree witim Jeremiah, wea sei mek-foa year bilong Jehoiakim nao hem firstfala year bilong Nebuchadnezzar. (Jeremiah 25:1; 46:2) Waswe, Daniel talem toktok wea no agree witim Jeremiah? Moa information hem stretem diswan. Pharaoh Necho mekem Jehoiakim kamap king long 628 B.C.E., bat hem stap anda long datfala ruler bilong Egypt. Diswan hem thrifala year bifor Nebuchadnezzar kamap king long Babylon, long 624 B.C.E. No longtaem bihaen datwan (long 620 B.C.E.), Nebuchadnezzar attakim Judah and mekem Jehoiakim kamap king wea stap anda long Babylon. (2 Kings 23:34; 24:1) For olketa Jew wea stap long Babylon, “mek-thri year” bilong Jehoiakim hem mek-thri year bilong hem for serve anda long Babylon. Daniel hem raet followim wanem hem lukim from Babylon. Bat, Jeremiah hem raet followim wanem olketa Jew wea stap long Jerusalem lukim. So hem sei rul bilong Jehoiakim start taem Pharaoh Necho mekem hem kamap king.

15. Why nao hem no stret for againstim date wea Daniel 1:1 talem?

¹⁵ So, disfala samting wea olketa sei hem mistek hem strongim pruv wea showimaot Daniel raetem buk bilong hem long Babylon taem hem stap witim olketa Jew prisoner. Bat narafala samting moa hem rong abaotem disfala wei for againstim buk bilong Daniel. Tingim hao man wea raetem Daniel hem garem buk bilong Jeremiah and hem iusim tu. (Daniel 9:2) Sapos man wea raetem Daniel hem man for haedem samting nomoa, olsem samfala man talem, waswe, bae hem willing for tok difren from buk bilong Jeremiah wea planti pipol respectim—and long barava firstfala verse long buk bilong hem? Nomoa nao!

OLKETA SMOLFALA IMPORTANT POINT

16, 17. Hao nao oldfala samting wea olketa faendemaot hem saportim story bilong Daniel abaotem (a) wei wea Nebuchadnezzar buildim image bilong religion for evri pipol bilong hem worshipim? (b) praodfala tingting bilong Nebuchadnezzar abaotem olketa building bilong hem long Babylon?

¹⁶ Distaem iumi lusim wei for tingim saed wea againstim and lukluk long saed wea saportim. Tingim samfala samting insaed buk bilong Daniel wea showimaot man wea raetem hem lukim evri samting wea hem raet abaotem.

¹⁷ Wei wea Daniel savve gud long olketa smol samting abaotem Babylon bifor hem strongfala pruv for showimaot story bilong hem tru. Olsem example, Daniel 3:1-6 sei Nebuchadnezzar buildim wanfala maeti image for evri pipol worshipim. Pipol wea studyim oldfala samting faendem samfala pruv moa hao king hia wantem pipol bilong hem for join insaed long wei for saportim nation and religion. Olsem tu, Daniel raet abaotem praodfala tingting bilong Nebuchadnezzar long planti samting wea hem buildim. (Daniel 4:30) No longtaem go nomoa pipol wea studyim oldfala samting faendemaot hao Nebuchadnezzar nao bihaenem planti building long Babylon. Long saed bilong praodfala fasin—tru nao, datfala man putim nem bilong hem long olketa brik! Pipol wea tok againstim Daniel kanduit minim hao nao man wea olketa sei hem raetem story long taem bilong Maccabee (167-63 B.C.E.) kasem savve abaotem olketa building hia—sapos hem raet klosap 400 year bihaen and longtaem bifor pipol wea studyim oldfala samting faendemaot.

18. Hao nao story bilong Daniel abaotem olketa difren wei for givim panis anda long rul bilong Babylon and bilong Persia hem stret?

¹⁸ Buk bilong Daniel story tu abaotem samfala main wei wea law bilong Babylon and Media-Persia difren. Olsem example, anda long law bilong Babylon, olketa torowem thrifala fren bilong Daniel insaed long bigfala fire bikos olketa no want for obeyim komand bilong king. Planti year bihaen, olketa torowem Daniel insaed long hol bilong olketa lion bikos hem no want for obeyim law bilong Persia wea againstim conscience bilong hem. (Daniel 3:6; 6:7-9) Samfala pipol sei disfala story abaotem bigfala fire hem kastom story nomoa, bat samfala pipol faendem wanfala leta from Babylon bifor wea barava story abaotem datkaen wei for givim panis. Bat, for olketa bilong Media and Persia, fire hem holy samting. So olketa duim narakaen raf samting for givim panis. Dastawe, hol bilong olketa lion hem samting wea no mekem iumi sapraes.

19. Hao nao buk bilong Daniel showimaot law bilong Babylon hem difren from law bilong Media-Persia?

¹⁹ Narafala samting wea difren hem showaot. Daniel showimaot hao Nebuchadnezzar savve startim and changem olketa law long enitaem. Darius no savve duim eni samting for changem ‘olketa law bilong olketa long Media and Persia’—nomata olketa wea hemseleva nao startim! (Daniel 2:5, 6, 24, 46-49; 3:10, 11, 29; 6:12-16) Man for raetem history John C. Whitcomb raet olsem: “History hem pruvim hao wei bilong Babylon, wea law hem stap anda long king, hem difren from Media-Persia, wea king hem stap anda long law.”

20. Wanem samting abaotem feast bilong Belshazzar showimaot Daniel hem savve gud long olketa kastom bilong Babylon?

²⁰ Barava interesting story abaotem feast bilong Belshazzar wea stap long Daniel chapter 5, hem fulap witim olketa smolfala point. Luk olsem, olketa start witim wei for kaikai lelebet bat drinkim planti wine, bikos hem tok abaotem wine samfala taem. (Daniel 5:1, 2, 4) Tru nao, samfala piksa long wall wea showim olketa feast hia showimaot pipol wea drinkim wine nomoa. So, luk olsem wine hem barava important long olketa feast hia. Daniel sei olketa woman tu stap long datfala party—olketa mek-tu waef bilong king and olketa concubine bilong hem. (Daniel 5:3, 23) Oldfala samting wea pipol faendem hem saportim disfala kastom bilong Babylon. Olketa Jew and Greek wea stap long taem bilong Maccabee no laekem olketa waef for joinim olketa man long feast. Maet dastawe olketa firstfala Greek Septuagint transleison bilong Daniel aotem eni toktok abaotem olketa woman hia.c Bat, giaman man wea olketa sei raetem Daniel hem stap insaed long datfala semkaen Greek kastom, and maet long semtaem wea olketa wakem Septuagint!

21. Wanem nao barava gudfala reason why Daniel savve tumas long datfala taem and kastom bilong Babylon taem olketa Jew stap long there?

²¹ From olketa information olsem, hem hard tumas for bilivim hao Britannica sei man wea raetem buk bilong Daniel garem “lelebet and rong” savve abaotem taem olketa Jew stap long there. Hao nao man wea stap planti handred year bihaen fit for savve tumas long olketa kastom bilong Babylon and Persia bifor? Tingim tu, hao tufala kingdom hia start for wikdaon longtaem bifor mek-tu century B.C.E. Long datfala taem no eni pipol wea studyim oldfala samting stap; and tu olketa Jew long datfala taem nating interest for savve long olketa kastom and history bilong difren kantri. Daniel nomoa, wanfala man wea lukim olketa samting wea hem storyim, fit for raetem Bible buk wea garem nem bilong hem.

WASWE, NARA SAMTING MOA PRUVIM DANIEL HEM GIAMAN RAETING?

22. Wanem nao pipol wea againstim sei abaotem ples wea Daniel stap insaed long Hebrew Scripture?

²² Samting wea pipol iusim for daonem buk bilong Daniel hem join witim ples wea hem stap insaed long Hebrew Scripture. Olketa rabbi bifor putim olketa buk bilong Hebrew Scripture insaed thrifala grup: Law, olketa Profet, and olketa Raeting. Olketa putim Daniel, no witim olketa Profet, bat witim olketa Raeting. Olketa wea againstim sei diswan showimaot pipol no savve long disfala buk long taem wea olketa kolektem tugeta olketa buk bilong olketa nara profet. Olketa sei hem stap witim olketa Raeting bikos olketa kolektem bihaen.

23. Hao nao olketa Jew bifor ting long buk bilong Daniel, and hao nao iumi savve long diswan?

²³ Bat, no evriwan wea duim research long Bible tingse olketa rabbi bifor iusim datkaen wei for divaedem olketa Bible buk or olketa aotem Daniel from olketa Profet. Bat nomata sapos olketa rabbi putim Daniel witim olketa Raeting, waswe, diswan pruvim hem raetem long wanfala date bihaen? Nomoa nao. Samfala savveman talem samfala reason why nao olketa rabbi maet no putim Daniel witim olketa Profet. Olsem example, maet olketa duim datwan bikos buk hia mekem olketa feel nogud or bikos olketa tingse Daniel hem difren from olketa narafala profet bikos hem waka for gavman bilong narafala kantri. Nomata wanem, main samting nao hem olsem: Olketa Jew bifor tinghae tumas long buk bilong Daniel and biliv hem wanfala Bible buk. And tu, pruv showimaot olketa markem finis olketa buk bilong Hebrew Scripture longtaem bifor mek-tu century B.C.E. Olketa no acceptim eni buk moa bihaen, and insaed diswan samfala buk wea pipol raetem long mek-tu century B.C.E.

24. Hao nao olketa iusim datfala buk Ecclesiasticus, wea no bilong Bible, for daonem buk bilong Daniel, and wanem nao showimaot diskaen wei for tingting hem rong?

²⁴ Long wei wea no fitim, olketa iusim wanfala buk olsem wea olketa rejectim for daonem buk bilong Daniel. Long samting olsem 180 B.C.E., Jesus Ben Sirach raetem disfala buk, Ecclesiasticus, wea no bilong Bible. Pipol wea againstim sei Daniel hem no stap insaed list bilong olketa raeteous man wea datfala buk talem. Olketa sei long datfala taem no eniwan savve long Daniel. Planti savveman acceptim diswan. Bat tingim diswan: Datfala sem list no garem Ezra and Mordecai (tufala nambawan man long olketa Jew wea stap bihaen taem olketa kamaot from Babylon), gudfala King Jehoshaphat, and raeteous man Job; long evri judge, hem garem Samuel nomoa.d From olketa man hia no stap insaed list wea no sei hem full list, and wea no part bilong Bible, waswe, fitim iumi for sei olketa hia mekap man nomoa? Datfala idea hem krangge nao.

AOTSAED PRUV SAPORTIM DANIEL

25. (a) Hao nao Josephus saportim story bilong Daniel? (b) Long wanem wei nao story bilong Josephus abaotem Alexander the Great and buk bilong Daniel hem fitim history? (Lukim mek-tu footnote.) (c) Hao nao pruv long saed bilong languis hem saportim buk bilong Daniel? (Lukim page 26.)

²⁵ Iumi lukluk moa long saed wea saportim diswan. Samfala sei hao moa savveman saportim buk bilong Daniel winim eni buk long Hebrew Scripture. Olsem example: Jew man for raetem history, Josephus, saportim wei wea hem tru. Hem sei Alexander the Great, taem hem faet againstim Persia long mek-foa century B.C.E., kam long Jerusalem, and olketa priest showim hem wanfala copy long buk bilong Daniel. Alexander seleva sei profesi bilong Daniel wea olketa showim long hem point go long army bilong hem wea faet againstim Persia.e Diswan hem samting olsem 150 year bifor pipol wea tok againstim sei “giaman raeting” bilong Daniel kamap. Bat, samfala tok againstim Josephus tu abaotem disfala toktok. Olketa tok againstim hem tu from hem sei samfala profesi insaed buk bilong Daniel fulfill. Bat, man for raetem history, Joseph D. Wilson sei, “[Josephus] maet savve moa abaotem diswan winim evri man long world wea tok againstim.”

26. Hao nao olketa Dead Sea Scroll saportim wei wea buk bilong Daniel hem tru?

²⁶ Wei wea buk bilong Daniel hem tru kasem moa saport taem pipol faendem olketa Dead Sea Scroll insaed samfala cave long Qumran, Israel. Long 1952, olketa faendem planti scroll and raeting bilong buk bilong Daniel. Olketa sei barava old wan hem from mek-tu century B.C.E. So, long datfala taem, planti pipol savve and respectim finis buk bilong Daniel. The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible sei olsem: “Distaem mifala lusim wei for sei olketa raetem Daniel long taem bilong Maccabee, bikos no inaf taem stap for raetem Daniel and then for olketa copy bilong hem stap insaed library bilong wanfala religion bilong Maccabee.”

27. Wanem nao barava old pruv wea showimaot Daniel hem wanfala really man wea planti pipol savve long hem taem olketa stap prisoner long Babylon?

²⁷ Bat, wanfala pruv wea moa old and man fit for trustim hem saportim buk bilong Daniel. Wanfala man wea stap long semtaem witim Daniel hem profet Ezekiel. Hem tu waka olsem profet long taem wea olketa prisoner long Babylon. Samfala taem nao buk bilong Ezekiel talem nem bilong Daniel. (Ezekiel 14:14, 20; 28:3) Olketa scripture hia showimaot hao taem hem laef yet, long mek-six century B.C.E., planti pipol savve finis long Daniel olsem wanfala raeteous and wise man, wea garem gud nem olsem Noah and Job wea fraet long God.

NAMBAWAN WITNESS

28, 29. (a) Wanem nao barava pruvim hao buk bilong Daniel hem tru? (b) Why nao hem fitim for iumi acceptim pruv wea Jesus talem?

²⁸ Bat, last samting, letem iumi lukluk long nambawan witness wea pruvim Daniel hem tru—hem nao Jesus Christ. Taem hem story abaotem olketa last day, Jesus tok abaotem “profet Daniel” and wanfala profesi bilong Daniel.—Matthew 24:15; Daniel 11:31; 12:11.

²⁹ So sapos idea wea sei samwan raetem Daniel long taem bilong Maccabee hem stret, wanfala long tufala samting mas tru. Disfala giaman raeting hem trikim Jesus or hem nating talem wanem Matthew sei hem talem. Tufala samting hia no fitim. Sapos iumi kanduit trustim Gospel bilong Matthew, hao nao iumi savve trustim olketa narafala part bilong Bible? Sapos iumi aotem olketa sentence hia, wanem toktok moa bae iumi aotem from olketa page bilong Holy Scripture? Aposol Paul raet olsem: “Evri Scripture kam from God and gud for teachim, . . . for stretem evri samting.” (2 Timothy 3:16) So sapos Daniel hem giaman man, then Paul tu hem narawan! Waswe, olketa fit for trikim Jesus? Nating nao. Hem laef long heven taem olketa raetem buk bilong Daniel. Jesus sei: “Bifor Abraham hem laef, mi stap finis.” (John 8:58) Long evri man wea laef bifor, Jesus nao best wan for iumi askem sapos Daniel hem tru. Bat iumi no need for ask. Olsem iumi lukim finis, pruv wea hem givim hem barava klia.

30. Hao nao Jesus showimaot moa hao buk bilong Daniel hem tru?

³⁰ Jesus showimaot moa hao buk bilong Daniel hem tru taem hem baptaes. Long datfala taem hem kamap Messiah, and fulfillim wanfala profesi long Daniel abaotem 69 week bilong year. (Daniel 9:25, 26; lukim Chapter 11 bilong disfala buk.) Sapos idea wea sei samwan raetem Daniel long wanfala date bihaen hem tru, man wea raetem hem savve long future 200 year bifor. Bat, God bae no muvim wanfala giaman man wea iusim giaman nem for talem olketa trufala profesi. Nomoa nao, pipol wea faithful long God acceptim witness bilong Jesus witim full heart. Sapos evri savveman, evri man long world wea tok againstim, join tugeta for accusim Daniel, pruv bilong Jesus bae showimaot olketa rong, bikos hem nao “faithful and trufala witness.”—Revelation 3:14.

31. Why nao planti man wea tok againstim Bible go ahed for no bilivim Daniel hem tru?

³¹ Disfala pruv tu hem no inaf for planti man wea tok againstim Bible. Bihaen iumi lukluk gud long disfala subject, hem mekem iumi ting sapos eni pruv bae fit for mekem olketa biliv. Wanfala professor long Oxford University raet olsem: “Wei for ansarem kwestin nomoa no savve changem tingting bilong man sapos hem go ahed for sei ‘no eni profesi savve kam from God.’” So nogud tingting bilong olketa hem blindim olketa. Bat hem nao wanem olketa chusim—and olketa lus nao.

32. Wanem nao bae iumi kasem from study bilong Daniel?

³² Waswe long iu? Sapos iu luksavve no eni reason stap for daotem hao buk bilong Daniel hem tru, then iu bae faendemaot olketa nambawan samting. Bae iu laekem tumas olketa story bilong Daniel, and interest tumas long olketa profesi bilong hem. Winim datwan, each chapter bae mekem faith bilong iu kamap moa strong. Iu bae nating sorre from iu tingting strong long profesi bilong Daniel!

[Olketa Footnote]

WANEM NAO IU LANEM?

• Pipol accusim buk bilong Daniel long wanem samting?

• Why nao olketa wea tok againstim buk bilong Daniel no garem strongfala pruv?

• Wanem pruv nao saportim wei wea story bilong Daniel hem tru?

• Wanem nao barava pruvim hao buk bilong Daniel hem tru?

[Box long page 26]

Long Saed Bilong Languis

WEI for raetem buk bilong Daniel hem finis long samting olsem 536 B.C.E. Man wea raetem hem iusim Hebrew and Aramaic languis, witim samfala word long languis bilong Greece and Persia. Wei for mixim languis olsem hem no big tumas, bat hem kamap samfala taem long Bible. Man wea raetem Bible buk bilong Ezra tu iusim Hebrew and Aramaic languis. Nomata olsem, samfala wea tok againstim sei man wea raetem Daniel iusim olketa languis hia long wei wea pruvim hem raetem bihaen long 536 B.C.E. Wanfala man wea tok againstim sei olketa Greek word wea Daniel iusim barava showimaot diswan kamap long wanfala date bihaen. Hem sei Hebrew languis hem saportim diswan and Aramaic languis hem fitim wei for garem date olsem​—maet long mek-tu century B.C.E. tu.

Bat, no evri savveman bilong languis agree. Samfala sei Hebrew languis wea Daniel iusim hem semsem olsem Ezekiel and Ezra iusim bat difren from olketa buk wea no bilong Bible olsem Ecclesiasticus. Long saed bilong Aramaic languis wea Daniel iusim, tingim tufala raeting wea olketa faendem witim olketa Dead Sea Scroll. Tufala long Aramaic languis and olketa raetem long mek-wan and mek-tu century B.C.E.​—no longtaem bihaen olketa sei giaman man nao raetem Daniel. Bat olketa savveman lukim hao Aramaic languis bilong olketa raeting hia barava difren from datwan wea stap long Daniel. So, samfala sei buk bilong Daniel hem planti handred year moa old winim wanem samfala man talem.

Waswe long olketa Greek word insaed Daniel wea olketa “daotem”? Bihaen, olketa faendemaot hao samfala word hia hem bilong languis long Persia, no Greek languis! Only word wea olketa sei bilong Greek languis hem nem bilong thrifala music instrument. Waswe, thrifala word hia barava showimaot Daniel mas kamap long wanfala date bihaen? Nomoa. Samfala savveman faendemaot hao kastom bilong olketa Greek hem affectim planti ples bifor Greece kamap wanfala world paoa. And tu, sapos samwan raetem buk bilong Daniel long mek-tu century B.C.E., taem Greek kastom and languis stap evriwea, waswe, bae hem garem thrifala Greek word nomoa? Barava nomoa nao. Bae hem garem staka word. So pruv long saed bilong languis hem saportim wei wea Daniel hem tru.

[Full-page piksa long page 12]

[Piksa long page 20]

(Long daon) Pis clay from temple bilong Babylon garem nem bilong King Nabonidus and son bilong hem Belshazzar

(Antap) Disfala raeting garem praodfala toktok bilong Nebuchadnezzar abaotem olketa building bilong hem

[Piksa on page 21]

Olsem Nabonidus Chronicle talem, army bilong Cyrus no need for faet for go insaed Babylon

[Olketa piksa long page 22]

(Raet saed) Disfala “Story Bilong Nabonidus” sei Nabonidus givim go rul long firstborn son bilong hem

(Left saed) Record bilong Babylon abaotem taem wea Nebuchadnezzar attakim Judah