Daniel and Hosea

He was born in Upper Beth Horon near Jerusalem. He was a sober man, so that the Jews seemed to think him a scoffer. This man grieved much for Jerusalem and practiced fasting from all desirable food, and he was a man very dry in thought; but he was beautiful in the grace of God. This man prayed much concerning Nebuchadnezzar, that he might not be lost, because he had become a beast and a cattle. For his front was like an ox with the head, and his feet were with the hind parts like a lion. For the rulers possess these things in their youth: becoming as oxen under the yoke of Belial because of loves of pleasure, and becoming beasts at the end, snatching, destroying, trampling, and despoiling. Therefore this holy man knew that he ate grass like an ox and human nature became food to him.

Because of this, also Nebuchadnezzar, after the sending of his scourge, having become in a human heart, wept and deservedly called upon the God of Behemoth, which is the God of Israel, forty times every day and night. For a spirit of Satan came upon him and deceived him, because he had become a man. His tongue was bound from speaking, and a beast's voice was given to him; and passing through his grief he wept immediately, and his eyes became like flesh from the weeping. And many rulers and citizens going out of the city saw him.

But Daniel alone did not wish to see him; for all the time of his alteration he was in prayer for him, and he said, 'Another man shall be born and shall hold his kingdom.' And they did not believe him, that he would be praying for him for seven months to become seven years, unto the Lord. The mystery of the seven times was fulfilled in him, that he established seven mediators. Therefore six years and six months he fell before the Lord God and confessed his impiety.

After his lawlessness was forgiven, God restored the kingdom to him once more. He neither ate meat nor drank wine, confessing to God that Daniel had commanded him to appease the Lord with legumes, or green things, or moist things. For this reason, Nebuchadnezzor called Daniel Belshazzar after the name of his only son, desiring to make him a co-heir with his own children; but the holy man said, 'Let me appease, so that I may receive the inheritance of my fathers and be joined to the inheritance of the uncircumcised.' And during the reigns of the Persian kings, he performed many wonders, as many as we have not recorded in this book, though they are written in the book of Daniel.

This prophet gave a sign upon the high mountains of Babylon, saying: 'When you see the mountain from the pit smoking, the end of Babylon shall come; when you see it as if burning in fire, the end of all the earth shall come; if the mountain in the south pours out waters, the people shall return to their land; Jerusalem shall be built wide and spacious, just as it came to pass through Jesus the high priest and Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel. If blood flows from the mountain, there shall be the slaughter of Belial in all the land, and the Lord shall come upon the earth having become man.' There, therefore, the holy Daniel slept in Babylon in peace and was buried gloriously in the royal cave; and his tomb is known to all in Babylon even until this day.

14. Hosea the prophet, son of Beeri. He was born in Velumoth from the tribe of Issachar. He gave a sign that the Lord would come from heaven upon the earth; and this is the sign of his presence: when the oak in Shiloh is divided by itself into twelve parts and becomes twelve oaks; so it came to pass. And having prophesied much concerning the fornication of his people, he died in peace and was buried in his own land.