Daniel 6
1 Darius decided it would be good to place the kingdom under the control of one hundred and twenty provincial governors.
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty princes, who should be over the whole kingdom;
2 Three chief ministers were placed over them to look after the king's interests. Daniel was one of the three.
And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel [was] first: that the princes might give accounts to them, and the king should have no damage.
3 Soon Daniel was shown to be a far better administrator than the other chief ministers and provincial governors. Because of his exceptional ability, the king planned to put him in charge of the whole kingdom.
Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit [was] in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
4 As a result the other chief ministers and provincial governors tried to find a pretext against Daniel as to the way he ran the kingdom. But they couldn't find any cause for complaint or any corruption, for he was trustworthy. They could not discover any evidence that Daniel was negligent or corrupt.
Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he [was] faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
5 So they said to themselves, “We won't find any pretext to attack Daniel unless we use his observance of his God's laws against him.”
Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find [it] against him concerning the law of his God.
6 So these chief ministers and provincial governors went together to see the king. “May Your Majesty King Darius live forever!” they said.
Then these presidents and princes assembled to the king, and said thus to him, King Darius, live for ever.
7 “We have all agreed—chief ministers, prefects, provincial governors, counselors, and local governors—that Your Majesty should issue a decree, legally enforced, that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions' den.
All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
8 Now, Your Majesty, if you will sign the decree and have it issued so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians that cannot be revoked.”
Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
9 So Darius signed the decree into law.
Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
10 When Daniel found out that the decree had been signed he went home to his upstairs room where he would pray three times a day, with the windows open facing Jerusalem. There he kneeled down, praying and thanking his God as he always did.
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before.
11 Then the men who had plotted against Daniel went together and found him praying to his God and asking for help.
Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
12 They went to the king right away and asked him about the decree. “Didn't Your Majesty sign a decree that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions' den?” “I certainly did!” the king replied. “The decree stands. According to the law of the Medes and the Persians it cannot be revoked.”
Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask [a petition] of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing [is] true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
13 Then they told the king, “Daniel, one of those captives from Judah, pays no attention to Your Majesty or to the decree you signed and prays three times a day.”
Then they answered and said before the king, That Daniel, who [is] of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
14 When the king heard this, he was very upset and tried to think of how to save Daniel. He worked hard until sundown trying to rescue him.
Then the king, when he heard [these] words, was much displeased with himself, and set [his] heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he labored till the setting of the sun to deliver him.
15 Then the men returned together and said to the king, “You know, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians no decree or statute can be changed.”
Then these men assembled to the king, and said to the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians [is], That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
16 Eventually the king gave the order and Daniel was taken and thrown into the lions' den. The king told him, “May the God you so loyally serve save you!”
Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast [him] into the den of lions. [Now] the king spoke and said to Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
17 A stone was brought and placed over the entrance to the den and the king sealed it with his own personal seal and those of his nobles so that no one could interfere with what was happening to Daniel.
And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
18 Then the king went back to his palace. He ate nothing at all that night and refused any kind of entertainment. He couldn't sleep a wink.
Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
19 At dawn, as soon as it was light, the king got up and rushed to the lions' den.
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions.
20 As he approached the den, he called out anxiously to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God whom you honor so faithfully, was your God able to save you from the lions?”
And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice to Daniel: [and] the king spoke and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
21 Daniel replied, “May Your Majesty the king live forever!
Then said Daniel to the king, O king, live for ever.
22 My God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths. They have not hurt me because I was found innocent in his sight. In addition, I have never done you any wrong, Your Majesty.”
My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocence was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
23 The king was extremely pleased and ordered Daniel brought up from the den. Daniel was lifted up from the den and he was found to have no injuries at all because he had trusted in his God.
Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel out of the den. So Daniel was taken out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
24 Then the king ordered the men who had accused Daniel to be brought and they were thrown into the lions' den along with their wives and children. Before they even reached the floor of the den the lions attacked them, ripping them to pieces.
And the king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast [them] into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they came to the bottom of the den.
25 Then Darius wrote to all the people of the world, the different nations and languages, saying, “I wish you well!
Then king Darius wrote to all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied to you.
26 I decree that throughout my entire kingdom everyone should respect and honor the God of Daniel, for he is the living God. He is everlasting and his kingdom will never be destroyed. His reign will never end.
I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he [is] the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion [shall be even] to the end.
27 He is the one who rescues and saves; he does miracles and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He saved Daniel from death in the lions' den.”
He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
28 Daniel experienced good success during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian.
So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
