Δανιήλ 6
1 καὶ κατέστησε σατράπας ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἑπτὰ ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ
Darius decided it would be good to place the kingdom under the control of one hundred and twenty provincial governors.
2 καὶ ἐπ’ αὐτῶν ἄνδρας τρεῖς ἡγουμένους αὐτῶν καὶ Δανιηλ εἷς ἦν τῶν τριῶν ἀνδρῶν
Three chief ministers were placed over them to look after the king's interests. Daniel was one of the three.
3 ὑπὲρ πάντας ἔχων ἐξουσίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ Δανιηλ ἦν ἐνδεδυμένος πορφύραν καὶ μέγας καὶ ἔνδοξος ἔναντι Δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως καθότι ἦν ἔνδοξος καὶ ἐπιστήμων καὶ συνετός καὶ πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ εὐοδούμενος ἐν ταῖς πραγματείαις τοῦ βασιλέως αἷς ἔπρασσε τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐβουλεύσατο καταστῆσαι τὸν Δανιηλ ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς δύο ἄνδρας οὓς κατέστησε μετ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ σατράπας ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἑπτά
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.
4 ὅτε δὲ ἐβουλεύσατο ὁ βασιλεὺς καταστῆσαι τὸν Δανιηλ ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ τότε βουλὴν καὶ γνώμην ἐβουλεύσαντο ἐν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ δύο νεανίσκοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους λέγοντες ἐπεὶ οὐδεμίαν ἁμαρτίαν οὐδὲ ἄγνοιαν ηὕρισκον κατὰ τοῦ Δανιηλ περὶ ἧς κατηγορήσουσιν αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα
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.
5 καὶ εἶπαν δεῦτε στήσωμεν ὁρισμὸν καθ’ ἑαυτῶν ὅτι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἀξιώσει ἀξίωμα καὶ οὐ μὴ εὔξηται εὐχὴν ἀπὸ παντὸς θεοῦ ἕως ἡμερῶν τριάκοντα ἀλλ’ ἢ παρὰ Δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως εἰ δὲ μή ἀποθανεῖται ἵνα ἡττήσωσι τὸν Δανιηλ ἐναντίον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ῥιφῇ εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων ᾔδεισαν γὰρ ὅτι Δανιηλ προσεύχεται καὶ δεῖται κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτοῦ τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας
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.”
6 τότε προσήλθοσαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐκεῖνοι καὶ εἶπαν ἐναντίον τοῦ βασιλέως
So these chief ministers and provincial governors went together to see the king. “May Your Majesty King Darius live forever!” they said.
7 ὁρισμὸν καὶ στάσιν ἐστήσαμεν ὅτι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἂν εὔξηται εὐχὴν ἢ ἀξιώσῃ ἀξίωμά τι παρὰ παντὸς θεοῦ ἕως ἡμερῶν τριάκοντα ἀλλ’ ἢ παρὰ Δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως ῥιφήσεται εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων
“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.
8 καὶ ἠξίωσαν τὸν βασιλέα ἵνα στήσῃ τὸν ὁρισμὸν καὶ μὴ ἀλλοιώσῃ αὐτόν διότι ᾔδεισαν ὅτι Δανιηλ προσεύχεται καὶ δεῖται τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας ἵνα ἡττηθῇ διὰ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ῥιφῇ εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων
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.”
9 καὶ οὕτως ὁ βασιλεὺς Δαρεῖος ἔστησε καὶ ἐκύρωσεν
So Darius signed the decree into law.
10 ἐπιγνοὺς δὲ Δανιηλ τὸν ὁρισμόν ὃν ἔστησε κατ’ αὐτοῦ θυρίδας ἤνοιξεν ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ αὐτοῦ κατέναντι Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἔπιπτεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας καθὼς ἐποίει ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ἐδεῖτο
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.
11 καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐτήρησαν τὸν Δανιηλ καὶ κατελάβοσαν αὐτὸν εὐχόμενον τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας καθ’ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν
Then the men who had plotted against Daniel went together and found him praying to his God and asking for help.
12 τότε οὗτοι οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐνέτυχον τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ εἶπαν Δαρεῖε βασιλεῦ οὐχ ὁρισμὸν ὡρίσω ἵνα πᾶς ἄνθρωπος μὴ εὔξηται εὐχὴν μηδὲ ἀξιώσῃ ἀξίωμα παρὰ παντὸς θεοῦ ἕως ἡμερῶν τριάκοντα ἀλλὰ παρὰ σοῦ βασιλεῦ εἰ δὲ μή ῥιφήσεται εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἀκριβὴς ὁ λόγος καὶ μενεῖ ὁ ὁρισμός καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ ὁρκίζομέν σε τοῖς Μήδων καὶ Περσῶν δόγμασιν ἵνα μὴ ἀλλοιώσῃς τὸ πρόσταγμα μηδὲ θαυμάσῃς πρόσωπον καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἐλαττώσῃς τι τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ κολάσῃς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃς οὐκ ἐνέμεινε τῷ ὁρισμῷ τούτῳ καὶ εἶπεν οὕτως ποιήσω καθὼς λέγετε καὶ ἕστηκέ μοι τοῦτο
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.”
13 καὶ εἶπαν ἰδοὺ εὕρομεν Δανιηλ τὸν φίλον σου εὐχόμενον καὶ δεόμενον τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτοῦ τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας
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.”
14 καὶ λυπούμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπεν ῥιφῆναι τὸν Δανιηλ εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων κατὰ τὸν ὁρισμόν ὃν ἔστησε κατ’ αὐτοῦ τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς σφόδρα ἐλυπήθη ἐπὶ τῷ Δανιηλ καὶ ἐβοήθει τοῦ ἐξελέσθαι αὐτὸν ἕως δυσμῶν ἡλίου ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν σατραπῶν
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.
15 καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἐξελέσθαι αὐτὸν ἀπ’ αὐτῶν
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.”
16 ἀναβοήσας δὲ Δαρεῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπε τῷ Δανιηλ ὁ θεός σου ᾧ σὺ λατρεύεις ἐνδελεχῶς τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας αὐτὸς ἐξελεῖταί σε ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν λεόντων ἕως πρωὶ θάρρει
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!”
17 τότε Δανιηλ ἐρρίφη εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων καὶ ἠνέχθη λίθος καὶ ἐτέθη εἰς τὸ στόμα τοῦ λάκκου καὶ ἐσφραγίσατο ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ δακτυλίῳ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἐν τοῖς δακτυλίοις τῶν μεγιστάνων αὐτοῦ ὅπως μὴ ἀπ’ αὐτῶν ἀρθῇ ὁ Δανιηλ ἢ ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸν ἀνασπάσῃ ἐκ τοῦ λάκκου
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.
18 τότε ὑπέστρεψεν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὰ βασίλεια αὐτοῦ καὶ ηὐλίσθη νῆστις καὶ ἦν λυπούμενος περὶ τοῦ Δανιηλ τότε ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Δανιηλ πρόνοιαν ποιούμενος αὐτοῦ ἀπέκλεισε τὰ στόματα τῶν λεόντων καὶ οὐ παρηνώχλησαν τῷ Δανιηλ
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.
19 καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Δαρεῖος ὤρθρισε πρωὶ καὶ παρέλαβε μεθ’ ἑαυτοῦ τοὺς σατράπας καὶ πορευθεὶς ἔστη ἐπὶ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ λάκκου τῶν λεόντων
At dawn, as soon as it was light, the king got up and rushed to the lions' den.
20 τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκάλεσε τὸν Δανιηλ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ λέγων ὦ Δανιηλ εἰ ἄρα ζῇς καὶ ὁ θεός σου ᾧ λατρεύεις ἐνδελεχῶς σέσωκέ σε ἀπὸ τῶν λεόντων καὶ οὐκ ἠχρείωκάν σε
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?”
21 τότε Δανιηλ ἐπήκουσε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ εἶπεν βασιλεῦ ἔτι εἰμὶ ζῶν
Daniel replied, “May Your Majesty the king live forever!
22 καὶ σέσωκέ με ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ τῶν λεόντων καθότι δικαιοσύνη ἐν ἐμοὶ εὑρέθη ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐναντίον δὲ σοῦ βασιλεῦ οὔτε ἄγνοια οὔτε ἁμαρτία εὑρέθη ἐν ἐμοί σὺ δὲ ἤκουσας ἀνθρώπων πλανώντων βασιλεῖς καὶ ἔρριψάς με εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων εἰς ἀπώλειαν
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.”
23 τότε συνήχθησαν πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις καὶ εἶδον τὸν Δανιηλ ὡς οὐ παρηνώχλησαν αὐτῷ οἱ λέοντες
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.
24 τότε οἱ δύο ἄνθρωποι ἐκεῖνοι οἱ καταμαρτυρήσαντες τοῦ Δανιηλ αὐτοὶ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν ἐρρίφησαν τοῖς λέουσι καὶ οἱ λέοντες ἀπέκτειναν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἔθλασαν τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν
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.
25 τότε Δαρεῖος ἔγραψε πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι καὶ χώραις καὶ γλώσσαις τοῖς οἰκοῦσιν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ αὐτοῦ λέγων
Then Darius wrote to all the people of the world, the different nations and languages, saying, “I wish you well!
26 πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ὄντες ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ μου ἔστωσαν προσκυνοῦντες καὶ λατρεύοντες τῷ θεῷ τοῦ Δανιηλ αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι θεὸς μένων καὶ ζῶν εἰς γενεὰς γενεῶν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος
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.
27 ἐγὼ Δαρεῖος ἔσομαι αὐτῷ προσκυνῶν καὶ δουλεύων πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας μου τὰ γὰρ εἴδωλα τὰ χειροποίητα οὐ δύνανται σῶσαι ὡς ἐλυτρώσατο ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Δανιηλ τὸν Δανιηλ
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.”
28 καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Δαρεῖος προσετέθη πρὸς τὸ γένος αὐτοῦ καὶ Δανιηλ κατεστάθη ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας Δαρείου καὶ Κῦρος ὁ Πέρσης παρέλαβε τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ
Daniel experienced good success during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian.
