Daniel 6
1 Darío decidió que sería bueno poner el reino bajo el control de ciento veinte gobernadores provinciales.
King Darius decided to divide his kingdom into 120 provinces. He appointed a governor to rule each province.
2 Tres ministros principales fueron puestos al frente de ellos para velar por los intereses del rey. Daniel era uno de los tres.
He also appointed me and two other men to be administrators, to supervise the governors and to be sure that they did the king’s work [properly], in order that the king would not have to worry about anything.
3 Pronto Daniel demostró ser un administrador mucho mejor que los otros ministros principales y gobernadores provinciales. Debido a su excepcional habilidad, el rey planeó ponerlo a cargo de todo el reino.
I soon showed that I was (more capable/able to do the work better) than all the other administrators and the governors. Because of that, the king planned to appoint me to be in charge of the entire empire.
4 Como resultado, los otros ministros principales y gobernadores provinciales trataron de encontrar un pretexto contra Daniel en cuanto a la forma en que dirigía el reino. Pero no pudieron encontrar ningún motivo de queja ni de corrupción, pues él era digno de confianza. No pudieron descubrir ninguna prueba de que Daniel fuera negligente o corrupto.
Then, the [other] administrators and the governors [became jealous. So they began to] try to find something that they could criticize about the way I was working for the king. But I always did my work faithfully and honestly, and was never lazy. So they could not find anything to criticize.
5 Así que se dijeron: “No encontraremos ningún pretexto para atacar a Daniel, a menos que utilicemos su observancia de las leyes de su Dios en su contra”.
They concluded, “The only way we can find something for which we can criticize Daniel will be something concerning the laws that his god [his given him].”
6 Así que estos ministros principales y gobernadores provinciales fueron juntos a ver al rey. “¡Que su majestad el rey Darío viva para siempre!”, dijeron.
So the administrators and governors went as one group to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), we wish that you will live a long time!
7 “Hemos acordado todos -ministros principales, prefectos, gobernadores provinciales, consejeros y gobernadores locales- que Su Majestad emita un decreto, de cumplimiento legal, para que durante los próximos treinta días cualquiera que rece a cualquier dios o ser humano excepto usted, Su Majestad, sea arrojado al foso de los leones.
[We] administrators and governors and district governors and advisors and other officials have all agreed that you should make a law that everyone must obey. We want you to command that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you. If anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he must be thrown into [a pit of] lions.
8 Ahora bien, Su Majestad, si usted firma el decreto y lo hace publicar de manera que no pueda ser cambiado, de acuerdo con la ley de los medos y los persas que no puede ser revocada”.
And because laws made by [our governments of] Media and Persia cannot be changed, [we want] you, [the head of our government], to sign it.”
9 Así que Darío firmó el decreto para convertirlo en ley.
So King Darius [wrote] the law and signed it.
10 Cuando Daniel se enteró de que el decreto había sido firmado, se dirigió a su casa, a su habitación del piso superior, donde oraba tres veces al día, con las ventanas abiertas hacia Jerusalén. Allí se arrodilló, orando y agradeciendo a su Dios como siempre lo hacía.
But when I found out that [the king] had [written and] signed that law, I went home. I knelt down in my upstairs room and prayed. I looked toward Jerusalem, and the windows were open [with the result that everyone could see me while I was praying]. I prayed three times each day, just as I always did, thanking God.
11 Entonces los hombres que habían conspirado contra Daniel fueron juntos y lo encontraron orando a su Dios y pidiendo ayuda.
The officials went together [to my house] and they saw me praying and requesting God to help me.
12 Enseguida fueron a ver al rey y le preguntaron por el decreto. “¿No firmó Su Majestad un decreto según el cual, durante los próximos treinta días, cualquiera que ore a cualquier dios o ser humano, excepto a usted, Su Majestad, sería arrojado al foso de los leones?” “¡Claro que sí!”, respondió el rey. “El decreto se mantiene. Según la ley de los medos y los persas no puede ser revocado”.
So they returned to the king and said to him, “[Do you remember] that you wrote a law stating that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you, and if anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he will be thrown into [a pit of] lions?” The king replied, “[Yes, that is the law that I wrote]. It is a law of [our governments of] Media and Persia, which cannot be canceled.”
13 Entonces le dijeron al rey: “Daniel, uno de esos cautivos de Judá, no hace caso a Su Majestad ni al decreto que usted firmó y reza tres veces al día”.
Then they said to the king, “Well, that [man] Daniel, one of the men who were brought from Judah, is not paying any attention to you or the law that you [signed]. He prays [to his god] three times each day!”
14 Cuando el rey oyó esto, se molestó mucho y trató de pensar en cómo salvar a Daniel. Trabajó con ahínco hasta el atardecer tratando de rescatarlo.
When the king heard that, he was very distressed. He tried to find a way to save me. All the rest of that day he tried to think of a way to rescue me.
15 Entonces los hombres regresaron juntos y le dijeron al rey: “Usted sabe, Su Majestad, que según la ley de los medos y los persas no se puede cambiar ningún decreto o estatuto”.
[In the evening, many of] [HYP] the officials went together to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), you know that [our governments of] Media and Persia have declared that no law that the king signs can be canceled/changed. [So Daniel must be thrown to the lions!]”
16 Finalmente, el rey dio la orden y Daniel fue llevado y arrojado al foso de los leones. El rey le dijo: “¡Que te salve el Dios al que tan lealmente sirves!”.
So the king gave the order, and his servants brought me and threw me into a pit where the lions [were]. [Before they threw me in], the king said to me, “I hope/wish that your God, whom you worship regularly, will rescue you!”
17 Se trajo una piedra y se colocó sobre la entrada del foso, y el rey la selló con su propio sello personal y el de sus nobles, para que nadie pudiera intervenir en lo que le ocurriera a Daniel.
They rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the pit. Then the king [fastened a string across the entrance and put wax at each end, and stamped the wax with] the seal from his [ring] and the seals [of the rings] of his officials, in order that no one could [secretly] rescue me.
18 Entonces el rey regresó a su palacio. Esa noche no comió nada en absoluto y rechazó cualquier tipo de entretenimiento. No pudo pegar ojo.
Then the king returned to his palace. That night he refused to eat any food. He would not allow anyone to entertain him [because he did not want to be happy, with the result that he would forget about me. And that night] he was unable to sleep [because he was worried about me].
19 Al amanecer, en cuanto salió el sol, el rey se levantó y corrió hacia el foso de los leones.
At dawn the next morning, the king got up and went quickly to the pit where the lions were.
20 Al acercarse al foso, llamó con ansiedad a Daniel: “Daniel, siervo del Dios vivo, al que honras tan fielmente, ¿ha podido tu Dios salvarte de los leones?”
When he came near it, he was very worried. He called out, “Daniel, you who serve the all-powerful God! Was your God, whom you worship regularly, able to save you from the lions?”
21 Daniel respondió: “¡Que su majestad el rey viva para siempre!
I answered, “(Your Majesty/O king), I hope that you will live a long time!
22 Mi Dios envió a su ángel para cerrar la boca de los leones. No me han hecho daño porque he sido hallado inocente a sus ojos. Además, nunca le he hecho ningún mal, Su Majestad”.
[Yes], my God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths, in order that they would not harm me! [He did that] because [he knows that] I have done nothing that he thinks is wrong. And, (Your Majesty/O king), I never did anything wrong to you!”
23 El rey se alegró mucho y ordenó que sacaran a Daniel del foso. Daniel fue sacado del foso y se comprobó que no tenía ninguna herida porque había confiado en su Dios.
The king was extremely happy, and he commanded [his servants] to lift me out of the pit. [When they did that, they] saw that the lions had not wounded me at all. [God had protected me] because I trusted in him.
24 Entonces el rey ordenó que trajeran a los hombres que habían acusado a Daniel y los arrojaron al foso de los leones junto con sus esposas e hijos. Antes de que llegaran al suelo del foso, los leones los atacaron y los despedazaron.
Then the king commanded that the men who had accused me should be seized and be thrown, along with their wives and children, into the pit where the lions were. [When they were thrown into the pit], the lions leaped on them and crushed their bones before they fell onto the bottom of the pit!
25 Entonces Darío escribió a todos los pueblos del mundo, a las diferentes naciones y lenguas, diciendo: “Mis mejores deseos para ustedes.
Then King Darius wrote [this message and sent it throughout his kingdom] to the people of every people-group and nation and from all language groups: “I wish/hope that everything is going very well with you!
26 Yo decreto que en todo mi reino todos deben respetar y honrar al Dios de Daniel, porque él es el Dios vivo. Él es eterno y su reino nunca será destruido. Su reino no tendrá fin.
I command that everyone in my kingdom should fear and revere the God that Daniel [worships]. He is the all-powerful God, and he will live forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed; he will rule forever.
27 Él es el que rescata y salva; hace milagros y maravillas en los cielos y en la tierra. Él salvó a Daniel de la muerte en el foso de los leones”.
He rescues and saves [his people]. He performs all kinds of miracles in heaven and on the earth. He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!”
28 Daniel experimentó un buen éxito durante los reinados de Darío y Ciro el Persa.
So I was successful [all] during the time that Darius ruled and during the time that Cyrus, [the King] of Persia, ruled.
