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Daniel in the Lions' Den

Daniel 6:1-28

6
Chapter 6
1 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, already sixty-two years old. 2 He prospered before Darius and appointed satraps over the kingdom, a hundred and twenty, who were in all the kingdom. 3 And over them he appointed three supervisors, of whom Daniel was one, to whom the satraps were accountable so that the king would not suffer damage. 4 Then Daniel was prevailing over the satraps and the satrap officials, all of them, because that extraordinary Spirit was in him; and the king was purposing to set him up over all the kingdom. 5 Then the satraps and the governors were looking for negligence against Daniel on the part of the kingdom, but they were not able to find any negligence or corruption, because he was faithful and no negligence or corruption was found upon him. 6 Then these men as a group said that they had not found any grounds against Daniel—all they could find against him was in the law of his God. 7 Then the satraps and the prefects gathered before the king, and they said to him: "King Darius, live forever!" 8 They counseled all the satraps of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors to establish a standing decree and to enforce an interdict that all who make a request from any god or man until thirty days from the king shall be thrown to the lions' den. 9 Now the king establishes the legal restraint and writes the document so that it is not changed for a year, as the legal law of Media and Persia. 10 All on account of this, King Darius wrote a document and established it. 11 And Daniel, when he knew that the writing had been signed, directed its windows toward it in the upper chamber opposite Jerusalem, and three times a day he was kneeling upon his knees and praying and confessing before God all as he had been doing before this. 12 Then the men approached and found Daniel praying and begging before his God. 13 Then they approached and said before the king: "Regarding the injunction, O king—did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes petition to any god or man until thirty days except from you, O king, shall be thrown to the pit of the lions?" The king answered and said, "The word stands firm according to the law of Madai and Persia that it shall not be changed." 14 Then they answered and said before the king: "That Daniel, who is from the sons of the exile of Jews, has not set upon you, O king, a taste, and upon the prohibition that you signed, and three times in the day seeks his requests." 15 Then the king, because of the word, greatly heard fire upon him and upon Daniel. There Bel did not save her, and until the rising of the sun he was arranging for her deliverance. 16 Then the men—the fighting men—went to the king and said to the king: "Know, O king, that it is the law of Madai and Persia that every decree and standing firm that the king establishes is not to be changed." 17 Then the king commanded, and they brought a stone and placed it on the mouth of the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "Your God whom you serve continually—he will deliver you." 18 There was a great stone, and he set it upon the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his signet ring and with the signet ring of his high officials, so that the den would not be changed concerning Daniel. 19 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; he did not sleep. He locked out his concubines, and his sleep was driven away from him. 20 Then the king arose at dawn, in its light and in its haste went to the high place of the lion. 21 And as he approached the den, he called to Daniel with a sad voice. The king said, "Daniel, servant of the living God, your God whom you cultic-serve continually, is he able to deliver you from the lions?" 22 Then Daniel spoke with the king, "O king, live forever!" 23 My God sent an angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they did not hurt me, all because before him I was innocent. You have not forgotten me, and even before you, O king, no hurt did you do. 24 Then the king was exceedingly glad over him and commanded Daniel to be lifted up from the pit, and Daniel was lifted up from the pit, and no birth pang was found in him because he had believed in God. 25 Then the king commanded, and those men who had accused Daniel were brought, and they threw them—themselves, their sons, and their wives—to the front of the lions' den. They had not reached the ground before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. 26 Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: "Your peace shall abound." 27 From before whom they set a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom they are to have fear and dread from before the God of Daniel, who he is the living God and standing forever and his kingdom that not it will be destroyed and his dominion until an end. 28 who saves and delivers and works signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, who saves Daniel from the hand of the lions.