¹²So they approached the king^p and asked about his edict: “Didn’t you sign an edict that for thirty days any person who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order stands^H and is irrevocable.”^q

¹³Then they replied to the king, “Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you,^r the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day.” ¹⁴As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel^s and made every effort until sundown to deliver him.

¹⁵Then these men went together to the king and said to him, “You know, Your Majesty, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king establishes can be changed.”^t

¹⁶So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den.^u The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you continually serve,^v rescue you!” ¹⁷A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den.^w The king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in regard to Daniel could be changed.

Read in Logos

Daniel 6:16: Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”

Footnotes

H the word is certain

Cross references

p Dn 3:8–12; Ac 16:19–21
q Est 1:19; Dn 6:8,15
r Est 3:8; Dn 3:12; Ac 5:29
s Mk 6:26
t Est 8:8; Ps 94:20,21; Dn 6:8,12
u 2Sm 3:39; Jr 38:5; Dn 6:7
v Jb 5:19; Ps 37:39–40; Is 41:10; 2Co 1:10
w Lm 3:53; Mt 27:66