Daniel 6:1–7

Daniel and the Lions’ Den

6It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom ^q120 ^rsatraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; ²and over them ^sthree high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these ^rsatraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. ³Then this Daniel became ^tdistinguished above all ^sthe other high officials and ^rsatraps, because ^uan excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned ^vto set him over the whole kingdom. ⁴Then ^sthe high officials and ^rthe satraps ^wsought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, ^xbut they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, ^xand no error or fault was found in him. ⁵Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

⁶Then these ^shigh officials and ^rsatraps came by agreement¹ to the king and said to him, “O ^yKing Darius, live forever! ⁷All the ^shigh officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the ^zcounselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an ^ainjunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.