¹⁰Now when^t Daniel realized that the document was signed, he went to his house (now he had windows in his upper room that were open^u toward Jerusalem), and three times daily^v he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, just as^w he had been doing previously.^x ¹¹Then these men came as a group and they found Daniel praying and pleading for mercy before his God. ¹²Then they approached and spoke with the king^y concerning the edict of the king, “Did you not sign an edict^z that any person who would seek anything from any God or human within thirty days except from you, O king, would be thrown into the lion pit?”^a The king answered and said, “The matter as you have just stated is certain according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be revoked.”

God’s Miraculous Deliverance of Daniel Again

¹³Then they responded^b and said before the king, “Daniel, who is from the exiles^c of Judah,^d is not paying any attention^e to you, O king, or to the decree that you have signed, and three times daily^f he says his prayer.” ¹⁴Then the king, when^g he heard that report,^h he was extremely distressed over it; and concerning Danielⁱ he was determined^j to rescue him. And until the setting of the sun he was making every effort to deliver him. ¹⁵Then these men came as a group to the king and said,^k “Recall, O king, that with respect to the law of^l the Medes and Persians that any^m decree or edict that the king establishes cannot be changed.”

¹⁶Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was brought in and they threw him into the lion pit.ⁿ The king said^o to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve faithfully,^p may he rescue you!” ¹⁷And a^q stone was brought and it was put on the entrance of the pit, and the king sealed it with his signet ring and with the signet rings of his lords,^r so that nothing would be changed concerning Daniel. ¹⁸Then the king went to his palace and spent the night in fasting, and no food was brought in before him and his sleep fled from him.

¹⁹Then the king got up at daybreak, at first light, and he went in haste^s to the lion pit.^t ²⁰And when he came near^u to the pit, he cried out to Daniel with a distressed voice, and the king spoke^v and said to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, your God whom you serve faithfully, was he able to rescue you from the lions?” ²¹Then Daniel spoke to^w the king, “O king, live forever!^x ²²My God sent his angel and he shut the mouth of the lions and they did not^y hurt me, because^z before him I was found^a blameless, and also before you, O king, I have not done any wrong.”

²³Then the king was exceedingly glad over it^b and commanded that Daniel be lifted up from the pit; and there was not any wound found on him, because he had trusted in his God. ²⁴The king then commanded, and these men were brought who had accused Daniel,^c and they threw them and their children and their wives into the lion pit,^d and they had not reached the floor of the pit before^e the lions had overpowered them and they had crushed all of their bones.

The King Praises the God of Daniel and Daniel Prospers

²⁵Then Darius the king wrote to all the people, the nations, and the languages living in the whole earth, “May your prosperity become great! ²⁶I make a decree^f that in all the dominion of my kingdom people will be trembling and fearing before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God and endures forever^g and his^h kingdom is one that will not be destroyed and his dominion has no end.ⁱ ²⁷He is rescuing, delivering, and working signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth, for he has rescued Daniel from the power^j of the lions.” ²⁸So this Daniel prospered during the kingdom of Darius and during the kingdom of Cyrus the Persian.

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

tLiterally “as that”
uLiterally “and windows were open to him in his upper room”
vLiterally “in the day”
wLiterally “all because that”
xLiterally “from before this”
yLiterally “and saying before the king”
zLiterally “Not an edict you signed?”
aLiterally “pit of lions”
bLiterally “they answered”
cLiterally “the sons of the exile”
dAramaic “Jehud”
eLiterally “not he sets his mind”
fLiterally “and three times on the day”
gAramaic “as ”
hLiterally “word”
iLiterally “upon Daniel”
jLiterally “he set his heart”
kLiterally “saying”
lAramaic “to”
mLiterally “all/every”
nLiterally “pit of lions”
oLiterally “The king answered and saying”
pLiterally “in the loyalty”
qAramaic “one”
rOr “nobles”
sLiterally “to hasten”
tLiterally “pit of lions”
uLiterally “as coming near him”
vLiterally “answered”
wAramaic “with”
xLiterally “unto endless ages”
yAramaic “would not”
zLiterally “all of because that”
aLiterally “it was found for me”
bThat is, the situation
cLiterally “they ate his pieces of Daniel”
dLiterally “pit of lions”
eLiterally “until that”
fLiterally “From before me is put forth a decree”
gLiterally “to eternity/endless ages”
hLiterally “and whose”
iLiterally “dominion his to the end”
jLiterally “hand”