Daniel 6:10–28

¹⁰Now when Daniel knew that the written document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open ^atoward Jerusalem); and he continued ^bkneeling on his knees three times a day, ^cpraying and ^dgiving thanks before his God, ¹as he had been doing previously.

¹¹Then these men came ^1aby agreement and found Daniel seeking to make a petition and making supplication before his God.

¹²Then they came near and ^asaid before the king concerning the king’s injunction, “Did you not sign an injunction that any man who seeks to make a petition ¹to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions’ den?” The king answered and said, “The word is certain, according to the ^blaw of the Medes and Persians, which ²may not be revoked.”

¹³Then they answered and said before the king, “^aDaniel, who is one of the ¹exiles from Judah, pays ^bno attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps seeking to make his petition three times a day.”

¹⁴Then, as soon as the king heard this word, he was greatly ^adistressed within himself and set his mind on saving Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to deliver him.

¹⁵Then these men came ¹by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a ^alaw of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

¹⁶Then the king said the word, and Daniel was brought in and ^acast into the lions’ den. The king answered and said to Daniel, “^1bYour God whom you constantly serve will Himself save you.”

¹⁷And a ^astone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel.

¹⁸Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night ^afasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his ^bsleep fled from him.

¹⁹Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and hurriedly went to the lions’ den.

²⁰When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has ^ayour God, whom you constantly serve, been ^bable to save you from the lions?”

²¹Then Daniel spoke ¹to the king, “^aO king, live forever!

²²“My God ^asent His angel and ^bshut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as ¹I was found innocent before Him; and also ²toward you, O king, I have done no harm.”

²³Then the king was greatly pleased and said for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and ^ano harm whatsoever was found on him because he had ^bbelieved in his God.

²⁴The king then said the word, and they brought those men who had ¹brought charges against Daniel, and they ^acast them, their ^bchildren, and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

²⁵Then Darius the king wrote to all the ^apeoples, nations, and men of every tongue who were inhabiting all the land: “^bMay your ¹peace abound!

²⁶“¹I ^amake a decree that in all the ²dominion of my kingdom, men are to fear and be in dread before the God of Daniel;

For He is the ^bliving God and ^cenduring forever,

And ^dHis kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,

And His ³dominion will be unto the end.

²⁷“He saves and delivers and does ^asigns and wonders

In heaven and on earth,

Who has also saved Daniel from the ¹power of the lions.”

²⁸So this ^aDaniel enjoyed success in the kingdom of Darius and in the kingdom of ^bCyrus the Persian.