Daniel 6

A Stone Laid Over the Den, and Sealed

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Darius Receives the Kingdom

6:1Artaxerxes of the Medes received the kingdom. Darius was full of days and glorious in old age.

6:2He appointed one hundred twenty-seven satraps over his whole kingdom,

6:3and over them three men as their leaders. Daniel was one of the three men,

6:4having authority above everyone in the kingdom. Daniel was clothed in purple, great and glorious before King Darius, because he was distinguished, knowledgeable, and understanding, with a holy spirit in him, and prospered in the king’s affairs that he conducted. Then the king decided to appoint Daniel over his whole kingdom, along with the two men whom he had appointed with him and one hundred twenty-seven satraps.

The Plot Against Daniel

6:5When the king decided to appoint Daniel over his whole kingdom, the two young men devised a plan and resolution together. Since they could find no sin or ignorant fault in Daniel of which they could accuse him before the king,

6:6they said, “Come, let us establish a restriction binding upon ourselves: no one is to make a request or offer a prayer to any god for thirty days, except to King Darius; otherwise he will die.” They intended to bring Daniel down before the king and have him thrown into the lions’ pit, for they knew that Daniel prayed and entreated the Lord his God three times a day.

6:7Then those men approached and said before the king:

6:8“We have established a restriction and decree: anyone who offers a prayer or makes any request to any god for thirty days, except to King Darius, will be thrown into the lions’ pit.”

6:9They asked the king to establish the restriction and not alter it, because they knew that Daniel prayed and entreated three times a day; they intended him to be brought down through the king and thrown into the lions’ pit.

6:10Thus King Darius established and ratified it.

Daniel Prays Three Times a Day

6:11When Daniel learned of the restriction established against him, he opened windows in his upper room toward Jerusalem, fell upon his face three times a day as he had done before, and made supplication.

6:12They watched Daniel and caught him praying three times a day, every day.

6:13Then these men appealed to the king and said, “King Darius, did you not decree a restriction that no one should offer a prayer or make a request to any god for thirty days except to you, O king, otherwise he would be thrown into the lions’ pit?” The king answered them, “The statement is exact, and the restriction will remain.”

6:13aThey said to him, “We adjure you by the decrees of the Medes and Persians: do not alter the command, show partiality, or diminish anything that has been stated; punish the man who has not kept this restriction.” He said, “I will do as you say; this is established with me.”

6:14They said, “Look! We found Daniel your friend praying and seeking the face of his God three times a day.”

Daniel Thrown into the Lions’ Pit

6:15The king, grieved, ordered Daniel thrown into the lions’ pit according to the restriction he had established against him. Then the king was deeply grieved over Daniel and tried to rescue him from the satraps’ hands until sunset,

6:16but could not rescue him from them.

6:17King Darius cried out and said to Daniel, “Your God, whom you worship continually three times a day, will rescue you from the lions’ power. Take courage until morning.”

6:18Then Daniel was thrown into the lions’ pit. A stone was brought and placed at the pit’s mouth, and the king sealed it with his own ring and his magnates’ rings, so that Daniel could not be taken away from them or the king pull him up from the pit.

6:19Then the king returned to his royal residence and spent the night fasting, grieving over Daniel. Daniel’s God, taking care of him, shut the lions’ mouths, and they did not trouble Daniel.

The King Comes at Dawn

6:20King Darius rose early in the morning, took the satraps with him, and went and stood at the mouth of the lions’ pit.

6:21Then the king called to Daniel with a loud voice and weeping: “O Daniel, are you perhaps alive? Has your God, whom you worship continually, saved you from the lions, so that they have not destroyed you?”

6:22Then Daniel answered with a loud voice and said, “O king, I am still alive,

6:23and God has saved me from the lions, because righteousness was found in me before Him. Before you also, O king, neither ignorant fault nor sin was found in me. Yet you listened to men who mislead kings and threw me into the lions’ pit for destruction.”

6:24Then all the forces assembled and saw Daniel, that the lions had not troubled him.

Those Who Testified Are Thrown In

6:25Then those two men who had testified against Daniel, with their wives and children, were thrown to the lions. The lions killed them and crushed their bones.

The Decree of Darius

6:26Then Darius wrote to all nations, countries, and languages dwelling throughout his whole land, saying:

6:27“Let all people in my kingdom bow to and worship Daniel’s God, for He is God who endures and lives from generation to generation forever.

6:28I, Darius, will bow to Him and serve Him all my days, for handmade idols cannot save as Daniel’s God redeemed Daniel.”

6:29King Darius was gathered to his people, and Daniel was appointed in Darius’s reign. Cyrus the Persian received his kingdom.

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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.