Daniel 6:1-13 ▼

1 It has been good before Darius, and he has established over the kingdom satraps—one hundred and twenty—that they may be throughout the whole kingdom,

2 and three presidents higher than they, of whom Daniel [is] first, that these satraps may give to them an account, and the king have no loss.

3 Then this Daniel has been overseer over the presidents and satraps, because that an excellent spirit [is] in him, and the king has thought to establish him over the whole kingdom.

4 Then the presidents and satraps have been seeking to find a cause of complaint against Daniel concerning the kingdom, and any cause of complaint and corruption they are not able to find, because that he [is] faithful, and any error and corruption have not been found in him.

5 Then these men are saying, “We do not find against this Daniel any cause of complaint, except we have found [it] against him in the Law of his God.”

6 Then these presidents and satraps have assembled near the king, and thus they are saying to him: “O King Darius, live for all ages!

7 Taken counsel have all the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects, and the satraps, the counselors, and the governors, to establish a royal statute, and to strengthen an interdict, that any who seeks a petition from any god and man until thirty days, except of you, O king, is cast into a den of lions.

8 Now, O king, you establish the interdict, and sign the writing, that it is not to be changed, as a law of Media and Persia, that does not pass away.”

9 Therefore King Darius has signed the writing and interdict.

10 And Daniel, when he has known that the writing is signed, has gone up to his house, and the window being opened for him, in his upper chamber, toward Jerusalem, three times in a day he is kneeling on his knees, and praying, and confessing before his God, because that he was doing [it] before this.

11 Then these men have assembled, and found Daniel praying and pleading grace before his God;

12 then they have come near, indeed, they are saying before the king concerning the king’s interdict: “Have you not signed an interdict, that any man who seeks from any god and man until thirty days, except of you, O king, is cast into a den of lions?” The king has answered and said, “The thing [is] certain as a law of Media and Persia, that does not pass away.”

13 Then they have answered, indeed, they are saying before the king, that, “Daniel, who [is] of the sons of the expulsion of Judah, has not placed on you, O king, [any] regard, nor on the interdict that you have signed, and three times in a day he is seeking his petition.”