Daniel 6

Daniel Stands Out

1 Darius decided to put 120 governors over the whole kingdom.

2 He put three top officials over them, and Daniel was one of the three. The governors reported to them so the king’s business stayed right.

3 Daniel stood out from everybody because an excellent spirit was in him, so the king planned to put him over the whole kingdom.

4 The other officials got jealous and searched for dirt on Daniel’s government work, but they could not find any. Dude was faithful, responsible, and clean.

5 Finally they said, “We are not going to catch Daniel slipping unless we use his devotion to his God against him.”

A Trap Built Around Prayer

6 So the officials rushed up to King Darius and said, “Long live the king!”

7 “All the leaders agreed that you should make a law: for thirty days, anybody who prays to any god or person except you gets thrown into the lions’ den.”

8 “Put it in writing, King. Under the law of the Medes and Persians, once it is signed, nobody can change it.”

9 So King Darius signed the law.

10 Daniel heard the law was signed, but he still went home. With his upstairs windows open toward Jerusalem, he got on his knees three times a day, praying and thanking God like he always did.

11 The men pulled up together and caught Daniel praying and asking God for help.

12 They went to the king and brought up the law. “Did you not sign an order saying anybody who prays to anyone but you for thirty days gets thrown to the lions?” The king said, “That law stands and cannot be changed.”

13 Then they said, “Daniel, one of those captives from Judah, ignores you and your law. He still prays three times every day.”

14 When the king heard that, it hit him hard. He tried everything he could think of to rescue Daniel before sunset.

15 But the men crowded the king and reminded him, “The law says no order signed by the king can be changed.”

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

16 So the king gave the order, and Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den. The king told him, “May the God you keep serving rescue you.”

17 A stone was rolled over the opening. The king sealed it with his own ring and the rings of his nobles so nobody could change Daniel’s situation.

18 The king went back to the palace and fasted all night. He wanted no entertainment, and sleep would not come.

19 At the first light of morning, the king jumped up and hurried to the lions’ den.

20 When he got close, he called out with a hurting voice: “Daniel, servant of the living God! Did the God you serve nonstop save you from the lions?”

21 Daniel answered, “Long live the king!”

22 “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths. They did not hurt me because God knew I was innocent, and I never did you wrong either, King.”

23 The king was overjoyed and ordered them to lift Daniel out. They checked him over and found no injury at all, because he trusted his God.

24 Then the king ordered the men who framed Daniel to be thrown into the den with their families. Before they hit the bottom, the lions overpowered them and crushed their bones.

Darius Honors the Living God

25 Then King Darius wrote to every people, nation, and language across the earth: “May peace overflow to you all.”

26 “I am making this decree: everybody in my kingdom must respect and honor Daniel’s God. He is the living God who lasts forever. His kingdom cannot be destroyed, and His rule never ends.”

27 “He rescues, saves, and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

28 So Daniel kept prospering during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.