Daniel

Daniel 6 ©

1 Daniel is made chief of the presidents and princes of the realm: 4 they conspire against him, and obtain an ensnaring decree: 10 Daniel, accused of the breach thereof, against the king's will is cast into the lions' den: 18 the king findeth him miraculously saved: 24 his adversaries are cast in and devoured. 25 Darius by a decree magnifieth God.

1

IT pleased Darius to aset over the kingdom an bhundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

2

And over these cthree presidents; of whom Daniel was dfirst: that the princes might egive accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.

c ch. 5.7.
3

Then this Daniel was fpreferred above the presidents and princes, because gan excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought hto set him over the whole realm.

4

¶Then the presidents and princes isought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could jfind none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

5

Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, kexcept we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

6

Then these presidents and princes 1assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, llive for ever.

7

All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and mthe captains, have nconsulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm 2decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, *save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

8

Now, O king, oestablish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the plaw of the Medes and Persians, which 3altereth not.

9

Wherefore qking Darius signed the writing and the decree.

10

¶Now when Daniel rknew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and shis windows being open in his chamber ttoward Jerusalem, uhe kneeled upon his knees vthree times a day, and prayed, and wgave thanks before his God, as he did *aforetime.

11

Then these men xassembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

12

Then they ycame near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, *save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, zaccording to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

y ch. 3.8.
13

Then answered they and said before the king, aThat Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, bbut maketh his petition three times a day.

14

Then the king, when he heard these words, cwas *sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.

15

Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, dKnow, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.

16

eThen the king commanded, and they fbrought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, gThy God whom thou servest continually, he will hdeliver thee.

17

And ia stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

18

¶Then the king went to his palace, jand passed the night fasting: neither were 4instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.

19

Then the king arose very kearly in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

20

And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, lO Daniel, servant of the living God, mis thy God, whom thou servest ncontinually, oable to deliver thee from the lions?

21

Then said Daniel unto the king, pO king, live for ever.

p ch. 2.4. v.6.
22

My God hath sent qhis angel, and hath rshut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: sforasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

23

Then was the king texceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, uand no *manner of hurt was found upon him, vbecause he believed in his God.

24

¶And the king commanded, wand they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the xmastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

25

¶Then king Darius ywrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; zPeace be multiplied unto you.

26

aI make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: bfor he is the cliving God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

27

He ddelivereth and rescueth, and he eworketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the 5power of the lions.

28

So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of fCyrus the Persian.