Daniel

Daniel 6

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

1IT pleased Darius to ^aset over the kingdom an ^bhundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

a 1Pe. 2.14. b Es. 1.1. Ex. 18.21,25.

2And 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. d ch. 5.29. 1Sa. 2.30. v.3. ch. 2.48. e Lu. 16.2; 19.13. 1Co. 4.2. 1Pe. 4.5. He. 13.17.

3Then 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.

f Pr. 3.35; 24.3-5; 22.29. g ch. 5.11,12; 4.9. Pr. 12.26; 17.27. Col. 1.29. Ne. 7.2. h Es. 10.3.

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.

i ch. 3.8. Ec. 4.4. Je. 20.10. Pr. 29.27. Ps. 37.12,32. j 1Pe. 2.12; 3.16. Phi. 2.15. 1Sa. 18.14. Ps. 78.71,72.

5Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, ^kexcept we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

k 1Sa. 24.17. Es. 3.8.

6Then these presidents and princes ¹assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, ^llive for ever.

l ch. 2.4; 3.9; 5.10. v.21. Ne. 2.3. Ac. 24.2,3.

7All 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.

m Ezr. 5.14. n Ps. 2.2; 64.2-6; 83.3; 36.4; 94.20,21.

8Now, 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.

o Es. 3.12; 8.10. Is. 10.1. Ps. 94.20,21. p Es. 1.19; 8.8. v.12,15.

9Wherefore ^qking Darius signed the writing and the decree.

q Ps. 60.11; 62.9,10; 118.9; 146.3. Is. 2.22. ch. 2.12.

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.

r Lu. 14.26. Ac. 4.17-19. s Mat. 10.32. Ac. 13.46. 1Ki. 8.44-48. Ps. 5.7. Jonah 2.4. 1Pe. 2.5. t Ps. 28.2; 138.2. u 1Ki. 8.54. Ac. 7.60; 20.36. Ps. 95.6. v v.13. Ps. 55.17. Ac. 2.2,15; 3.1; 10.9. w Phi. 4.6. 1Th. 5.17,18. Ac. 4.19; 5.29. Re. 2.10,13.

11Then these men ^xassembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

x Ps. 10.9; 37.32; 56.6; 64.2-6.

12Then 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. z v.8,15. Es. 1.19; 8.8.

13Then 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.

a Es. 3.8. ch. 5.15; 3.8,12; 1.6. Ps. 12.2. b v.10. Ac. 4.19; 5.29. Mat. 4.10.

14Then 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.

c Mar. 6.26. Mat. 27.17,18,21-24.

15Then 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.

d Jn. 19.7,12. v.8,12. Es. 1.19; 8.8. Is. 10.1. Ps. 94.20,21.

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.

e Pr. 29.25. 2Sa. 3.39. Je. 38.5. Mat. 14.9; 27.24-26. Ps. 37.32. f Je. 26.14. Ac. 25.11. g 2Co. 1.10. Is. 41.10; 43.2. Job 5.19. Ps. 34.19. Ac. 26.6,7. h ch. 3.15,17 Ps. 37.39,40.

17And 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.

i Mat. 27.66. La. 3.53. Ac. 12.4; 16.23,24.

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.

j 1Ki. 21.27. 2Co. 7.10. Ro. 2.17. Ge. 4.14.

19Then the king arose very ^kearly in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

k Ge. 19.2. Ju. 7.3. Mat. 28.7. 1Th. 1.3. Ec. 9.10.

20And 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?

l v.5,26. ch. 3.17,28,29. m ch. 3.15. n Pr. 23.17. Ps. 71.14-18; 146.2. 1Th. 5.16,17. o Ge. 17.1; 18.14. v.16. Je. 32.17,27. 2Co. 1.10. 2Ti. 4.17,18.

21Then said Daniel unto the king, ^pO king, live for ever.

p ch. 2.4. v.6.

22My 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.

q Ps. 34.4; 91.11. He. 1.14. ch. 3.28. r He. 11.33. 2Ti. 4.17. 1Sa. 17.37. s Ps. 18.20,24; 26.6. Re. 14.5. Lu. 1.6. Ac. 23.1; 24.16. Is. 3.10. ch. 2.40.

23Then 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.

t Ex. 4.14; 18.9. Lu. 15.32. u ch. 3.27. Mar. 16.18. v He. 11.33. Mar. 9.23. 2Ch. 20.20.

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.

w De. 19.19. Es. 7.10; 9.10. Jos. 7.24,25. ch. 3.22. De. 24.16. 2Ki. 14.6. x Ps. 54.5.

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

y ch. 3.29; 4.1. Es. 3.12; 8.9. v.26. ch. 4.22. z ch. 4.1. Ezr. 4.17. 2Pe. 1.2. Jude 2.

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.

a ch. 3.29. Ezr. 6.8-12; 7.13-26. Ps. 2.11. He. 12.18. Ps. 89.7; 99.1. Phi. 2.10. b Ru. 1.16. Ezr. 1.3. c Ac. 17.25. Je. 10.10. Mal. 3.6. He. 13.8. Ja. 1.17. ch. 2.44; 4.3,34; 7.14,27. Lu. 1.33. Is. 9.7. Ps. 42.2; 146.10; 97.1; 93.1. v.20.

27He ^ddelivereth and rescueth, and he ^eworketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the ⁵power of the lions.

d Job 5.19. Ps. 18.50; 32.7; 34.19. 2Co. 1.10. e ch. 4.2,3,35. Ac. 4.16. Ps. 72.18; 136.4. Je. 32.19,20.

28So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of ^fCyrus the Persian.

f ch. 1.21; 10.1. 2Ch. 36.22,23. Ezr. 1.1-8; 4.3,5; 6.14. Is. 44.28; 45.1.