Daniel 6:1-13

11It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, to be in charge of the whole kingdom, 2and over them, three commissioners (of whom 2Daniel was one), so that these satraps would be accountable to them, and that the king would not 3suffer 4loss. 3Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself 5among the commissioners and satraps because 6he possessed an 7extraordinary spirit, and the king intended to appoint him over the 8entire kingdom. 4Then the commissioners and satraps began 9trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel regarding 10government affairs; but they could find 11no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. 5Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him regarding the 12law of his God.”

6Then these commissioners and satraps came 13by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, 14live forever! 7All the 15commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have 16consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who offers a prayer to any god or person besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall 17be thrown into the lions’ 18den. 8Now, O king, 19establish the injunction and sign the document so that it will not be changed, according to the 20law of the Medes and Persians, which 21may not be revoked.” 9Thereupon, King Darius 22signed the document, that is, the injunction.

10Now when Daniel learned that the document was signed, he entered his house (and in his roof chamber he had windows open 23toward Jerusalem); and he continued 24kneeling on his knees three times a day, 25praying and 26offering praise before his God, just as he had been doing previously. 11Then these men came 2728by agreement and found Daniel offering a prayer and imploring favor before his God. 12Then they approached and 29spoke before the king about the king’s injunction: “Did you not sign an injunction that any person who offers a prayer to any god or person besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king replied, “The statement is true, according to the 30law of the Medes and Persians, which 31may not be revoked.” 13Then they responded and spoke before the king, “32Daniel, who is one of the 33exiles from Judah, pays 34no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps offering his prayer three times a day.”