Dan 6 | ESV | STEP | It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps , to be throughout the whole kingdom ;

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom ^a120 ^bsatraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them ^cthree high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these ^dsatraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became ^edistinguished above all ^fthe other high officials and ^gsatraps, because ^han excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned ⁱto set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then ^jthe high officials and ^kthe satraps ^lsought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, ^mbut they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, ⁿand no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

6 Then these ^ohigh officials and ^psatraps came by agreement ^{▼▼Or came thronging; also verses 11, 15} to the king and said to him, “O ^rKing Darius, live forever! 7 All the ^shigh officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the ^tcounselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an ^uinjunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish ^vthe injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to ^wthe law of ^xthe Medes and the Persians, ^ywhich cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and ^zinjunction.

10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where ^aahe had windows in his upper chamber open ^abtoward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees ^acthree times a day and prayed and ^adgave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they ^aecame near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign ^afan injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of ^agthe Medes and Persians, ^ahwhich cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, ^ai“Daniel, who is one ^ajof the exiles ^akfrom Judah, ^alpays no attention to you, O king, or ^amthe injunction you have signed, but makes his petition ^anthree times a day.”

14 Then ^aothe king, when he heard these words, ^apwas much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no ^aqinjunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared ^{▼▼Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20} to Daniel, “May ^asyour God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 ^atAnd a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, ^auand the king sealed it ^avwith his own signet and with the signet of his ^awlords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; ^axno diversions were brought to him, and ^aysleep fled from him.

19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of ^azthe living God, ^bahas your God, whom you serve continually, ^bbbeen able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, ^bc“O king, live forever! 22 My God ^bdsent his angel ^beand shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless ^bfbefore him; ^bgand also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and ^bhno kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and ^bithose men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

25 Then King Darius wrote to all ^bjthe peoples, nations, and languages ^bkthat dwell in all the earth: ^bl“Peace be multiplied to you. 26 ^bmI make a decree, that in all my royal dominion ^bnpeople are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for ^bohe is ^bpthe living God,
enduring forever;
his kingdom shall never be destroyed,
^bqand his dominion shall be ^brto the end.
27 He delivers and rescues;
he works ^bssigns and wonders
in heaven and on earth,
he who has ^btsaved Daniel
from the power of the lions.”

28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and ^buthe reign of ^bvCyrus the Persian.