Daniel 6:6-13

New American Standard Bible

⁶ Then these commissioners and satraps came ^[a]by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, ^(A)live forever! ⁷ All the ^(B)commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have ^(C)consulted 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 ^(D)be thrown into the lions’ ^[b]den. ⁸ Now, O king, ^(E)establish the injunction and sign the document so that it will not be changed, according to the ^(F)law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[c]may not be revoked.” ⁹ Thereupon, King Darius ^(G)signed the document, that is, the injunction.

¹⁰ Now when Daniel learned that the document was signed, he entered his house (and in his roof chamber he had windows open ^(H)toward Jerusalem); and he continued ^(I)kneeling on his knees three times a day, ^(J)praying and ^(K)offering praise before his God, just as he had been doing previously. ¹¹ Then these men came ^[d](L)by agreement and found Daniel offering a prayer and imploring favor before his God. ¹² Then they approached and ^(M)spoke 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 ^(N)law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[e]may not be revoked.” ¹³ Then they responded and spoke before the king, “^(O)Daniel, who is one of the ^[f]exiles from Judah, pays ^(P)no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps offering his prayer three times a day.”