Daniel 6:11-24

English Standard Version

¹¹Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. ¹²Then they ^(A)came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign ^(B)an 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 ^(C)the Medes and Persians, ^(D)which cannot be revoked.” ¹³Then they answered and said before the king, ^(E)“Daniel, who is one ^(F)of the exiles ^(G)from Judah, ^(H)pays no attention to you, O king, or ^(I)the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition ^(J)three times a day.”

¹⁴Then ^(K)the king, when he heard these words, ^(L)was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. ¹⁵Then 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 ^(M)injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

¹⁶Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared^[a] to Daniel, “May ^(N)your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” ¹⁷^(O)And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, ^(P)and the king sealed it ^(Q)with his own signet and with the signet of his ^(R)lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. ¹⁸Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; ^(S)no diversions were brought to him, and ^(T)sleep fled from him.

¹⁹Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰As 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 ^(U)the living God, ^(V)has your God, whom you serve continually, ^(W)been able to deliver you from the lions?” ²¹Then Daniel said to the king, ^(X)“O king, live forever! ²²My God ^(Y)sent his angel ^(Z)and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless ^(AA)before him; ^(AB)and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” ²³Then 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 ^(AC)no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. ²⁴And the king commanded, and ^(AD)those 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.