The Daily Audio Bible
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Daniel Is Thrown to the Lions
6 It pleased Darius to choose 120 captains to rule over the people. They would rule over the whole nation. 2 And three leaders were to rule over them, and Daniel was one. The captains were to answer to them, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then Daniel showed that he could do better work than the other leaders and captains because a special spirit was in him. So the king planned to give him power over the whole nation. 4 Then the leaders and captains tried to find a reason to complain against Daniel about his duties over the nation. But they could not find any reason to complain or anything to blame him for, because he was faithful and honest and did not do anything wrong. 5 Then these men said, “We will not find anything to say against Daniel unless it has to do with the Law of his God.” 6 So these leaders and captains came as a group to the king and said, “King Darius, live forever! 7 All the leaders of the nation, the captains, the important men and the rulers have spoken with each other and have agreed that a new law should be made. The king should make a law that must be obeyed, saying that anyone who asks something of any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, must be thrown to the lions. 8 O king, make this law now and write your name on it so that it may not be changed. It will be by the law of the Medes and Persians, and cannot be changed.” 9 So King Darius made the law and wrote his name on it.
10 When Daniel knew that the king had written his name on this law, he went into his house where, in his upper room, he had windows open toward Jerusalem. There he got down on his knees three times each day, praying and giving thanks to his God, as he had done before. 11 Then these men came as a group and found Daniel praying and asking favor from his God. 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his law, saying, “Did you not write your name on a law which says that anyone who asks something of any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be thrown to the lions?” The king answered, “This is true. It is by the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.” 13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the people brought from Judah, does not listen to you, O king. He is not obeying the law that you wrote your name on. He is still asking things of his God three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was very troubled and tried to think of a way to save Daniel. Even until sunset he was trying to find a way to save him. 15 Then these men came as a group to the king and said, “Understand, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that any law the king makes cannot be changed.”
16 So the king had Daniel brought in and thrown into the place where lions were kept. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, Whom you are faithful to serve, save you.” 17 And a stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the hole. The king marked it with his own special ring and with the rings of his important men, so that no one could save Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his beautiful house and spent the night without food and sleep. And nothing was brought to make him feel better.
Daniel Is Saved from the Lions
19 The king got up at sunrise and went in a hurry to the place where lions were kept. 20 When he came to the hole in the ground where Daniel was, he called to him with a troubled voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, Whom you always serve, been able to save you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths. They have not hurt me, because He knows that I am not guilty, and because I have done nothing wrong to you, O king.” 23 Then the king was very pleased and had Daniel taken up out of the hole in the ground. So they took Daniel out of the hole and saw that he had not been hurt at all, because he had trusted in his God. 24 Then the king had those men brought to him who had spoken against Daniel. And they threw them with their wives and children into the hole with the lions. Even before they hit the bottom of the hole, the lions went after them and crushed all their bones.
25 Then King Darius wrote to all the people of every nation and language who were living on the earth. He wrote, “May you have much peace! 26 I make a law that all those under my rule are to fear and shake before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He lives forever. His nation will never be destroyed and His rule will last forever. 27 He saves and brings men out of danger, and shows His great power in heaven and on earth. And He has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.”
28 So things went well for Daniel during the rule of Darius and during the rule of Cyrus the Persian.
The World Will Be Destroyed
3 Dear friends, this is the second letter I have written to you. In both of them I have tried to get you to remember some things. 2 You should remember the words that were spoken before by the holy early preachers. Do not forget the teaching of the Lord, the One Who saves. This was given to you by your missionaries.
3 First of all, I want you to know that in the last days men will laugh at the truth. They will follow their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “He promised to come again. Where is He? Since our early fathers died, everything is the same from the beginning of the world.” 5 But they want to forget that God spoke and the heavens were made long ago. The earth was made out of water and water was all around it. 6 Long ago the earth was covered with water and it was destroyed. 7 But the heaven we see now and the earth we live on now have been kept by His word. They will be kept until they are to be destroyed by fire. They will be kept until the day men stand before God and sinners will be destroyed.
8 Dear friends, remember this one thing, with the Lord one day is as 1,000 years, and 1,000 years are as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about keeping His promise as some people think. He is waiting for you. The Lord does not want any person to be punished forever. He wants all people to be sorry for their sins and turn from them. 10 The day of the Lord will come as a robber comes. The heavens will pass away with a loud noise. The sun and moon and stars will burn up. The earth and all that is in it will be burned up.
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, you should think about the kind of life you are living. It should be holy and God-like. 12 You should look for the day of God to come. You should do what you can to make it come soon. At that time the heavens will be destroyed by fire. And the sun and moon and stars will melt away with much heat. 13 We are looking for what God has promised, which are new heavens and a new earth. Only what is right and good will be there.
14 Dear friends, since you are waiting for these things to happen, do all you can to be found by Him in peace. Be clean and free from sin. 15 You can be sure the long waiting of our Lord is part of His plan to save men from the punishment of sin. God gave our dear brother Paul the wisdom to write about this also. 16 He wrote about these things in all of his writings. Some of these things are hard to understand. People who do not have much understanding and some who are not strong in the faith change the meaning of his letters. They do this to the other parts of the Holy Writings also. They are destroying themselves as they do this.
17 And so, dear friends, now that you know this, watch so you will not be led away by the mistakes of these sinful people. Do not be moved by them. 18 Grow in the loving-favor that Christ gives you. Learn to know our Lord Jesus Christ better. He is the One Who saves. May He have all the shining-greatness now and forever. Let it be so.
129 Your Laws are wonderful, and so I obey them. 130 The opening up of Your Word gives light. It gives understanding to the child-like. 131 I opened my mouth wide, breathing with desire for Your Law. 132 Turn to me and show me loving-favor, as You always do to those who love Your name. 133 Set my steps in Your Word. Do not let sin rule over me. 134 Set me free from the power of man, and I will obey Your Law. 135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant and teach me Your Law. 136 Tears flow from my eyes because of those who do not keep Your Law.
137 You are right and good, O Lord, and Your Law is right. 138 The Law You have made is right and good and very faithful. 139 I feel weak because those who hate me have forgotten Your Word. 140 Your Word is very pure and Your servant loves it. 141 I am not important and I am hated but I do not forget Your Law. 142 You are right forever, and Your Law is truth. 143 Trouble and suffering have come upon me, yet Your Word is my joy. 144 Your Law is right forever. Give me understanding and I will live.
145 I cried with all my heart. Answer me, O Lord! I will keep Your Law. 146 I cried to You. Save me, and I will keep Your Word. 147 I rise before the morning comes and cry for help. I have put my hope in Your Word. 148 My eyes wait for the night hours, so I may think about Your Word. 149 Hear my voice because of Your loving-kindness. O Lord, give me new life again because of Your Law. 150 Those who follow sinful ways come near. But they are far from Your Law. 151 You are near, O Lord. And all of Your Word is truth. 152 I learned from Your Law long ago that You made it to last forever.
21 To show favor is not good, because a man will sin for a piece of bread.
22 A man with a sinful eye hurries to be rich. He does not know that he will be in need.
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