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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Daniel 6 ESV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/daniel/6.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/daniel/6-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ESV</a> > Daniel 6</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../daniel/5.htm" title="Daniel 5">◄</a> Daniel 6 <a href="../daniel/7.htm" title="Daniel 7">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/daniel/6.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Daniel and the Lions’ Den</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>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.”</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or came thronging; also verses 11, 15">a</a></sup></span> to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign 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 the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>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 injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20">b</a></sup></span> to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>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 the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>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 no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>And the king commanded, and 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.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,</p><span class="block-indent"><p class="line-group"><span class="ln-group">for he is the living God,</span><br /><span class="indent">enduring forever;</span><br /><span class="ln-group">his kingdom shall never be destroyed,</span><br /><span class="indent">and his dominion shall be to the end.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">He delivers and rescues;</span><br /><span class="indent">he works signs and wonders</span><br /><span class="indent">in heaven and on earth,</span><br /><span class="ln-group">he who has saved Daniel</span><br /><span class="indent">from the power of the lions.”</span></p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/daniel/6-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">6</span> Or <i><span class="catch-word">came</span> thronging</i>; also verses 11, 15<br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">16</span> Aramaic <i>answered and said</i>; also verse 20<br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">ESV Text Edition® (2016).<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by <a href="http://www.crossway.org/home/esv/">Crossway Bibles</a>, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. 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