1 ARST King Darius decided to divide his kingdom into 120 provinces. He appointed a governor to rule each province. BSB BSB: Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,
2 ARST He also appointed me and two other men to be administrators, to supervise the governors and to be sure that they did the king’ s work properly, in order that the king would not have to worry. BSB BSB: and over them three administrators, including Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable so that the king would not suffer loss.
3 ARST I soon showed that I was more capable to do the work better than all the other administrators and the governors. Because of that, the king planned to appoint me to be in charge of the entire empire. BSB BSB: Soon, by his extraordinary spirit, Daniel distinguished himself among the administrators and satraps. So the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
4 ARST Then, the other administrators and the governors became jealous. So they began to search to find something that they could criticize about the way I was working for the king. But I always did my work faithfully and honestly, and was never lazy. So they could not find anything to criticize. BSB BSB: Thus the administrators and satraps sought a charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.
5 ARST They concluded,“The only way we can find something for which we can criticize Daniel will be something concerning the laws that his god has given him.” BSB BSB: Finally these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”
6 ARST So the administrators and governors went as one group to the king and said,“Your Majesty, we wish that you will live a long time! BSB BSB: So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said, “O King Darius, may you live forever!
7 ARST We administrators and governors and district governors and advisors and other officials have all agreed that you should make a law that everyone must obey. We want you to command that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you. If anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he must be thrown into a pit of lions. BSB BSB: All the royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce a decree that for thirty days anyone who petitions any god or man except you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions.
8 ARST And because laws made by our governments of Media and Persia cannot be changed, we want you, the head of our government, to sign it.” BSB BSB: Therefore, O king, establish the decree and sign the document so that it cannot be changed—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”
9 ARST So King Darius wrote the law and signed it. BSB BSB: Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
10 ARST But when I found out that the king had written and signed that law, I went home. I knelt down in my upstairs room and prayed. I looked toward Jerusalem, and the windows were open with the result that everyone could see me while I was praying. I prayed three times each day, just as I always did, thanking God. BSB BSB: Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
11 ARST The officials went together to my house and they saw me praying and requesting God to help me. BSB BSB: Then these men went as a group and found Daniel petitioning and imploring his God.
12 ARST So they returned to the king and said to him,“Do you remember that you wrote a law stating that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you, and if anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he will be thrown into a pit of lions?” The king replied,“Yes, that is the law that I wrote. It is a law of our governments of Media and Persia, which cannot be canceled.” BSB BSB: So they approached the king and asked about his royal decree: “Did you not sign a decree that for thirty days any man who petitions any god or man except you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions?” The king replied, “According to the law of the Medes and Persians the order stands, and it cannot be repealed.”
13 ARST Then they said to the king,“That man Daniel, one of the men who were brought from Judah, is not paying any attention to you or the law that you signed. He prays to his god three times each day!” BSB BSB: Then they told the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, shows no regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed. He still makes his petition three times a day.”
14 ARST When the king heard that, he was very distressed. He tried to find a way to save me. All the rest of the day he tried to think of a way to rescue me. BSB BSB: As soon as the king heard this, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel, and he labored until sundown to rescue him.
15 ARST In the evening, many of the officials went together to the king and said,“Your Majesty, you know that our governments of Media and Persia have declared that no law that the king signs can be canceled. So Daniel must be thrown to the lions!” BSB BSB: Then the men approached the king together and said to him, “Remember, O king, that by the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or ordinance established by the king can be changed.”
16 ARST So the king gave the order, and his servants brought me and threw me into a pit where the lions were. Before they threw me in, the king said to me,“I hope that your God, whom you worship regularly, will rescue you!” BSB BSB: So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”
17 ARST They rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the pit. Then the king fastened a string across the entrance and put wax at each end, and stamped the wax with the seal from his ring and the seals of the rings of his officials, in order that no one could secretly rescue me. BSB BSB: A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that nothing concerning Daniel could be changed.
18 ARST Then the king returned to his palace. That night he refused to eat any food. He would not allow any one to entertain him because he did not want to be happy, with the result that he would forget about me. And that night he was unable to sleep because he was worried about me. BSB BSB: Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him, and sleep fled from him.
19 ARST At dawn the next morning, the king got up and went quickly to the pit where the lions were. BSB BSB: At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions.
20 ARST When he came near it, he was very worried. He called out,“Daniel, you who serve the all- powerful God! Was your God, whom you worship regularly, able to save you from the lions?” BSB BSB: When he reached the den, he cried out in a voice of anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
21 ARST I answered,“Your Majesty, I hope that you will live a long time! BSB BSB: Then Daniel replied, “O king, may you live forever!
22 ARST Yes, my God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths, in order that they would not harm me! He did that because he knows that I have done nothing that he thinks is wrong. And, Your Majesty, I never did anything wrong to you!” BSB BSB: My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O king.”
23 ARST The king was extremely happy, and he commanded his servants to lift me out of the pit. When they did that, they saw that the lions had not wounded me at all. God had protected me because I trusted in him. BSB BSB: The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den, and when Daniel was lifted out of the den, no wounds whatsoever were found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
24 ARST Then the king commanded that the men who had accused me should be seized and be thrown, along with their wives and children, into the pit where the lions were. When they were thrown into the pit, the lions leaped on them and crushed their bones before they fell onto the bottom of the pit! BSB BSB: At the command of the king, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they and their children and wives. And before they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
25 ARST Then King Darius wrote this message and sent it throughout his kingdom to the people of every people- group and nation and from all language groups:“I wish that all things go very well with you! BSB BSB: Then King Darius wrote to the people of every nation and language throughout the land: “May your prosperity abound.
26 ARST I command that everyone in my kingdom should fear and revere the God that Daniel worships. He is the all- powerful God, and he will live forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed; he will rule forever. BSB BSB: I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end.
27 ARST He rescues and saves his people, he performs all kinds of miracles in heaven and on the earth. He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!” BSB BSB: He delivers and rescues; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
28 ARST So I was successful all during the time that Darius ruled and during the time that Cyrus, the King of Persia, ruled. BSB BSB: So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.