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2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar
 dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from
 him.
2:2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and
 the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to show the king his dreams.  So they
 came and stood before the king.
2:3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was
 troubled to know the dream.
2:4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: 
 tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
2:5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: 
 if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation
 thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a
 dunghill.
2:6 But if ye show the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall
 receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour:  therefore show me the
 dream, and the interpretation thereof.
2:7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream,
 and we will show the interpretation of it.
2:8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the
 time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
2:9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one
 decree for you:  for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak
 before me, till the time be changed:  therefore tell me the dream, and I
 shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof.
2:10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man
 upon the earth that can show the king's matter:  therefore there is no
 king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or
 astrologer, or Chaldean.
2:11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none
 other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is
 not with flesh.
2:12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to
 destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
2:13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they
 sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
2:14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of
 the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
2:15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree
 so hasty from the king?  Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
2:16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him
 time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.
2:17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah,
 Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
2:18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this
 secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the
 wise men of Babylon.
2:19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision.  Then
 Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever:
  for wisdom and might are his:
2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons:  he removeth kings, and
 setteth up kings:  he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them
 that know understanding:
2:22 He revealeth the deep and secret things:  he knoweth what is in the
 darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
2:23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given
 me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of
 thee:  for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.
2:24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to
 destroy the wise men of Babylon:  he went and said thus unto him; Destroy
 not the wise men of Babylon:  bring me in before the king, and I will
 show unto the king the interpretation.
2:25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus
 unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known
 unto the king the interpretation.
2:26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,
 Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the
 interpretation thereof?
2:27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which
 the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the
 magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king;
2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known
 to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.  Thy dream,
 and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
2:29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed,
 what should come to pass hereafter:  and he that revealeth secrets maketh
 known to thee what shall come to pass.
2:30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that
 I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known
 the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of
 thy heart.
2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image.  This great image,
 whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof
 was terrible.
2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of
 silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote
 the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to
 pieces.
2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold,
 broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer
 threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found
 for them:  and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and
 filled the whole earth.
2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before
 the king.
2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings:  for the God of heaven hath given
 thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and
 the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee
 ruler over them all.  Thou art this head of gold.
2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and
 another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron:  forasmuch as iron
 breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things:  and as iron that breaketh
 all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay, and
 part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the
 strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry
 clay.
2:42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay,
 so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle
 themselves with the seed of men:  but they shall not cleave one to another,
 even as iron is not mixed with clay.
2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
 kingdom, which shall never be destroyed:  and the kingdom shall not be left
 to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
 kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain
 without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay,
 the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what
 shall come to pass hereafter:  and the dream is certain, and the
 interpretation thereof sure.
2:46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel,
 and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
2:47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your
 God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets,
 seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
2:48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts,
 and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the
 governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
2:49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and
 Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon:  but Daniel sat in
 the gate of the king.

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3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was
 threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits:  he set it up in
 the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
3:2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the
 governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors,
 the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the
 dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3:3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the
 treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the
 provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that
 Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that
 Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
3:4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations,
 and languages,
3:5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
 sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and
 worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
3:6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast
 into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
3:7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the
 cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the
 people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the
 golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3:8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the
 Jews.
3:9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the
 sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all
 kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
3:11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast
 into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
3:12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the
 province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king,
 have not regarded thee:  they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden
 image which thou hast set up.
3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach,
 Meshach, and Abednego.  Then they brought these men before the king.
3:14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach,
 Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden
 image which I have set up?
3:15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet,
 flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye
 fall down and worship the image which I have made; well:  but if ye
 worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning
 fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my
 hands?
3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O
 Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
 burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy
 gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
3:19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was
 changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego:  therefore he spake, and
 commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it
 was wont to be heated.
3:20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind
 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning
 fiery furnace.
3:21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats,
 and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning
 fiery furnace.
3:22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace
 exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach,
 Meshach, and Abednego.
3:23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound
 into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
3:24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and
 spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into
 the midst of the fire?  They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of
 the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son
 of God.
3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery
 furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye
 servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither.  Then
 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
3:27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors,
 being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no
 power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats
 changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of
 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his
 servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded
 their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their
 own God.
3:29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language,
 which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
 Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a
 dunghill:  because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province
 of Babylon.

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4:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that
 dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
4:2 I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God hath
 wrought toward me.
4:3 How great are his signs!  and how mighty are his wonders!  his
 kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation
 to generation.
4:4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my
 palace:
4:5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the
 visions of my head troubled me.
4:6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon
 before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the
 dream.
4:7 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the
 soothsayers:  and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known
 unto me the interpretation thereof.
4:8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar,
 according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy
 gods:  and before him I told the dream, saying,
4:9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit
 of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the
 visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
4:10 Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold, a
 tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.
4:11 The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto
 heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth:
4:12 The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it
 was meat for all:  the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the
 fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of
 it.
4:13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and
 an holy one came down from heaven;
4:14 He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his
 branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit:  let the beasts get
 away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:
4:15 Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a
 band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet
 with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the
 grass of the earth:
4:16 Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given
 unto him:  and let seven times pass over him.
4:17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the
 word of the holy ones:  to the intent that the living may know that the
 most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he
 will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.
4:18 This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen.  Now thou, O Belteshazzar,
 declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my
 kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation:  but thou
 art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.
4:19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour,
 and his thoughts troubled him.  The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let
 not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee.  Belteshazzar
 answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the
 interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
4:20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height
 reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;
4:21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was
 meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose
 branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:
4:22 It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong:  for thy
 greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end
 of the earth.
4:23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from
 heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump
 of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in
 the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven,
 and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times
 pass over him;
4:24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the
 most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
4:25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the
 beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and
 they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over
 thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and
 giveth it to whomsoever he will.
4:26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy
 kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the
 heavens do rule.
4:27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break
 off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the
 poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
4:28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
4:29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of
 Babylon.
4:30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built
 for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour
 of my majesty?
4:31 While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from
 heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom
 is departed from thee.
4:32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with
 the beasts of the field:  they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and
 seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth
 in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
4:33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar:  and he was
 driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the
 dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his
 nails like birds' claws.
4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto
 heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most
 High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion
 is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to
 generation:
4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing:  and he
 doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the
 inhabitants of the earth:  and none can stay his hand, or say unto him,
 What doest thou?
4:36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my
 kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors
 and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and
 excellent majesty was added unto me.
4:37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven,
 all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment:  and those that walk in
 pride he is able to abase.

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5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and
 drank wine before the thousand.
5:2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and
 silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple
 which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and
 his concubines, might drink therein.
5:3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple
 of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his
 princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
5:4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass,
 of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5:5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over
 against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: 
 and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
5:6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him,
 so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one
 against another.
5:7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the
 soothsayers.  And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon,
 Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof,
 shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck,
 and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
5:8 Then came in all the king's wise men:  but they could not read the
 writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
5:9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was
 changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
5:10 Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came
 into the banquet house:  and the queen spake and said, O king, live for
 ever:  let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be
 changed:
5:11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy
 gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom,
 like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar
 thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians,
 astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;
5:12 Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding,
 interpreting of dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of
 doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: 
 now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.
5:13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king.  And the king spake and
 said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of
 the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?
5:14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee,
 and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
5:15 And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before
 me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the
 interpretation thereof:  but they could not show the interpretation of the
 thing:
5:16 And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and
 dissolve doubts:  now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me
 the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have
 a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the
 kingdom.
5:17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to
 thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto
 the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
5:18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a
 kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
5:19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and
 languages, trembled and feared before him:  whom he would he slew; and whom
 he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he
 put down.
5:20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he
 was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
5:21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the
 beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses:  they fed him with
 grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew
 that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he
 appointeth over it whomsoever he will.
5:22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though
 thou knewest all this;
5:23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have
 brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy
 wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised
 the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see
 not, nor hear, nor know:  and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and
 whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
5:24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was
 written.
5:25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
 UPHARSIN.
5:26 This is the interpretation of the thing:  MENE; God hath numbered thy
 kingdom, and finished it.
5:27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
5:28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
5:29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and
 put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning
 him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
5:30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
5:31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and
 two years old.

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6:1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes,
 which should be over the whole kingdom;
6:2 And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first:  that the
 princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
6:3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because
 an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the
 whole realm.
6:4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel
 concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault;
 forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found
 in him.
6:5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel,
 except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.
6:6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and
 said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.
6:7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the
 counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal
 statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of
 any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into
 the den of lions.
6:8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not
 changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth
 not.
6:9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his
 house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he
 kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks
 before his God, as he did aforetime.
6:11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making
 supplication before his God.
6:12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's
 decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a
 petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall
 be cast into the den of lions?  The king answered and said, The thing is
 true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
6:13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of
 the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the
 decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
6:14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with
 himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him:  and he laboured
 till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
6:15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O
 king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor
 statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
6:16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into
 the den of lions.  Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom
 thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
6:17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the
 king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that
 the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
6:18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: 
 neither were instruments of music brought before him:  and his sleep went
 from him.
6:19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto
 the den of lions.
6:20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto
 Daniel:  and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the
 living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee
 from the lions?
6:21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they
 have not hurt me:  forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and
 also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
6:23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they
 should take Daniel up out of the den.  So Daniel was taken up out of the
 den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his
 God.
6:24 And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused
 Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children,
 and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their
 bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
6:25 Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that
 dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
6:26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and
 fear before the God of Daniel:  for he is the living God, and stedfast
 for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his
 dominion shall be even unto the end.
6:27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven
 and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
6:28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of
 Cyrus the Persian.