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Daniel 6:1-24 CEV
(1) Darius divided his kingdom into a hundred and twenty states and placed a governor in charge of each one.
(2) In order to make sure that his government was run properly, Darius put three other officials in charge of the governors. One of these officials was Daniel.
(3) And he did his work so much better than the other governors and officials that the king decided to let him govern the whole kingdom.
(4) The other men tried to find something wrong with the way Daniel did his work for the king. But they could not accuse him of anything wrong, because he was honest and faithful and did everything he was supposed to do.
(5) Finally, they said to one another, "We will never be able to bring any charge against Daniel, unless it has to do with his religion [the law of his God]."
(6) They all went to the king and said: Your Majesty, we hope you live forever!
(7) All of your officials, leaders, advisors, and governors agree that you should make a law forbidding anyone to pray to any god or human except you for the next thirty days. Everyone who disobeys this law must be thrown into a pit of lions.
(8) Order this to be written and then sign it, so it cannot be changed, just as no written law of the Medes and Persians can be changed."
(9) So King Darius made the law and had it written down.
(10) Daniel heard about the law, but when he returned home, he went upstairs and prayed in front of the window that faced Jerusalem. In the same way that he had always done, he knelt down in prayer three times a day, giving thanks to God.
(11) The men who had spoken to the king watched Daniel and saw him praying to his God for help.
(12) They went back to the king and said, "Didn't you make a law that forbids anyone to pray to any god or human except you for the next thirty days? And doesn't the law say that everyone who disobeys it will be thrown into a pit of lions?" "Yes, that's the law I made," the king agreed. "And just like all written laws of the Medes and Persians, it cannot be changed."
(13) The men then told the king, "That Jew named Daniel, who was brought here as a captive, refuses to obey you or the law that you ordered to be written. And he still prays to his god three times a day."
(14) The king was really upset to hear about this, and for the rest of the day he tried to think how he could save Daniel.
(15) At sunset the men returned and said, "Your Majesty, remember that no written law of the Medes and Persians can be changed, not even by the king."
(16) So Darius ordered Daniel to be brought out and thrown into a pit of lions. But he said to Daniel, "You have been faithful to your God, and I pray that he will rescue you."
(17) A stone was rolled over the pit, and it was sealed. Then Darius and his officials stamped the seal to show that no one should let Daniel out.
(18) All night long the king could not sleep. He did not eat anything, and he would not let anyone come in to entertain him.
(19) At daybreak the king got up and ran to the pit.
(20) He was anxious and shouted, "Daniel, you were faithful and served your God. Was he able to save you from the lions?"
(21) Daniel answered, "Your Majesty, I hope you live forever!
(22) My God knew that I was innocent, and he sent an angel to keep the lions from eating me. Your Majesty, I have never done anything to hurt you."
(23) The king was relieved to hear Daniel's voice, and he gave orders for him to be taken out of the pit. Daniel's faith in his God had kept him from being harmed.
(24) And the king ordered the men who had brought charges against Daniel to be thrown into the pit, together with their wives and children. But before they even reached the bottom, the lions ripped them to pieces.
Daniel 6:1-24 BBE
(1) Darius was pleased to put over the kingdom a hundred and twenty captains, who were to be all through the kingdom;
(2) And over them were three chief rulers, of whom Daniel was one; and the captains were to be responsible to the chief rulers, so that the king might undergo no loss.
(3) Then this Daniel did his work better than the chief rulers and the captains, because there was a special spirit in him; and it was the king's purpose to put him over all the kingdom.
(4) Then the chief rulers and the captains were looking for some cause for putting Daniel in the wrong in connection with the kingdom, but they were unable to put forward any wrongdoing or error against him; because he was true, and no error or wrong was to be seen in him.
(5) Then these men said, We will only get a reason for attacking Daniel in connection with the law of his God.
(6) Then these chief rulers and the captains came to the king and said to him, O King Darius, have life for ever.
(7) All the chief rulers of the kingdom, the chiefs and the captains, the wise men and the rulers, have made a common decision to put in force a law having the king's authority, and to give a strong order, that whoever makes any request to any god or man but you, O King, for thirty days, is to be put into the lions' hole.
(8) Now, O King, put the order in force, signing the writing so that it may not be changed, like the law of the Medes and Persians which may not come to an end.
(9) For this reason King Darius put his name on the writing and the order.
(10) And Daniel, on hearing that the writing had been signed, went into his house; now he had windows in his room on the roof opening in the direction of Jerusalem; and three times a day he went down on his knees in prayer and praise before his God, as he had done before.
(11) Then these men were watching and saw Daniel making prayers and requesting grace before his God.
(12) Then they came near before the king and said, O King, have you not put your name to an order that any man who makes a request to any god or man but you, O King, for thirty days, is to be put into the lions' hole? The king made answer and said, The thing is fixed by the law of the Medes and Persians which may not come to an end.
(13) Then they made answer and said before the king, Daniel, one of the prisoners of Judah, has no respect for you, O King, or for the order signed by you, but three times a day he makes his prayer to God.
(14) When this thing came to the king's ears, it was very evil to him, and his heart was fixed on keeping Daniel safe, and till the going down of the sun he was doing everything in his power to get him free.
(15) Then these men said to the king, Be certain, O King, that by the law of the Medes and Persians no order or law which the king has put into force may be changed.
(16) Then the king gave the order, and they took Daniel and put him into the lions' hole. The king made answer and said to Daniel, Your God, whose servant you are at all times, will keep you safe.
(17) Then they got a stone and put it over the mouth of the hole, and it was stamped with the king's stamp and with the stamp of the lords, so that the decision about Daniel might not be changed.
(18) Then the king went to his great house, and took no food that night, and no (UNTRANSLATED TEXT) were placed before him, and his sleep went from him.
(19) Then very early in the morning the king got up and went quickly to the lions' hole.
(20) And when he came near the hole where Daniel was, he gave a loud cry of grief; the king made answer and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whose servant you are at all times, able to keep you safe from the lions?
(21) Then Daniel said to the king, O King, have life for ever.
(22) My God has sent his angel to keep the lions' mouths shut, and they have done me no damage: because I was seen to be without sin before him; and further, before you, O King, I have done no wrong.
(23) Then the king was very glad, and gave orders for them to take Daniel up out of the hole. So Daniel was taken up out of the hole and he was seen to be untouched, because he had faith in his God.
(24) And at the king's order, they took those men who had said evil against Daniel, and put them in the lions' hole, with their wives and their children; and they had not got to the floor of the hole before the lions overcame them and all their bones were broken.
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You will note the reference windows often include more than one translation of the Bible. The reason is to strive to gain the best possible understanding of the original Hebrew and Greek. Since we don't speak those languages, we rely on those who have come before and made the effort to translate those texts into English for us. Considering several translations gives the benefit of the understanding of several translation committees or individuals.
The Translations we quote are:
ALT - Analytical Literal Translation
ASV - American Standard Version (by the American revision committee in 1897).
Darby - 1889 Darby Bible
DRB - 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible
BBE - 1965 Bible in Basic English
LITV - Literal Translation of the Holy Bible
KJV - King James Version
MKJV - Modern King James Version
NWT - New World Translation
Webster - 1833 Webster Bible
RV - Revised Version
YLT - Young's Literal Translation