¹⁷ Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter,

¹⁸ urging them to ask the God of the heavens^(A) for mercy^(B) concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men.^(C)

¹⁶ So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den.^(A) The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you continually serve,^(B) rescue you!”