²⁰ And he said, ^(A)“The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him.

¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

23 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, ^(A)I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.”

⁵ 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.”

⁶ Then these ^(A)high officials and ^(B)satraps came by agreement^[a] to the king and said to him, “O ^(C)King Darius, live forever! ⁷ All the ^(D)high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the ^(E)counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an ^(F)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. ⁸ Now, O king, establish ^(G)the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to ^(H)the law of ^(I)the Medes and the Persians, ^(J)which cannot be revoked.” ⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the document and ^(K)injunction.

¹⁰ When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where ^(L)he had windows in his upper chamber open ^(M)toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees ^(N)three times a day and prayed and ^(O)gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. ¹¹ Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. ¹² Then they ^(P)came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign ^(Q)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 ^(R)the Medes and Persians, ^(S)which cannot be revoked.”