Daniel’s Friends Disobey the King

⁸ Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans ^(A)came forward and accused the Jews.

^12 (A)And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?”

The king answered and said, “The thing is true, ^(B)according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[a]does not alter.”

¹³ So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, ^(C)who is ^[b]one of the captives from Judah, ^(D)does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

⁸ Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; ^(A)their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. ⁹ If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.”

³ For we have spent enough of our past ^[a]lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. ⁴ In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.

²² But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that ^(A)it is spoken against everywhere.”

⁶ But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, ^(A)“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. ⁷ Jason has ^[a]harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, ^(B)saying there is another king—Jesus.” ⁸ And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things.

²⁰ And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, ^(A)exceedingly trouble our city; ²¹ and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” ²² Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes ^(B)and commanded them to be beaten with rods.

¹⁰ The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean.

⁶ But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman ^(A)sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai.