Daniel 6:1-8:26

New King James Version

The Plot Against Daniel

6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; ² and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. ³ Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, ^(A)because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. ^4 (B)So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

⁶ So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: ^(C)“King Darius, live forever! ⁷ All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have ^(D)consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁸ Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the ^(E)law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[a]does not alter.” ⁹ Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

¹⁰ Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open ^(F)toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees ^(G)three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

¹¹ Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. ^12 (H)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, ^(I)according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which ^[b]does not alter.”

¹³ So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, ^(J)who is ^[c]one of the captives from Judah, ^(K)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.”

¹⁴ And the king, when he heard these words, ^(L)was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he ^[d]labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. ¹⁵ Then these men ^[e]approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is ^(M)the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

¹⁶ So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” ^17 (N)Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, ^(O)and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.

Daniel Saved from the Lions

¹⁸ Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no ^[f]musicians were brought before him. ^(P)Also his sleep ^[g]went from him. ¹⁹ Then the ^(Q)king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰ And when he came to the den, he cried out with a ^[h]lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, ^(R)has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

²¹ Then Daniel said to the king, ^(S)“O king, live forever! ^22 (T)My God sent His angel and ^(U)shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”

²³ Now the king was exceedingly 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 injury whatever was found on him, ^(V)because he believed in his God.

Darius Honors God

²⁴ And the king gave the command, ^(W)and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, ^(X)their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.

^25 (Y)Then King Darius wrote:

²⁸ So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius ^(AE)and in the reign of ^(AF)Cyrus the Persian.

Vision of the Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, ^(AG)Daniel ^[j]had a dream and ^(AH)visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling ^[k]the main facts.

² Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. ³ And four great beasts ^(AI)came up from the sea, each different from the other. ⁴ The first was ^(AJ)like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a ^(AK)man’s heart was given to it.

^5 (AL)“And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’

⁶ “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had ^(AM)four heads, and dominion was given to it.

⁷ “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, ^(AN)a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, ^(AO)and it had ten horns. ⁸ I was considering the horns, and ^(AP)there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes ^(AQ)of a man, ^(AR)and a mouth speaking ^[l]pompous words.

Vision of the Ancient of Days

¹¹ “I watched then because of the sound of the ^[o]pompous words which the horn was speaking; ^(AZ)I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

Daniel’s Visions Interpreted

¹⁵ “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit ^[p]within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. ¹⁶ I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷ ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four ^[q]kings which arise out of the earth. ¹⁸ But ^(BE)the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’

¹⁹ “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; ²⁰ and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke ^[r]pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.

²¹ “I was watching; ^(BF)and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, ²² until the Ancient of Days came, ^(BG)and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

²³ “Thus he said:

²⁸ “This is the end of the ^[t]account. As for me, Daniel, ^(BT)my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I ^(BU)kept the matter in my heart.”

Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8 In^[u] the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me—to me, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me ^(BV)the first time. ² I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in ^(BW)Shushan,^[v] the ^[w]citadel, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai. ³ Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was ^(BX)higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. ⁴ I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no animal could ^[x]withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, ^(BY)but he did according to his will and became great.

⁵ And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable ^(BZ)horn between his eyes. ⁶ Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power. ⁷ And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, ^[y]attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.

⁸ Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it ^(CA)four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. ^9 (CB)And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, ^(CC)toward the east, and toward the ^(CD)Glorious Land. ^10 (CE)And it grew up to ^(CF)the host of heaven; and ^(CG)it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. ^11 (CH)He even exalted himself as high as ^(CI)the Prince of the host; ^(CJ)and by him ^(CK)the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of ^[z]His sanctuary was cast down. ¹² Because of transgression, ^(CL)an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast ^(CM)truth down to the ground. He ^(CN)did all this and prospered.

¹³ Then I heard ^(CO)a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression ^[aa]of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”

¹⁴ And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred ^[ab]days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

Gabriel Interprets the Vision

¹⁵ Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and ^(CP)was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me ^(CQ)one having the appearance of a man. ¹⁶ And I heard a man’s voice ^(CR)between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, ^(CS)“Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” ¹⁷ So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and ^(CT)fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.”

^18 (CU)Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; ^(CV)but he touched me, and stood me upright. ¹⁹ And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; ^(CW)for at the appointed time the end shall be. ²⁰ The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹ And the ^[ac]male goat is the ^[ad]kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes ^(CX)is the first king. ^22 (CY)As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.