New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Daniel 6
1
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 royal rulers over his entire kingdom.
Reference
Kingdom
Daniel 5:31
2
He placed three leaders over them. One of the leaders was Daniel. The royal rulers were made accountable to the three leaders. Then the king wouldn't lose any of his wealth.
Reference
3
Daniel did a better job than the other two leaders or any of the royal rulers. He was an unusually good and able man. So the king planned to put him in charge of the whole kingdom.
Reference
Kingdom
Proverbs 22:29
Daniel 5:12
Esther 10:3
Parallel theme
Daniel 9:23
Ecclesiastes 2:13
Nehemiah 7:2
Spirit
Daniel 5:14
Proverbs 17:27
4
But the other two leaders and the royal rulers heard about it. So they looked for a reason to bring charges against Daniel. They tried to find something wrong with the way he ran the government. But they weren't able to. They couldn't find any fault with his work. He could always be trusted. He never did anything wrong. And he always did what he was supposed to.
Reference
5
Finally those men said, "It's almost impossible for us to come up with a reason to bring charges against this man Daniel. If we do, it will have to be in connection with the law of his God."
Reference
6
So the two leaders and the royal rulers went as a group to the king. They said, "King Darius, may you live forever!
Reference
7
All of the royal leaders, high officials, royal rulers, advisers and governors want to make a suggestion. We've agreed that you should give an order. And you should make sure it's obeyed. Here is the command you should give. King Darius, during the next 30 days don't let any of your people pray to any god or man except to you. If they do, throw them into the lions' den.
Reference
Kingdom
Daniel 3:2
Daniel 3:27
Parallel theme
Psalm 59:3
Psalm 62:4
Daniel 3:6
Psalm 10:9
Mark 15:1
Matthew 12:14
Matthew 26:4
John 12:10
8
"Now give the order. Write it down in the laws of the Medes and Persians. Then it can't be changed."
Reference
10
Daniel found out that the king had signed the order. In spite of that, he did just as he had always done before. He went home to his upstairs room. Its windows opened toward Jerusalem. He went to his room three times a day to pray. He got down on his knees and gave thanks to his God.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 95:6
Psalm 34:1
Psalm 5:7
Prayer
Psalm 55:17
Philippians 4:6
Acts 9:40
1 Kings 8:54
1 Kings 8:44
References God
Acts 5:29
Hebrews 13:15
11
Some of the other royal officials went to where Daniel was staying. They saw him praying and asking God for help.
12
So they went to the king. They spoke to him about his royal order. They said, "King Darius, didn't you sign an official order? It said that for the next 30 days none of your people could pray to any god or man except to you. If they did, they would be thrown into the lions' den." The king answered, "The order must still be obeyed. It's one of the laws of the Medes and Persians. So it can't be changed."
Reference
13
Then they spoke to the king again. They said, "Daniel is one of the prisoners from Judah. He doesn't pay any attention to you, King Darius. He doesn't obey the order you put in writing. He still prays to his God three times a day."
Reference
14
When the king heard that, he was very upset. He didn't want Daniel to be harmed in any way. Until sunset, he did everything he could to save him.
Reference
Kingdom
Mark 6:26
15
Then the men went as a group to the king. They said to him, "King Darius, remember that no order or law you make can be changed. That's what the laws of the Medes and Persians require."
Reference
16
So the king gave the order. Daniel was brought out and thrown into the lions' den. The king said to him, "You always serve your God faithfully. So may he save you!"
Reference
Kingdom
Daniel 3:28
2 Samuel 3:39
Daniel 3:17
Daniel 6:20
Parallel theme
Job 5:19
Isaiah 43:2
Acts 25:11
Proverbs 29:25
Acts 25:9
Acts 24:27
17
A stone was brought and placed over the opening of the den. The king sealed it with his own special ring. He also sealed it with the rings of his nobles. Then nothing could be done to help Daniel.
Reference
Parallel theme
Lamentations 3:53
18
The king returned to his palace. He didn't eat anything that night. He didn't ask for anything to be brought to him for his enjoyment. And he couldn't sleep.
Reference
20
When he got near it, he called out to Daniel. His voice was filled with great concern. He said, "Daniel! You serve the living God. You always serve him faithfully. So has he been able to save you from the lions?"
Reference
Kingdom
Daniel 3:17
Daniel 6:16
Parallel theme
1 Chronicles 16:11
Daniel 6:27
James 1:25
Psalm 73:23
2 Corinthians 1:10
Genesis 18:14
References God
Hebrews 7:25
Jeremiah 32:17
22
My God sent his angel. And his angel shut the mouths of the lions. They haven't hurt me at all. That's because I haven't done anything wrong in God's sight. I've never done anything wrong to you either, my king."
Reference
Kingdom
Hebrews 11:33
Daniel 3:28
Parallel theme
2 Timothy 4:17
Acts 12:11
Numbers 20:16
1 Samuel 17:37
References God
Acts 24:16
Psalm 84:11
Micah 7:7
Psalm 31:14
23
The king was filled with joy. He ordered his servants to lift Daniel out of the den. So they did. They didn't see any wounds on him. That's because he had trusted in his God.
Reference
Faith
1 Chronicles 5:20
Isaiah 26:3
Psalm 37:40
Mark 9:23
2 Chronicles 20:20
Kingdom
Daniel 3:25
Daniel 6:18
Parallel theme
Proverbs 18:10
24
Then the king gave another order. The men who had said bad things about Daniel were brought in. They were thrown into the lions' den. So were their wives and children. Before they hit the bottom of the den, the lions attacked them. And the lions crushed all of their bones.
Reference
Kingdom
Esther 7:10
Esther 9:25
Parallel theme
Isaiah 38:13
Psalm 54:5
Deuteronomy 24:16
2 Kings 14:6
25
Then King Darius wrote to the people from every nation and language in the whole world. He said, "May you have great success!
Reference
26
"I order people in every part of my kingdom to respect and honor Daniel's God. "He is the living God. He will live forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed. His rule will never end.
Reference
Kingdom
Daniel 4:34
Luke 1:33
Psalm 29:10
Daniel 2:44
Daniel 4:3
Daniel 7:14
Jeremiah 10:10
Parallel theme
Psalm 2:11
References God
Daniel 3:29
Romans 9:26
27
He sets people free and saves them. He does miraculous signs and wonders. He does them in the heavens and on the earth. He has saved Daniel from the power of the lions."
Reference
28
So Daniel had success while Darius was king. Things went well with him during the rule of Cyrus, the Persian.
Reference
Kingdom
Daniel 1:21
Chapter Summary
Daniel 6 presents one of the clearest examples of faithfulness under political pressure, as Daniel's exceptional integrity causes jealous administrators to search for a way to destroy his reputation, only for them to discover that the one area where Daniel will never compromise is his devotion to God, leading them to manipulate King Darius into signing a decree that forbids prayer to anyone except the king, after which Daniel continues his established practice of praying openly, is condemned to the lions' den, and emerges unharmed because God protects the servant who refuses to abandon his faith.
Daniel's success in government creates the conflict at the beginning of the chapter because his fellow administrators cannot find corruption, negligence, dishonesty, or incompetence in his work.
His enemies therefore recognize that Daniel's greatest strength is also the only possible weakness they can exploit, because his commitment to God is so consistent that they know he will not change his behavior simply because a king issues a contrary command.
The conspirators manipulate Darius through flattery and persuade him to sign a decree that temporarily prohibits prayer to anyone except the king.
The law is carefully designed because the officials know that Daniel has a regular practice of praying three times each day.
When Daniel learns about the decree, he does not respond with panic, political resistance, or an attempt to hide his faith.
Instead, he continues praying as he had always done, demonstrating that his relationship with God is not something he can suspend whenever circumstances become dangerous.
Daniel's enemies immediately report his actions to Darius, and the king realizes that he has been manipulated into creating a legal trap against one of his most trusted officials.
Although Darius desperately tries to rescue Daniel, the decree cannot be reversed, and Daniel is eventually thrown into a lions' den with a stone placed over the entrance and sealed by the king.
The king spends a restless night fasting and unable to sleep, and at dawn he rushes to the den to discover whether Daniel's God has been able to save him.
Daniel responds from inside the den and explains that God sent an angel to shut the lions' mouths, because Daniel had been found innocent before God and had done nothing wrong against the king.
When Daniel is lifted from the den, there is no injury upon him, and the king responds with great joy because Daniel's survival has demonstrated the power of the God whom he serves.
The story then reverses the situation for Daniel's enemies, who receive the punishment they had intended for him, while Darius issues a proclamation throughout his kingdom commanding people to respect Daniel's God as the living God whose kingdom cannot be destroyed and whose authority continues forever.
The chapter closes by stating that Daniel continues to prosper under Darius and Cyrus, demonstrating that his faithfulness does not destroy his usefulness or career but instead allows him to remain a trusted servant through another major political transition.
The central message is that Daniel 6 teaches that genuine faithfulness is not simply believing in God when obedience is convenient but continuing to honor God when obedience carries real personal cost, because Daniel refuses to allow a temporary political decree to change a lifelong pattern of prayer and devotion, and although his decision places him in a situation where humanly speaking death appears certain, his trust in God remains stronger than his fear of the lions, while the sealed den that appears to represent Daniel's defeat becomes the place where God's power is revealed, demonstrating that earthly rulers can create laws, threaten punishment, and control circumstances for a time, but they cannot ultimately determine the destiny of those who remain faithful to God, and Daniel's deliverance therefore becomes both a personal victory over fear and a public testimony that the living God is greater than every empire, king, law, and earthly power.
Daniel's success in government creates the conflict at the beginning of the chapter because his fellow administrators cannot find corruption, negligence, dishonesty, or incompetence in his work.
His enemies therefore recognize that Daniel's greatest strength is also the only possible weakness they can exploit, because his commitment to God is so consistent that they know he will not change his behavior simply because a king issues a contrary command.
The conspirators manipulate Darius through flattery and persuade him to sign a decree that temporarily prohibits prayer to anyone except the king.
The law is carefully designed because the officials know that Daniel has a regular practice of praying three times each day.
When Daniel learns about the decree, he does not respond with panic, political resistance, or an attempt to hide his faith.
Instead, he continues praying as he had always done, demonstrating that his relationship with God is not something he can suspend whenever circumstances become dangerous.
Daniel's enemies immediately report his actions to Darius, and the king realizes that he has been manipulated into creating a legal trap against one of his most trusted officials.
Although Darius desperately tries to rescue Daniel, the decree cannot be reversed, and Daniel is eventually thrown into a lions' den with a stone placed over the entrance and sealed by the king.
The king spends a restless night fasting and unable to sleep, and at dawn he rushes to the den to discover whether Daniel's God has been able to save him.
Daniel responds from inside the den and explains that God sent an angel to shut the lions' mouths, because Daniel had been found innocent before God and had done nothing wrong against the king.
When Daniel is lifted from the den, there is no injury upon him, and the king responds with great joy because Daniel's survival has demonstrated the power of the God whom he serves.
The story then reverses the situation for Daniel's enemies, who receive the punishment they had intended for him, while Darius issues a proclamation throughout his kingdom commanding people to respect Daniel's God as the living God whose kingdom cannot be destroyed and whose authority continues forever.
The chapter closes by stating that Daniel continues to prosper under Darius and Cyrus, demonstrating that his faithfulness does not destroy his usefulness or career but instead allows him to remain a trusted servant through another major political transition.
The central message is that Daniel 6 teaches that genuine faithfulness is not simply believing in God when obedience is convenient but continuing to honor God when obedience carries real personal cost, because Daniel refuses to allow a temporary political decree to change a lifelong pattern of prayer and devotion, and although his decision places him in a situation where humanly speaking death appears certain, his trust in God remains stronger than his fear of the lions, while the sealed den that appears to represent Daniel's defeat becomes the place where God's power is revealed, demonstrating that earthly rulers can create laws, threaten punishment, and control circumstances for a time, but they cannot ultimately determine the destiny of those who remain faithful to God, and Daniel's deliverance therefore becomes both a personal victory over fear and a public testimony that the living God is greater than every empire, king, law, and earthly power.