Daniel 6:24-27

6:24 The king gave another order, ¹  and those men who had maliciously accused ²  Daniel were brought and thrown ³  into the lions’ den – they, their children, and their wives. ⁴  They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

6:25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and language groups who were living in all the land: “Peace and prosperity! ⁵  6:26 I have issued an edict that throughout all the dominion of my kingdom people are to revere and fear the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God;

he endures forever.

His kingdom will not be destroyed;

his authority is forever. ⁶ 

6:27 He rescues and delivers

and performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel from the power ⁷  of the lions!”

[6:24]  ¹ tn Aram “said.”

[6:24]  ² tn Aram “had eaten the pieces of.” The Aramaic expression is ironic, in that the accusers who had figuratively “eaten the pieces of Daniel” are themselves literally devoured by the lions.

[6:24]  ³ tn The Aramaic active impersonal verb is often used as a substitute for the passive.

[6:24]  ⁴ tc The LXX specifies only the two overseers, together with their families, as those who were cast into the lions’ den.

[6:25]  ⁵ tn Aram “May your peace be increased!”

[6:26]  ⁶ tn Aram “until the end.”

[6:27]  ⁷ tn Aram “hand.”