World English Bible · The Persian return
Daniel 6
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It pleased to set over one hundred twenty local governors, who should be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three presidents, of whom was one, that these local governors might give account to them, and that the king should suffer no loss. Then this was distinguished above the presidents and the local governors, because an excellent was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and the local governors sought to find occasion against as touching ; but they could find no occasion or fault, because he was . There wasn't any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, "We won't find any occasion against this , unless we find it against him concerning of his ." Then these presidents and local governors assembled together to the king, and said this to him, "King , live ! All the presidents of , the deputies and the local governors, the and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal and to make a strong , that whoever asks a petition of any or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the and sign the writing, that it not be changed, according to of the and , which doesn't alter." Therefore King signed the writing and the . When knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his room toward ) and he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and , and gave thanks before his , as he did before. Then these men assembled together, and found making petition and before his . Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king's : "Haven't you signed a that every man who makes a petition to any or man within thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?" The king answered, "This thing is true, according to of the and , which doesn't alter." Then they answered and said before the king, "That , who is of the children of of Judah, doesn't respect you, O king, nor the that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day." Then the king, when he heard these words, was very displeased, and set on to him; and he labored until the going down of the sun to rescue him. Then these men assembled together to the king, and said to the king, "Know, O king, that it is a law of the and , that no nor which the king establishes may be changed." Then the king commanded, and they brought and cast him into the den of lions. The king spoke and said to , "Your whom you continually, he will you." A stone was brought, and laid on the of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning . Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night . No musical instruments were brought before him; and his sleep fled from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions. When he came near to the den to , he cried with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to , ", the living , is your , whom you continually, able to you from the lions?" Then said to the king, "O king, live ! My has sent his , and has shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me, because innocence was found in me before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm." Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that they should take up out of the den. So was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his . The king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused , and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions mauled them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they came to the bottom of the den. Then King wrote to all the peoples, nations, and who in all the earth: "Peace be multiplied to you. "I make a that in all the of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the of . "For he is the living , and steadfast . is that which will not be destroyed. His will be even to the end. He delivers and rescues. He works signs and wonders in and in earth, who has from the of the lions." So this prospered in the reign of and in the reign of the .
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · The Persian return, 539 BC to 332 BC ›
Persia takes Babylon and reverses its policy, sending exiled peoples home to rebuild their temples. Judah returns as a small province, rebuilding under imperial permission rather than independence.
- Persia
- The largest empire the world had yet seen, from the Indus to the Aegean, run through provinces, a royal road, and a postal system. Its policy on conquered peoples was to send them home and fund their temples, in exchange for loyalty and prayers for the king. The Cyrus Cylinder states the policy in Cyrus's own words, and Ezra opens with the same policy applied to Judah.
- Judah
- A small, poor province called Yehud, a fraction of the old kingdom, with a rebuilt temple that made the people who remembered the first one weep. No king, and no prospect of one. Leadership passes to priests and scribes, which shapes everything afterward.
- Greece
- Persia and Greece collide at Marathon and Salamis, Persia loses, and Athens spends the following decades on the Parthenon, tragedy, and Socrates. Herodotus writes the first history in order to explain that war. Then Plato and Aristotle, whose vocabulary the church will still be using at Nicaea eight centuries later.
- Further afield
- Rome throws out its kings and becomes a republic. In India and China this is the age of the Buddha's early followers and of Confucian teaching taking hold. More of what the world still thinks with was invented in this era than in almost any other.