Summary
After being promoted above all other officials, Daniel’s steadfast faith draws envy from the presidents and princes, who plot to find a ground for his punishment. They persuade King Darius to issue a decree forbidding anyone who prays to any deity other than the king to be thrown into the lions’ den. Daniel continues to pray three times daily, attracting the officials’ suspicion. He is caught praying, arrested, and cast into the den, but an angel shuts the lions’ mouths and he emerges unharmed. The king, witnessing Daniel’s safety, orders the accusers, their families, and wives into the den, where the lions kill them. Darius then issues a decree proclaiming the eternal dominion of Daniel’s God, and Daniel prosperes during both the reigns of Darius and Cyrus.