, and they tried to find something evil in
Daniel, so that they could speak to the king against him.

These men saw that three times every day Daniel went to his room and
opened the window that was toward the city of Jerusalem, and looking
toward Jerusalem, made his prayer to God. Jerusalem was at that time in
ruins, and the Temple was no longer standing; but Daniel prayed three
times each day with his face toward the place where the house of God had
once stood, although it was many hundreds of miles away.

These nobles thought that in Daniel's prayers they could find a chance
to do him harm, and perhaps cause him to be put to death. They came to
King Darius, and said to him:

"All the rulers have agreed together to have a law made that for thirty
days no one shall ask anything of any god or of any man, except from
you, O king; and that if any one shall pray to any god, or shall ask
anything from any man during the thirty days, except from you, O king,
he shall be thrown into the den where the lions are kept. Now, O king,
make the law, and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, for no
law among the Medes and the Persians can be altered."

The king was not a wise man; and being foolish and vain, he was pleased
with this law which would set him even above the gods. So without asking
Daniel's advice, he signed the writing; and the law was made, and the
word was sent out through the kingdom, that for thirty days no one
should pray to any god.

Daniel knew that the law had been made, but every day he went to his
room three times, and opened the window that looked toward Jerusalem,
and offered his prayers to the Lord, just as he had prayed in other
times. These rulers were watching near by, and they saw Daniel kneeling
in prayer to God. Then they came to the king, and said:

"O King Darius, have you not made a law, that if any one in thirty days
offers a prayer, he shall be thrown into the den of lions?"

"It is true," said the king. "The law has been made, and it must
stand."

They said to the king: "There is one man who does not obey the law which
you have made. It is that Daniel, one of the captive Jews. Every day
Daniel prays to his God three times, just as he did before you signed
the writing of the law."

[Illustration: _Thrown into the den of lions_]

Then the king was very sorry for what he had done, for he loved Daniel,
and knew that no one could take his place in the kingdom. All day, until
the