stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king
sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords;
that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. 18. Then
the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither
were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went
from him. 19. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and
went in haste unto the den of lions. 20. And when he came to the
den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king
spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is
thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from
the lions? 21. Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for
ever. 22. My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions'
mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before Him
innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I
done no hurt, 23. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and
commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So
Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found
upon him, because he believed in his God. 24. And the king
commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and
they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and
their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all
their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
25. Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages,
that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 26. I
make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and
fear before the God of Daniel: for He is the living God, and
stedfast for ever, and His kingdom that which shall not be
destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end. 27. He
delivereth and rescueth, and He worketh signs and wonders in heaven
and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the
lions. 28. So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in
the reign of Cyrus the Persian.'--DANIEL vi. 16-28.

Daniel was verging on ninety when this great test of his faithfulness
was presented to him. He had been honoured and trusted through all the
changes in the kingdom, and, when the Medo-Persian conquest came, the
new monarch naturally found in him, a