⁶ Then these presidents and satraps have assembled near the king, and thus they are saying to him: `O king Darius, to the ages live!

³¹ `While the word is [in] the king's mouth a voice from the heavens hath fallen: To thee they are saying: O Nebuchadnezzar the king, the kingdom hath passed from thee,

⁴ Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault, because he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

⁵ Then these men said, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

⁶ Then these presidents and satraps assembled together to the king, and said thus to him, King Darius, live forever.

⁷ All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a strong decree, that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

⁸ Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which doesn't alter.

⁹ Therefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.