Daniel 6

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred twenty local governors, who should be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, that these local governors might give account to them, and that the king should suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the local governors, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

4 Then the presidents and the local governors sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion or fault, because he was faithful. There wasn’t any error or fault found in him. 5 Then these men said, "We won’t find any occasion against this Daniel, unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God."

6 Then these presidents and local governors assembled together to the king, and said this to him, "King Darius, live forever! 7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the local governors, the counselors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a strong decree, that whoever asks 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.

10 When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his room toward Jerusalem) and he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before. 11 Then these men assembled together, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. 12 Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king’s decree: "Haven’t you signed a decree that every man who makes a petition to any god 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 the law of the Medes and Persians, which doesn’t alter."

13 Then they answered and said before the king, "That Daniel, who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, doesn’t respect you, O king, nor the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day." 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was very displeased, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored until the going down of the sun to rescue him.

15 Then these men assembled together to the king, and said to the king, "Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no decree nor statute which the king establishes may be changed."

16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Your God whom you serve continually, he will deliver you."

17 A stone was brought, and laid on the mouth 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 Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting. No musical instruments were brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.

19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 When he came near to the den to Daniel, he cried with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?"

21 Then Daniel said to the king, "O king, live forever! 22 My God has sent his angel, 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."

23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

24 The king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, 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.

25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages who dwell in all the earth:

"Peace be multiplied to you.

26 "I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.

"For he is the living God,

and steadfast forever.

His kingdom is that which will not be destroyed.

His dominion will be even to the end.

27 He delivers and rescues.

He works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth,

who has 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.

Ka Whakangārahu ki a Raniera

1 I pai a Tariuha kia whakaritea ētahi ariki kotahi rau e rua tekau mō te kīngitanga, hei kāwana mō te kīngitanga katoa, 2 e toru hoki ngā rangatira nui mō ēnei, ā, ko Raniera tētahi o rātou; mā ngā ariki rā ngā kōrero e hōmai ki ēnei, kei hē ngā mea a te kīngi. 3 Kātahi ka whakanuia tēnei Raniera ki runga ake i ngā rangatira nui, i ngā ariki, nō te mea he pai rawa te wairua i roto i a ia, ā, i whakaaro te kīngi kia meinga ia hei rangatira mō te kīngitanga katoa.

4 Kātahi ngā rangatira nunui rātou ko ngā ariki ka rapu take mō Raniera i roto i ngā mea o te kīngitanga. Heoi, kīhai i kitea tētahi take, tētahi hē; he mahi pono hoki tāna, kāhore ōna kino, ōna hē.

5 Kātahi ka mea aua tāngata, "E kore e kitea e tātou he take mō tēnei Raniera, ki te kāhore e kitea he mea mōna i roto i te ture a tōna Atua."

6 Kātahi ēnei rangatira nunui rātou ko ngā ariki ka huihui ki te kīngi; ko tā rātou kōrero tēnei ki a ia, "E Kīngi Tariuha, kia ora tonu koe! 7 Kua kōrerorero ngā rangatira nunui katoa o te kīngitanga, ngā kāwana, ngā ariki, ngā kaiwhakatakoto whakaaro, ngā rangatira, kia whakatakotoria he tikanga kīngi, kia whakapūmautia he ture kaha, arā ki te īnoia he mea e tētahi ki tētahi atua, tangata rānei, ā, kia toru tekau rā anō ngā rā, he mea ehara i te īnoi ki a koe, e te kīngi, me maka ia ki te ana o ngā raiona. 8 Nā, māu e whakapūmau te ture, e te kīngi, whaitohungia hoki te mea i tuhituhia, kei puta kē, kia rite ai ki te ture a ngā Meri, a ngā Pahi, e kore nei e puta kē."

9 Mō reira whaitohungia ana e Kīngi Tariuha te mea i tuhituhia me te ture.

Ko Raniera i roto i te Ana o ngā Raiona

10 Nā, ka mōhio a Raniera ka oti taua mea i tuhituhia te whaitohu, haere ana ia ki tōna whare; nā, ko ōna matapihi tuwhera tonu ai i roto i tōna rūma ki te ritenga atu o Hiruhārama. E toru ngā tukunga o ōna turi i te rā, īnoi ana ia, whakawhetai ana ki te aroaro o tōna Atua, pērā ana me tāna i mua.

11 Kātahi ka huihui aua tāngata, ka kite i a Raniera e karakia ana, e īnoi ana ki te aroaro o tōna Atua. 12 Kātahi rātou ka whakatata, ā, ka kōrero i te ture a te kīngi ki te aroaro o te kīngi; "Kīhai ianei i whaitohungia e koe he ture, nā, ko ngā tāngata katoa e īnoi ana ki tētahi atua, tangata rānei, i ēnei rangi e toru tekau, he mea ehara i te īnoi ki a koe, e te kīngi, ka makā ki te ana raiona?"

Ka whakahoki te kīngi, ka mea, "He pono taua mea nā, e rite ana ki te ture a ngā Meri, a ngā Pahi, e kore nei e puta kē."

13 Kātahi rātou ka whakahoki, ka mea ki te aroaro o te kīngi, "Ko te Raniera rā, ko tērā o ngā tama o ngā whakarau o Hūrā, kāhore ōna mahara ki a koe, e te kīngi, ki te ture anō i whaitohungia e koe, heoi e toru āna īnoinga i te rā."

14 Ā, nō te rongonga o te kīngi ki ēnei kupu, kātahi ka nui tōna kino, ā, ka anga tōna ngākau ki a Raniera kia whakaorangia ia. Whai ana ia ki te whakaora i a ia ā tō noa te rā. 15 Kātahi ka huihui ngā tāngata nei ki te kīngi, ā, ka mea ki te kīngi, "Kia mōhio koe, e te kīngi, ko te ture tēnei a ngā Meri, a ngā Pahi, kia kaua e whakaputaia kētia tētahi ture, tikanga rānei, kua oti te whakapūmau e te kīngi."

16 Kātahi te kīngi ka whakahau, ā, kawea ana mai a Raniera, makā ana ki te ana raiona. I kōrero anō te kīngi, i mea ki a Raniera, "Ko tōu Atua e mahi tonu nā koe ki a ia, māna koe e whakaora."

17 Nā, ka maua mai he kōhatu, ka whakatakotoria ki te kūwaha o te ana; hīritia iho e te kīngi ki tāna ake hīri, ki te hīri anō a āna ariki; kei puta kē tētahi tikanga mō Raniera. 18 Kātahi te kīngi ka haere ki tōna whare, ā pau noa taua pō kīhai i kai, kīhai anō ngā mea whakatangi i kawea mai ki tōna aroaro; ā, tūrere atu ana tōna moe i a ia.

Ka Whakaoratia a Raniera i ngā Raiona

19 Kātahi te kīngi ka maranga i te atatū tonu, ā, hohoro tonu te haere ki te ana raiona. 20 Ā, nō tōna tatanga atu ki te ana, ki a Raniera, ka karanga ia, he reo tangi te reo; i kōrero te kīngi, i mea ki a Raniera, "E Raniera, e te pononga a te Atua ora, he kaha rānei tōu Atua e mahi tonu nā koe ki a ia, ki te whakaora i a koe kei mate i ngā raiona?"

21 Nā, ka mea a Raniera ki te kīngi, "E te kīngi, kia ora tonu koe! 22 Kua tukua mai e tōku Atua tāna anahera, ā, tūtakina ana e ia ngā māngai o ngā raiona, ā, kīhai rātou i pā ki ahau. Nō te mea kua kitea tōku kore hara i tōna aroaro; kāhore anō āku mahi hē i tōu aroaro, e te kīngi."

23 Nā, nui atu te koa o te kīngi, ā, whakahaua ana e ia kia tangohia ake a Raniera i roto i te ana. Nā, kua tangohia ake a Raniera i roto i te ana, kīhai rawa anō i kitea tētahi ahatanga ki a ia, nō te mea i whakapono ia ki tōna Atua.

24 Nā, ka whakahau te kīngi, ā, ka maua aua tāngata i whakapae rā ki a Raniera, ka makā ki te ana raiona, rātou, ā rātou tamariki, ā rātou wāhine, riro pū rātou i ngā raiona, ā, wāwāhia ana e rātou ō rātou wheua katoa i te mea kīanō i tatū noa ki raro o te ana.

25 Kātahi a Kīngi Tariuha ka tuhituhi ki ngā tāngata katoa, ki ngā iwi, ki ngā reo, e noho ana i te whenua katoa:

"Kia whakanuia te rangimārie ki a koutou.

26 "Tēnei ahau te whakatakoto tikanga nei; nā, i ngā kāwanatanga katoa o tōku kīngitanga, kia wiri ngā tāngata, kia wehi ki te aroaro o te Atua o Raniera.

"Ko ia hoki te Atua ora,

pūmau tonu ā ake ake.

E kore tōna kīngitanga e ngaro,

tōna kāwanatanga hoki ā te mutunga rā anō.

27 Māna e whakaora, māna e mawhiti ai;

e mahia ana hoki e ia he tohu,

he mea whakamīharo i te rangi, i te whenua;

nāna hoki a Raniera i ora ai

i te kaha o ngā raiona."

28 Nā, ka kake tēnei Raniera i te kīngitanga o Tariuha, i te kīngitanga anō hoki o Hairuha Pahi.