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Over here!
Hail Nebo, Ishtar,
and Marduk—greatest god of all!
Yah!
Call the wise men.
Call the wise men!
I don’t know what that is.
It doesn’t appear to be an omen.
There’s nothing in the books, is there?
Are these all the wise men?
The best in the kingdom.
Please, I need to speak to the king!
The queen mother, my lord.
O king, may you live on forever.
There’s a man in your kingdom
who has the spirit of the holy gods.
He will tell you the interpretation.
Who is this man?
Daniel.
Daniel?
Who’s Daniel?
Are you Daniel?
I am, my lord.
I’ve heard concerning you
that you’re able to provide interpretations.
Now, if you are able to read the writing
and make its interpretation known to me,
you will be clothed with purple,
a gold necklace will be placed around your neck,
and you will rule as the third one in the kingdom.
You may keep your gifts.
Give your presents to others.
However, I will read the writing to the king.
The Most High God granted to Nebuchadnezzar
the kingdom and greatness
and honor and majesty.
But when his heart became haughty,
he was brought down from the throne of his kingdom
and his dignity was taken away.
But you, Belshazzar—
You have not humbled your heart,
although you knew all of this.
Instead,
you exalted yourself against the Lord of the heavens.
You had them bring you the vessels of His house.
And then you and your nobles,
your concubines and secondary wives
drank wine from them
and praised the gods of silver and gold
—gods who see nothing
and hear nothing
and know nothing.
But you’ve not glorified the God
in whose hand is your breath
and all your ways.
So the hand was sent from Him.
This is the interpretation of the words:
MENE:
God has numbered the days of your kingdom
and brought it to an end.
TEKEL:
You have been weighed in the balances
and found lacking.
PERES:
Your kingdom has been divided
and given to the Medes
and the Persians.
King Darius, this is Daniel
—a Jew taken captive by the Babylonians.
Did you interpret the handwriting from the gods?
No.
Not me, O king
—my God—
the God of Israel.
We could use a satrap
who understands the captives.
I confess, a satrap
is not as prominent a position
as Belshazzar granted you.
My lord, Daniel refused
every gift and honor Belshazzar offered him.
A man without a price.
We don’t need you as a satrap
—we need you over them.
Tura,
pronounce Daniel’s appointment
throughout the kingdom.
I want those stealing from the treasury to know
that they will now be held accountable.
Daniel,
you’ll make a fine high official.
Only with Jehovah’s help.
Why is the land tax so high?
Another revolt?
This is far more troubling.
I just collected the land tax from an administrator.
Did he pay?
Yes, but he refuses to give us “our fees.”
I’ve had the same problem.
They’re calling anything more than the tax extortion.
What’s changed?
Daniel.
Have you offered him anything
to make him more reasonable?
He won’t take a shekel of silver.
Daniel claims that what he receives
is more than enough.
Don’t be so naive!
He’s putting on a show of integrity for the king.
It won’t last.
Darius will tire of him soon enough.
There seems to be a discrepancy in the taxes
due the treasury, my lord.
You’re brave to say that here.
I know it’s hard to hear.
We will review the evidence.
Daniel, your time here has given you much wisdom.
How long have you been here?
Over 70 years.
Share more with me.
Tell me about the dreams
you interpreted for Nebuchadnezzar.
Interpretations belong to my God,
Jehovah.
He revealed the dreams to me.
Have I really been in Babylon over 70 years?
Jeremiah’s prophecy!
“When 70 years have been fulfilled,
“I will call to account the king of Babylon
and that nation for their error.”
What does this mean for God’s people?
“When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled,
“I will turn my attention to you,
“and I will make good my promise
by bringing you back to this place.”
Judah!
I must approach Jehovah
to confess the sin of my people.
O Jehovah,
do hear,
do forgive.
O Jehovah, do pay attention and act.
Do not delay, for your own sake,
O my God.
O Daniel,
now I have come to give you insight
and understanding.
When you began your entreaty,
the word went out,
and I have come to report it to you.
There are 70 weeks that have been determined
for your people and your holy city
in order to terminate the transgression,
to finish off sin.
Daniel, Azarel and Hannah are here.
Hello, Daniel.
It’s so good to see you!
Epher, come sit with me.
I have good news!
What’s the good news?
Jehovah has long told us
that we will return to Judah.
I looked again at Jeremiah’s prophecy:
“This is what Jehovah says,
“‘When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled, . . .
“‘I will make good my promise
by bringing you back to this place.’”
“Seventy years.”
That means God’s people will return soon.
How can you be sure?
Jehovah sent an angel to tell me.
An angel?
He said that the city
and its temple will be rebuilt,
and the Messiah will finally come!
You will get to see the temple rebuilt.
But won’t it be dangerous?
Jehovah is eager
to fulfill the needs of his people.
He told Isaiah
that we ‘won’t bear children for distress,
‘for they’re the offspring
made up of those blessed by Jehovah.’
And if Jehovah says it,
it’s as good as done!
But isn’t the land desolate?
That’s why we’ll need skilled builders
for the restoration work.
Does this mean you’ll return to Judah?
I sure hope so.
Have a team of workers maintain the roads.
Otherwise, conditions will only worsen
during the rainy season.
Tura, see that it’s done.
How is it that you know so much?
I can’t take credit, my lord.
I just . . .
We have many great men
who provide the information we need, O king.
Daniel,
about that satrap in Susa.
Should he be replaced?
My men have thoroughly investigated,
and the satrap has been diverting palace money
to his own pocket.
That’s—that’s impossible!
Isn’t he your nephew, Otanes?
Indeed, and I can vouch for his integrity!
There must be some mistake.
How can Daniel know his character as I do?
I will speak with him and resolve the matter.
We Medes and Persians
are not as intolerant as these Jews.
I’m sure we can fix this.
Very well. Settle it quickly.
That will be all.
My lord, I’m so sorry.
You have guests.
All you Jews do is pray.
I could not serve the king
the way I do without God’s help.
Serve the king
by intimidating satraps?
I’ve only done what I should.
An outsider has no place telling us
how to conduct business.
I act in the king’s interests.
We’ve heard how you acted
in Nebuchadnezzar’s interests.
You made him go insane.
That was a message from Jehovah.
Call it what you will,
but do not interfere with us.
If it seemed easy
to remove a satrap,
think of how much easier it will be
to get rid of an old Jew.
It’s an honor to be with you.
Do you know why I summoned you?
No, my lord.
That satrap whose dismissal Daniel recommended
—what’s become of him?
Yes, we thoroughly investigated the matter.
Was there negligence?
None.
Any omission of duty?
Not at all.
All taxes due the treasury have come to the treasury?
Every shekel of gold and quart (1.08 L) of beer
are accounted for.
Daniel reached a different conclusion.
Ah, Daniel—
He served the Babylonian kings well, but . . .
he’s so old!
What Otanes means is,
at Daniel’s age, how reliable is his judgment?
His ideas are outdated.
Besides, he is a Jew.
Katu, we are tolerant of all peoples.
Yes, of course. That’s my point.
Daniel, we were just talking about you.
You were right.
There’s been a revolt in Susa.
They demand a new satrap
—one who doesn’t steal from them.
But my lord, surely . . .
Enough!
I sent my own inspectors—men I trust!
Daniel, you’ve distinguished yourself over these men.
Imagine what I could do if you were my prime minister.
Perhaps we could approach the king.
That’s no use.
Daniel’s manipulating him.
We need an accusation against Daniel
—something that Darius can’t ignore.
But no one has accused him of anything.
Not yet.
Assemble a team to comb through our laws.
Surely he’s violated something.
You!
Interview merchants, inspectors, officials
—whoever will make an accusation against him.
Assure the accuser
he will be generously rewarded.
We have the Babylonian records.
Search for any scandal that might implicate him.
There is nothing in the records.
Anything?
Not a shekel of silver is missing.
In fact, when Daniel gets involved,
corruption and loss go down.
Keep searching.
No one will speak against him.
They all love him,
and he has the king’s trust.
Usually, the foreign merchants are ignored
when they experience theft.
However, Daniel stands up for them
and investigates.
He has thieves return whatever was stolen.
Even his friends are spotless.
Nebuchadnezzar once forbade anyone
to speak against their God.
Supposedly,
this “Jehovah” saved them from the furnace
when they refused to worship a Babylonian god.
Jews won’t worship other gods?
So it would seem.
I think you’ve solved our problem.
Katu, Otanes, what favor do you seek?
O King Darius, may you live on forever.
This Babylon of which you are king
is mighty but diverse.
There are Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, and others.
Yes, Otanes, I know these things.
You are the rightful king
but also a foreigner and a newcomer.
The people must adapt,
or the kingdom could become unstable.
What do you suggest?
All royal officials,
prefects, satraps,
high royal officers, and governors
have consulted together to establish a royal decree
and to enforce a ban
that for 30 days, whoever makes a petition
to any god or man
except to you, O king,
should be thrown into the lions’ pit.
The people are not above rebellion.
Look what happened in Susa.
Now, O king,
may you establish the decree and sign it
so that it cannot be changed,
according to the law of the Medes and the Persians,
which cannot be annulled.
At this time,
our empire experiences peace and prosperity
unlike ever seen before.
The recent acts of defiance in Susa,
along with similar acts by small groups of radicals,
seek to undermine
our way of life
—a way of life we will sacrifice for nothing.
In honor of the glorious freedom
so kindly granted by the empire
and as a reminder of its sovereignty,
I, Darius the Mede,
make this decree:
For 30 days, anyone
who makes a petition to any god or man,
except to the king,
should be thrown into the lions’ pit.
You’re not going home to pray, are you?
Azarel,
you know me,
and so do my enemies.
I pray at my window three times a day,
every day.
If I even appear to compromise,
what would they think?
That you stopped praying altogether.
Or even worse,
that I’d trade my worship for my life.
I know Jehovah.
And if I trust him,
he’ll reward me.
I don’t know how,
but he will.
Pray that I keep my faith
—that we all keep our faith—
no matter how this ends.
I have something for you.
Dinner’s ready.
“Jehovah is my light
“and my salvation.
Whom should I fear?”
“Hear me, O Jehovah,
“when I cry out.
“Show me favor
“and answer me.
“Your face, O Jehovah, I will seek to find.
“[For] you are my helper;
“do not forsake me
“or leave me,
my God of salvation.”
O king, may you live on forever.
Did you not sign a ban
stating that for 30 days any man
who makes a petition to any god or man
—except to you, O king—
should be thrown into the lions’ pit?
Yes, the matter is well-established
according to the law of the Medes and the Persians.
What’s your business?
Daniel, who is of the exiles of Judah,
has paid no regard to you, O king,
nor to the ban that you signed.
But three times a day,
he is praying.
Daniel?
It can’t be true.
Are you sure?
He doesn’t even try to deny it.
Were there witnesses?
All five of us, my lord.
We can attest to it.
But he is old.
Does he know what he’s doing?
As a high official,
surely he understands what it means
to obey the king.
Let me be.
Should we arrest Daniel?
Leave the matter to me!
Daniel should indeed be made an example of.
I’ll remove him from his post
and expel him from the city tomorrow morning.
My lord . . .
All will learn that our laws must be obeyed.
But the law actually states that the accused
would be “thrown into the lions’ pit,” my lord.
I see what you’re doing!
Have you no shame?
The law of the Medes and the Persians
is that any ban or decree that the king establishes
cannot be changed.
We only wish the king to receive the honor
he deserves.
Take him to the pit.
Your God, whom you are continually serving,
will rescue you.
Remove the stone!
Daniel,
Daniel.
O king, may you live on forever.
He lives!
Bring him up!
My God sent his angel
and shut the mouths of the lions,
and they have not harmed me,
for I was found innocent before him;
nor have I done any wrong to you, O king.
Armenia is mine.
Daniel let them off too easily.
We need their exceptional horses for our cavalry
and a few for myself.
Fine, you take Armenia.
I have my eye on Bactria and its precious stones.
Must you divide up Daniel’s kingdom now?
Check the back room!
What is the meaning of this?
You are being arrested
for crimes against Darius the king!
The king ordered Daniel’s arrest, not ours.
Daniel was arrested
and lifted from the pit this morning
—unharmed.
It can’t be!
The lions must have already been fed.
Perhaps they were ill.
The lions were ill?
Not hungry?
Throw them and their families into the pit,
where they can test their theories.
No! Darius!
Don’t do this! I served you!
No! Don’t do this!
I served you!
No! Please!
No!
I am issuing an order
that in every domain of my kingdom,
people are to tremble in fear
before the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God, and he endures forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed.
“He rescues,
“saves, and performs signs and wonders
“in the heavens and on the earth,
for he rescued Daniel from the paw of the lions.”
Darius wrote that?
He’s sending it to all of his subjects.
We were so worried.
Were you scared?
I was very scared,
but Jehovah helps us when we’re scared.
They’re scared of going to Jerusalem.
Epher!
We’re still thinking about it.
How about you? Are you going back?
The king says we’re all allowed to go.
I’d love to go home,
but
I think it’s too late for me.
Then I don’t want to go either.
Oh no, no, no, no.
Don’t cry.
If you go,
you’ll see a better city than the one I left.
You’ll see prophecies fulfilled,
a city full of people worshipping Jehovah,
and a new temple
—the most beautiful building on earth.
Did you see our old neighbor at all?
No, I didn’t him at all today.
I saw our neighbor Eli the other day.
Stay close to Jehovah.
You will be blessed.
“One thing
“I have asked from Jehovah . . .
“that I might dwell
“in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life,
“to gaze
“upon the pleasantness of Jehovah
“and to look
“with appreciation
on his temple.”
Daniel, you need to rest.
O Daniel, you very precious man.
I have been sent to you.
Do not be afraid, Daniel.
Your words have been heard from the first day
you gave your heart to understanding
and humbling yourself before your God.
I have come to make you understand
what will befall your people
in the final part of the days.
I have no strength.
There’s no breath left in me.
Do not be afraid, O very precious man.
May you have peace.
Be strong.
Be strong!
Let my lord speak,
for you have strengthened me.
I will tell you the things recorded
in the writings of truth:
“Look!
“Three more kings will stand up for Persia,
“and the fourth one will amass greater riches
than all others.”
O my lord,
what will be the outcome of these things?
Happy is the one who keeps in expectation.
Go on to the end.
You will rest,
but you will stand up for your lot
at the end of the days.
If we eat those foods, we’ll disobey our God.
You fear your God?
I do.
Interpretations belong to my God, Jehovah.
I know that he will reveal it to me.
Jehovah
is eager to fulfill the needs of his people.
I know Jehovah.
And if I trust him,
he’ll reward me.
I don’t know how,
but he will.

Daniel: A Lifetime of Faith—Part II
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Daniel: A Lifetime of Faith—Part II

Over here!
Hail Nebo, Ishtar,
and Marduk—greatest god of all!
Yah!
Call the wise men.
Call the wise men!
I don’t know what that is.
It doesn’t appear to be an omen.
There’s nothing in the books, is there?
Are these all the wise men?
The best in the kingdom.
Please, I need to speak to the king!
The queen mother, my lord.
O king, may you live on forever.
There’s a man in your kingdom
who has the spirit of the holy gods.
He will tell you the interpretation.
Who is this man?
Daniel.
Daniel?
Who’s Daniel?
Are you Daniel?
I am, my lord.
I’ve heard concerning you
that you’re able to provide interpretations.
Now, if you are able to read the writing
and make its interpretation known to me,
you will be clothed with purple,
a gold necklace will be placed around your neck,
and you will rule as the third one in the kingdom.
You may keep your gifts.
Give your presents to others.
However, I will read the writing to the king.
The Most High God granted to Nebuchadnezzar
the kingdom and greatness
and honor and majesty.
But when his heart became haughty,
 he was brought down from the throne of his kingdom
and his dignity was taken away.
But you, Belshazzar—
You have not humbled your heart,
although you knew all of this.
Instead,
you exalted yourself against the Lord of the heavens.
You had them bring you the vessels of His house.
And then you and your nobles,
your concubines and secondary wives
drank wine from them
and praised the gods of silver and gold
—gods who see nothing
and hear nothing
and know nothing.
But you’ve not glorified the God
in whose hand is your breath
and all your ways.
So the hand was sent from Him.
This is the interpretation of the words:
MENE:
God has numbered the days of your kingdom
and brought it to an end.
TEKEL:
You have been weighed in the balances
and found lacking.
PERES:
Your kingdom has been divided
and given to the Medes
and the Persians.
King Darius, this is Daniel
—a Jew taken captive by the Babylonians.
Did you interpret the handwriting from the gods?
No.
Not me, O king
—my God—
the God of Israel.
We could use a satrap
who understands the captives.
I confess, a satrap
is not as prominent a position
as Belshazzar granted you.
My lord, Daniel refused
every gift and honor Belshazzar offered him.
A man without a price.
We don’t need you as a satrap
—we need you over them.
Tura,
pronounce Daniel’s appointment
throughout the kingdom.
I want those stealing from the treasury to know
that they will now be held accountable.
Daniel,
you’ll make a fine high official.
Only with Jehovah’s help.
Why is the land tax so high?
Another revolt?
This is far more troubling.
I just collected the land tax from an administrator.
Did he pay?
Yes, but he refuses to give us “our fees.”
I’ve had the same problem.
They’re calling anything more than the tax extortion.
What’s changed?
Daniel.
Have you offered him anything
to make him more reasonable?
He won’t take a shekel of silver.
Daniel claims that what he receives
is more than enough.
Don’t be so naive!
He’s putting on a show of integrity for the king.
It won’t last.
Darius will tire of him soon enough.
There seems to be a discrepancy in the taxes
due the treasury, my lord.
You’re brave to say that here.
I know it’s hard to hear.
We will review the evidence.
Daniel, your time here has given you much wisdom.
How long have you been here?
Over 70 years.
Share more with me.
Tell me about the dreams
you interpreted for Nebuchadnezzar.
Interpretations belong to my God,
Jehovah.
He revealed the dreams to me.
Have I really been in Babylon over 70 years?
Jeremiah’s prophecy!
“When 70 years have been fulfilled,
“I will call to account the king of Babylon
and that nation for their error.”
What does this mean for God’s people?
“When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled,
“I will turn my attention to you,
“and I will make good my promise
by bringing you back to this place.”
Judah!
I must approach Jehovah
to confess the sin of my people.
O Jehovah,
do hear,
do forgive.
O Jehovah, do pay attention and act.
Do not delay, for your own sake,
O my God.
O Daniel,
now I have come to give you insight
and understanding.
When you began your entreaty,
the word went out,
and I have come to report it to you.
There are 70 weeks that have been determined
for your people and your holy city
in order to terminate the transgression,
to finish off sin.
Daniel, Azarel and Hannah are here.
Hello, Daniel.
It’s so good to see you!
Epher, come sit with me.
I have good news!
What’s the good news?
Jehovah has long told us
that we will return to Judah.
I looked again at Jeremiah’s prophecy:
“This is what Jehovah says,
“‘When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled, . . .
“‘I will make good my promise
by bringing you back to this place.’”
“Seventy years.”
That means God’s people will return soon.
How can you be sure?
Jehovah sent an angel to tell me.
An angel?
He said that the city
and its temple will be rebuilt,
and the Messiah will finally come!
You will get to see the temple rebuilt.
But won’t it be dangerous?
Jehovah is eager
to fulfill the needs of his people.
He told Isaiah
that we ‘won’t bear children for distress,
‘for they’re the offspring
made up of those blessed by Jehovah.’
And if Jehovah says it,
it’s as good as done!
But isn’t the land desolate?
That’s why we’ll need skilled builders
for the restoration work.
Does this mean you’ll return to Judah?
I sure hope so.
Have a team of workers maintain the roads.
Otherwise, conditions will only worsen
during the rainy season.
Tura, see that it’s done.
How is it that you know so much?
I can’t take credit, my lord.
I just . . .
We have many great men
who provide the information we need, O king.
Daniel,
about that satrap in Susa.
Should he be replaced?
My men have thoroughly investigated,
and the satrap has been diverting palace money
to his own pocket.
That’s—that’s impossible!
Isn’t he your nephew, Otanes?
Indeed, and I can vouch for his integrity!
There must be some mistake.
How can Daniel know his character as I do?
I will speak with him and resolve the matter.
We Medes and Persians
are not as intolerant as these Jews.
I’m sure we can fix this.
Very well. Settle it quickly.
That will be all.
My lord, I’m so sorry.
You have guests.
All you Jews do is pray.
I could not serve the king
the way I do without God’s help.
Serve the king
by intimidating satraps?
I’ve only done what I should.
An outsider has no place telling us
how to conduct business.
I act in the king’s interests.
We’ve heard how you acted
in Nebuchadnezzar’s interests.
You made him go insane.
That was a message from Jehovah.
Call it what you will,
but do not interfere with us.
If it seemed easy
to remove a satrap,
think of how much easier it will be
to get rid of an old Jew.
It’s an honor to be with you.
Do you know why I summoned you?
No, my lord.
That satrap whose dismissal Daniel recommended
—what’s become of him?
Yes, we thoroughly investigated the matter.
Was there negligence?
None.
Any omission of duty?
Not at all.
All taxes due the treasury have come to the treasury?
Every shekel of gold and quart (1.08 L) of beer
are accounted for.
Daniel reached a different conclusion.
Ah, Daniel—
He served the Babylonian kings well, but . . .
he’s so old!
What Otanes means is,
at Daniel’s age, how reliable is his judgment?
His ideas are outdated.
Besides, he is a Jew.
Katu, we are tolerant of all peoples.
Yes, of course. That’s my point.
Daniel, we were just talking about you.
You were right.
There’s been a revolt in Susa.
They demand a new satrap
—one who doesn’t steal from them.
But my lord, surely . . .
Enough!
I sent my own inspectors—men I trust!
Daniel, you’ve distinguished yourself over these men.
Imagine what I could do if you were my prime minister.
Perhaps we could approach the king.
That’s no use.
Daniel’s manipulating him.
We need an accusation against Daniel
—something that Darius can’t ignore.
But no one has accused him of anything.
Not yet.
Assemble a team to comb through our laws.
Surely he’s violated something.
You!
Interview merchants, inspectors, officials
—whoever will make an accusation against him.
Assure the accuser
he will be generously rewarded.
We have the Babylonian records.
Search for any scandal that might implicate him.
There is nothing in the records.
Anything?
Not a shekel of silver is missing.
In fact, when Daniel gets involved,
corruption and loss go down.
Keep searching.
No one will speak against him.
They all love him,
and he has the king’s trust.
Usually, the foreign merchants are ignored
when they experience theft.
However, Daniel stands up for them
and investigates.
He has thieves return whatever was stolen.
Even his friends are spotless.
Nebuchadnezzar once forbade anyone
to speak against their God.
Supposedly,
this “Jehovah” saved them from the furnace
when they refused to worship a Babylonian god.
Jews won’t worship other gods?
So it would seem.
I think you’ve solved our problem.
Katu, Otanes, what favor do you seek?
O King Darius, may you live on forever.
This Babylon of which you are king
is mighty but diverse.
There are Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, and others.
Yes, Otanes, I know these things.
You are the rightful king
but also a foreigner and a newcomer.
The people must adapt,
or the kingdom could become unstable.
What do you suggest?
All royal officials,
prefects, satraps,
high royal officers, and governors
have consulted together to establish a royal decree
and to enforce a ban
that for 30 days, whoever makes a petition
to any god or man
except to you, O king,
should be thrown into the lions’ pit.
The people are not above rebellion.
Look what happened in Susa.
Now, O king,
may you establish the decree and sign it
so that it cannot be changed,
according to the law of the Medes and the Persians,
which cannot be annulled.
At this time,
our empire experiences peace and prosperity
unlike ever seen before.
The recent acts of defiance in Susa,
along with similar acts by small groups of radicals,
seek to undermine
our way of life
—a way of life we will sacrifice for nothing.
In honor of the glorious freedom
so kindly granted by the empire
and as a reminder of its sovereignty,
I, Darius the Mede,
make this decree:
For 30 days, anyone
who makes a petition to any god or man,
except to the king,
should be thrown into the lions’ pit.
You’re not going home to pray, are you?
Azarel,
you know me,
and so do my enemies.
I pray at my window three times a day,
every day.
If I even appear to compromise,
what would they think?
That you stopped praying altogether.
Or even worse,
that I’d trade my worship for my life.
I know Jehovah.
And if I trust him,
he’ll reward me.
I don’t know how,
but he will.
Pray that I keep my faith
—that we all keep our faith—
no matter how this ends.
I have something for you.
Dinner’s ready.
“Jehovah is my light
“and my salvation.
Whom should I fear?”
“Hear me, O Jehovah,
“when I cry out.
“Show me favor
“and answer me.
“Your face, O Jehovah, I will seek to find.
“[For] you are my helper;
“do not forsake me 
“or leave me,
my God of salvation.”
O king, may you live on forever.
Did you not sign a ban
stating that for 30 days any man
who makes a petition to any god or man
—except to you, O king—
should be thrown into the lions’ pit?
Yes, the matter is well-established
according to the law of the Medes and the Persians.
What’s your business?
Daniel, who is of the exiles of Judah,
has paid no regard to you, O king,
nor to the ban that you signed.
But three times a day,
he is praying.
Daniel?
It can’t be true.
Are you sure?
He doesn’t even try to deny it.
Were there witnesses?
All five of us, my lord.
We can attest to it.
But he is old.
Does he know what he’s doing?
As a high official,
surely he understands what it means
to obey the king.
Let me be.
Should we arrest Daniel?
Leave the matter to me!
Daniel should indeed be made an example of.
I’ll remove him from his post
and expel him from the city tomorrow morning.
My lord . . . 
All will learn that our laws must be obeyed.
But the law actually states that the accused
would be “thrown into the lions’ pit,” my lord.
I see what you’re doing!
Have you no shame?
The law of the Medes and the Persians
is that any ban or decree that the king establishes
cannot be changed.
We only wish the king to receive the honor
he deserves.
Take him to the pit.
Your God, whom you are continually serving,
will rescue you.
Remove the stone!
Daniel,
Daniel.
O king, may you live on forever.
He lives!
Bring him up!
My God sent his angel
and shut the mouths of the lions,
and they have not harmed me,
for I was found innocent before him;
nor have I done any wrong to you, O king.
Armenia is mine.
Daniel let them off too easily.
We need their exceptional horses for our cavalry
and a few for myself.
Fine, you take Armenia.
I have my eye on Bactria and its precious stones.
Must you divide up Daniel’s kingdom now?
 Check the back room!
What is the meaning of this?
You are being arrested
for crimes against Darius the king!
The king ordered Daniel’s arrest, not ours.
Daniel was arrested
and lifted from the pit this morning
—unharmed.
It can’t be!
The lions must have already been fed.
Perhaps they were ill.
The lions were ill?
Not hungry?
Throw them and their families into the pit,
where they can test their theories.
No! Darius!
Don’t do this! I served you!
No! Don’t do this!
I served you!
No! Please!
No!
I am issuing an order
that in every domain of my kingdom,
people are to tremble in fear
before the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God, and he endures forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed.
“He rescues,
“saves, and performs signs and wonders
“in the heavens and on the earth,
for he rescued Daniel from the paw of the lions.”
Darius wrote that?
He’s sending it to all of his subjects.
We were so worried.
Were you scared?
I was very scared,
but Jehovah helps us when we’re scared.
They’re scared of going to Jerusalem.
Epher!
We’re still thinking about it.
How about you? Are you going back?
The king says we’re all allowed to go.
I’d love to go home,
but
I think it’s too late for me.
Then I don’t want to go either.
Oh no, no, no, no.
Don’t cry.
If you go,
you’ll see a better city than the one I left.
You’ll see prophecies fulfilled,
a city full of people worshipping Jehovah,
and a new temple
—the most beautiful building on earth.
Did you see our old neighbor at all?
No, I didn’t him at all today.
I saw our neighbor Eli the other day.
Stay close to Jehovah.
You will be blessed.
“One thing
“I have asked from Jehovah . . .
“that I might dwell
“in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life,
“to gaze
“upon the pleasantness of Jehovah
“and to look
“with appreciation
on his temple.”
Daniel, you need to rest.
O Daniel, you very precious man.
I have been sent to you.
Do not be afraid, Daniel.
Your words have been heard from the first day
you gave your heart to understanding
and humbling yourself before your God.
I have come to make you understand
what will befall your people
in the final part of the days.
I have no strength.
There’s no breath left in me.
Do not be afraid, O very precious man.
May you have peace.
Be strong.
Be strong!
Let my lord speak,
for you have strengthened me.
I will tell you the things recorded
in the writings of truth:
“Look!
“Three more kings will stand up for Persia,
“and the fourth one will amass greater riches
than all others.”
O my lord,
what will be the outcome of these things?
Happy is the one who keeps in expectation.
Go on to the end.
You will rest,
but you will stand up for your lot
at the end of the days.
If we eat those foods, we’ll disobey our God.
You fear your God?
I do.
Interpretations belong to my God, Jehovah.
I know that he will reveal it to me.
Jehovah
is eager to fulfill the needs of his people.
I know Jehovah.
And if I trust him,
he’ll reward me.
I don’t know how,
but he will.


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