Danieli Katika Tundu La Simba
16:1 Dan 5:31; Es 1:1Ilimpendeza Dario kuteua wakuu 120 kutawala katika ufalme wake wote, 26:2 Dan 2:48-49; Mit 3:35; Dan 5:12-14; 1:20pamoja na wasimamizi watatu juu yao, ambao mmoja wao alikuwa Danieli. Wakuu walitoa hesabu kwa hao wasimamizi ili mfalme asipate hasara. 36:3 Es 10:3; Mwa 41:41; Mit 3:35; Dan 5:12-14; 1:20Basi Danieli alijidhihirisha, miongoni mwa wasimamizi na wakuu kwa sifa zake za kipekee hata mfalme akapanga kumweka juu ya ufalme wote. 46:4 Yer 20:10Walipofahamu hilo, wakuu na wasimamizi wakajaribu kutafuta sababu za kumshtaki Danieli kuhusu usimamizi wake wa shughuli za serikali, lakini hawakuweza kufanikiwa. Hawakuweza kupata kosa kwake, kwa sababu alikuwa mwaminifu, wala hakupatikana na upotovu au uzembe. 56:5 Mdo 24:13-16Mwishoni watu hawa walisema, “Kamwe hatutapata msingi wa mashtaka dhidi ya huyu Danieli isipokuwa iwe inahusiana na sheria ya Mungu wake.”
66:6 Neh 2:3; Dan 2:4Basi wasimamizi na wakuu wakaingia kwa mfalme kama kikundi wakasema, “Ee Mfalme Dario, uishi milele! 76:7 Dan 3:2; Za 59:3; 64:2-6; Dan 3:6Wasimamizi wa ufalme, wasaidizi, wakuu, washauri na watawala wote wamekubaliana kwamba mfalme atoe sheria na kukazia amri kuwa yeyote atakayetoa dua kwa mungu au mwanadamu yeyote katika muda huu wa siku thelathini zijazo, isipokuwa kwako wewe, ee mfalme, atupwe ndani ya tundu la simba. 86:8 Es 1:19Sasa, ee mfalme, toa amri na uiandike ili isiweze kubadilishwa: kulingana na sheria za Wamedi na Waajemi, ambazo haziwezi kubatilishwa.” 96:9 Dan 9:23; Eze 2:1; Dan 9:23Hivyo Mfalme Dario akaiweka amri hiyo katika maandishi.
106:10 1Fal 8:29; Mdo 5:29; Za 95:6; Mt 6:6Basi Danieli alipofahamu kuwa amri ile imetangazwa, alikwenda nyumbani kwenye chumba chake cha ghorofani ambako madirisha yalifunguka kuelekea Yerusalemu. Akapiga magoti na kuomba mara tatu kwa siku, akimshukuru Mungu wake kama alivyokuwa akifanya mwanzoni. 116:11 1Fal 8:48-50; Za 55:17; 1The 5:17-18Ndipo watu hawa wakaenda kama kikundi na kumkuta Danieli akiomba na kumsihi Mungu kwa ajili ya msaada. 126:12 Es 1:19; Dan 3:8-12Basi wakaenda kwa mfalme na kusema naye kuhusu amri ya mfalme: “Je, hukutangaza amri kwamba kwa muda huu wa siku thelathini zijazo mtu yeyote ambaye atamwomba mungu au mwanadamu yeyote isipokuwa wewe, ee mfalme, angetupwa ndani ya tundu la simba?”
Mfalme akajibu, “Amri ndivyo ilivyo, kulingana na sheria za Wamedi na Waajemi, ambazo haziwezi kubatilishwa.”
136:13 Eze 14:14; Dan 2:25; Es 3:8; Dan 3:12Ndipo wakamwambia mfalme, “Danieli, ambaye ni mmoja wa mahamisho kutoka Yuda, hakuheshimu, ee mfalme, wala hajali amri uliyoiweka kwa maandishi. Bado anaomba mara tatu kwa siku.” 146:14 Dan 3:13; Mk 6:26Wakati mfalme aliposikia hili, akahuzunika mno. Akakusudia kumwokoa Danieli, hivyo akafanya kila jitihada ya kumwokoa hadi jua likatua.
156:15 Es 8:8Ndipo wale watu wakamwendea mfalme kama kikundi na kumwambia, “Ee mfalme, kumbuka kwamba kulingana na sheria ya Wamedi na Waajemi, hakuna amri wala sheria ambayo mfalme ameitoa inayoweza kubadilishwa.”
166:16 Ay 5:19; 2Kor 1:10; Za 97:10; 37:39-40Basi mfalme akatoa amri, nao wakamleta Danieli, na wakamtupa ndani ya tundu la simba. Mfalme akamwambia Danieli, “Mungu wako unayemtumikia daima na akuokoe!”
176:17 Mt 27:66; Mao 3:536:17 Dan 4:3; 3:29Jiwe likaletwa na kuwekwa kwenye mdomo wa tundu, naye mfalme akalitia muhuri kwa pete yake mwenyewe pamoja na kwa pete za wakuu wake, ili hali ya Danieli isiweze kubadilishwa. 186:18 2Sam 12:17; Dan 3:10; Es 6:1; Dan 2:1Kisha mfalme akarudi kwenye jumba lake la kifalme, naye usiku kucha hakula chakula wala kutumia viburudisho alivyoletewa. Lakini hakuweza kulala.
19Asubuhi na mapema, mfalme akaondoka na kuharakisha kwenda kwenye tundu la simba. 206:20 Dan 3:17; Yer 32:17; Mwa 18:14Wakati alipokaribia lile tundu, akamwita Danieli kwa sauti ya uchungu, “Danieli, mtumishi wa Mungu aliye hai! Je, Mungu wako unayemtumikia daima, ameweza kukuokoa kwa simba?”
216:21 Neh 2:3; Dan 2:4; 3:9Danieli akajibu, “Ee mfalme, uishi milele! 226:22 Dan 3:23-28; Mwa 32:1; Za 91:11-13; Ebr 11:33; Mdo 12:11; 2Tim 4:17Mungu wangu alimtuma malaika wake, naye akafunga vinywa vya hawa simba. Hawajanidhuru, kwa sababu nilionekana sina hatia mbele zake. Wala kamwe sijafanya jambo lolote baya mbele yako, ee mfalme.”
236:23 Dan 3:27; Mk 16:18; Isa 12:2; 1Nya 5:20Mfalme akafurahi mno, naye akatoa amri Danieli atolewe kutoka kwa lile tundu. Danieli alipotolewa kutoka kwa lile tundu, hakukutwa na jeraha lolote, kwa sababu alikuwa amemtumaini Mungu wake.
246:24 Kum 19:18-19; Es 7:9-10; 2Fal 14:6; Isa 38:13; Kum 24:16; 2Fal 14:6Kwa amri ya mfalme, wale watu waliokuwa wamemshtaki Danieli kwa uongo waliletwa na kutupwa ndani ya lile tundu la simba, pamoja na wake zao na watoto wao. Nao kabla hawajafika chini kwenye sakafu ya lile tundu, simba wakawakamata na kusaga mifupa yao yote.
256:25 Dan 3:4; 4:1Kisha Mfalme Dario akawaandikia kabila zote za watu, mataifa, na watu wa kila lugha katika nchi yote:
“Ninyi na mstawi sana!
266:26 Dan 4:34; Es 8:17; Dan 2:44; Za 99:1-3; Yos 2:11; 3:10; Dan 12:7; Za 5:7; Dan 3:26; Yer 10:10; Ufu 1:18“Natoa amri hii, kwamba katika kila sehemu ya ufalme wangu, lazima watu wamwogope na kumheshimu Mungu wa Danieli.
“Kwa maana yeye ni Mungu aliye hai,
naye hudumu milele,
ufalme wake hautaangamizwa,
nao utawala wake hauna mwisho.
27Huponya na kuokoa;
hufanya ishara na maajabu
mbinguni na duniani.
Amemwokoa Danieli
kutoka nguvu za simba.”
286:28 2Nya 36:22; Dan 1:21; 5:1, 28Hivyo Danieli akastawi wakati wa utawala wa Dario, na utawala wa Koreshi Mwajemi.
Daniel Is Thrown Into a Den of Lions
1It pleased Darius to appoint 120 royal rulers over his entire kingdom. 2He placed three leaders over them. One of the leaders was Daniel. The royal rulers were made accountable to the three leaders. Then the king wouldn’t lose any of his wealth. 3Daniel did a better job than the other two leaders or any of the royal rulers. He was an unusually good and able man. So the king planned to put him in charge of the whole kingdom. 4But the other two leaders and the royal rulers heard about it. So they looked for a reason to bring charges against Daniel. They tried to find something wrong with the way he ran the government. But they weren’t able to. They couldn’t find any fault with his work. He could always be trusted. He never did anything wrong. And he always did what he was supposed to. 5Finally these men said, “We want to bring charges against this man Daniel. But it’s almost impossible for us to come up with a reason to do it. If we find a reason, it will have to be in connection with the law of his God.”
6So the two leaders and the royal rulers went as a group to the king. They said, “King Darius, may you live forever! 7All the royal leaders, high officials, royal rulers, advisers and governors want to make a suggestion. We’ve agreed that you should give an order. And you should make sure it’s obeyed. Your Majesty, here is the command you should make your people obey for the next 30 days. Don’t let any of your people pray to any god or human being except to you. If they do, throw them into the lions’ den. 8Now give the order. Write it down in the law of the Medes and Persians. Then it can’t be changed.” 9So King Darius put the order in writing.
10Daniel found out that the king had signed the order. In spite of that, he did just as he had always done before. He went home to his upstairs room. Its windows opened toward Jerusalem. He went to his room three times a day to pray. He got down on his knees and gave thanks to his God. 11Some of the other royal officials went to where Daniel was staying. They saw him praying and asking God for help. 12So they went to the king. They spoke to him about his royal order. They said, “Your Majesty, didn’t you sign an official order? It said that for the next 30 days your people could pray only to you. They could not pray to anyone else, whether god or human being. If they did, they would be thrown into the lions’ den.”
The king answered, “The order must still be obeyed. It’s what the law of the Medes and Persians requires. So it can’t be changed.”
13Then they spoke to the king again. They said, “Daniel is one of the prisoners from Judah. He doesn’t pay any attention to you, Your Majesty. He doesn’t obey the order you put in writing. He still prays to his God three times a day.” 14When the king heard this, he was very upset. He didn’t want Daniel to be harmed in any way. Until sunset, he did everything he could to save him.
15Then the men went as a group to King Darius. They said to him, “Your Majesty, remember that no order or command you give can be changed. That’s what the law of the Medes and Persians requires.”
16So the king gave the order. Daniel was brought out and thrown into the lions’ den. The king said to him, “You always serve your God faithfully. So may he save you!”
17A stone was brought and placed over the opening of the den. The king sealed it with his own special ring. He also sealed it with the rings of his nobles. Then nothing could be done to help Daniel. 18The king returned to his palace. He didn’t eat anything that night. He didn’t ask for anything to be brought to him for his enjoyment. And he couldn’t sleep.
19As soon as the sun began to rise, the king got up. He hurried to the lions’ den. 20When he got near it, he called out to Daniel. His voice was filled with great concern. He said, “Daniel! You serve the living God. You always serve him faithfully. So has he been able to save you from the lions?”
21Daniel answered, “Your Majesty, may you live forever! 22My God sent his angel. And his angel shut the mouths of the lions. They haven’t hurt me at all. That’s because I haven’t done anything wrong in God’s sight. I’ve never done anything wrong to you either, Your Majesty.”
23The king was filled with joy. He ordered his servants to lift Daniel out of the den. So they did. They didn’t see any wounds on him. That’s because he had trusted in his God.
24Then the king gave another order. The men who had said bad things about Daniel were brought in. They were thrown into the lions’ den. So were their wives and children. Before they hit the bottom of the den, the lions attacked them. And the lions crushed all their bones.
25Then King Darius wrote to people of all nations, no matter what language they spoke. He said,
“May you have great success!
26“I order people in every part of my kingdom to respect and honor Daniel’s God.
“He is the living God.
He will live forever.
His kingdom will not be destroyed.
His rule will never end.
27He sets people free and saves them.
He does miraculous signs and wonders.
He does them in the heavens and on the earth.
He has saved Daniel
from the power of the lions.”
28So Daniel had success while Darius was king. Things went well with Daniel during the rule of Cyrus, the Persian.
