It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty officers who ruled the whole kingdom, and over them three chief officials, of whom Daniel was one, that these officers might report to them and that the king should lose nothing. Daniel was better than the other chief officials and the officers, for he had a fine spirit; and the king intended to set him over the whole empire. Then the chief officials and the officers tried to find a way to accuse Daniel of not having done his duty, but they could not find anything against him, for he was faithful and was not guilty of any mistake or wrong-doing. Then these men said, "We shall not find any way to accuse this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God." So these chief officials and officers all went to the king, and said to him, "King Darius, live forever. All the chief officials of the kingdom, the counsellors and the officers, the judges and the governors, have consulted together to have the king make a law and give a strong command that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions. Now, O king, give the command and sign the law that, like the law of the Medes and Persians, it may not be changed." So King Darius signed the law and the command. When Daniel knew that the law was signed, he went into his house. His windows were open in his room toward Jerusalem, and he knelt upon his knees three times a day and prayed, and gave thanks to his God as he had done before. Then these men rushed in and found Daniel praying and calling upon his God. So they went before the king and spoke to him about the royal command: "Have you not signed a command, that every man who shall ask a petition of any man or god within thirty days, except of you, O king, shall be thrown into the den of lions?" The king answered, "The rule is fixed according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed." Then they went on to say to the king, "That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, nor to the command that you have signed, but prays three times a day." [Illustration: _Reproduced by permission of Thomas Agnew & Sons, owners of the copyright_ _Daniel's Answer to the King_ Painted by Briton Riviere] When the king heard these words, he was greatly displeased, and set his heart on saving Daniel, and he worked until the sun set to save him. Then these men all went to the king and said to him, "Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no command nor law which the king gives may be changed."