1. It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,
2. with three chief ministers over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss.
3. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the chief ministers and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
4. At this, the chief ministers and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.
5. Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.’
6. So these chief ministers and satraps went as a group to the king and said: ‘May King Darius live for ever!