Another king, Belshazzar (Nebuchadnezzar's descendant), decides to throw a feast in order to boast of his own accomplishments. To accentuate the party, he brings the items taken from the temple in Jerusalem to be used as common vessels of dining. A mysterious hand appears and writes on the wall of the banquet hall. Daniel is consulted, and a translation provided: God has found Babylon lacking and has given her over to the Medes and Persians. That same night Belshazzar died and was replaced by Darius the Mede.
Life under the Medes and Persians was different. Their laws were not easily changed and never broken. One law was enacted, requiring all subjects to pray only to the king for 30 days. This law was established so that those in leadership could oust Daniel from his higher position - the only 'flaw' they could find was his devotion in worship. Daniel refused to change his prayer habits, was thrown into a den of lions (at the age of 80+!) and miraculously preserved by God. King Darius, learning of the plot, threw the plotters into the den after retrieving Daniel and found that the plotters did not enjoy the same level of divine protection.
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