Whoever does not bow down and pay homage will immediately<n id="1" /> be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire!&#8221;

And whoever does not bow down and pay homage must be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.

To all the supervisors of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, counselors, and governors it seemed like a good idea for a royal edict to be issued and an interdict to be enforced. For the next thirty days anyone who prays<n id="1" /> to any god or human other than you, O king, should be thrown into a den of lions.

So they approached the king and said to him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Did you not issue an edict to the effect that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than to you, O king, would be thrown into a den of lions?&#8221; The king replied, &#8220;That is correct,<n id="2" /> according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.&#8221;