1 Now King Darius gave a great banquet for all his subjects, everyone born in his house, all the officials of Media and Persia,
2 and all the chief administrators, generals, and district governors who were under him in the one hundred twenty-seven administrative districts from India to Ethiopia.
3 They ate and drank, and they left after they had enough. King Darius retired to his bedroom and went to sleep, but he eventually woke up again.
4 Then the three young men, the bodyguards who protected the king, said to each other: