The king then said the word, and they brought those men who had brought charges against Daniel, and they cast them, their children, and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
Daniel 6:22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have done no harm.”
Daniel 6:23 Then the king was greatly pleased and said for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no harm whatsoever was found on him because he had believed in his God.
Daniel 6:24 The king then said the word, and they brought those men who had brought charges against Daniel, and they cast them, their children, and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
Daniel 6:25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue who were inhabiting all the land: “May your peace abound!
Daniel 6:26 I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom, men are to fear and be in dread before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be unto the end.
The verse centers on "king", "said", "word", "brought", "charges", "against", and "daniel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "king" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 23's "Then the king was greatly pleased and..." into verse 25's "Then Darius the king wrote to all...", so "king" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Daniel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "king" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.