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Daniel 6:12
ESV Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.”
NIV So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: 'Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions' den?' The king answered, "The decree stands--in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.'
NASB Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king’s injunction: 'Did you not sign an injunction that any person who offers a prayer to any god or person besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be thrown into the lions’ den?' The king replied, 'The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.'
CSB So they approached the king and asked about his edict: "Didn't you sign an edict that for thirty days any person who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions' den? "The king answered, "As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order stands and is irrevocable."
NLT So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. 'Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human — except to you, Your Majesty — will be thrown into the den of lions?' 'Yes,' the king replied, 'that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.'
KJV Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

What does Daniel 6:12 mean?

Here, the scheming nature of Daniel's enemies becomes clear. It's certain these men knew the king never intended Daniel to be harmed (Daniel 6:1–3), yet the law his advisors tricked him into signing demanded just that (Daniel 6:6–9). Daniel acted as expected by praying to God in defiance of the law (Daniel 6:4–5, 10–11). These men want to be sure the king acts as expected: by cooperating with a law which he is not allowed to revoke.

The initial reminder is meant to set up what modern English calls a "gotcha [I got you, or I have you]" moment. The king, in his own words, says exactly what the conspirators want to hear. The law is irrevocable, prayer is illegal, and the punishment is being fed to lions. With those words, Daniel's legal fate was sealed. What comes next is a statement the king was not expecting to hear—or at least had not realized would be a consequence of his edict.
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