Daniel and the Lions

Long ago in the beautiful kingdom of Babylon, there lived a man named Daniel who loved God very much.

Daniel was very wise and always did the right thing. The king trusted Daniel more than anyone else in the whole kingdom!

King Darius said, 'Daniel, you are the best helper I have! I want to put you in charge of my whole kingdom!'

Every day, three times a day, Daniel would go to his room to pray. He would open his window toward Jerusalem and talk to God.

'Thank you, God, for this beautiful day,' Daniel prayed each morning as the sun rose.

'Please help me make good choices,' Daniel prayed each afternoon.

'Thank you for keeping me safe today,' Daniel prayed each evening as stars appeared.

Daniel never missed a prayer. Talking to God was the most important part of his day!

But some other officials were very jealous of Daniel. They didn't like that the king loved Daniel so much.

'We have to get rid of Daniel!' they whispered to each other. 'But how? He never does anything wrong!'

The sneaky officials spied on Daniel. They watched everything he did, looking for something bad. But Daniel was always good!

Then one day, they saw Daniel praying by his window. 'That's it!' they said. 'We can use his prayers against him!'

'Let's trick the king into making a new law,' they schemed. 'A law that says everyone must only pray to the king!'

The officials went to the king with their sneaky plan. 'Great king, make a law that for thirty days, everyone must only pray to you!'

'Anyone who prays to another god should be thrown to the lions!' they said. The king felt very important and agreed.

The king signed the law and stamped it with his royal seal. Once a law was signed, even the king couldn't change it!

Daniel heard about the new law. He knew it was dangerous, but he also knew something more important - he could never stop praying to God!

'I will keep praying to God,' Daniel decided. 'He is more important than any king's law.' And he went home to pray, just like always.

Daniel knelt by his open window and prayed to God, just like he always did. He wasn't going to hide!

The jealous officials were watching! 'We caught him!' they cheered. 'Now we can get rid of Daniel forever!'

The officials rushed to tell the king. 'Daniel broke your law! He was praying to his God! He must be thrown to the lions!'

King Darius was so upset! He loved Daniel and didn't want him hurt. He tried all day to find a way to save his friend.

But the officials reminded him, 'You signed the law, O king! Even you cannot change it!' The king had no choice.

Soldiers came to take Daniel away. But Daniel wasn't afraid. He trusted that God would take care of him.

They brought Daniel to a deep, dark pit. Inside were hungry, roaring lions! Most people would be terrified!

King Darius came to say goodbye. With tears in his eyes he said, 'May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you!'

Daniel was lowered into the dark pit. The soldiers put a heavy stone over the opening and sealed it tight.

Daniel landed in the dark den. He could hear the lions growling. He could see their glowing eyes in the darkness!

But Daniel wasn't afraid. He knelt down right there among the lions and prayed, 'God, I trust you. Please protect me.'

Suddenly, a bright light filled the den! God sent an angel to protect Daniel!

The angel shut the lions' mouths. The fierce lions became as gentle as kittens! They lay down peacefully beside Daniel.

Daniel spent the whole night safe and warm, surrounded by the big fluffy lions. It was like having giant cat friends!

Up in the palace, King Darius couldn't sleep. He was too worried about his friend Daniel. He paced back and forth all night.

As soon as the sun came up, the king ran to the lions' den. His heart was pounding. Was Daniel alive?

'Daniel! Daniel!' the king cried out. 'Did your God save you from the lions?'

'O king, live forever!' Daniel's voice called back. 'My God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths! I am not hurt at all!'

The king was overjoyed! 'Get him out! Get him out!' he commanded. The soldiers quickly pulled Daniel up from the den.

Everyone looked at Daniel in amazement. He didn't have a single scratch! Not one lion bite! God had protected him completely!

King Darius made a new announcement to everyone in the kingdom: 'Daniel's God is the living God! Everyone should respect and honor Him!'

Daniel lived happily and kept praying to God every single day. He knew that no matter what happened, God would always be with him!