Daniel in the lions’ den

Darius, the king of Babylon, appointed 120 royal rulers over his kingdom. He also appointed three leaders over them. One of these leaders was Daniel. Daniel did a better job than the others, and the king trusted him. The other leaders and rulers hated Daniel. They tried to catch him doing something wrong, but they didn’t find anything. Daniel was a fair and trustworthy leader and always obeyed the law. Eventually they said, “Daniel will obey his God rather than the king! Let’s use that against him.” The leaders and royal rulers went to the king and said, “Your Majesty, we would like you to make a new law. For the next 30 days, your people must worship you and only you. They mustn’t worship any other god. If they disobey the law, they must be thrown into the lions’ den.”

King Darius liked the idea of people worshipping him. So he wrote it into the law of the Medes and Persians. The laws that were written down like that couldn’t be changed. Daniel prayed three times a day. He knew about the new law, but he didn’t let it stop him.

He went home, knelt in front of his open window and gave thanks to the Lord, just as he always did. The other leaders were watching. As soon as they saw Daniel praying, they went to the king. They said, “Your Majesty, we have seen Daniel praying to his God. He doesn’t obey your new law!” The king was upset when he realised the leaders had tricked him, but he couldn’t change the law. He had to order his men to throw Daniel into the lions’ den. He told Daniel, “May your God save you, Daniel!” Then they put a stone over the opening of the den, and the king went back to his palace. That night the king couldn’t eat or sleep. As soon as the sun began to rise, King Darius hurried to the lions’ den. He called out, “Daniel! You serve the living God. Did he save you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “Your Majesty, my God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They didn’t hurt me.” The king was very glad. His servants lifted Daniel out of the den. There was not a single scratch on him. Then the king ordered Daniel’s enemies to be thrown into the lions’ den. And he wrote a letter to all the nations in his kingdom: “I order people in every part of my kingdom to respect and honour Daniel’s God. He is the living God. His rule will never end.”

Daniel 6