Raniera in the Raiona Den

Raniera was a humble, hard-working, tane from Israel. He loved Ihowā and had a very strong faith and belief in him. Raniera was captured when Jerusalem was defeated by the Babylonians.

Darius was the new kingi of Babylon. He picked 120 of the very best iwi in his kingdom to help him rule. He then picked toru tāne to be in charge of these 120. The kingi liked Raniera because he was very clever and made Raniera one of these governors –he also had a kōrero about putting Raniera in charge of his entire kingdom. The other tāne didn’t like that Raniera had been put in charge because he was a captive from Israel and not a Persian like them. They decided to find something Raniera did wrong to get him into trouble with the kingi. But, Raniera was very hard working and no matter how they tried, these tāne couldn’t find anything kino about Raniera. Raniera honoured the kingi in all he did, and he did everything the very best he could. The tāne knew that nothing would stop Raniera from praying to Ihowā every day so they decided to get the Kingi to pass a new law.

The law stated that “for toru tekau days no tane, wahine or tamaiti is to pray to any atua or man except Kingi Darius. If anybody disobeys this law, they will be thrown into a den of hungry raiona.”

When Raniera heard about the new law that had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem. Toru times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to Ihowā, just as he had done all the days before the new law.

The tāne saw Raniera praying and went to the Kingi. “Did you not declare a law that during the next toru tekau days if anyone prays to any atua or human being except yourself, Your Majesty, they would be thrown into the raiona den?” Kingi Darius answered “the law stands”. So the tāne told him “Raniera, one of the captured, is paying no attention to the law, Your Majesty. He’s still praying toru times a day”.

When the Kingi heard this he became very upset, and became did all he could to try and save Raniera. At sunset the tāne came back to the Kingi and said “the law that you made cannot be changed.” So the Kingi gave the order for Raniera to be arrested and thrown into the den of raiona. Before he was thrown into the pit, Kingi Darius said to him “May the Atua you serve all the time save you!”

A stone was then placed over the opening of the den, and the Kingi sealed it with his signet ring and the rings of his nobles so that the situation Raniera was in could not be changed. Then Kingi Darius returned to his palace and spent the po without kai or being able to moe.

At the very first light of ata, Kingi Darius rushed to the raiona den. When he got near the den he shouted out “Raniera, servant of the living Atua, has your Atua saved you from the raiona?” Maybe he didn’t expect an answer, but Raniera called back “May the Kingi live forever! My Atua sent His anahera and shut the mouths of the raiona so that they would not hurt me, because I have done nothing wrong in His sight. Neither have I done anything wrong to you, Your Majesty.” Kingi Darius was so hari he ordered Raniera be lifted out of the den. When he was lifted out, there was not a mark on him because he trusted in Ihowā.

the den, the raiona

Kingi

Darius knew Ihowā had saved Raniera and had the tāne who had accused

Raniera bought before him. He commanded that these tāne, along with their wives and tamariki be thrown into the raiona den, and before they had reached the floor of them and ate them.

overpowered

Kingi Darius wanted the world to know that Ihowā had protected his faithful servant, Raniera. He wrote a new law commanding that everybody in the kingdom worship the one true, living Atua “for He is the living Atua and He

lives forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed and His authority will never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Raniera

from the power of the raiona.”