Bible story · Daniel 6
Daniel & the Lions
A man who prayed three times a day — and a den of hungry lions who never opened their mouths.
Your storyteller
Told by Erald & family
Erald is telling the Bible story of Daniel and the Lions to children all over the world — just like a parent reading to their kids at bedtime. Get cozy and listen along.
A faithful man in a faraway land
A long time ago, in a great big kingdom called Babylon, there lived a man named Daniel. Daniel had been taken far from home when he was still a young boy. He lived in a palace now, with strange foods and strange languages all around him. But Daniel did not forget who he was, and he did not forget who his God was.
Three times every single day — morning, noon, and evening — Daniel opened his window toward Jerusalem, knelt down, and prayed. He thanked God. He asked God for help. He listened.
Three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
A new king named Darius now ruled Babylon. King Darius watched Daniel work. Daniel was kind. Daniel was wise. Daniel was honest. So the king made Daniel one of the most important leaders in the whole kingdom.
A sneaky, sneaky plan
The other leaders did not like that. They were jealous. They tried to find something wrong with Daniel — but they couldn't. He never cheated. He never lied. He never stole. So they came up with a sneaky plan.
They went to King Darius and bowed low and smiled their slippery smiles. "O great king," they said, "make a new law. For thirty whole days, no one is allowed to pray to anyone — not even God — except to you. Anyone who breaks the law gets thrown into the den of lions."
The king liked the sound of that. He signed the law. And once a law of the kingdom was signed, not even the king himself could undo it.
All the royal administrators … have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance … that whoever petitions any god or man besides you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions.
Daniel heard about the new law. He went home. He went up to his room. He opened his window toward Jerusalem — just like he always did — knelt down, and prayed.
Into the lions' den
The sneaky leaders were watching. They ran to the king. "Daniel is praying to his God!" they shouted. "He broke the law! You must throw him to the lions!"
King Darius was so sad. He liked Daniel. He tried all day long to find a way to save him. But the law could not be changed. As the sun went down, the soldiers brought Daniel to the great stone den where the lions lived. The king looked at Daniel and said something wonderful.
May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!
Then they pushed a great big stone over the door of the den. And Daniel was inside. In the dark. With the lions.
King Darius went back to his palace. He could not eat. He could not sleep. All night long he tossed and turned, thinking about Daniel.
God shut the mouths of the lions
As soon as the sky turned pink with morning, the king jumped up and ran to the den. He pulled away the stone. With a shaky voice he called down into the dark, "Daniel! Servant of the living God! Has your God been able to rescue you from the lions?"
And from inside the den came a voice. A calm voice. A happy voice.
My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight.
Daniel was alive! Not a scratch. Not a bite. Not a bump. God had sent an angel right into the lions' den, and the lions had laid down beside Daniel like big, sleepy housecats all night long.
The king was so happy he almost danced. He pulled Daniel up out of the den and hugged him tight. Then King Darius did something brand new. He wrote a letter to every person in every part of his huge kingdom.
He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end. He delivers and rescues; He performs signs and wonders.
And Daniel? Daniel went right back to work. And the next morning, and the morning after that, and every morning for the rest of his life, Daniel opened his window toward Jerusalem, knelt down, and prayed — three times a day — to the God who shuts the mouths of lions.
Songs to read next