DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN

DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN

1.  King Darius, conqueror of Babylon and king of Persia, divided the kingdom into 120 provinces and placed a governor over each. Daniel was one of the three prefects to whom the governors
   had to report. Daniel soon proved himself to be more capable than the other prefects and governors. King Darius wanted to place him in charge of his entire kingdom. Only king Darius would be
   over Daniel.
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3.  The other officers became jealous of Daniel and began to look for some faults in his work so they could complain about him to the king. But they could not find anything wrong with
   Daniel. He was faithful, honest and was excellent at his job. They decided that the only way to fault him was through his faith in God. They knew that Daniel was always kneeling and praying
   in his room three times everyday.
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5.     The prefects and governors went to see the king. "King Darius, live forever!" they said. "We have decided that you should make a law that for the next thirty days anyone who asks favor
   of God or any man, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. We ask you to sign this law, so that it cannot be changed." The king was flattered, and he signed the law.
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7.  Even though Daniel knew about the law, he went to his house and knelt down to pray as usual in his bedroom. The wicked officers ran to Daniel's house and caught him praying there.
   immediately rushed back to the king. "Didn't you sign a law that allows no one to ask favor of God or man, except you. O king for thirty days?"
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9.     "Yes, it is a law that cannot be changed," the king replied.
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•  When he heard this, the king was angry with himself for signing the law and spent the whole day trying to figure out some way to spare Daniel. In the evening the officers returned and
  demanded the king to carry out the punishment to Daniel.
•  Sadly, the king had no choice but to give orders to arrest Daniel and be thrown to the den of lions. "May your God , Whom you worship continually, deliver you, Daniel," the king said.
•  Then they threw Daniel into the lion's den and placed a large stone over the mouth of the den. The king sealed it with his ring, so no one could rescue Daniel.
•  The king refused his dinner. He didn't sleep all night. Early the next morning he hurried to the lion's den. "O Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God able to save you from the
  lions?"
•  Then he heard a voice answered, "O king, live forever! My God sent angels to shut the lion's mouths, so they couldn't harm me because I was innocent and have not wronged you."
•  Happily the king commanded that Daniel be released. Then he ordered that Daniel's accusers and families be thrown into the lion's den, where they were eaten instantly be the lions.
  Afterwards, King Darius wrote a new law that everyone in his kingdom should worship and revere Daniel's God.