Daniel in the Lions' Den Bible story for kids

Three times a day, an old man climbed the stairs to his upstairs room.

Every morning. Every noon. Every evening.

He opened the windows — the ones that faced his old home, far away in Jerusalem. He knelt down. And he talked to God.

This is the story of what happened on the day someone tried to stop him.

His name was Daniel. He lived far, far away, in a great city called Babylon. He had kind eyes, a soft beard, and a gentle voice that always sounded like he was about to smile. Daniel had served kings for many, many years. His hair was silver. His back was a little bent. But his heart? His heart was steady as a stone.

And do you know why? Because Daniel talked to God. Every. Single. Day. For many, many years. And God was with him.

Now, the king of that land — his name was King Darius. King Darius loved Daniel. He thought Daniel was the wisest, kindest helper in the whole kingdom.

"Daniel!" the king would call across the marble halls. "Come tell me what you think!"

And Daniel would bow and smile and give the king his very best advice. The king trusted Daniel so much, he was about to put him in charge of the whole kingdom.

But... not everyone was happy about that.

There were other helpers in the palace. And oh, were they jealous. Their faces turned green just looking at Daniel. They whispered behind their hands.

"Why does he get to be in charge? Why does the king love him the most?"

So they made a plan. A sneaky, slithery, snake-of-a-plan.

They tiptoed up to King Darius and bowed very low. "Oh, mighty king," they said in their sweetest voices, "you are so wonderful. You are so powerful. We think... for the next thirty days... no one in the kingdom should be allowed to pray to anyone. Except you."

The king puffed up his chest. "Hmm! That does sound nice."

"And anyone who does pray to anyone else..." they whispered, should be thrown into the den of lions.

The king didn't know — he had no idea — that this whole sneaky plan was just to trap Daniel. And so... he signed it. He stamped it with his royal ring. Clink.

It was now the law.

Daniel heard about the new law. And do you know what Daniel did?

Daniel went home — up the stairs to his upstairs room, the one with the windows that looked toward Jerusalem. He opened the windows wide. And he knelt down, just like he did every morning, and every noontime, and every evening. Three times a day, every day, for many years.

Daniel didn't start praying because the law said don't. He just kept praying — the way he always had.

"I will pray," Daniel said softly, just like I always have.

And God was with him.

The sneaky men were watching. The moment they saw him praying, they ran straight to the king.

"Your Majesty! Daniel is breaking your law! He's praying to his God!"

"Oh, the king. The king's face fell. His shoulders sagged. He grabbed his beard." "No... no, not Daniel. Not my friend Daniel."

He tried everything to save him. He paced. He pleaded. He begged the men to find a loophole. But the law was the law. Even the king couldn't undo it.

So as the sun went down... they brought Daniel to the lions' den.

The lions were the biggest, hungriest cats you have ever seen. Bigger than horses. With paws the size of dinner plates and teeth like ivory swords. They paced and roared and shook their golden manes.

The king looked at Daniel, his eyes full of tears. "Daniel," he whispered, "I hope your God — the God you serve all the time — I hope He can save you."

And Daniel, calm as the morning, just smiled. He can, my king. He can.

Grrrrrr-thump.

The great stone door rolled across the den. Daniel was inside. In the dark. With the lions.

All night long, the king couldn't sleep. He didn't want any music. He didn't want any food. He just paced the palace floor, thinking about his friend Daniel.

"Oh Daniel... oh Daniel..."

But down in the lions' den... something wonderful was happening.

The moment Daniel stepped inside, God sent an angel. A bright, shining angel — who reached down and gently held the lions' enormous mouths closed. Just like that.

And those big, scary, roaring lions?

They went as gentle as kittens. They rolled over. They yawned. They curled up next to Daniel like old housecats.

One huge lion padded over and rested his giant golden head on Daniel's lap. Another curled up at his feet like a furry, snoring blanket.

And Daniel? Daniel just smiled, and stroked their soft manes, and whispered, Thank You, God. And he laid his head down on a warm lion's side... and he slept. He slept right there, in the den, with the lions.

And God was with him.

And as soon as the sky turned pink, he ran — the king himself, running — to the den. In his slippers, his crown crooked on his head, all the way to the lions' den.

"O Daniel, servant of the living God!" he shouted. "Has your God, whom you serve all the time, been able to rescue you from the lions?"

And from inside the den... a calm, gentle voice called back.

"O King, may you live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths. They have not hurt me at all."

"The king's heart exploded with joy." He ordered the door rolled open. And out walked Daniel. Not a scratch. Not a scrape. Not a single hair out of place.

The king hugged Daniel so tight he nearly squeezed the breath right out of him. And then he wrote a brand new letter to the whole kingdom. And do you know what it said?

"Everyone, everywhere — listen. Daniel's God is the living God. He saves. He rescues. And His kingdom will never, ever end."

And Daniel — old faithful Daniel — went back home. Up the stairs to his upstairs room. Where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. And he knelt down. And he prayed. Just like he always had.

And God was with him. God was with her. God is with you, too.

May the same God who shut the lions' mouths be with you. Always.