Daniel was brought to Babylon from Israel as a young boy by King Nebuchadnezzar
when the king took over Israel
he took with him the most intelligent
and handsome young men from Israel to help him at his palace
among these were Daniel and his three friends
Daniel was very handsome honest and intelligent
after a training period of three years
the king chose Daniel and his three friends from all the other young men to help him palace
over time Daniel earned the Kings trust and affection
as he helped the King solve many problems and worked very hard for the king
he was known for being wise beyond his years
and he was completely dedicated to his work
after the time of Nebuchadnezzar another king ruled Babylon
and then another
all the kings who ruled Babylon
trusted Daniel and depended on him for carrying out many tasks
over the years Daniel earned a very good name among the people of Babylon
he was praised for his intelligence kindness and hard-working nature
he understood the problems faced by the people
and made wise suggestions that would help them to find a solution
he was a very devout believer of God and prayed three times a day without fail
when King Darius came into power he was so happy with Daniel services
that he gave him all the responsibilities for running the country
the other senior counsellors and ministers of the King grew jealous of him
as they had to follow Daniels orders
they met with each other and talked about this often
Babban and Samuel were two of the most senior men in Darius's Court
they did not like the idea of the Kings growing affection towards Daniel
they feared that the King would favour Daniel over them
the King was placing more and more responsibilities on Daniel now
and he consulted only Daniel for solving the issues in the kingdom
the King felt that Daniel had the best possible solution for any problem
the other senior members of the court were becoming afraid
that they would no longer be needed by the king and they would be thrown out
the most senior members of the court were babban and Samuel
and they shared the same worry how to get rid of Daniel
one day babban and Samuel met at a wayside in to discuss this problem
this Daniel is becoming even more powerful with every passing day
the king only listen to him now
we have been serving the kingdom for so many years
and yet the king does not even ask for our opinion on anything
if this is the case I'm certain the king will remove us from the service of the court
we will have to go back to the streets selling pots to make a living
quite true my friend we have to do something about this
it is a matter of our survival
we must find a way to remove this Daniel from the Kings Court immediately
it's not easy Babban he has a great reputation
the king will not simply remove him
because we say so we have to be very careful
we must destroy his reputation
I've observed him very closely for some time now
and it's next to impossible to find any fault with him
he's an extremely devout man and prays to his God three times a day
he's very popular among the people as well
wait you said he prays three times a day to his God right
yes everybody knows about this why?
I think I have something we can use against him
if my plan works out we will have to never worry about Daniel anymore
what is it tell me
and so babban and Samuel devised a plot that day
they return to their homes agreeing to meet in court the following day
the next day babban and Samuel arrive at the palace to meet with the king
they talked about various issues of the state
and how happy the people of Babylon are with the king and his rule
they praised the King on his bravery
his sense of justice and how kind and merciful he was
the king was very pleased with what babban and Samuel had to say
then Samuel made a suggestion for a law to be passed
my lord the people of Babylon are indebted to you
the kingdom is thriving in its fame has reached the far ends of the earth
this has all happened only because you are the king
no other King has achieved so much for their kingdom as you have
I think that we need to celebrate this occasion
and give the people an opportunity to show their gratitude to you
your words please me Samuel
you are truly a loyal subject of Babylon
what do you suggest we do
oh my lord I'll explain
we have a suggestion that for the next thirty days
all the subjects of Babylon will praise and pray to no other God
or man other than the king of Babylon you King Darius
yes it is a great way to find out who are truly loyal to Babylon and its King
we suggest that a decree be passed for the next thirty days
nobody will pray to any other God other than King Darius
I think that is a wonderful idea Samuel
you really have proven that you are worthy of your position in my court
but I must first discuss this with Daniel before I go further with this
Your Majesty I don't think that would be necessary
we have discussed this with all the senior counsellors of the court
and they are in agreement
Daniel would with that doubt be overjoyed to have this law passed
why waste time over discussing it again but Daniel
we have prepared to decree for you to sign on your majesty
here's the scroll
the King believed that Daniel was aware of the law
however Daniel was not consulted about this and so he was not aware of it
babban had sent two guards to Daniel's house
at the time that he offered prayers to his God
as soon as the soldiers saw Daniel praying to God they immediately moved in to arrest him
Daniel didn't you hear of the law passed by the king
what law? what have I done wrong why are you arresting me
a new law has been passed by the king
stating that no citizen is to worship any other God other than King Darius himself
for thirty days
I am not aware of this very well take me to the king
the soldiers arrested Daniel and took him to the palace to be presented to the king
the King heard the news of Daniel's arrest and he was very sad
he realised that his senior counsellors had been plotting against Daniel all along
but he felt helpless as the law had been passed
nobody could be exempted from the law once it was written
even the king himself
when Daniel was presented to him by the soldiers he felt heartbroken
Samuel and Babban were also present at the court
they were happy that their plan was working out as they hoped
Daniel what have you done?
I thought you were aware of this new rule
do you have anything to say to defend yourself
my lord Daniel has defied the rule of the kingdom
this is as clear as daylight
several people have watched him offering prayers to his God
you cannot pardon anybody who breaks the law
it will not be considered righteous or just
Daniel must face punishment he should be thrown into the Lions Den
I have nothing to say Your Majesty
I am a servant of the kingdom
and I'm ready to face any punishment that you give me
I have no choice Daniel but to command that you be thrown into the Lions Den
I hope that the God you pray and worship will save you
as soon as the king commanded
Daniel was taken away by the soldiers to be thrown into the Lions Den
the king was very sad that he had to send Daniel to his death
that night he could not sleep
he was saddened by the fact
that his most favourite servant would be ripped apart by the Lions
the next morning as soon as the Sun rose
he jumped from his bed and hurried to the Lions Den
he approached the den hesitantly and called out to Daniel hesitantly
Daniel can you hear me?
Did the God that you serve and worship save you?
answer me Daniel are you alive?
there was silence for a couple of moments
yes your majesty
and then Darius heard a voice that made him jump with joy
it was the voice of Daniel
yes your majesty may the King live forever I am unhurt my lord
the Lions did not even touch me
my God sent an angel into the den who shut the mouths of these Lions
my God has indeed saved me for I am innocent
soldiers open the mouth of this Dan at once
remove Daniel from the den at once
the soldiers removed the huge boulder that closed the mouth of the cave
slowly Daniel stepped out of the caves
there was not even a single scratch on his body
it was truly a miracle
Daniel your God is indeed true he came to rescue you in the most hopeless hour
I am sorry that you had to endure this
come let us go to the palace at once
when news of what had happened to Daniel spread around the kingdom
the people were amazed and stunned
Babban and Samuel realised that their evil plan had gone wrong
when the King arrived at the palace with Daniel
he ordered the soldiers to throw babban and Samuel into the same Lions Den
the Lions pounced on them and killed them instantly
breaking their every bone before they ate them
the king was overjoyed that Daniel was back at the court
he reversed the old law and made a new one stating that
everybody in Babylon must pray to Daniel's God
the God who performs miracles to help those who serve Him
and so Daniel continued to serve the king
and execute his duties faithfully for a very long time
he continued to pray to the true God until he died