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Bible story · Daniel 6

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

Daniel keeps praying to God, and God shuts the mouths of the lions. A 2-minute animated story, told simply for children and families, with each verse from the King James Version.

Start the storyFor parents

1 of 8

Daniel was wise and faithful, and he served King Darius so well that the king planned to put him in charge of the whole kingdom.

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

Daniel 6:3 KJV

2 of 8

The other leaders were jealous. They tricked the king into making a new law: for thirty days, anyone who prayed to any god except the king would be thrown to the lions.

All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

Daniel 6:7 KJV

3 of 8

Daniel heard about the law. But he went home, opened his window towards Jerusalem, and knelt to pray to God three times a day, just as he always had.

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Daniel 6:10 KJV

4 of 8

His enemies caught him praying and told the king. King Darius was very upset, because he loved Daniel, but even the king could not change the law.

Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.

Daniel 6:14 KJV

5 of 8

So Daniel was thrown into a den of lions, and a stone was rolled over the opening. “Your God will save you,” the king told him.

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

Daniel 6:16 KJV

6 of 8

That night the king could not eat or sleep. All he could think about was Daniel.

Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.

Daniel 6:18 KJV

7 of 8

At dawn the king hurried to the den and called out, “Daniel, has your God saved you?” Daniel answered, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths!”

My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

Daniel 6:22 KJV

8 of 8

Daniel was lifted out without a single scratch, because he trusted in his God. Then King Darius told his whole kingdom to honor Daniel’s God.

Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

Daniel 6:23 KJV

The end

Next story: Jonah and the Big Fish

What does this story teach?

  • Keep talking to God, even when it is hard or unpopular.
  • God is with his people in frightening places.
  • Being faithful in small daily habits, like prayer, builds courage for big moments.
  • God can protect us in ways no one expects.

Questions to talk about

Use these with your children after the story, at bedtime, at the table or in a class.

  1. Why do you think Daniel kept praying, even though it was against the law?
  2. How do you think Daniel felt in the lions’ den that night?
  3. How do you think the king felt in the morning?
  4. When could you be brave and keep doing what is right?

Read the story in the Bible

This retelling uses simple words for young readers. Read the full account in Daniel 6, one verse per screen:

Daniel 6

Frequently asked questions

Where is the story of Daniel in the lions’ den in the Bible?

It is in Daniel 6, in the Old Testament. The chapter tells of the new law, Daniel’s prayer, the night in the den, and the king’s praise of God afterwards.

How old was Daniel in the lions’ den?

The Bible does not say, but Daniel was probably in his eighties. He had been taken to Babylon as a young man about seventy years earlier, so the story is about an old man’s lifelong faithfulness.

Why was Daniel thrown into the lions’ den?

Jealous officials persuaded King Darius to sign a law banning prayer to anyone but the king for thirty days. Daniel kept praying to God three times a day, as Daniel 6:10 describes, so he broke the law.

How did Daniel survive the lions’ den?

Daniel told the king, “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths” (Daniel 6:22). Verse 23 says no harm was found on him “because he believed in his God.”

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