Daniel in the Lions’ Den (A Bible Bedtime Story for Kids)
In this Juice Box episode, kids hear the story of Daniel in the lions’ den in a calm, bedtime-friendly way, and they get to watch a LEGO Lion Safari build that makes the whole “lion’s den” moment easier to picture and remember.
What Happened in Daniel’s Night in the Lion’s Den?
Daniel was a faithful man who kept praying to God, even when jealous leaders tried to trap him with a new law. Daniel didn’t stop doing the right thing, even though it could cost him.
Because of that law, Daniel was thrown into a dark den filled with lions and sealed inside. Instead of panicking, Daniel prayed through the night and trusted God to protect him.
By morning, Daniel was safe. God had guarded him, and the lions didn’t hurt him.
For kids, Daniel’s story shows that when you feel scared or pressured, you can still choose courage, prayer, and faithfulness, and God can give you strength in your own “lion’s den” moments.
Key Takeaways
- Daniel is a faithful servant of God who keeps praying, even when it becomes risky and unpopular.
- Jealous leaders create a trap law, and Daniel is punished for staying true to God instead of following the crowd.
- Daniel is thrown into the lions’ den and spends a whole night in a scary place, but he chooses prayer over panic.
- God protects Daniel, and Daniel comes out safe, showing kids that God stays close in frightening moments.
- The moral is clear: real bravery is doing the next right thing, staying faithful, and trusting God even when you feel afraid.
Episode Summary
This episode tells Daniel’s story with a bedtime-story feel, calm, steady, and perfect for winding down. As the story unfolds, there’s also a LEGO Lion Safari build happening, which makes the lion’s den setting come alive in a kid-friendly way (without making it too intense).
Daniel is trusted by King Darius, and that makes some people jealous. They trick the king into signing a law meant to trap Daniel, because they know Daniel prays every day. Daniel hears the law, but he doesn’t hide or quit. He keeps praying faithfully.
That choice costs him. Daniel is arrested and thrown into a lion’s den, dark, sealed, and terrifying. But in the middle of it, Daniel prays. He stays steady. And God protects him through the night.
In the morning, Daniel is found alive and unharmed. The story becomes a powerful reminder for kids: even when you’re scared, you’re not alone. And when you choose faithfulness, God can give you courage you didn’t know you had.
Listen to the Story
Episode Highlights
- 0:26 – There Was A Man Named Daniel
- 2:16 – A Loud Knock on Daniel’s Door
- 3:47 – They Arrived At The Castle
- 5:25 – Why The King Asked To See Daniel
- 7:52 – Daniel Interpreted the Message
- 9:28 – Daniel’s Prophecy Had Come True
- 10:14 – Benjamin’s Jealousy
- 11:22 – Benjamin’s Trap Law
- 14:56 – Daniel Was Taken Away and Thrown in a Dark Hole
- 17:35 – He Was Surrounded By Lions
- 19:53 – A Sliver of Light
- 21:59 – Daniel Was Rescued
Transcript
[00:00:00 --> 00:00:02] A man, a king's command,
[00:00:02 --> 00:00:04] and a pit full of hungry lions.
[00:00:04 --> 00:00:06] As you build, listen closely,
[00:00:06 --> 00:00:10] because this isn't just a story about lions.
[00:00:10 --> 00:00:13] It's about courage when everything feels impossible.
[00:00:13 --> 00:00:15] Let's build.
[00:00:15 --> 00:00:16] Let's go!
[00:00:16 --> 00:00:18] "Juice Box." (straw slurping)
[00:00:18 --> 00:00:18] (logo pops)
[00:00:18 --> 00:00:19] (child giggles) (straw slurps)
[00:00:19 --> 00:00:21] (calm music)
[00:00:21 --> 00:00:23] "A Night in the Lion's Den."
[00:00:26 --> 00:00:30] Once upon a time, there was a man named Daniel.
[00:00:30 --> 00:00:32] He was quite old,
[00:00:32 --> 00:00:35] though he was still very energetic.
[00:00:35 --> 00:00:39] He lived in a large city called Babylon.
[00:00:39 --> 00:00:41] It was near the desert,
[00:00:41 --> 00:00:44] so the ground was made of sand.
[00:00:44 --> 00:00:47] The days were hot and the nights were cool.
[00:00:48 --> 00:00:53] Babylon had a lot of large buildings made of clay bricks.
[00:00:54 --> 00:00:57] Daniel usually stayed inside his house
[00:00:57 --> 00:01:00] because he did not like being outside in Babylon.
[00:01:01 --> 00:01:06] Sometimes, there were hungry lions prowling about,
[00:01:06 --> 00:01:08] but the lions had become the least
[00:01:08 --> 00:01:10] of Daniel's concerns in Babylon.
[00:01:11 --> 00:01:16] King Belshazzar had made Babylon a very evil city.
[00:01:17 --> 00:01:19] There were thieves everywhere.
[00:01:19 --> 00:01:24] Daniel could often hear large crowds outside at night.
[00:01:24 --> 00:01:25] (crowd chattering)
[00:01:25 --> 00:01:27] Sometimes he couldn't tell
[00:01:27 --> 00:01:30] if he was hearing robberies or parties.
[00:01:30 --> 00:01:33] The king liked to throw big parties,
[00:01:33 --> 00:01:35] and everybody spent their time
[00:01:35 --> 00:01:37] trying to get invited to one of them.
[00:01:38 --> 00:01:40] If you were the king's friend,
[00:01:40 --> 00:01:44] he would invite you to these extravagant gatherings
[00:01:44 --> 00:01:47] with lots of food, drinks, and dancing.
[00:01:49 --> 00:01:52] If you did something to displease the king,
[00:01:52 --> 00:01:55] he would have you thrown into a dark hole
[00:01:55 --> 00:01:57] filled with hungry lions
[00:01:57 --> 00:02:00] who would eat you alive.
[00:02:01 --> 00:02:05] Nobody had ever survived the Lion's Den.
[00:02:05 --> 00:02:07] Almost everybody in Babylon
[00:02:07 --> 00:02:11] wanted nothing more than to be friends with the king
[00:02:11 --> 00:02:13] because they were afraid of him,
[00:02:13 --> 00:02:15] except for Daniel.
[00:02:15 --> 00:02:17] He was not afraid of the king.
[00:02:18 --> 00:02:23] One night, Daniel was sleeping peacefully.
[00:02:23 --> 00:02:26] Suddenly, there was a loud knock
[00:02:26 --> 00:02:27] at his door. (door knocking)
[00:02:27 --> 00:02:29] Daniel woke up.
[00:02:30 --> 00:02:34] He got out of bed and walked to his front door.
[00:02:34 --> 00:02:36] He opened the door.
[00:02:36 --> 00:02:37] (door creaks)
[00:02:37 --> 00:02:39] There was a young man on the other side.
[00:02:40 --> 00:02:42] Daniel was very confused.
[00:02:44 --> 00:02:45] The young man said,
[00:02:45 --> 00:02:47] "Are you Daniel?"
[00:02:48 --> 00:02:51] "Yes I am," Daniel replied.
[00:02:52 --> 00:02:53] The young man said,
[00:02:53 --> 00:02:57] "King Belshazzar asked me to come get you
[00:02:57 --> 00:02:59] and bring you to the castle.
[00:02:59 --> 00:03:01] He needs your help."
[00:03:02 --> 00:03:05] Daniel nodded his head.
[00:03:05 --> 00:03:07] He changed his clothes,
[00:03:07 --> 00:03:09] put on his shoes,
[00:03:09 --> 00:03:13] and left his house with the young man.
[00:03:13 --> 00:03:14] (door creaks and thuds)
[00:03:14 --> 00:03:18] Daniel was not used to being outside so late at night.
[00:03:19 --> 00:03:23] He felt the cool night breeze run through his hair
[00:03:23 --> 00:03:27] and soothe his tired body. (footsteps crunching)
[00:03:27 --> 00:03:29] It was the first time in years
[00:03:29 --> 00:03:32] he had enjoyed being outside in Babylon.
[00:03:34 --> 00:03:38] As they walked, Daniel wondered what the king might need.
[00:03:39 --> 00:03:42] He had been an assistant of the previous king,
[00:03:42 --> 00:03:46] but that was a long time ago when he was very young.
[00:03:47 --> 00:03:49] They arrived at the castle.
[00:03:49 --> 00:03:51] The young man said,
[00:03:51 --> 00:03:52] "Follow me."
[00:03:53 --> 00:03:56] Daniel followed the young man
[00:03:56 --> 00:03:59] through a small door on the side of the castle.
[00:04:00 --> 00:04:03] The door led to a hallway
[00:04:03 --> 00:04:06] where there were all kinds of castle workers,
[00:04:06 --> 00:04:10] servants, cooks, butlers.
[00:04:10 --> 00:04:13] As soon as Daniel stepped inside,
[00:04:13 --> 00:04:15] he recognized the smell.
[00:04:15 --> 00:04:19] It brought back many memories of when he was young.
[00:04:20 --> 00:04:22] "Right this way," said the young man.
[00:04:23 --> 00:04:28] Daniel followed the young man through a winding hallway.
[00:04:28 --> 00:04:30] There were a lot of doors.
[00:04:30 --> 00:04:33] Some of them were open,
[00:04:33 --> 00:04:36] allowing Daniel to see different rooms in the castle.
[00:04:37 --> 00:04:40] Everything looked the same as he remembered.
[00:04:41 --> 00:04:43] The young man stopped.
[00:04:43 --> 00:04:46] He turned to Daniel and said,
[00:04:46 --> 00:04:47] "Are you ready?"
[00:04:48 --> 00:04:50] Daniel nodded his head.
[00:04:51 --> 00:04:53] The young man opened a door, (door clicks and creaks)
[00:04:53 --> 00:04:56] which led to a beautiful courtyard
[00:04:56 --> 00:04:59] that smelled like flowers.
[00:04:59 --> 00:05:01] There were a lot of people there,
[00:05:01 --> 00:05:06] and there were all different kinds of food and drinks.
[00:05:06 --> 00:05:08] It looked like a party,
[00:05:09 --> 00:05:12] but nobody seemed to be having any fun.
[00:05:13 --> 00:05:16] As soon as Daniel stepped through the door,
[00:05:16 --> 00:05:19] everybody stopped and looked at him.
[00:05:19 --> 00:05:21] (birds chirping)
[00:05:21 --> 00:05:24] Nobody said anything for a long moment.
[00:05:25 --> 00:05:28] Then Daniel broke the silence.
[00:05:28 --> 00:05:30] "The king asked to see me?"
[00:05:32 --> 00:05:35] A woman at the party pointed at the king.
[00:05:35 --> 00:05:37] He was sitting on the ground.
[00:05:38 --> 00:05:42] He looked pale and he was shaking with fear.
[00:05:43 --> 00:05:45] Daniel raised his eyebrows
[00:05:45 --> 00:05:48] when he saw the king acting this way.
[00:05:48 --> 00:05:50] "My name is Daniel."
[00:05:50 --> 00:05:53] Daniel extended his hand,
[00:05:53 --> 00:05:55] but the king did not shake it.
[00:05:55 --> 00:05:58] His eyes were wide with fear.
[00:05:59 --> 00:06:02] "How may I be of assistance," asked Daniel.
[00:06:03 --> 00:06:06] The king did not say anything.
[00:06:07 --> 00:06:11] The queen stepped forward and took Daniel aside.
[00:06:11 --> 00:06:16] She said, "The king is very scared right now.
[00:06:16 --> 00:06:17] Look at the wall."
[00:06:19 --> 00:06:23] The queen pointed to a wall, and Daniel looked.
[00:06:23 --> 00:06:27] There were big words written on the wall
[00:06:27 --> 00:06:30] in a language that nobody could recognize.
[00:06:30 --> 00:06:32] The queen said,
[00:06:32 --> 00:06:35] "During the party, a hand appeared.
[00:06:35 --> 00:06:38] There was no person and no body,
[00:06:38 --> 00:06:41] just a floating hand.
[00:06:41 --> 00:06:43] I still can't believe it.
[00:06:43 --> 00:06:46] I've never seen anything like it,
[00:06:46 --> 00:06:47] but it was there.
[00:06:47 --> 00:06:49] It really was!
[00:06:49 --> 00:06:52] And it wrote this message on the walls.
[00:06:53 --> 00:06:55] But nobody can understand what it means."
[00:06:55 --> 00:06:57] (birds continue chirping) (mysterious music)
[00:06:57 --> 00:07:00] Daniel said, "I see."
[00:07:01 --> 00:07:05] He and the queen walked back towards the king.
[00:07:05 --> 00:07:07] The queen said to the king,
[00:07:07 --> 00:07:08] "This is Daniel."
[00:07:09 --> 00:07:13] The king struggled to speak, but he said,
[00:07:13 --> 00:07:15] "You're Daniel?"
[00:07:16 --> 00:07:19] Daniel nodded his head.
[00:07:19 --> 00:07:21] The king said,
[00:07:21 --> 00:07:23] "You knew my father when he was king."
[00:07:25 --> 00:07:27] Daniel said, "Yes, I did."
[00:07:28 --> 00:07:30] The king said,
[00:07:30 --> 00:07:35] "I hear that God has given you extraordinary wisdom.
[00:07:35 --> 00:07:39] You can interpret dreams and solve problems.
[00:07:39 --> 00:07:43] Please, tell me what the writing on the wall means.
[00:07:43 --> 00:07:45] If you can tell me what it means,
[00:07:45 --> 00:07:48] I will reward you.
[00:07:48 --> 00:07:52] You will be my assistant and have great power."
[00:07:52 --> 00:07:55] "I don't need a reward."
[00:07:55 --> 00:07:57] As Daniel was saying this,
[00:07:57 --> 00:08:02] he saw a golden cup lying on the ground.
[00:08:02 --> 00:08:05] He picked it up and looked at it carefully.
[00:08:06 --> 00:08:10] He then noticed lots of other cups just like it.
[00:08:11 --> 00:08:15] He asked, "Isn't this a chalice from the temple?
[00:08:17 --> 00:08:19] And you were drinking out of them?"
[00:08:20 --> 00:08:23] The king did not say anything,
[00:08:23 --> 00:08:26] but he looked at Daniel very ashamed.
[00:08:27 --> 00:08:31] Daniel looked carefully at the king.
[00:08:31 --> 00:08:34] "Your father had once worshiped idols,
[00:08:34 --> 00:08:38] but he came to know the one true God.
[00:08:38 --> 00:08:40] He died a faithful man.
[00:08:41 --> 00:08:45] But you do not know the one true God.
[00:08:45 --> 00:08:49] You have used chalices from His temple to drink.
[00:08:49 --> 00:08:52] You have worshiped idols.
[00:08:52 --> 00:08:54] You have not worshiped the God
[00:08:54 --> 00:08:57] whose hand gave you breath and life.
[00:08:57 --> 00:09:02] The hand you saw writing was sent by God.
[00:09:02 --> 00:09:03] The writing on the wall
[00:09:03 --> 00:09:07] means that your kingdom shall come to an end."
[00:09:07 --> 00:09:09] (birds continue chirping) (epic orchestral music)
[00:09:09 --> 00:09:12] The king's body coiled with fear.
[00:09:13 --> 00:09:15] He thought Daniel's interpretation
[00:09:15 --> 00:09:17] would help him feel better,
[00:09:17 --> 00:09:21] but instead, it made him feel worse.
[00:09:21 --> 00:09:23] He kept his promise to Daniel
[00:09:23 --> 00:09:26] and hired him as his assistant because of his wisdom.
[00:09:26 --> 00:09:28] (slow foreboding music)
[00:09:28 --> 00:09:32] But that very night, Babylon was attacked
[00:09:32 --> 00:09:34] and the king was defeated. (crowd exclaiming)
[00:09:34 --> 00:09:35] (sword hisses)
[00:09:35 --> 00:09:39] Daniel's prophecy had come true.
[00:09:39 --> 00:09:43] The people of Babylon were all frightened,
[00:09:43 --> 00:09:44] (person screams) but Daniel knew
[00:09:44 --> 00:09:46] that God was at work.
[00:09:46 --> 00:09:47] (crowd screaming)
[00:09:47 --> 00:09:51] A new king named Darius took over.
[00:09:51 --> 00:09:56] King Darius did not like the way King Belshazzar had ruled.
[00:09:57 --> 00:10:01] He wanted to put an end to all of the parties and robberies,
[00:10:01 --> 00:10:02] and he did not want people
[00:10:02 --> 00:10:04] to be punished in the Lion's Den anymore.
[00:10:04 --> 00:10:06] (birds chirping) (calm music)
[00:10:06 --> 00:10:09] He brought with him an assistant named Benjamin,
[00:10:09 --> 00:10:13] who wanted very much to take over as king.
[00:10:14 --> 00:10:16] When King Darius met Daniel,
[00:10:16 --> 00:10:19] he liked him very much.
[00:10:19 --> 00:10:22] He wanted Daniel to be more than an assistant.
[00:10:22 --> 00:10:25] He wanted him to have great power in the kingdom.
[00:10:27 --> 00:10:30] This made Benjamin jealous.
[00:10:30 --> 00:10:35] He did not like Daniel, and he wanted him to be punished.
[00:10:35 --> 00:10:39] When Benjamin found out that Babylon had a Lion's Den,
[00:10:39 --> 00:10:41] he began to look for an opportunity
[00:10:41 --> 00:10:44] to have Daniel thrown in,
[00:10:45 --> 00:10:48] but nobody could be punished in the Lion's Den
[00:10:48 --> 00:10:52] without having broken a law or displeasing the king.
[00:10:52 --> 00:10:54] And Daniel had done nothing wrong,
[00:10:54 --> 00:10:57] so Benjamin could not accuse him of anything.
[00:10:58 --> 00:11:02] Benjamin was filled with rage towards Daniel,
[00:11:02 --> 00:11:06] and was always looking for anything he could find
[00:11:06 --> 00:11:08] to turn the king against Daniel.
[00:11:09 --> 00:11:13] Benjamin discovered that when Daniel was at home,
[00:11:13 --> 00:11:16] he prayed on his knees three times a day.
[00:11:17 --> 00:11:20] This made him dislike Daniel even more.
[00:11:20 --> 00:11:22] (footsteps plodding)
[00:11:22 --> 00:11:25] One day when King Darius was working,
[00:11:25 --> 00:11:28] Benjamin came into his chamber.
[00:11:29 --> 00:11:32] "Can I help you," asked King Darius.
[00:11:33 --> 00:11:37] "Oh, King Darius, can I help you,
[00:11:37 --> 00:11:39] is the real question."
[00:11:40 --> 00:11:43] "What do you mean," asked King Darius.
[00:11:44 --> 00:11:47] "Well," said Benjamin,
[00:11:47 --> 00:11:50] "it seems like there are some people in Babylon
[00:11:50 --> 00:11:52] who are praying."
[00:11:53 --> 00:11:56] "And," asked King Darius.
[00:11:56 --> 00:11:59] "Don't you think it's only right
[00:11:59 --> 00:12:02] that the people of your kingdom should look only to you
[00:12:02 --> 00:12:03] as their king?"
[00:12:05 --> 00:12:08] "I suppose," said King Darius.
[00:12:08 --> 00:12:12] Benjamin said, "I have written a law
[00:12:12 --> 00:12:15] which says that anybody who worships anyone
[00:12:15 --> 00:12:19] other than you should be punished.
[00:12:19 --> 00:12:21] If you sign off on the law,
[00:12:21 --> 00:12:24] it will be official.
[00:12:24 --> 00:12:26] Can I have your signature?"
[00:12:26 --> 00:12:29] King Darius thought for a moment.
[00:12:29 --> 00:12:33] He thought that perhaps the law was too harsh.
[00:12:33 --> 00:12:35] He was just a man after all.
[00:12:36 --> 00:12:40] But he was very busy and needed to make a decision quickly,
[00:12:40 --> 00:12:43] so he reluctantly signed the law,
[00:12:43 --> 00:12:45] making it illegal to pray.
[00:12:46 --> 00:12:49] Benjamin smiled proudly.
[00:12:49 --> 00:12:54] He could now have Daniel arrested if he was seen praying.
[00:12:55 --> 00:12:58] Daniel heard about the law,
[00:12:58 --> 00:13:01] but it did not stop him from praying.
[00:13:01 --> 00:13:06] He continued to pray on his knees three times a day.
[00:13:06 --> 00:13:09] In fact, he kept his windows open
[00:13:09 --> 00:13:13] and did not try to hide his prayers from anybody.
[00:13:13 --> 00:13:14] (waves lapping)
[00:13:14 --> 00:13:19] One day Benjamin walked past Daniel's house while he prayed
[00:13:19 --> 00:13:22] and looked at Daniel with hatred,
[00:13:23 --> 00:13:27] but after he was out of Daniel's sight, he grinned.
[00:13:28 --> 00:13:31] He went back to King Darius and said,
[00:13:31 --> 00:13:35] "Do you remember the law which says the people of Babylon
[00:13:35 --> 00:13:37] will be punished for praying?"
[00:13:38 --> 00:13:43] "I certainly do," said King Darius, unamused.
[00:13:44 --> 00:13:46] The assistant said,
[00:13:46 --> 00:13:50] "Daniel has completely ignored this law.
[00:13:50 --> 00:13:55] He still prays on his knees three times a day.
[00:13:55 --> 00:13:59] He's being very disobedient to you, King Darius.
[00:13:59 --> 00:14:02] He really ought to be punished, don't you think?"
[00:14:03 --> 00:14:07] King Darius did not know how to respond.
[00:14:07 --> 00:14:12] He had signed the law, which he took very seriously,
[00:14:12 --> 00:14:14] but he cared for Daniel
[00:14:14 --> 00:14:17] and wanted to continue working with him,
[00:14:17 --> 00:14:20] and he knew that Daniel was doing the right thing.
[00:14:20 --> 00:14:23] He did not want Daniel to be punished.
[00:14:24 --> 00:14:27] Benjamin said to King Darius,
[00:14:27 --> 00:14:29] "This is the law,
[00:14:29 --> 00:14:33] and it's your job as the king to enforce the law."
[00:14:34 --> 00:14:38] King Darius looked at Benjamin for a long time
[00:14:38 --> 00:14:41] with untrusting eyes.
[00:14:41 --> 00:14:45] He clenched his jaw in anger at Benjamin
[00:14:45 --> 00:14:47] as he sternly nodded.
[00:14:48 --> 00:14:51] Benjamin rushed out of the castle.
[00:14:51 --> 00:14:56] (footsteps pattering) (pensive music)
[00:14:56 --> 00:14:59] Daniel was at home praying.
[00:14:59 --> 00:15:03] He was kneeling next to his bed, giving praise to God.
[00:15:04 --> 00:15:06] Suddenly, his door
[00:15:06 --> 00:15:08] was kicked open. (door slams)
[00:15:08 --> 00:15:13] Guards from the king's palace charged in.
[00:15:13 --> 00:15:17] They grabbed Daniel, tied his hands behind his back,
[00:15:17 --> 00:15:19] and took him out of his house.
[00:15:19 --> 00:15:20] (metal clinking) (footsteps crunching)
[00:15:20 --> 00:15:23] As they walked out his front door,
[00:15:23 --> 00:15:28] Daniel saw Benjamin standing just beside it, smirking.
[00:15:29 --> 00:15:32] Daniel did not say anything
[00:15:32 --> 00:15:35] and did not ask any questions.
[00:15:35 --> 00:15:37] He knew what this was about,
[00:15:37 --> 00:15:39] and he was ready.
[00:15:40 --> 00:15:43] The guards walked him through the town
[00:15:43 --> 00:15:45] so everyone could see him.
[00:15:45 --> 00:15:50] They kept on walking until they came to a deserted place
[00:15:50 --> 00:15:53] that Daniel had never seen.
[00:15:53 --> 00:15:55] It was dark and empty.
[00:15:55 --> 00:15:58] It smelled very bad,
[00:15:58 --> 00:16:02] like meat that had been rotting for a long time.
[00:16:02 --> 00:16:03] (dramatic music)
[00:16:03 --> 00:16:05] As they approached,
[00:16:05 --> 00:16:09] Daniel saw a gigantic hole in the ground.
[00:16:09 --> 00:16:12] He couldn't see what was in the hole,
[00:16:12 --> 00:16:16] but he heard growling noises from inside of it.
[00:16:17 --> 00:16:19] Daniel was scared.
[00:16:19 --> 00:16:21] He knew what was happening,
[00:16:21 --> 00:16:24] but it was all happening so fast
[00:16:24 --> 00:16:25] he couldn't keep up.
[00:16:26 --> 00:16:31] Daniel saw a massive stone sitting next to the hole.
[00:16:31 --> 00:16:35] He saw a small hut off to the side of the hole.
[00:16:36 --> 00:16:40] He saw King Darius standing beside the hole,
[00:16:40 --> 00:16:43] and he looked very sad.
[00:16:43 --> 00:16:46] And suddenly, he saw the sky.
[00:16:47 --> 00:16:49] He didn't realize at first,
[00:16:49 --> 00:16:50] but he was falling.
[00:16:50 --> 00:16:51] (air whooshes)
[00:16:51 --> 00:16:54] The guards had pushed him into the hole,
[00:16:54 --> 00:16:56] and he was falling in.
[00:16:57 --> 00:16:59] Daniel hit the ground.
[00:16:59 --> 00:17:00] (Daniel thuds)
[00:17:00 --> 00:17:02] He coughed. (Daniel coughing)
[00:17:02 --> 00:17:05] The ground was made of rock.
[00:17:05 --> 00:17:09] Pain coursed through Daniel's bones.
[00:17:09 --> 00:17:11] He couldn't move.
[00:17:11 --> 00:17:14] He looked up at the sky,
[00:17:14 --> 00:17:17] but the sky began to grow smaller
[00:17:17 --> 00:17:21] as the guards above covered the hole with the stone
[00:17:21 --> 00:17:23] Daniel had seen. (stone rumbling)
[00:17:23 --> 00:17:25] They kept rolling the stone
[00:17:25 --> 00:17:29] until the opening was completely sealed.
[00:17:29 --> 00:17:32] Daniel couldn't see anything.
[00:17:32 --> 00:17:34] It was pitch black.
[00:17:36 --> 00:17:37] Daniel stood up.
[00:17:38 --> 00:17:41] He knew he was underground,
[00:17:41 --> 00:17:43] but he didn't know where he was.
[00:17:44 --> 00:17:49] To his side, Daniel saw two yellow eyes.
[00:17:49 --> 00:17:52] He looked, but they suddenly disappeared.
[00:17:53 --> 00:17:56] He looked all around him,
[00:17:56 --> 00:17:58] but couldn't see anything.
[00:17:59 --> 00:18:02] He saw another pair of eyes pop up,
[00:18:02 --> 00:18:04] but those disappeared, too.
[00:18:05 --> 00:18:06] It was silent.
[00:18:08 --> 00:18:11] Then he heard a growl.
[00:18:11 --> 00:18:13] (lion growls)
[00:18:13 --> 00:18:18] Suddenly, Daniel saw a circle of yellow eyes all around him
[00:18:18 --> 00:18:22] slowly moving closer. (lion growling)
[00:18:22 --> 00:18:25] He was surrounded by lions.
[00:18:25 --> 00:18:30] These were very hungry lions that had not eaten in days.
[00:18:30 --> 00:18:31] (lions growling) (intense music)
[00:18:31 --> 00:18:33] Daniel was trapped,
[00:18:34 --> 00:18:37] but Daniel did not feel afraid.
[00:18:37 --> 00:18:41] He got down on his knees and he prayed.
[00:18:41 --> 00:18:42] (lions continue growling)
[00:18:42 --> 00:18:46] He gave glory to God and asked for His protection.
[00:18:47 --> 00:18:51] One of the lions walked up close to him.
[00:18:51 --> 00:18:52] (lion growling)
[00:18:52 --> 00:18:54] Daniel kept praying.
[00:18:55 --> 00:18:58] The lion smelled him. (lion sniffing)
[00:18:58 --> 00:19:02] It looked at him for a long time.
[00:19:02 --> 00:19:04] And then it walked away.
[00:19:06 --> 00:19:08] All of the other lions walked away as well.
[00:19:09 --> 00:19:12] Some of them laid down.
[00:19:12 --> 00:19:15] Daniel could not see very well,
[00:19:15 --> 00:19:17] but it looked like there was another person
[00:19:17 --> 00:19:19] in the Lion's Den.
[00:19:20 --> 00:19:22] He saw the shadow of a person
[00:19:22 --> 00:19:26] who looked to be soothing the lions to sleep.
[00:19:26 --> 00:19:28] (calm music)
[00:19:28 --> 00:19:32] Daniel continued praying for a long time.
[00:19:32 --> 00:19:36] He felt himself getting more and more tired,
[00:19:37 --> 00:19:41] but he couldn't tell when his eyes were open or closed
[00:19:41 --> 00:19:43] because it was so dark.
[00:19:43 --> 00:19:46] He just kept praying.
[00:19:46 --> 00:19:48] (pensive music)
[00:19:52 --> 00:19:57] Daniel heard a loud scratching noise.
[00:19:57 --> 00:19:59] He felt his eyes open,
[00:19:59 --> 00:20:01] but he still couldn't see anything.
[00:20:02 --> 00:20:04] He had fallen asleep,
[00:20:04 --> 00:20:07] but he didn't know how or when.
[00:20:08 --> 00:20:13] He saw the tiniest glimmer of light fill the den.
[00:20:13 --> 00:20:17] He looked up and saw a tiny sliver in the stone
[00:20:17 --> 00:20:19] covering the opening.
[00:20:19 --> 00:20:22] But he squinted his eyes and looked away
[00:20:22 --> 00:20:24] because it was too bright.
[00:20:25 --> 00:20:28] He heard the stone move a little bit.
[00:20:28 --> 00:20:29] (stone rumbles)
[00:20:29 --> 00:20:32] He tried looking up again,
[00:20:32 --> 00:20:34] but he could not see very well
[00:20:34 --> 00:20:37] because his eyes were still adjusting to all the light.
[00:20:39 --> 00:20:43] He saw the shape of a head peek through the sliver,
[00:20:44 --> 00:20:45] but he couldn't tell who it was.
[00:20:45 --> 00:20:47] (soft mysterious music)
[00:20:47 --> 00:20:52] "Daniel," asked the man's voice, hopelessly.
[00:20:54 --> 00:20:57] "King Darius," asked Daniel.
[00:20:57 --> 00:20:58] "Is that you?"
[00:21:00 --> 00:21:03] The man's jaw dropped.
[00:21:03 --> 00:21:05] He looked up to heaven,
[00:21:05 --> 00:21:07] then backed down into the Lion's Den.
[00:21:08 --> 00:21:11] "Daniel," he yelled.
[00:21:11 --> 00:21:13] "You're alive?"
[00:21:13 --> 00:21:16] "Yes, I'm alive," said Daniel.
[00:21:17 --> 00:21:21] The man had tears of joy in his eyes.
[00:21:21 --> 00:21:25] Daniel could see that it was indeed King Darius.
[00:21:26 --> 00:21:28] "Oh, Daniel.
[00:21:28 --> 00:21:32] How did you survive," asked King Darius.
[00:21:32 --> 00:21:35] "I prayed," said Daniel.
[00:21:35 --> 00:21:38] "God sent an angel to tame the lions."
[00:21:40 --> 00:21:43] King Darius was filled with joy.
[00:21:43 --> 00:21:46] He was silent for a long time.
[00:21:46 --> 00:21:51] He was filled with awe and did not know what to say.
[00:21:51 --> 00:21:52] "Finally," he said.
[00:21:52 --> 00:21:55] "I'll be right back!"
[00:21:55 --> 00:21:58] King Darius ran out of Daniel's sight.
[00:21:59 --> 00:22:03] A few moments later, he came back,
[00:22:03 --> 00:22:05] holding a rope, and yelled,
[00:22:05 --> 00:22:07] "Here, grab this."
[00:22:08 --> 00:22:11] King Darius threw one end of the rope
[00:22:11 --> 00:22:13] down for Daniel to grab onto.
[00:22:13 --> 00:22:15] (rope thuds)
[00:22:15 --> 00:22:19] Daniel grasped the rope and tried to climb,
[00:22:19 --> 00:22:21] but his body was shaking from hunger.
[00:22:22 --> 00:22:25] King Darius began pulling the rope
[00:22:25 --> 00:22:27] with all his strength, (rope rustling)
[00:22:27 --> 00:22:32] and he slowly pulled Daniel out of the Lion's Den.
[00:22:33 --> 00:22:37] When he saw that there was not a single scratch on Daniel,
[00:22:37 --> 00:22:39] he fell to his knees.
[00:22:40 --> 00:22:43] "Daniel, you're all right!
[00:22:43 --> 00:22:46] Glory to God," he said.
[00:22:46 --> 00:22:50] King Darius prayed and gave thanks to God.
[00:22:51 --> 00:22:55] Daniel was amazed to be out of the Lion's Den.
[00:22:56 --> 00:23:00] He had never been so thankful in his life.
[00:23:00 --> 00:23:03] He thanked God for the gift of the sun's light
[00:23:03 --> 00:23:05] and the breeze of the air,
[00:23:05 --> 00:23:09] and especially for the gift of his life.
[00:23:10 --> 00:23:13] King Darius declared that all the people
[00:23:13 --> 00:23:17] of Babylon should glorify God.
[00:23:17 --> 00:23:19] Daniel's love for God
[00:23:19 --> 00:23:22] and his courage in giving glory to God,
[00:23:22 --> 00:23:24] even in the face of punishment,
[00:23:24 --> 00:23:27] ended up bringing all of Babylon to God.
[00:23:28 --> 00:23:32] Daniel never forgot his night in the Lion's Den.
[00:23:32 --> 00:23:36] His courage showed the people of Babylon
[00:23:36 --> 00:23:40] that they could trust in God even if things felt hopeless.
[00:23:42 --> 00:23:45] Daniel lived to be very old.
[00:23:45 --> 00:23:47] Until the day he died,
[00:23:47 --> 00:23:52] he was no longer scared when he saw a lion.
[00:23:52 --> 00:23:55] Instead, he gave glory to God
[00:23:55 --> 00:23:58] and remembered what God had done for him
[00:23:58 --> 00:24:00] in the Lion's Den.
[00:24:00 --> 00:24:01] (energetic classical music)
[00:24:01 --> 00:24:05] We built the lion, but Daniel faced the real thing.
[00:24:05 --> 00:24:06] He didn't run.
[00:24:06 --> 00:24:07] He didn't give up.
[00:24:07 --> 00:24:09] He trusted God.
[00:24:09 --> 00:24:11] That's what made him a hero!
[00:24:11 --> 00:24:13] If you want more build-and-listen adventures like this,
[00:24:13 --> 00:24:15] hit Subscribe, and we'll see you in the next one.
[00:24:15 --> 00:24:16] Bye!
[00:24:17 --> 00:24:19] (straw slurping) (logo pops)
[00:24:19 --> 00:24:19] "Juice Box." (straw slurping)
[00:00:02 --> 00:00:04] and a pit full of hungry lions.
[00:00:04 --> 00:00:06] As you build, listen closely,
[00:00:06 --> 00:00:10] because this isn't just a story about lions.
[00:00:10 --> 00:00:13] It's about courage when everything feels impossible.
[00:00:13 --> 00:00:15] Let's build.
[00:00:15 --> 00:00:16] Let's go!
[00:00:16 --> 00:00:18] "Juice Box." (straw slurping)
[00:00:18 --> 00:00:18] (logo pops)
[00:00:18 --> 00:00:19] (child giggles) (straw slurps)
[00:00:19 --> 00:00:21] (calm music)
[00:00:21 --> 00:00:23] "A Night in the Lion's Den."
[00:00:26 --> 00:00:30] Once upon a time, there was a man named Daniel.
[00:00:30 --> 00:00:32] He was quite old,
[00:00:32 --> 00:00:35] though he was still very energetic.
[00:00:35 --> 00:00:39] He lived in a large city called Babylon.
[00:00:39 --> 00:00:41] It was near the desert,
[00:00:41 --> 00:00:44] so the ground was made of sand.
[00:00:44 --> 00:00:47] The days were hot and the nights were cool.
[00:00:48 --> 00:00:53] Babylon had a lot of large buildings made of clay bricks.
[00:00:54 --> 00:00:57] Daniel usually stayed inside his house
[00:00:57 --> 00:01:00] because he did not like being outside in Babylon.
[00:01:01 --> 00:01:06] Sometimes, there were hungry lions prowling about,
[00:01:06 --> 00:01:08] but the lions had become the least
[00:01:08 --> 00:01:10] of Daniel's concerns in Babylon.
[00:01:11 --> 00:01:16] King Belshazzar had made Babylon a very evil city.
[00:01:17 --> 00:01:19] There were thieves everywhere.
[00:01:19 --> 00:01:24] Daniel could often hear large crowds outside at night.
[00:01:24 --> 00:01:25] (crowd chattering)
[00:01:25 --> 00:01:27] Sometimes he couldn't tell
[00:01:27 --> 00:01:30] if he was hearing robberies or parties.
[00:01:30 --> 00:01:33] The king liked to throw big parties,
[00:01:33 --> 00:01:35] and everybody spent their time
[00:01:35 --> 00:01:37] trying to get invited to one of them.
[00:01:38 --> 00:01:40] If you were the king's friend,
[00:01:40 --> 00:01:44] he would invite you to these extravagant gatherings
[00:01:44 --> 00:01:47] with lots of food, drinks, and dancing.
[00:01:49 --> 00:01:52] If you did something to displease the king,
[00:01:52 --> 00:01:55] he would have you thrown into a dark hole
[00:01:55 --> 00:01:57] filled with hungry lions
[00:01:57 --> 00:02:00] who would eat you alive.
[00:02:01 --> 00:02:05] Nobody had ever survived the Lion's Den.
[00:02:05 --> 00:02:07] Almost everybody in Babylon
[00:02:07 --> 00:02:11] wanted nothing more than to be friends with the king
[00:02:11 --> 00:02:13] because they were afraid of him,
[00:02:13 --> 00:02:15] except for Daniel.
[00:02:15 --> 00:02:17] He was not afraid of the king.
[00:02:18 --> 00:02:23] One night, Daniel was sleeping peacefully.
[00:02:23 --> 00:02:26] Suddenly, there was a loud knock
[00:02:26 --> 00:02:27] at his door. (door knocking)
[00:02:27 --> 00:02:29] Daniel woke up.
[00:02:30 --> 00:02:34] He got out of bed and walked to his front door.
[00:02:34 --> 00:02:36] He opened the door.
[00:02:36 --> 00:02:37] (door creaks)
[00:02:37 --> 00:02:39] There was a young man on the other side.
[00:02:40 --> 00:02:42] Daniel was very confused.
[00:02:44 --> 00:02:45] The young man said,
[00:02:45 --> 00:02:47] "Are you Daniel?"
[00:02:48 --> 00:02:51] "Yes I am," Daniel replied.
[00:02:52 --> 00:02:53] The young man said,
[00:02:53 --> 00:02:57] "King Belshazzar asked me to come get you
[00:02:57 --> 00:02:59] and bring you to the castle.
[00:02:59 --> 00:03:01] He needs your help."
[00:03:02 --> 00:03:05] Daniel nodded his head.
[00:03:05 --> 00:03:07] He changed his clothes,
[00:03:07 --> 00:03:09] put on his shoes,
[00:03:09 --> 00:03:13] and left his house with the young man.
[00:03:13 --> 00:03:14] (door creaks and thuds)
[00:03:14 --> 00:03:18] Daniel was not used to being outside so late at night.
[00:03:19 --> 00:03:23] He felt the cool night breeze run through his hair
[00:03:23 --> 00:03:27] and soothe his tired body. (footsteps crunching)
[00:03:27 --> 00:03:29] It was the first time in years
[00:03:29 --> 00:03:32] he had enjoyed being outside in Babylon.
[00:03:34 --> 00:03:38] As they walked, Daniel wondered what the king might need.
[00:03:39 --> 00:03:42] He had been an assistant of the previous king,
[00:03:42 --> 00:03:46] but that was a long time ago when he was very young.
[00:03:47 --> 00:03:49] They arrived at the castle.
[00:03:49 --> 00:03:51] The young man said,
[00:03:51 --> 00:03:52] "Follow me."
[00:03:53 --> 00:03:56] Daniel followed the young man
[00:03:56 --> 00:03:59] through a small door on the side of the castle.
[00:04:00 --> 00:04:03] The door led to a hallway
[00:04:03 --> 00:04:06] where there were all kinds of castle workers,
[00:04:06 --> 00:04:10] servants, cooks, butlers.
[00:04:10 --> 00:04:13] As soon as Daniel stepped inside,
[00:04:13 --> 00:04:15] he recognized the smell.
[00:04:15 --> 00:04:19] It brought back many memories of when he was young.
[00:04:20 --> 00:04:22] "Right this way," said the young man.
[00:04:23 --> 00:04:28] Daniel followed the young man through a winding hallway.
[00:04:28 --> 00:04:30] There were a lot of doors.
[00:04:30 --> 00:04:33] Some of them were open,
[00:04:33 --> 00:04:36] allowing Daniel to see different rooms in the castle.
[00:04:37 --> 00:04:40] Everything looked the same as he remembered.
[00:04:41 --> 00:04:43] The young man stopped.
[00:04:43 --> 00:04:46] He turned to Daniel and said,
[00:04:46 --> 00:04:47] "Are you ready?"
[00:04:48 --> 00:04:50] Daniel nodded his head.
[00:04:51 --> 00:04:53] The young man opened a door, (door clicks and creaks)
[00:04:53 --> 00:04:56] which led to a beautiful courtyard
[00:04:56 --> 00:04:59] that smelled like flowers.
[00:04:59 --> 00:05:01] There were a lot of people there,
[00:05:01 --> 00:05:06] and there were all different kinds of food and drinks.
[00:05:06 --> 00:05:08] It looked like a party,
[00:05:09 --> 00:05:12] but nobody seemed to be having any fun.
[00:05:13 --> 00:05:16] As soon as Daniel stepped through the door,
[00:05:16 --> 00:05:19] everybody stopped and looked at him.
[00:05:19 --> 00:05:21] (birds chirping)
[00:05:21 --> 00:05:24] Nobody said anything for a long moment.
[00:05:25 --> 00:05:28] Then Daniel broke the silence.
[00:05:28 --> 00:05:30] "The king asked to see me?"
[00:05:32 --> 00:05:35] A woman at the party pointed at the king.
[00:05:35 --> 00:05:37] He was sitting on the ground.
[00:05:38 --> 00:05:42] He looked pale and he was shaking with fear.
[00:05:43 --> 00:05:45] Daniel raised his eyebrows
[00:05:45 --> 00:05:48] when he saw the king acting this way.
[00:05:48 --> 00:05:50] "My name is Daniel."
[00:05:50 --> 00:05:53] Daniel extended his hand,
[00:05:53 --> 00:05:55] but the king did not shake it.
[00:05:55 --> 00:05:58] His eyes were wide with fear.
[00:05:59 --> 00:06:02] "How may I be of assistance," asked Daniel.
[00:06:03 --> 00:06:06] The king did not say anything.
[00:06:07 --> 00:06:11] The queen stepped forward and took Daniel aside.
[00:06:11 --> 00:06:16] She said, "The king is very scared right now.
[00:06:16 --> 00:06:17] Look at the wall."
[00:06:19 --> 00:06:23] The queen pointed to a wall, and Daniel looked.
[00:06:23 --> 00:06:27] There were big words written on the wall
[00:06:27 --> 00:06:30] in a language that nobody could recognize.
[00:06:30 --> 00:06:32] The queen said,
[00:06:32 --> 00:06:35] "During the party, a hand appeared.
[00:06:35 --> 00:06:38] There was no person and no body,
[00:06:38 --> 00:06:41] just a floating hand.
[00:06:41 --> 00:06:43] I still can't believe it.
[00:06:43 --> 00:06:46] I've never seen anything like it,
[00:06:46 --> 00:06:47] but it was there.
[00:06:47 --> 00:06:49] It really was!
[00:06:49 --> 00:06:52] And it wrote this message on the walls.
[00:06:53 --> 00:06:55] But nobody can understand what it means."
[00:06:55 --> 00:06:57] (birds continue chirping) (mysterious music)
[00:06:57 --> 00:07:00] Daniel said, "I see."
[00:07:01 --> 00:07:05] He and the queen walked back towards the king.
[00:07:05 --> 00:07:07] The queen said to the king,
[00:07:07 --> 00:07:08] "This is Daniel."
[00:07:09 --> 00:07:13] The king struggled to speak, but he said,
[00:07:13 --> 00:07:15] "You're Daniel?"
[00:07:16 --> 00:07:19] Daniel nodded his head.
[00:07:19 --> 00:07:21] The king said,
[00:07:21 --> 00:07:23] "You knew my father when he was king."
[00:07:25 --> 00:07:27] Daniel said, "Yes, I did."
[00:07:28 --> 00:07:30] The king said,
[00:07:30 --> 00:07:35] "I hear that God has given you extraordinary wisdom.
[00:07:35 --> 00:07:39] You can interpret dreams and solve problems.
[00:07:39 --> 00:07:43] Please, tell me what the writing on the wall means.
[00:07:43 --> 00:07:45] If you can tell me what it means,
[00:07:45 --> 00:07:48] I will reward you.
[00:07:48 --> 00:07:52] You will be my assistant and have great power."
[00:07:52 --> 00:07:55] "I don't need a reward."
[00:07:55 --> 00:07:57] As Daniel was saying this,
[00:07:57 --> 00:08:02] he saw a golden cup lying on the ground.
[00:08:02 --> 00:08:05] He picked it up and looked at it carefully.
[00:08:06 --> 00:08:10] He then noticed lots of other cups just like it.
[00:08:11 --> 00:08:15] He asked, "Isn't this a chalice from the temple?
[00:08:17 --> 00:08:19] And you were drinking out of them?"
[00:08:20 --> 00:08:23] The king did not say anything,
[00:08:23 --> 00:08:26] but he looked at Daniel very ashamed.
[00:08:27 --> 00:08:31] Daniel looked carefully at the king.
[00:08:31 --> 00:08:34] "Your father had once worshiped idols,
[00:08:34 --> 00:08:38] but he came to know the one true God.
[00:08:38 --> 00:08:40] He died a faithful man.
[00:08:41 --> 00:08:45] But you do not know the one true God.
[00:08:45 --> 00:08:49] You have used chalices from His temple to drink.
[00:08:49 --> 00:08:52] You have worshiped idols.
[00:08:52 --> 00:08:54] You have not worshiped the God
[00:08:54 --> 00:08:57] whose hand gave you breath and life.
[00:08:57 --> 00:09:02] The hand you saw writing was sent by God.
[00:09:02 --> 00:09:03] The writing on the wall
[00:09:03 --> 00:09:07] means that your kingdom shall come to an end."
[00:09:07 --> 00:09:09] (birds continue chirping) (epic orchestral music)
[00:09:09 --> 00:09:12] The king's body coiled with fear.
[00:09:13 --> 00:09:15] He thought Daniel's interpretation
[00:09:15 --> 00:09:17] would help him feel better,
[00:09:17 --> 00:09:21] but instead, it made him feel worse.
[00:09:21 --> 00:09:23] He kept his promise to Daniel
[00:09:23 --> 00:09:26] and hired him as his assistant because of his wisdom.
[00:09:26 --> 00:09:28] (slow foreboding music)
[00:09:28 --> 00:09:32] But that very night, Babylon was attacked
[00:09:32 --> 00:09:34] and the king was defeated. (crowd exclaiming)
[00:09:34 --> 00:09:35] (sword hisses)
[00:09:35 --> 00:09:39] Daniel's prophecy had come true.
[00:09:39 --> 00:09:43] The people of Babylon were all frightened,
[00:09:43 --> 00:09:44] (person screams) but Daniel knew
[00:09:44 --> 00:09:46] that God was at work.
[00:09:46 --> 00:09:47] (crowd screaming)
[00:09:47 --> 00:09:51] A new king named Darius took over.
[00:09:51 --> 00:09:56] King Darius did not like the way King Belshazzar had ruled.
[00:09:57 --> 00:10:01] He wanted to put an end to all of the parties and robberies,
[00:10:01 --> 00:10:02] and he did not want people
[00:10:02 --> 00:10:04] to be punished in the Lion's Den anymore.
[00:10:04 --> 00:10:06] (birds chirping) (calm music)
[00:10:06 --> 00:10:09] He brought with him an assistant named Benjamin,
[00:10:09 --> 00:10:13] who wanted very much to take over as king.
[00:10:14 --> 00:10:16] When King Darius met Daniel,
[00:10:16 --> 00:10:19] he liked him very much.
[00:10:19 --> 00:10:22] He wanted Daniel to be more than an assistant.
[00:10:22 --> 00:10:25] He wanted him to have great power in the kingdom.
[00:10:27 --> 00:10:30] This made Benjamin jealous.
[00:10:30 --> 00:10:35] He did not like Daniel, and he wanted him to be punished.
[00:10:35 --> 00:10:39] When Benjamin found out that Babylon had a Lion's Den,
[00:10:39 --> 00:10:41] he began to look for an opportunity
[00:10:41 --> 00:10:44] to have Daniel thrown in,
[00:10:45 --> 00:10:48] but nobody could be punished in the Lion's Den
[00:10:48 --> 00:10:52] without having broken a law or displeasing the king.
[00:10:52 --> 00:10:54] And Daniel had done nothing wrong,
[00:10:54 --> 00:10:57] so Benjamin could not accuse him of anything.
[00:10:58 --> 00:11:02] Benjamin was filled with rage towards Daniel,
[00:11:02 --> 00:11:06] and was always looking for anything he could find
[00:11:06 --> 00:11:08] to turn the king against Daniel.
[00:11:09 --> 00:11:13] Benjamin discovered that when Daniel was at home,
[00:11:13 --> 00:11:16] he prayed on his knees three times a day.
[00:11:17 --> 00:11:20] This made him dislike Daniel even more.
[00:11:20 --> 00:11:22] (footsteps plodding)
[00:11:22 --> 00:11:25] One day when King Darius was working,
[00:11:25 --> 00:11:28] Benjamin came into his chamber.
[00:11:29 --> 00:11:32] "Can I help you," asked King Darius.
[00:11:33 --> 00:11:37] "Oh, King Darius, can I help you,
[00:11:37 --> 00:11:39] is the real question."
[00:11:40 --> 00:11:43] "What do you mean," asked King Darius.
[00:11:44 --> 00:11:47] "Well," said Benjamin,
[00:11:47 --> 00:11:50] "it seems like there are some people in Babylon
[00:11:50 --> 00:11:52] who are praying."
[00:11:53 --> 00:11:56] "And," asked King Darius.
[00:11:56 --> 00:11:59] "Don't you think it's only right
[00:11:59 --> 00:12:02] that the people of your kingdom should look only to you
[00:12:02 --> 00:12:03] as their king?"
[00:12:05 --> 00:12:08] "I suppose," said King Darius.
[00:12:08 --> 00:12:12] Benjamin said, "I have written a law
[00:12:12 --> 00:12:15] which says that anybody who worships anyone
[00:12:15 --> 00:12:19] other than you should be punished.
[00:12:19 --> 00:12:21] If you sign off on the law,
[00:12:21 --> 00:12:24] it will be official.
[00:12:24 --> 00:12:26] Can I have your signature?"
[00:12:26 --> 00:12:29] King Darius thought for a moment.
[00:12:29 --> 00:12:33] He thought that perhaps the law was too harsh.
[00:12:33 --> 00:12:35] He was just a man after all.
[00:12:36 --> 00:12:40] But he was very busy and needed to make a decision quickly,
[00:12:40 --> 00:12:43] so he reluctantly signed the law,
[00:12:43 --> 00:12:45] making it illegal to pray.
[00:12:46 --> 00:12:49] Benjamin smiled proudly.
[00:12:49 --> 00:12:54] He could now have Daniel arrested if he was seen praying.
[00:12:55 --> 00:12:58] Daniel heard about the law,
[00:12:58 --> 00:13:01] but it did not stop him from praying.
[00:13:01 --> 00:13:06] He continued to pray on his knees three times a day.
[00:13:06 --> 00:13:09] In fact, he kept his windows open
[00:13:09 --> 00:13:13] and did not try to hide his prayers from anybody.
[00:13:13 --> 00:13:14] (waves lapping)
[00:13:14 --> 00:13:19] One day Benjamin walked past Daniel's house while he prayed
[00:13:19 --> 00:13:22] and looked at Daniel with hatred,
[00:13:23 --> 00:13:27] but after he was out of Daniel's sight, he grinned.
[00:13:28 --> 00:13:31] He went back to King Darius and said,
[00:13:31 --> 00:13:35] "Do you remember the law which says the people of Babylon
[00:13:35 --> 00:13:37] will be punished for praying?"
[00:13:38 --> 00:13:43] "I certainly do," said King Darius, unamused.
[00:13:44 --> 00:13:46] The assistant said,
[00:13:46 --> 00:13:50] "Daniel has completely ignored this law.
[00:13:50 --> 00:13:55] He still prays on his knees three times a day.
[00:13:55 --> 00:13:59] He's being very disobedient to you, King Darius.
[00:13:59 --> 00:14:02] He really ought to be punished, don't you think?"
[00:14:03 --> 00:14:07] King Darius did not know how to respond.
[00:14:07 --> 00:14:12] He had signed the law, which he took very seriously,
[00:14:12 --> 00:14:14] but he cared for Daniel
[00:14:14 --> 00:14:17] and wanted to continue working with him,
[00:14:17 --> 00:14:20] and he knew that Daniel was doing the right thing.
[00:14:20 --> 00:14:23] He did not want Daniel to be punished.
[00:14:24 --> 00:14:27] Benjamin said to King Darius,
[00:14:27 --> 00:14:29] "This is the law,
[00:14:29 --> 00:14:33] and it's your job as the king to enforce the law."
[00:14:34 --> 00:14:38] King Darius looked at Benjamin for a long time
[00:14:38 --> 00:14:41] with untrusting eyes.
[00:14:41 --> 00:14:45] He clenched his jaw in anger at Benjamin
[00:14:45 --> 00:14:47] as he sternly nodded.
[00:14:48 --> 00:14:51] Benjamin rushed out of the castle.
[00:14:51 --> 00:14:56] (footsteps pattering) (pensive music)
[00:14:56 --> 00:14:59] Daniel was at home praying.
[00:14:59 --> 00:15:03] He was kneeling next to his bed, giving praise to God.
[00:15:04 --> 00:15:06] Suddenly, his door
[00:15:06 --> 00:15:08] was kicked open. (door slams)
[00:15:08 --> 00:15:13] Guards from the king's palace charged in.
[00:15:13 --> 00:15:17] They grabbed Daniel, tied his hands behind his back,
[00:15:17 --> 00:15:19] and took him out of his house.
[00:15:19 --> 00:15:20] (metal clinking) (footsteps crunching)
[00:15:20 --> 00:15:23] As they walked out his front door,
[00:15:23 --> 00:15:28] Daniel saw Benjamin standing just beside it, smirking.
[00:15:29 --> 00:15:32] Daniel did not say anything
[00:15:32 --> 00:15:35] and did not ask any questions.
[00:15:35 --> 00:15:37] He knew what this was about,
[00:15:37 --> 00:15:39] and he was ready.
[00:15:40 --> 00:15:43] The guards walked him through the town
[00:15:43 --> 00:15:45] so everyone could see him.
[00:15:45 --> 00:15:50] They kept on walking until they came to a deserted place
[00:15:50 --> 00:15:53] that Daniel had never seen.
[00:15:53 --> 00:15:55] It was dark and empty.
[00:15:55 --> 00:15:58] It smelled very bad,
[00:15:58 --> 00:16:02] like meat that had been rotting for a long time.
[00:16:02 --> 00:16:03] (dramatic music)
[00:16:03 --> 00:16:05] As they approached,
[00:16:05 --> 00:16:09] Daniel saw a gigantic hole in the ground.
[00:16:09 --> 00:16:12] He couldn't see what was in the hole,
[00:16:12 --> 00:16:16] but he heard growling noises from inside of it.
[00:16:17 --> 00:16:19] Daniel was scared.
[00:16:19 --> 00:16:21] He knew what was happening,
[00:16:21 --> 00:16:24] but it was all happening so fast
[00:16:24 --> 00:16:25] he couldn't keep up.
[00:16:26 --> 00:16:31] Daniel saw a massive stone sitting next to the hole.
[00:16:31 --> 00:16:35] He saw a small hut off to the side of the hole.
[00:16:36 --> 00:16:40] He saw King Darius standing beside the hole,
[00:16:40 --> 00:16:43] and he looked very sad.
[00:16:43 --> 00:16:46] And suddenly, he saw the sky.
[00:16:47 --> 00:16:49] He didn't realize at first,
[00:16:49 --> 00:16:50] but he was falling.
[00:16:50 --> 00:16:51] (air whooshes)
[00:16:51 --> 00:16:54] The guards had pushed him into the hole,
[00:16:54 --> 00:16:56] and he was falling in.
[00:16:57 --> 00:16:59] Daniel hit the ground.
[00:16:59 --> 00:17:00] (Daniel thuds)
[00:17:00 --> 00:17:02] He coughed. (Daniel coughing)
[00:17:02 --> 00:17:05] The ground was made of rock.
[00:17:05 --> 00:17:09] Pain coursed through Daniel's bones.
[00:17:09 --> 00:17:11] He couldn't move.
[00:17:11 --> 00:17:14] He looked up at the sky,
[00:17:14 --> 00:17:17] but the sky began to grow smaller
[00:17:17 --> 00:17:21] as the guards above covered the hole with the stone
[00:17:21 --> 00:17:23] Daniel had seen. (stone rumbling)
[00:17:23 --> 00:17:25] They kept rolling the stone
[00:17:25 --> 00:17:29] until the opening was completely sealed.
[00:17:29 --> 00:17:32] Daniel couldn't see anything.
[00:17:32 --> 00:17:34] It was pitch black.
[00:17:36 --> 00:17:37] Daniel stood up.
[00:17:38 --> 00:17:41] He knew he was underground,
[00:17:41 --> 00:17:43] but he didn't know where he was.
[00:17:44 --> 00:17:49] To his side, Daniel saw two yellow eyes.
[00:17:49 --> 00:17:52] He looked, but they suddenly disappeared.
[00:17:53 --> 00:17:56] He looked all around him,
[00:17:56 --> 00:17:58] but couldn't see anything.
[00:17:59 --> 00:18:02] He saw another pair of eyes pop up,
[00:18:02 --> 00:18:04] but those disappeared, too.
[00:18:05 --> 00:18:06] It was silent.
[00:18:08 --> 00:18:11] Then he heard a growl.
[00:18:11 --> 00:18:13] (lion growls)
[00:18:13 --> 00:18:18] Suddenly, Daniel saw a circle of yellow eyes all around him
[00:18:18 --> 00:18:22] slowly moving closer. (lion growling)
[00:18:22 --> 00:18:25] He was surrounded by lions.
[00:18:25 --> 00:18:30] These were very hungry lions that had not eaten in days.
[00:18:30 --> 00:18:31] (lions growling) (intense music)
[00:18:31 --> 00:18:33] Daniel was trapped,
[00:18:34 --> 00:18:37] but Daniel did not feel afraid.
[00:18:37 --> 00:18:41] He got down on his knees and he prayed.
[00:18:41 --> 00:18:42] (lions continue growling)
[00:18:42 --> 00:18:46] He gave glory to God and asked for His protection.
[00:18:47 --> 00:18:51] One of the lions walked up close to him.
[00:18:51 --> 00:18:52] (lion growling)
[00:18:52 --> 00:18:54] Daniel kept praying.
[00:18:55 --> 00:18:58] The lion smelled him. (lion sniffing)
[00:18:58 --> 00:19:02] It looked at him for a long time.
[00:19:02 --> 00:19:04] And then it walked away.
[00:19:06 --> 00:19:08] All of the other lions walked away as well.
[00:19:09 --> 00:19:12] Some of them laid down.
[00:19:12 --> 00:19:15] Daniel could not see very well,
[00:19:15 --> 00:19:17] but it looked like there was another person
[00:19:17 --> 00:19:19] in the Lion's Den.
[00:19:20 --> 00:19:22] He saw the shadow of a person
[00:19:22 --> 00:19:26] who looked to be soothing the lions to sleep.
[00:19:26 --> 00:19:28] (calm music)
[00:19:28 --> 00:19:32] Daniel continued praying for a long time.
[00:19:32 --> 00:19:36] He felt himself getting more and more tired,
[00:19:37 --> 00:19:41] but he couldn't tell when his eyes were open or closed
[00:19:41 --> 00:19:43] because it was so dark.
[00:19:43 --> 00:19:46] He just kept praying.
[00:19:46 --> 00:19:48] (pensive music)
[00:19:52 --> 00:19:57] Daniel heard a loud scratching noise.
[00:19:57 --> 00:19:59] He felt his eyes open,
[00:19:59 --> 00:20:01] but he still couldn't see anything.
[00:20:02 --> 00:20:04] He had fallen asleep,
[00:20:04 --> 00:20:07] but he didn't know how or when.
[00:20:08 --> 00:20:13] He saw the tiniest glimmer of light fill the den.
[00:20:13 --> 00:20:17] He looked up and saw a tiny sliver in the stone
[00:20:17 --> 00:20:19] covering the opening.
[00:20:19 --> 00:20:22] But he squinted his eyes and looked away
[00:20:22 --> 00:20:24] because it was too bright.
[00:20:25 --> 00:20:28] He heard the stone move a little bit.
[00:20:28 --> 00:20:29] (stone rumbles)
[00:20:29 --> 00:20:32] He tried looking up again,
[00:20:32 --> 00:20:34] but he could not see very well
[00:20:34 --> 00:20:37] because his eyes were still adjusting to all the light.
[00:20:39 --> 00:20:43] He saw the shape of a head peek through the sliver,
[00:20:44 --> 00:20:45] but he couldn't tell who it was.
[00:20:45 --> 00:20:47] (soft mysterious music)
[00:20:47 --> 00:20:52] "Daniel," asked the man's voice, hopelessly.
[00:20:54 --> 00:20:57] "King Darius," asked Daniel.
[00:20:57 --> 00:20:58] "Is that you?"
[00:21:00 --> 00:21:03] The man's jaw dropped.
[00:21:03 --> 00:21:05] He looked up to heaven,
[00:21:05 --> 00:21:07] then backed down into the Lion's Den.
[00:21:08 --> 00:21:11] "Daniel," he yelled.
[00:21:11 --> 00:21:13] "You're alive?"
[00:21:13 --> 00:21:16] "Yes, I'm alive," said Daniel.
[00:21:17 --> 00:21:21] The man had tears of joy in his eyes.
[00:21:21 --> 00:21:25] Daniel could see that it was indeed King Darius.
[00:21:26 --> 00:21:28] "Oh, Daniel.
[00:21:28 --> 00:21:32] How did you survive," asked King Darius.
[00:21:32 --> 00:21:35] "I prayed," said Daniel.
[00:21:35 --> 00:21:38] "God sent an angel to tame the lions."
[00:21:40 --> 00:21:43] King Darius was filled with joy.
[00:21:43 --> 00:21:46] He was silent for a long time.
[00:21:46 --> 00:21:51] He was filled with awe and did not know what to say.
[00:21:51 --> 00:21:52] "Finally," he said.
[00:21:52 --> 00:21:55] "I'll be right back!"
[00:21:55 --> 00:21:58] King Darius ran out of Daniel's sight.
[00:21:59 --> 00:22:03] A few moments later, he came back,
[00:22:03 --> 00:22:05] holding a rope, and yelled,
[00:22:05 --> 00:22:07] "Here, grab this."
[00:22:08 --> 00:22:11] King Darius threw one end of the rope
[00:22:11 --> 00:22:13] down for Daniel to grab onto.
[00:22:13 --> 00:22:15] (rope thuds)
[00:22:15 --> 00:22:19] Daniel grasped the rope and tried to climb,
[00:22:19 --> 00:22:21] but his body was shaking from hunger.
[00:22:22 --> 00:22:25] King Darius began pulling the rope
[00:22:25 --> 00:22:27] with all his strength, (rope rustling)
[00:22:27 --> 00:22:32] and he slowly pulled Daniel out of the Lion's Den.
[00:22:33 --> 00:22:37] When he saw that there was not a single scratch on Daniel,
[00:22:37 --> 00:22:39] he fell to his knees.
[00:22:40 --> 00:22:43] "Daniel, you're all right!
[00:22:43 --> 00:22:46] Glory to God," he said.
[00:22:46 --> 00:22:50] King Darius prayed and gave thanks to God.
[00:22:51 --> 00:22:55] Daniel was amazed to be out of the Lion's Den.
[00:22:56 --> 00:23:00] He had never been so thankful in his life.
[00:23:00 --> 00:23:03] He thanked God for the gift of the sun's light
[00:23:03 --> 00:23:05] and the breeze of the air,
[00:23:05 --> 00:23:09] and especially for the gift of his life.
[00:23:10 --> 00:23:13] King Darius declared that all the people
[00:23:13 --> 00:23:17] of Babylon should glorify God.
[00:23:17 --> 00:23:19] Daniel's love for God
[00:23:19 --> 00:23:22] and his courage in giving glory to God,
[00:23:22 --> 00:23:24] even in the face of punishment,
[00:23:24 --> 00:23:27] ended up bringing all of Babylon to God.
[00:23:28 --> 00:23:32] Daniel never forgot his night in the Lion's Den.
[00:23:32 --> 00:23:36] His courage showed the people of Babylon
[00:23:36 --> 00:23:40] that they could trust in God even if things felt hopeless.
[00:23:42 --> 00:23:45] Daniel lived to be very old.
[00:23:45 --> 00:23:47] Until the day he died,
[00:23:47 --> 00:23:52] he was no longer scared when he saw a lion.
[00:23:52 --> 00:23:55] Instead, he gave glory to God
[00:23:55 --> 00:23:58] and remembered what God had done for him
[00:23:58 --> 00:24:00] in the Lion's Den.
[00:24:00 --> 00:24:01] (energetic classical music)
[00:24:01 --> 00:24:05] We built the lion, but Daniel faced the real thing.
[00:24:05 --> 00:24:06] He didn't run.
[00:24:06 --> 00:24:07] He didn't give up.
[00:24:07 --> 00:24:09] He trusted God.
[00:24:09 --> 00:24:11] That's what made him a hero!
[00:24:11 --> 00:24:13] If you want more build-and-listen adventures like this,
[00:24:13 --> 00:24:15] hit Subscribe, and we'll see you in the next one.
[00:24:15 --> 00:24:16] Bye!
[00:24:17 --> 00:24:19] (straw slurping) (logo pops)
[00:24:19 --> 00:24:19] "Juice Box." (straw slurping)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is “A Night in the Lion’s Den” about?
It’s a kid-friendly retelling of Daniel in the lions’ den. Daniel keeps praying to God even when it becomes illegal, and he’s punished for it. God protects Daniel through the night, and he survives.
Why was Daniel thrown into the lions’ den?
Daniel was thrown in because jealous leaders made a law to trap him. They knew Daniel prayed every day, so they set him up. Daniel didn’t do anything wrong. He was punished for staying faithful.
How did Daniel survive the lions’ den?
Daniel survived because God protected him. Daniel prays and trusts God through the night, and the lions don’t hurt him. In the morning, he’s found safe.
Why is the story of Daniel in the lions’ den important for kids?
Daniel’s story is important because it teaches kids what real courage looks like. Daniel doesn’t stay brave because he’s “not scared”. He stays brave because he keeps praying and doing the right thing even under pressure. It reminds kids that God is close when they feel alone, and that faithfulness in small choices can help them stand strong in big moments.
What is the lesson for kids from Daniel in the lions’ den?
The lesson is brave faith. Daniel shows kids that you can be scared and still do the right thing. Prayer helps you stay strong inside, and God stays close, even in your hardest moments.
If your kids asked a big faith question this week, you’re not alone. Subscribe so you’ve always got a short, safe, Catholic video ready for car rides, bedtime, or Sunday prep.
Free Daniel and the Lions Worksheet for Kids
Help your child learn more about bravery through a coloring page of Daniel praying with an angry lion in the lion’s den and an activity that identifies what best describes Daniel in this story. A simple way to help kids remember Daniel’s courage and talk about what it means to trust God.
What's Inside:
Daniel and the Lion Coloring Page
Circle What Best Describes Daniel
Perfect to use while watching the companion Juice Box video
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