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Daniel in the lions' den

Daniel refuses to stop praying to God.
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Daniel was a Jew in Babylon when the Medes and Persians took control of the land. Each day Daniel would pray facing towards Jerusalem in his own homeland. <br/>Daniel, along with two others, supervised 120 officials who governed the empire for King Darius. Daniel soon showed that he worked better than the other governors and was so outstanding the king considered putting him in charge of the whole empire. – Slide 1
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The other governors were jealous and tried to find something wrong with the way Daniel ruled the empire, but they could not as Daniel was so honest and reliable. <br/>‘There is nothing we can accuse Daniel of doing,’ they concluded, ‘unless it is something to do with the God he worships.’ <br/>So, they went to see the king and said, ‘King Darius, all who rule your empire want you to order, that for thirty days, no one is allowed to pray to any god, only your Majesty. Anyone who breaks this law is to be thrown into a pit filled with lions.’ – Slide 2
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King Darius signed the law -and laws of the Medes and Persians could not be changed. – Slide 3
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When Daniel learned that the order had been signed, he went home. In an upstairs room of his house, he knelt at the open windows that faced toward Jerusalem and prayed to God three times a day. – Slide 4
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Daniel's enemies went to the king. ‘Your Majesty, Daniel does not obey the order you issued. He prays to his God regularly three times a day. He must be thrown into a pit filled with lions.’ – Slide 5
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When the king heard this, he was upset and tried until sunset to find some way to rescue Daniel. But the laws of the Medes and Persians could not be changed. – Slide 6
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So, the king reluctantly gave orders for Daniel to be thrown into the pit filled with lions. – Slide 7
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He told Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve so loyally, rescue you.’ – Slide 8
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A stone was put over the mouth of the pit and the royal seal put on it so that no one could rescue Daniel. – Slide 9
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King Darius returned to the palace … – Slide 10
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… and spent a sleepless night. – Slide 11
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At dawn the king got up and hurried to the pit. – Slide 12
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‘Daniel, servant of the living God!’ he cried out. ‘Was the God you serve so loyally able to save you from the lions?’ – Slide 13
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Daniel answered, ‘May your Majesty live forever! God sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me. He did this because I was innocent.’ – Slide 14
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The king was overjoyed and gave orders for Daniel to be taken out of the pit. – Slide 15
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The king then commanded those who had accused Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the pit filled with lions. The lions pounced on them immediately. <br/>Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: ‘I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.’ <br/>So, Daniel prospered during the reign of King Darius and the reign of King Cyrus, a later King of the Medes and Persian empire. – Slide 16
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Slide 17