After the death of Balshazzar, Darius the Medean became king of Babylon. He appointed 120 governors to rule over his provinces and over them he appointed three presidents, and over them he appointed Daniel. The king admired the wisdom of Daniel and this evoked jealousy and enmity among all the ministers who sought to find fault with him. But Daniel was too honest and wise.
Then, one day, they hit upon a scheme. They approached the king and said, “O mighty king, may you live forever. We have a plan to make all the people of your kingdom respect and admire you more than they do now. Establish an image of yourself and make every person pray unto you for 30 days. Whosoever shall pray to another god or man for the next 30 days should be cast into a den of hungry lions. If you sign such an edict it cannot be changed according to the law of Medea and Persia.”
The king felt honored and flattered and he readily agreed to such a plan, not realizing that this was done to harm Daniel.
Daniel Prays To G-d
The following day the ministers visited the home of Daniel. At the entrance of the courtyard they saw a small girl playing. “Little girl,” they asked, “Do you know Daniel who lives here?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“What does he do all day?” they asked.
“He buys clothes for the poor brides and grooms who come to him. He also makes the wedding for them and everybody enjoys themselves.”
”You don’t say,” remarked the ministers. “Is he always this happy?”
“No,” she replied, “at other times he arranges for the burial of the poor people who could not afford to arrange funerals for their departed relatives. He also gives a lot of money to the poor and he provides meals for the hungry.”
While they were speaking, a crowd of people entered the courtyard and remained waiting. “Who are these people and for whom are they waiting?” the ministers asked.
“They are poor people and they are waiting for Daniel to descend from the attic where he goes three times a day to pray to his G-d and then he will give them food and money.”
The ministers entered the home and went up to the attic where they found Daniel praying to G-d. Without saying a word, they left the house to gain an audience with the king.
“O mighty king,” they said, “we have found Daniel praying to his G-d, which is against your edict. We now demand that you order him to be cast into the den of lions.”
The king felt bad and tried to argue against such a harsh verdict being meted out to so prominent a man as Daniel.
“But you have no choice, O king,” they said. He violated your law. If he gets away with it, then everyone in your kingdom will do the same. You must make an example of him.”
Cast Into The Den Of Lions
Having no choice, the king was forced to order his soldiers to cast Daniel into the den of lions. The den consisted of a large pit wherein 10 hungry lions were. Every day, 10 lambs and 10 carcasses were thrown into the hole for the lions to devour. On the day when Daniel was supposed to be thrown into the pit the lions did not get any food, so that they would be ravenous.
A large crowd assembled to watch. Daniel was led forward, and after the charges were read, he was cast into the den. A huge stone was placed over the hole which the king sealed with his signet. It would not be opened until the following day.
The Docile Lions
When Daniel was thrown into the den, all the lions surrounded him. They began to lick his feet and became as docile as kittens. They all lay down beside him, even though they were very hungry.
That evening, the Navi Chavakuk was preparing a luncheon for his workers in the land of Judea. Suddenly, the voice of G-d came to him, “Go to Babylon and take along the meal you have prepared for your laborers and give it to Daniel who is now sitting in a den of lions!”