Darius ordered Daniel to be brought out, and thrown into the pit of lions. Before Daniel was thrown into the den, Darius said to Daniel, "You have been faithful to your G-d, and I pray that he will rescue you."

After Daniel was cast into the pit, a stone was rolled over the entrance to the pit and it was sealed by Darius and the other officials. The pit was sealed so that no one could let Daniel out.

King Darius was very worried about Daniel; he could not eat or sleep, and he would not allow anyone to entertain him. When it was daylight the king ran to the pit to release Daniel. "Daniel," he shouted, "you were faithful and served your G-d. Was he able to save you from the lions?"

Daniel answered, "Your Majesty, I hope you live forever! My G-d knew that I was innocent, and He sent an angel to keep the lions from eating me. Your Majesty, I have never done anything to hurt you."2

The king was relieved to hear Daniel's voice, and gave orders for him to be taken out of the pit. Daniel's faith in his G-d had kept him from being harmed. The king ordered the men who had brought charges against Daniel to be thrown into the pit, together with their wives and children. Before they even reached the bottom, the lions ripped them to pieces.3

King Darius sent a message to all people of his kingdom: " Greetings to all of you! I command everyone in my kingdom to worship and honor the G-d of Daniel, who lives forever. His power and his kingdom will never end. He rescues people and sets them free by working great miracles. Daniel's G-d has rescued him from the power of the lions."4

From that point on, Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius the Mede and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

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"Wow, what an ending!" Brian exclaimed.

"It's one of my favorite Bible stories," Jamie exclaimed. "I never get tired of hearing it! Some people who are skeptical say that the lions weren't hungry, that's why Daniel wasn't eaten. All they have to do is to read the part about the evil men and their families being devoured before they hit the floor!"

"You are absolutely right, Jamie. That reminds me of something else. If all of the governors and administrators were thrown into the pit with their families, they would have numbered over four hundred people. However, some Bible scholars believe that it may have only been the ring leaders and their families"5 Darryl commented.

"What does a lions' den look like Dad?" Jamie was always asking questions about the littlest details.

Darryl began to explain, "The lions' den was a large square cavern in the earth, with a partition wall in the middle to separate it into two chambers. In the wall was a door that could be raised and lowered from above. By throwing food into one chamber, the keeper could entice the lions from the other chamber into it; then, after shutting the door, the keeper could enter the vacant chamber to clean it. The cavern was open from above, with a wall about four feet high around it. This allowed people to look over the wall and into the lions' den. There was an entrance in the wall surrounding the cavern through which both the keepers and the lions could enter. A round stone door could then be rolled over the entrance. This would explain why the king was able to talk to Daniel before the stone was rolled away. "6

"What does it mean to seal the stone?" Brian asked.

"After the stone was in place, they would put wax over the seam between the door and the wall. The king would then press his signet ring into the soft wax. No one would be able to move the stone without breaking the wax. This way they could ensure that no one could let Daniel out before his time in the lions' den was up."

"I think its time for us to go to sleep. We can talk about Daniel more tomorrow," Elizabeth said sleepily.

"I feel much better now," Brian said. "I think I'm ready to go to sleep now."

"Me, too," Jamie said, crawling into her sleeping bag.

"Good night, all. G-d bless you," Darryl said as he turned out the lantern.