Daniel Says No to the King's Food

Daniel and his three best friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—lived in a place called Judah. They loved God very much. But one day, a powerful king named Nebuchadnezzar came and took them far away to his country, Babylon.

The king had a plan. He wanted to train the smartest young men to work for him. He gave them new names and said, 'You can eat food from my special table! You can have meat and wine—the best food in the kingdom!'

But Daniel had a problem. The king's food was offered to fake gods called idols. If Daniel ate it, it would be like saying those fake gods were real. Daniel wanted to obey God, not the king's idols.

Daniel was brave. He told the king's helper, 'Please, can we just eat vegetables and drink water instead?'

The helper was worried. 'But what if you get sick and skinny? The king will be angry at me!'

Daniel said, 'How about a test? Let us eat vegetables and water for ten days. Then see if we look healthy!'

The helper agreed. For ten days, Daniel and his friends ate their vegetables—carrots, beans, lettuce—and drank water. No fancy meat. No wine.

After ten days, guess what? Daniel and his friends looked healthier and stronger than all the other young men who ate the king's food!

God blessed them for being faithful. He made them super smart too! When the king tested them, they were TEN TIMES smarter than all his wise men!

Daniel and his friends learned that when you obey God, even when it's hard, God takes care of you!