Daniel Chooses God's Food

Long ago, a powerful king named Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and took many people to his kingdom of Babylon. Among them were four young men: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The king's servants gave them new names—Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—and planned to teach them everything about Babylon so they could work in the king's palace.

The king wanted these young men to eat the same rich food and wine that he ate every day. But Daniel knew that some of this food was not right for God's people to eat. He didn't want to disobey God, even though he was far from home. So Daniel made a brave decision: he would not eat the king's food.

Daniel kindly asked the man in charge if he and his three friends could eat only vegetables and drink only water instead. The man was worried. 'What if you look skinny and sick?' he said. 'The king will be angry with me!'

Daniel had an idea. 'Let's try it for just ten days,' he suggested. 'Then see if we look worse than the other young men who eat the king's food.'

The man agreed to the test. For ten days, Daniel and his friends ate vegetables and drank water while the others ate the king's fancy meals. And guess what happened? At the end of ten days, Daniel and his friends looked healthier and stronger than everyone else! Their faces were bright and they felt wonderful.

So the man let them keep eating vegetables. God blessed Daniel and his friends for choosing to obey Him. He made them very smart and wise—even wiser than all the king's magicians and advisors! When they stood before King Nebuchadnezzar, he was amazed. He had never met anyone as wise as these four young men. Daniel and his friends learned that when you obey God, He takes care of you.