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Daniel and his friends obey God

Daniel and his friends refuse to eat forbidden food.
Contributed by Sweet Publishing
Story also available on our translated websites: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, German, Hindi, Simplified Chinese
1
God had warned His people that unless they turned back to Him he would allow the Babylonians to defeat them and take them away as slaves. Among those living in Jerusalem was a young man called Daniel. – Slide 1
2
They ignored God’s warnings and during King Jehoiakim’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. – Slide 2
3
The Babylonians laid siege to the city of Jerusalem with Daniel trapped inside the city. – Slide 3
4
The Lord allowed the Babylonians to take the city. The victorious army took sacred objects from the Temple of God to take back to Babylon. – Slide 4
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The Babylonians then took away all the top leaders and the most able people, leaving only the poorest behind. Among those taken to Babylon was Daniel. – Slide 5
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Daniel and the Israelite prisoners were marched back to Babylon. – Slide 6
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King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to select from the prisoners the very best of the young men from royal and noble families. They had to be strong, healthy, good looking and clever. Among those Ashpenaz chose were Daniel and three of his friends. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The four were given Babylonian names. Daniel was called Belteshazzar.Hananiah was called Shadrach. Mishael was called Meshach. Azariah was called Abednego. – Slide 7
8
These four young Jewish men were to be trained for three years in the language and literature of Babylon. They would also be given food and wine from the King’s own kitchens. Daniel knew the meat being offered was not prepared as God had set out in the laws of Moses. He did not want to become drunk either. – Slide 8
9
Daniel asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. The chief of staff refused: ‘The king has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin the king will have me beheaded.’ Daniel did not give in. He spoke with the attendant, ‘Test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water then compare us to the others eating the king’s food.’  – Slide 9
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So for ten days Daniel and his three friends were fed vegetables and water while the others ate the King’s food and drank wine. At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the rest so they were allowed to continue on their diet. – Slide 10
11
God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. At the end of their training they were presented to King Nebuchadnezzar. No one impressed the King as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. The king found them found them ten times more capable than any of his wise men. – Slide 11
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