The Book of Daniel tells of Daniel surviving overnight in a den of lions.
The episode appears in Daniel chapter 6. Officials persuade King Darius to issue a decree restricting prayer to the king for thirty days. Daniel continues praying to God, is reported, and is thrown into the lions’ den despite the king’s regret.
The text says that God sends an angel to shut the lions’ mouths, and Daniel is found unharmed the next morning. Darius then praises Daniel’s God and orders that the officials who accused Daniel be punished.
The story is often confused with the Book of Esther because both books feature Jewish people living under foreign imperial rule. Esther concerns a queen and the preservation of her people; Daniel concerns visions, court service, and Daniel’s faithfulness under successive empires.