The king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. (Daniel 1:19)

About two years ago, I read the book of Daniel with new eyes, and I saw things I’d never even thought of before. The stories in that book blow your mind.

When they were captured and taken to Babylon, the “four Hebrew children” were just that—children. (Well, probably teenagers). Daniel, that lion’s-den hero we know so well, lived most of his life in captivity, served under four different kings there, and somehow stayed true to God his whole life, despite unimaginable trials. The other three Hebrew children, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, we usually associate with the story of the fiery furnace (and we usually call them by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), but they’re also close comrades of Daniel. They stood right beside their friend when he refused the king’s meat and wine in the early days of their captivity—all of them very young, and very vulnerable.

Clearly, when I started to realize what truly incredible lives these four lived, I had to write something! The result: a drama, set in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, starring Daniel and his three loyal friends.

I first wrote this play about a year and a half ago, but I’ve come back to it just recently and revised it into a final form. I’ve called it The (Reimagined) Book of Daniel, because I did, of course, have to use my imagination to fill in some of the details. I did my utmost to keep from actually changing any of the information that is given to us in the Biblical account; the timeline is the main thing I didn’t obey 100%. I did, however, add and explore a few characters that aren’t described in the original. If I hadn’t, there would just be some big question marks walking around on the stage, since the Bible doesn’t explain all the specifics of who, what, and why.

Anyway. All that said, today we’re officially making this new script available for purchase! Here are the quick facts:

Running time: 40-45 minutes

Characters: 19 (But doubling allows for flexibility in cast size—anywhere from 14 to 19 actors can manage all the roles.)

You can find the script’s full info, with a plot description, character list, etc. right here. Need more technical specs? Check out the play’s Production Notes. Interested in reading something from the script itself? Here’s an excerpt from Scene One.

Questions? Just leave a comment below or send us a message!