Daniel 1

1 Jojakims, Judas Konges, Regerings tredje Aar drog Nebukadnezar, Kongen af Babel, til Jerusalem og belejrede den.2 Og Herren gav Jojakim, Judus Konge, i hans Haand samt en Del af Guds Hus's Kar, og dem lod han føre til Sinears Land, til sin Guds Hus; og Karene lod han føre ind i sin Guds Skatkammer.3 Og Kongen sagde til Aspenas, sin Overhofmester, at han skulde lade nogle komme af Israels Sønner, baade af den kongelige Slægt og af de fornemme,4 unge Mennesker, aldeles uden Lyde og smukke af Udseende, med Gave til at forstaa al Slags Visdom og til at lære Kandskab og blive kyndige i Vidskab, og i hvilke der var Dygtighed til at tjene i Kongens Palads; og at han skulde lade dem lære kaldæisk Skrift og Tungemaal.5 Og Kongen bestemte, at de Dag for Dag skulde have deres Del af Kongens Mad og af den Vin, som han drak, og at man skulde opdrage dem i tre Aar; og naar de vare til Ende, da skulde de staa for Kongens Ansigt.6 Iblandt dem var der af Judas Børn: Daniel, Hanania, Misael og Asaria.7 Og Overhofmesteren gav dem Navne: Daniel kaldte han Beltsazar og Hanania Sadrak og Misael Mesak og Asaria Abed-Nego.8 Men Daniel satte sig for i sit Hjerte, at han ikke skulde besmitte sig med Kongens Mad og med den Vin, som han drak; derfor begærede han af Overhofmesteren, at han maatte blive fri for at besmitte sig.9 Og Gud lod Daniel finde Naade og Barmhjertighed for Overhofmesterens Ansigt.10 Og Overhofmesteren sagde til Daniel: Jeg Frygter for min Herre, Kongen, som har bestemt eders Mad og eders Drikke; thi hvorfor skulde han se, at eders Ansigter saa slettere ud end Drengenes, som ere jævnaldrende med eder, og I bringe Skyld over mit Hoved hos Kongen!11 Da sagde Daniel til den Melzar, som Overhofmesteren havde sat ov er Daniel, Hanania, Misael og Asaria:12 Forsøg dog med dine Tjenere i ti Dage; og lad dem give os Grøntsager at æde og Vand at drikke;13 og lad da vort Udseende blive synet af dig som og de Drenges Udseende, hvilke æde af Kongens Mad; og. som du da ser, saa gør med dine Tjenere!14 Og han adlød dem i denne Sag og forsøgte det med dem i ti Dage.15 Og efter at ti Dage vare til Ende, viste det sig, at deres Udseende var smukkere, og at da vare federe af Kød end alle Drengene, som aade Kongens Mad.16 Da borttog Melzar deres Mad og den Vin, de skulde drikke, og gav dem Grøntsager.17 Og disse fire unge Mennesker gav Gud Kundskab og Forstand i al Slags Skrift og Visdommen Daniel forstod sig paa alle Slags Syner og Drømme.18 Og der Dagene vare til Ende, efter hvilke Kongen havde sagt, at man skulde føle dem frem, da førte Overhofmesteren dem frem for Nebukadnezars Ansigt.19 Og Kongen talte med dem, og ingen af dem alle sammen blev funden som Daniel, Hanania, Misael og Asaria; og de stode for Kongens Ansigt.20 Og i alle Sager, der krævede Visdom og Indsigt, og nm hvilke Kongen spurgte dem, fandt han dem ti Gange at overgaa alle de Spaamænd og Besværgere, som vare i hans hele Rige.21 Og Daniel blev indtil Kong Kyrus's første Aar.

Daniel 1

Daniel Finds Favor in Babylon

1 In the thirds year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzars of Babylon advanced against Jerusalems and laid it under siege.s

2 Now the Lordt deliveredt King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power,t along with some of the vesselst of the temple of God.t He brought them to the land of Babylonias to the temple of his godt and putt the vessels in the treasury of his god.
3 The king commandedt Ashpenaz,s who was in charge of his court officials,s to chooset some of the Israelites who were of royal and noble descentt –4 young men in whom there was no physical defect and who were handsome,t well versed in all kinds of wisdom, well educatedt and having keen insight,t and who were capablet of entering the king’s royal servicet – and to teach them the literature and languages of the Babylonians.t5 So the king assigned them a daily rationt from his royal delicaciest and from the wine he himself drank. They were to be trainedt for the next three years. At the end of that time they were to enter the king’s service.t6 As it turned out,t among these young ment were some from Judah:t Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.s

7 But the overseer of the court officials renamed them. He gaves Daniel the name Belteshazzar, Hananiah he named Shadrach, Mishael he named Meshach, and Azariah he named Abednego.s
8 But Daniel made up his mindt that he would not defilets himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine.t He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself.9 Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel.t10 But het responded to Daniel, “I fear my master the king. He is the one who has decidedt your food and drink. What would happen if he saw that you looked malnourished in comparison to the other young men your age?t If that happened,t you would endanger my lifet with the king!”11 Daniel then spoke to the wardens whom the overseer of the court officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:12 “Please test your servants for ten days by providing us with some vegetables to eat and water to drink.13 Then compare our appearancet with that oft the young men who are eating the royal delicacies;t deal with ust in light of what you see.”

14 So the wardent agreed to their proposalt and tested them for tens days.
15 At the end of the ten days their appearance was better and their bodies were healthiert than all the young men who had been eating the royal delicacies.16 So the warden removed the delicacies and the winet from their diett and gave them a diet of vegetables instead.

17 Now as for these four young men, God endowed them with knowledge and skill in all sorts of literature and wisdom – and Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams.
18 When the time appointed by the king arrived,t the overseer of the court officials brought them into Nebuchadnezzar’s presence.19 When the king spoke with them, he did not find among the entire groupt anyone like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah. So they entered the king’s service.t20 In every matter of wisdom ands insight the king asked them about, he found them to be ten timest better than any of the magicians and astrologers that were in his entire empire.

21 Now Daniel lived on until the firsts year of Cyrus the king.