Daniel 1

Daniel and His Friends Remain Faithful to God

1 In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and attacked it.

2 The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah and some utensils from God’s temple over to Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar took the utensils to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put them in the temple treasury.
3 The king told Ashpenaz, the chief-of-staff, to bring some of the Israelites, the royal family, and the nobility.

4 They were to be young men who were healthy, good-looking, knowledgeable in all subjects, well-informed, intelligent, and able to serve in the king’s palace. They were to be taught the language and literature of the Babylonians.
5 The king arranged for them to get a daily allowance of the king’s rich food and wine. They were to be trained for three years. After that, they were to serve the king.6 Among these young men were some Judeans: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

7 The chief-of-staff gave them Babylonian names: To Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar. To Hananiah he gave the name Shadrach. To Mishael he gave the name Meshach. And to Azariah he gave the name Abednego.
8 Daniel made up his mind not to harm himself by eating the king’s rich food and drinking the king’s wine. So he asked the chief-of-staff for permission not to harm himself in this way.9 God made the chief-of-staff kind and compassionate toward Daniel.

10 The chief-of-staff told Daniel, “I’m afraid of my master, the king. The king determined what you should eat and drink. If he sees that you look worse than the other young men your age, he would have my head cut off.”
11 The chief-of-staff put a supervisor in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Daniel said to the supervisor,12 “Please test us for ten days. Give us only vegetables to eat and water to drink.

13 Then compare us to the young men who are eating the king’s rich food. Decide how to treat us on the basis of how we look.”
14 The supervisor listened to them about this matter and tested them for ten days.15 After ten days they looked healthier and stronger than the young men who had been eating the king’s rich food.

16 So the supervisor took away the king’s rich food and wine and gave them vegetables.
17 God gave these four men knowledge, wisdom, and the ability to understand all kinds of literature. Daniel could also understand all kinds of visions and dreams.18 At the end of the three-year training period, the chief-of-staff brought all the young men to Nebuchadnezzar.19 The king talked to them and found no one like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah among all of them. So these four men served the king.

20 Whenever the king asked them about things that required wisdom and insight, he found that they knew ten times more than all the magicians and psychics in his whole kingdom.
21 Daniel served the royal palace until the first year of King Cyrus of Persia.

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.