Daniel 1

Daniel Taken to Babylon

1 During the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and surrounded it with his army.

2 The Lord allowed Nebuchadnezzar to capture Jehoiakim king of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the things from the Temple of God, which he carried to Babylonia and put in the temple of his gods.
3 Then King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, his chief officer, to bring some of the men of Judah into his palace. He wanted them to be from important families, including the family of the king of Judah.4 King Nebuchadnezzar wanted only young Israelite men who had nothing wrong with them. They were to be handsome and well educated, capable of learning and understanding, and able to serve in his palace. Ashpenaz was to teach them the language and writings of the Babylonians.5 The king gave the young men a certain amount of food and wine every day, just like the food he ate. The young men were to be trained for three years, and then they would become servants of the king of Babylon.

6 Among those young men were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from the people of Judah.

7 Ashpenaz, the chief officer, gave them Babylonian names. Daniel’s new name was Belteshazzar, Hananiah’s was Shadrach, Mishael’s was Meshach, and Azariah’s was Abednego.

8 Daniel decided not to eat the king’s food or drink his wine because that would make him unclean. So he asked Ashpenaz for permission not to make himself unclean in this way.
9 God made Ashpenaz, the chief officer, want to be kind and merciful to Daniel,

10 but Ashpenaz said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my master, the king. He ordered me to give you this food and drink. If you begin to look worse than other young men your age, the king will see this. Then he will cut off my head because of you.”
11 Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.12 Daniel said to the guard, “Please give us this test for ten days: Don’t give us anything but vegetables to eat and water to drink.

13 After ten days compare how we look with how the other young men look who eat the king’s food. See for yourself and then decide how you want to treat us, your servants.”
14 So the guard agreed to test them for ten days.15 After ten days they looked healthier and better fed than all the young men who ate the king’s food.

16 So the guard took away the king’s special food and wine, feeding them vegetables instead.

17 God gave these four young men wisdom and the ability to learn many things that people had written and studied. Daniel could also understand visions and dreams.
18 At the end of the time set for them by the king, Ashpenaz brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar.19 The king talked to them and found that none of the young men were as good as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So those four young men became the king’s servants.20 Every time the king asked them about something important, they showed much wisdom and understanding. They were ten times better than all the fortune-tellers and magicians in his kingdom!21 So Daniel continued to be the king’s servant until the first year Cyrus was king.

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.