1 In the third year of the reign of A2 Kin 24:1; 2 Chr 36:5, 6Jehoiakim king of Judah, BJer 25:1; 52:12, 28-30Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The AIs 42:24; Dan 2:37, 38Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the B2 Chr 36:7; Jer 27:19, 20; Dan 5:2vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of CGen 10:10; 11:2; Is 11:11; Zech 5:11Shinar, to the house of his 1Or godsgod, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his 1Or godsDJer 50:2; 51:44god.

3 Then the king 1Or said toordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his 2Or eunuchs, and so throughout the chofficials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the 3Lit seed of theroyal A2 Kin 24:15; Is 39:7family and of the nobles, 4 youths in whom was A2 Sam 14:25no defect, who were good-looking, showing BDan 1:17intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for 1Lit standingserving in the king’s 2Lit palacecourt; and he ordered him to teach them the 3Or writingliterature and CIs 36:11; Jer 5:15; Dan 2:4language of the DDan 2:2, 4, 5, 10; 3:8; 4:7; 5:7, 11, 30; 9:1Chaldeans. 5 The king appointed for them a daily ration from the ADan 1:8king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be 1Or rearededucated three years, at the end of which they were to 2Lit stand before the kingB1 Sam 16:22; Dan 1:19enter the king’s personal service. 6 Now among them from the sons of Judah were AEzek 14:14, 20; 28:3; Matt 24:15Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name ADan 2:26; 4:8; 5:12Belteshazzar, to Hananiah BDan 2:49; 3:12Shadrach, to Mishael BDan 2:49; 3:12Meshach and to Azariah BDan 2:49; 3:12Abed-nego.

8 But Daniel 1Lit set upon his heartmade up his mind that he would not ALev 11:47; Ezek 4:13, 14; Hos 9:3, 4defile himself with the BPs 141:4; Dan 1:5king’s choice food or with the CDeut 32:38; Dan 5:4wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God granted Daniel 1Lit lovingkindnessAGen 39:21; 1 Kin 8:50; Job 5:15, 16; Ps 106:46; Prov 16:7favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials, 10 and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would 1Lit make my head guiltymake me forfeit my head to the king.” 11 But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be ADan 1:16given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13  “Then let our appearance be 1Lit seenobserved in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”

14 So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days their appearance seemed AEx 23:25; Prov 10:22better and 1Lit fat of fleshthey were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. 16 So the overseer continued to 1Lit take awaywithhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept ADan 1:12giving them vegetables.

17 As for these four youths, A1 Kin 3:12, 28; Job 32:8; Dan 1:20; 2:21, 23; Acts 7:22God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of 1Or writingliterature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of BDan 2:19; 7:1; 8:1visions and dreams.

18 Then at the end of the days which the king had 1Lit saidspecified 2Lit to bring them infor presenting them, the commander of the officials 3Lit brought inpresented them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like ADan 1:6, 7Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they 1Lit stood before the kingBGen 41:46; Dan 1:5entered the king’s personal service. 20 As for every matter of A1 Kin 4:30, 31; Dan 1:17wisdom 1Lit ofand understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them BGen 31:7; Num 14:22; Neh 4:12; Job 19:3ten times CDan 2:27, 28, 46, 48better than all the 2Or soothsayer priestsDIs 19:3; Dan 2:2; 4:18; 5:7magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm. 21 And Daniel 1Lit was untilcontinued until the ADan 6:28; 10:1first year of Cyrus the king.