| New American Standard Bible 1995 | NET Bible |
| 1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. | 1In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem and laid it under siege. |
| 2The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god. | 2Now the Lord delivered King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power, along with some of the vessels of the temple of God. He brought them to the land of Babylonia to the temple of his god and put the vessels in the treasury of his god. |
| 3Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, | 3The king commanded Ashpenaz, who was in charge of his court officials, to choose some of the Israelites who were of royal and noble descent-- |
| 4youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king's court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. | 4young men in whom there was no physical defect and who were handsome, well versed in all kinds of wisdom, well educated and having keen insight, and who were capable of entering the king's royal service--and to teach them the literature and language of the Babylonians. |
| 5The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king's choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king's personal service. | 5So the king assigned them a daily ration from his royal delicacies and from the wine he himself drank. They were to be trained for the next three years. At the end of that time they were to enter the king's service. |
| 6Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. | 6As it turned out, among these young men were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. |
| 7Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach and to Azariah Abed-nego. | 7But the overseer of the court officials renamed them. He gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar, Hananiah he named Shadrach, Mishael he named Meshach, and Azariah he named Abednego. |
| 8But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. | 8But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself. |
| 9Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials, | 9Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel. |
| 10and 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 make me forfeit my head to the king." | 10But he responded to Daniel, "I fear my master the king. He is the one who has decided your food and drink. What would happen if he saw that you looked malnourished in comparison to the other young men your age? If that happened, you would endanger my life with the king!" |
| 11But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, | 11Daniel then spoke to the warden whom the overseer of the court officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: |
| 12"Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. | 12"Please test your servants for ten days by providing us with some vegetables to eat and water to drink. |
| 13"Then let our appearance be observed 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." | 13Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who are eating the royal delicacies; deal with us in light of what you see." |
| 14So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. | 14So the warden agreed to their proposal and tested them for ten days. |
| 15At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king's choice food. | 15At the end of the ten days their appearance was better and their bodies were healthier than all the young men who had been eating the royal delicacies. |
| 16So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables. | 16So the warden removed the delicacies and the wine from their diet and gave them a diet of vegetables instead. |
| 17As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams. | 17Now 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. |
| 18Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. | 18When the time appointed by the king arrived, the overseer of the court officials brought them into Nebuchadnezzar's presence. |
| 19The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's personal service. | 19When the king spoke with them, he did not find among the entire group anyone like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah. So they entered the king's service. |
| 20As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm. | 20In every matter of wisdom and insight the king asked them about, he found them to be ten times better than any of the magicians and astrologers that were in his entire empire. |
| 21And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king. | 21Now Daniel lived on until the first year of Cyrus the king. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
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