| NET Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem and laid it under siege. | 1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. |
| 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. | 2And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, 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 placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. |
| 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-- | 3Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, |
| 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. | 4youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. |
| 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. | 5The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. |
| 6As it turned out, among these young men were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. | 6Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. |
| 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. | 7And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. |
| 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. | 8But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. |
| 9Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel. | 9And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, |
| 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!" | 10and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” |
| 11Daniel then spoke to the warden whom the overseer of the court officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: | 11Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned 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. | 12“Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. |
| 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." | 13Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” |
| 14So the warden agreed to their proposal and tested them for ten days. | 14So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. |
| 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. | 15At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. |
| 16So the warden removed the delicacies and the wine from their diet and gave them a diet of vegetables instead. | 16So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. |
| 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. | 17As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. |
| 18When the time appointed by the king arrived, the overseer of the court officials brought them into Nebuchadnezzar's presence. | 18At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. |
| 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. | 19And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. |
| 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. | 20And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. |
| 21Now Daniel lived on until the first year of Cyrus the king. | 21And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus. |
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