| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem and laid it under siege. | 1During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar 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. | 2The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house 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 ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. |
| 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. | 4“Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon. ” |
| 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 ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service. |
| 6As it turned out, among these young men were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. | 6Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from 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. | 7The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names: Daniel was called Belteshazzar. Hananiah was called Shadrach. Mishael was called Meshach. Azariah was 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 was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. |
| 9Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel. | 9Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. |
| 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!" | 10But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.” |
| 11Daniel then spoke to the warden whom the overseer of the court officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: | 11Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after 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“Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. |
| 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." | 13“At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” |
| 14So the warden agreed to their proposal and tested them for ten days. | 14The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion 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 the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. |
| 16So the warden removed the delicacies and the wine from their diet and gave them a diet of vegetables instead. | 16So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others. |
| 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. | 17God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams. |
| 18When the time appointed by the king arrived, the overseer of the court officials brought them into Nebuchadnezzar's presence. | 18When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King 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. | 19The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. |
| 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. | 20Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. |
| 21Now Daniel lived on until the first year of Cyrus the king. | 21Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus. |
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