| New International Version | 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. |
| 2And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house 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, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king's service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility-- | 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-- |
| 4young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. | 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 assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's 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. |
| 6Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. | 6As it turned out, among these young men were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. |
| 7The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. | 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 resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. | 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 had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, | 9Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel. |
| 10but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you." | 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!" |
| 11Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official 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: Give us nothing but 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. |
| 13Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with 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 agreed to this and tested them for ten days. | 14So the warden agreed to their proposal and tested them for ten days. |
| 15At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal 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 guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. | 16So the warden removed the delicacies and the wine from their diet and gave them a diet of vegetables instead. |
| 17To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. | 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. |
| 18At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to 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 he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's 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. |
| 20In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. | 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 remained there until the first year of King Cyrus. | 21Now Daniel lived on until the first year of Cyrus the king. |
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