Daniel 1
1
1In the third year of the reign of Y'hoyakim Melech Yehudah came Nevukhadnetzar king of Babylon unto Yerushalayim, and besieged it.
2And Hashem gave Y'hoyakim Melech Yehudah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the Beis HaElohim; which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his g-d; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his g-d.
3And the king spoke unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the Bnei Yisroel, and of the kingʼs zera (seed), and of the princes,
4Yeladim in whom was no blemish, but well-favored, and skillful in all chochmah (wisdom), and cunning in da'as (knowledge), and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the heikhal hamelech (kingʼs palace), and whom they might teach the sefer and lashon of the Kasdim (Chaldeans).
5And the king appointed them a daily provision of the kingʼs food, and of the yayin which he drank, so nourishing them shanim shalosh (three years), that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
6Now among these were of the Bnei Yehudah, Daniel, Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah;
7Unto whom the chief of the eunuchs gave names; for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshatzar; and to Chananyah, of Shadrakh; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azaryah, of Abednego.
8But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the kingʼs delicacies, nor with the yayin which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
9Now G-d had brought Daniel into chesed and sympathy with the chief of the eunuchs.
10And the chief of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear adoni hamelech, who hath appointed your meat and your drink; for why should he see your faces worse looking than the yeladim which are of your age? Then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
11Then said Daniel to the steward, whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah,
12Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, yamim asarim (ten days); and let them give us vegetables to eat, and mayim (water) to drink.
13Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the yeladim that eat of the portion of the kingʼs meat, and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
14So he consented to them in this matter, and tested them yamim asarim (ten days).
15And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the yeladim which did eat the portion of the kingʼs meat.
16Thus the steward took away the portion of their meat, and the yayin that they should drink; and gave them vegetables.
17As for these four yeladim, G-d gave them knowledge and skill in all sefer and chochmah, and Daniel had understanding in all chazon (visions) and chalomot (dreams).
18Now at the end of the days that the king had said he would bring them in, then the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nevukhadnetzar.
19And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah; therefore stood they before the king.
20And in all matters of chochmah and binah that the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
21And Daniel continued even unto the first year of King Koresh (Cyrus).
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Daniel 1: TOJB2011
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
FOURTH EDITION © Artists For Israel Intl Inc., 2002-2011, 2021.
Daniel 1
1
The Story of Daniel and his Friends
1.1—6.28
The Young Men at Nebuchadnezzar's Court
1 #
2 Kgs 24.1; 2 Chr 36.5–7 In the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia attacked Jerusalem and surrounded the city. 2#2 Kgs 20.17–18; 24.10–16; 2 Chr 36.10; Is 39.7–8The Lord let him capture King Jehoiakim and seize some of the temple treasures. He took some prisoners back with him to the temple of his gods in Babylon, and put the captured treasures in the temple storerooms.
3The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief official, to select from among the Israelite exiles some young men of the royal family and of the noble families. 4They had to be handsome, intelligent, well trained, quick to learn, and free from physical defects, so that they would be qualified to serve in the royal court. Ashpenaz was to teach them to read and write the Babylonian language. 5The king also gave orders that every day they were to be given the same food and wine as the members of the royal court. After three years of this training they were to appear before the king. 6Among those chosen were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all of whom were from the tribe of Judah. 7The chief official gave them new names: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
8Daniel made up his mind not to let himself become ritually unclean by eating the food and drinking the wine of the royal court, so he asked Ashpenaz to help him, 9and God made Ashpenaz sympathetic to Daniel. 10Ashpenaz, however, was afraid of the king, so he said to Daniel, “The king has decided what you are to eat and drink, and if you don't look as fit as the other young men, he may kill me.”
11So Daniel went to the guard whom Ashpenaz had placed in charge of him and his three friends. 12“Test us for ten days,” he said. “Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13Then compare us with the young men who are eating the food of the royal court, and base your decision on how we look.”
14He agreed to let them try it for ten days. 15When the time was up, they looked healthier and stronger than all those who had been eating the royal food. 16So from then on the guard let them continue to eat vegetables instead of what the king provided.
17God gave the four young men knowledge and skill in literature and philosophy. In addition, he gave Daniel skill in interpreting visions and dreams.
18At the end of the three years set by the king, Ashpenaz took all the young men to Nebuchadnezzar. 19The king talked with them all, and Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah impressed him more than any of the others. So they became members of the king's court. 20No matter what question the king asked, or what problem he raised, these four knew ten times more than any fortune teller or magician in his whole kingdom. 21Daniel remained at the royal court until Cyrus the emperor of Persia conquered Babylonia.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.