Published by Peter Rodriguez
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The Book of Daniel – Chapter 1
Reading time: 6 minutes
1: In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege against it.
2: And the Lord gave into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah, and a portion of the articles from the house of the God, and he brought them into the land of Shinar, the house of his god, and the articles he brought into the house of the treasury of his god.
3: And the king said to Ashpenaz, principal of his eunuchs, to bring in from the sons of Israel, and from the seed of the kingship, and from the nobles,
4: young men without any physical defect, and pleasing of appearance, and skillful in all wisdom, and knowers of knowledge, and discerning in science, and strong to stand in the palace of the king, and to teach them the writing and language of the Chaldeans.
5: And the king appointed for them a provision, day by day, of the king’s delicacy, and of the wine of his drinking, and to nourish them for three years, that at the end of which they would stand before the king.
6: And among them, from the sons of Judah, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
7: And the chief of the eunuchs set names on them: and he set on Daniel, Belteshazzar; and on Hananiah, Shadrach; and on Mishael, Meshach; and on Azariah, Abed-nego.
8: And Daniel set in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s delicacy, and with the wine of his drinking, and he asked the chief of the eunuchs not to defile himself.
9: And the God gave Daniel to favor and sympathy before the chief of the eunuchs.
10: And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drinks; for why should he see your faces sadder than those of the young men of your circle? And you and your companions would make my head indebted to the king.”
11: And Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
12: Please try your servants for ten days, and let them give us from the vegetable food, and we will eat, and water, and we will drink.
13: And our appearances will be seen before you, and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s delicacy, and deal with your servants according to what you see.
14: And he heard them in this thing, and he tested them for ten days.
15: And at the end of the ten days, their appearance was better and more robust than all the young men who were eating the king’s delicacy.
16: And after that, the steward continued taking away their delicacy, and the wine of their drink, and he continued giving them vegetarian food.
17: And to these four young men, each of them, the God gave them science and skill in every writing and wisdom; and he made Daniel understand every vision and dreams.
18: And at the end of the days that the king had said to bring them in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them before Nebuchadnezzar.
19: And the king talked to them, and among all the young men he found no one equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; and they began to serve before the king.
20: And in any matter of reasoned wisdom that the king consulted them, he found them ten hands above all the scribes, the enchanters, who were in all his kingdom.
21: And Daniel remained until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.
