CHAPTER 1

¹In the third year of the kingship of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem and lay siege against it. ²And the LORD gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand and the best of the vessels of the house of God, and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and the vessels he brought to his god’s treasure house. ³And the king said to the majordomo head of his eunuchs, to bring from the Israelites and from the royal seed and from the nobles ⁴young men who were without blemish and goodly in appearance and discerning in all wisdom and possessing knowledge and understanding matters, and who had the strength to serve in the king’s palace, to teach them book learning and the language of the Chaldeans. ⁵And the king apportioned for them for each day from the king’s royal provisions and from his drinking wine, to rear them for three years, that the best of them should serve in the king’s presence. ⁶And among them from the Judahites were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ⁷And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names, and he made Daniel Belteshazzar, and Hananiah Shadrach, and Mishael Meshach, and Azariah Abednego. ⁸And Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s provisions and with his drinking wine, and he asked of the chief of the eunuchs that he not have to defile himself. ⁹And God made Daniel find grace and mercy in the presence of the chief of the eunuchs. ¹⁰And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my master the king, who has apportioned your food and your drink, for why should he see you downcast among the young men of your age? And you would make me guilty to the king.” ¹¹And Daniel said to the overseer whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹²“Test your servants ten days, and let them give us from the grains that we may eat, and water that we may drink. ¹³And let our appearance be seen before you together with the appearance of the young men who eat the king’s provisions, and as you see, so do with your servants.” ¹⁴And he heeded them in this matter and tested them ten days. ¹⁵And at the end of the ten days their appearance was seen to be better and plumper in flesh than all the young men who had eaten the king’s provisions. ¹⁶And the overseer kept bearing away their provisions and their drinking wine and giving them grains. ¹⁷And to these young men, the four of them, did God give knowledge and discernment in all books and wisdom, and Daniel understood all visions and dreams. ¹⁸And at the end of the time that the king had said to bring them, the chief of the eunuchs brought them before Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹And the king spoke with them, and none of all of them was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and they entered the service of the king. ²⁰And in every matter of discerning wisdom that the king asked of them, he found them ten times better than all the soothsayers and wizards who were in all his kingdom. ²¹And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.