Daniel 1

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched onJerusalem and besieged it.	1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
2 The Lord let Jehoiakim king of Judah fal into his power, as well as some of the vessels belonging to theTemple of God. These he took away to Shinar, putting the vessels into the treasury of his own gods.	2 And the Lord delivered into his hand Jehoiakim the king of Judah and a portion of the vessels of the house of God. And he carried them away into the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasure chamber of his god.
3 From the Israelites, the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring a certain number of boys ofroyal or noble descent;	3 And the king told Ashpenaz, the chief of the eunuchs, that he should bring in some of the sons of Israel, and some of the offspring of the king and of the sovereigns:
4 they had to be without any physical defect, of good appearance, versed in every branch of wisdom,wel -informed, discerning, suitable for service at the royal court. Ashpenaz was to teach them to speak and writethe language of the Chaldaeans.	4 young men, in whom there was no blemish, noble in appearance, and accomplished in all wisdom, cautious in knowledge, and well-educated, and who could stand in the palace of the king, so that he might teach them the letters and the language of the Chaldeans.
5 The king assigned them a daily allowance of food and wine from the royal table. They were to receive an education lasting for three years, after which they would enter the royal service.	5 And the king appointed for them provisions for each day, from his own food and from the wine which he himself drank, so that, after being nourished for three years, they would stand in the sight of the king.
6 Among them were the Judaeans Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.	6 Now, among those of the sons of Judah, there were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
7 The chief eunuch gave them other names, cal ing Daniel Belteshazzar, Hananiah Shadrach, MishaelMeshach, and Azariah Abed-Nego.	7 And the chief of the eunuchs assigned names to them: to Daniel, Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8 Daniel, who was determined not to incur pol ution by food and wine from the royal table, begged thechief eunuch to spare him this defilement.	8 But Daniel resolved in his heart that he would not be polluted with the king’s meal, nor with the wine he drank, and he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not be contaminated.
9 God al owed Daniel to receive faithful love and sympathy from the chief eunuch.	9 And so God gave Daniel grace and mercy in the sight of the leader of the eunuchs.
10 But the eunuch warned Daniel, 'I am afraid of my lord the king: he has assigned you food and drink,and if he sees you looking thinner in the face than the other boys of your age, my head wil be in danger with theking because of you.'	10 And the leader of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed food and drink for you, who, if he should see that your faces are leaner than those of the other youths your age, you would condemn my head to the king.”
11 To the guard assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah by the chief eunuch, Daniel thensaid,	11 And Daniel said to Malasar, whom the leader of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12 'Please al ow your servants a ten days' trial, during which we are given only vegetables to eat andwater to drink.	12 “I beg you to test us, your servants, for ten days, and let roots be given to us to eat and water to drink,
13 You can then compare our looks with those of the boys who eat the king's food; go by what you see,and treat your servants accordingly.'	13 and then observe our faces, and the faces of the children who eat the king’s food, and then deal with your servants according to what you see.”
14 The man agreed to do what they asked and put them on ten days' trial.	14 When he had heard these words, he tested them for ten days.
15 When the ten days were over, they looked better and fatter than any of the boys who had eaten theiral owance from the royal table;	15 But, after ten days, their faces appeared better and fatter than all the children who had eaten from the king’s food.
16 so the guard withdrew their al owance of food and the wine they were to drink, and gave themvegetables.	16 Thereafter, Malasar took away their portions and their wine for drinking, and he gave them roots.
17 To these four boys God gave knowledge and skil in every aspect of literature and learning; Danielalso had the gift of interpreting every kind of vision and dream.	17 Yet, to these children, God gave knowledge and instruction in every book, and wisdom, but to Daniel, also the understanding of all visions and dreams.
18 When the time stipulated by the king for the boys to be presented to him came round, the chiefeunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.	18 And when the time was completed, after which the king had said that they would be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before the sight of Nebuchadnezzar.
19 The king conversed with them, and among all the boys found none to equal Daniel, Hananiah, Mishaeland Azariah. So they became members of the king's court,	19 And, when the king conversed with them, there had not been found any so great in all the world as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; and so they stood in the sight of the king.
20 and on whatever point of wisdom or understanding he might question them, he found them ten timesbetter than all the magicians and soothsayers in his entire kingdom. Daniel remained there until the first year ofKing Cyrus.	20 And in every concept of wisdom and understanding, about which the king consulted with them, he found them to be ten times better than all the seers and astrologers put together, who were in his entire kingdom.
	21 And so Daniel remained, even until the first year of king Cyrus.