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The Blue Letter Bible

Daniel 1 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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Daniel in Nebuchadnezzar’s Court
(cf. 2Ki 24:10–17 )
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:1 - During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah,[fn] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:2 - The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia[fn] and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:3 - Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:4 - “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:5 - The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:6 - Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:7 - The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names:
Daniel was called Belteshazzar.
Hananiah was called Shadrach.
Mishael was called Meshach.
Azariah was called Abednego.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:8 - But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:9 - Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:10 - But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:11 - Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:12 - “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:13 - “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.”
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:14 - The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:15 - At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:16 - So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:17 - God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:18 - When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:19 - The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:20 - Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
Unchecked Copy BoxDan 1:21 - Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.[fn]
NLT Footnotes
This event occurred in 605 B.C., during the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign (according to the calendar system in which the new year begins in the spring).
Hebrew the land of Shinar.
Or of the Chaldeans.
Cyrus began his reign (over Babylon) in 539 B.C.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

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Daniel Chapter 1 — Additional Translations: