Daniel 1

¹IN the third year of the kingdom of Joakim king of Juda, came Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon into Jerusalem, and besieged it.

²And our Lord delivered into his hand Joakim the king of Juda, and part of the vessels of the house of God: and he carried them away into the land of Sennaar, into the house of his god, & the vessels he brought into the house of the treasure of his god.

³And the king spake to Asphenez the governor of the Eunuchs, that he should bring in of the children of Israel, and of the king's, & the tyrants' seed,

⁴children in whom was no spot, beautiful of form, and instructed in all wisdom, cunning in knowledge, and taught in discipline, and that might stand in the king's palace, that he might teach them the learning, and the tongue of the Chaldees.

⁵And the king appointed them a certain provision for every day, of his meats, & of the wine whereof he drank himself, that being nourished three years, afterward they might stand in the king's sight.

⁶There were therefore among them of the children of Juda, Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and Azarias.

⁷And the governor of the eunuchs gave them names: to Daniel, Baltassar: to Ananias, Sidrach, to Misael, Misach: & to Azarias, Abdenago.

⁸But Daniel purposed in his heart, that he would not be polluted of the king's table, nor of the wine of his drink: & he requested the governor of the eunuchs, that he might not be contaminated.

⁹And God gave unto Daniel grace and mercy in the sight of the prince of the eunuchs.

¹⁰And the prince of the eunuchs said to Daniel: I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed for you meat and drink: who if he shall see your faces leaner than the other youths your equals, you shall condemn my head to the king.

¹¹And Daniel said to Malasar whom the prince of the eunuchs appointed over Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and Azarias:

¹²Prove I beseech thee, thy servants for ten days, & let pulse be given us to eat, & water to drink:

¹³and look upon our faces, and the faces of the children that eat of the king's meat: and as thou shalt see, thou shalt do with thy servants.

¹⁴Who hearing that manner of speech, proved them for ten days.

¹⁵And after ten days their faces appeared better & more corpulent than all the children, that did eat of the king's meat.

¹⁶Moreover Malasar took away the meats, and the wine of their drink: and he gave them pulse.

¹⁷And to these children God gave knowledge, and discipline in every book, and wisdom: but to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams.

¹⁸The days therefore being accomplished, after which the king had said, that they should be brought in; the governor of the eunuchs brought them in the sight of Nabuchodonosor.

¹⁹And when the king had spoken to them, there were not found such of them all, as Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and Azarias: and they stood in the king's sight.

²⁰And every word of wisdom and understanding, that the king demanded of them, he found in them more by ten fold above all the soothsayers, & magicians, that were in all his kingdom.

²¹And Daniel was even to the first year of Cyrus the king.