New American Standard Bible 1995

Daniel 1

The Choice Young Men

1In the third year of the reign of 1Jehoiakim king of Judah, 2Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2The 3Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the 4vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of 5Shinar, to the house of his 6god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his 7 8god.

3Then the king 9ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his 10officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the 11royal 12family and of the nobles, 4youths in whom was 13no defect, who were good-looking, showing 14intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for 15serving in the king’s 16court; and he ordered him to teach them the 17literature and 18language of the 19Chaldeans. 5The king appointed for them a daily ration from the 20king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be 21educated three years, at the end of which they were to 22 23enter the king’s personal service. 6Now among them from the sons of Judah were 24Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name 25Belteshazzar, to Hananiah 26Shadrach, to Mishael 27Meshach and to Azariah 28Abed-nego.

Daniel’s Resolve

8But Daniel 29made up his mind that he would not 30defile himself with the 31king’s choice food or with the 32wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. 9Now God granted Daniel 33 34favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials, 10and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would 35make me forfeit my head to the king.” 11But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12“Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be 36given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13Then let our appearance be 37observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”

14So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. 15At the end of ten days their appearance seemed 38better and 39they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. 16So the overseer continued to 40withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept 41giving them vegetables.

17As for these four youths, 42God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of 43literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of 44visions and dreams.

18Then at the end of the days which the king had 45specified 46for presenting them, the commander of the officials 47presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like 48Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they 49 50entered the king’s personal service. 20As for every matter of 51wisdom 52and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them 53ten times 54better than all the 55 56magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm. 21And Daniel 57continued until the 58first year of Cyrus the king.

Notes

1. Daniel 1:1 2 Kin 24:1; 2 Chr 36:5, 6 ↩
2. Daniel 1:1 Jer 25:1; 52:12, 28-30 ↩
3. Daniel 1:2 Is 42:24; Dan 2:37, 38 ↩
4. Daniel 1:2 2 Chr 36:7; Jer 27:19, 20; Dan 5:2 ↩
5. Daniel 1:2 Gen 10:10; 11:2; Is 11:11; Zech 5:11 ↩
6. Daniel 1:2 Or gods ↩
7. Daniel 1:2 Or gods ↩
8. Daniel 1:2 Jer 50:2; 51:44 ↩
9. Daniel 1:3 Or said to ↩
10. Daniel 1:3 Or eunuchs, and so throughout the ch ↩
11. Daniel 1:3 Lit seed of the ↩
12. Daniel 1:3 2 Kin 24:15; Is 39:7 ↩
13. Daniel 1:4 2 Sam 14:25 ↩
14. Daniel 1:4 Dan 1:17 ↩
15. Daniel 1:4 Lit standing ↩
16. Daniel 1:4 Lit palace ↩
17. Daniel 1:4 Or writing ↩
18. Daniel 1:4 Is 36:11; Jer 5:15; Dan 2:4 ↩
19. Daniel 1:4 Dan 2:2, 4, 5, 10; 3:8; 4:7; 5:7, 11, 30; 9:1 ↩
20. Daniel 1:5 Dan 1:8 ↩
21. Daniel 1:5 Or reared ↩
22. Daniel 1:5 Lit stand before the king ↩
23. Daniel 1:5 1 Sam 16:22; Dan 1:19 ↩
24. Daniel 1:6 Ezek 14:14, 20; 28:3; Matt 24:15 ↩
25. Daniel 1:7 Dan 2:26; 4:8; 5:12 ↩
26. Daniel 1:7 Dan 2:49; 3:12 ↩
27. Daniel 1:7 Dan 2:49; 3:12 ↩
28. Daniel 1:7 Dan 2:49; 3:12 ↩
29. Daniel 1:8 Lit set upon his heart ↩
30. Daniel 1:8 Lev 11:47; Ezek 4:13, 14; Hos 9:3, 4 ↩
31. Daniel 1:8 Ps 141:4; Dan 1:5 ↩
32. Daniel 1:8 Deut 32:38; Dan 5:4 ↩
33. Daniel 1:9 Lit lovingkindness ↩
34. Daniel 1:9 Gen 39:21; 1 Kin 8:50; Job 5:15, 16; Ps 106:46; Prov 16:7 ↩
35. Daniel 1:10 Lit make my head guilty ↩
36. Daniel 1:12 Dan 1:16 ↩
37. Daniel 1:13 Lit seen ↩
38. Daniel 1:15 Ex 23:25; Prov 10:22 ↩
39. Daniel 1:15 Lit fat of flesh ↩
40. Daniel 1:16 Lit take away ↩
41. Daniel 1:16 Dan 1:12 ↩
42. Daniel 1:17 1 Kin 3:12, 28; Job 32:8; Dan 1:20; 2:21, 23; Acts 7:22 ↩
43. Daniel 1:17 Or writing ↩
44. Daniel 1:17 Dan 2:19; 7:1; 8:1 ↩
45. Daniel 1:18 Lit said ↩
46. Daniel 1:18 Lit to bring them in ↩
47. Daniel 1:18 Lit brought in ↩
48. Daniel 1:19 Dan 1:6, 7 ↩
49. Daniel 1:19 Lit stood before the king ↩
50. Daniel 1:19 Gen 41:46; Dan 1:5 ↩
51. Daniel 1:20 1 Kin 4:30, 31; Dan 1:17 ↩
52. Daniel 1:20 Lit of ↩
53. Daniel 1:20 Gen 31:7; Num 14:22; Neh 4:12; Job 19:3 ↩
54. Daniel 1:20 Dan 2:27, 28, 46, 48 ↩
55. Daniel 1:20 Or soothsayer priests ↩
56. Daniel 1:20 Is 19:3; Dan 2:2; 4:18; 5:7 ↩
57. Daniel 1:21 Lit was until ↩
58. Daniel 1:21 Dan 6:28; 10:1 ↩

The Choice Young Men

Daniel’s Resolve

Notes

Commentaries on Daniel 1