Daniel 1

The Choice Young Men

1 In the third year of the reign of 1Jehoiakim king of Judah, 2Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged * it.
2 The 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 [a]god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury * of his [b]6god.
3 Then the king [c]ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his [d]officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the [e]royal 7family and of the nobles,
4 youths in whom was 8no * defect, who were good-looking *, showing 9intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for [f]serving in the king's [g]court; and he ordered him to teach them the [h]literature and 10language of the 11Chaldeans.
5 The king appointed for them a daily ration from the 12king's choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be [i]educated three years, at the end of which they were to [j]13enter the king's personal service *.
6 Now among them from the sons of Judah were 14Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
7 Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name 15Belteshazzar, to Hananiah 16Shadrach, to Mishael 17Meshach and to Azariah 18Abed-nego.

Daniel's Resolve

8 But Daniel [k]made up his mind that he would not 19defile himself with the 20king's choice food or with the 21wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.
9 Now God granted Daniel [l]22favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials,
10 and 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 [m]make me forfeit my head to the king."
11 But 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 23given some vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13 "Then let our appearance be [n]observed 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."
14 So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of ten days their appearance seemed 24better and [o]they were fatter * than all the youths who had been eating the king's choice food.
16 So the overseer continued to [p]withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept 25giving them vegetables.
17 As for these four youths, 26God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of [q]literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of 27visions and dreams.
18 Then at the end of the days which the king had [r]specified [s]for presenting them, the commander of the officials [t]presented them before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like 28Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they [u]29entered the king's personal service *.
20 As for every matter of 30wisdom [v]and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them 31ten times 32better than all the [w]33magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.
21 And Daniel [x]continued until the 34first year of Cyrus the king.

Cross References 34

  • 1. 2 Kings 24:1; 2 Chronicles 36:5, 6
  • 2. Jeremiah 25:1; Jeremiah 52:12, 28-30
  • 3. Isaiah 42:24; Daniel 2:37, 38
  • 4. 2 Chronicles 36:7; Jeremiah 27:19, 20; Daniel 5:2
  • 5. Genesis 10:10; Genesis 11:2; Isaiah 11:11; Zechariah 5:11
  • 6. Jeremiah 50:2; Jeremiah 51:44
  • 7. 2 Kings 24:15; Isaiah 39:7
  • 8. 2 Samuel 14:25
  • 9. Daniel 1:17
  • 10. Isaiah 36:11; Jeremiah 5:15; Daniel 2:4
  • 11. Daniel 2:2, 4, 5, 10; Daniel 3:8; Daniel 4:7; Daniel 5:7, 11, 30; Daniel 9:1
  • 12. Daniel 1:8
  • 13. 1 Samuel 16:22; Daniel 1:19
  • 14. Ezekiel 14:14, 20; Ezekiel 28:3; Matthew 24:15
  • 15. Daniel 2:26; Daniel 4:8; Daniel 5:12
  • 16. Daniel 2:49; Daniel 3:12
  • 17. Daniel 2:49; Daniel 3:12
  • 18. Daniel 2:49; Daniel 3:12
  • 19. Leviticus 11:47; Ezekiel 4:13, 14; Hosea 9:3, 4
  • 20. Psalms 141:4; Daniel 1:5
  • 21. Deuteronomy 32:38; Daniel 5:4
  • 22. Genesis 39:21; 1 Kings 8:50; Job 5:15, 16; Psalms 106:46; Proverbs 16:7
  • 23. Daniel 1:16
  • 24. Exodus 23:25; Proverbs 10:22
  • 25. Daniel 1:12
  • 26. 1 Kings 3:12, 28; Job 32:8; Daniel 1:20; Daniel 2:21, 23; Acts 7:22
  • 27. Daniel 2:19; Daniel 7:1; Daniel 8:1
  • 28. Daniel 1:6, 7
  • 29. Genesis 41:46; Daniel 1:5
  • 30. 1 Kings 4:30, 31; Daniel 1:17
  • 31. Genesis 31:7; Numbers 14:22; Nehemiah 4:12; Job 19:3
  • 32. Dan 2:27, 28, 46, 48
  • 33. Isaiah 19:3; Daniel 2:2; Daniel 4:18; Daniel 5:7
  • 34. Daniel 6:28; Daniel 10:1

Footnotes 24

Daniel 1 Commentaries

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