1During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.H7969H8141H4438H3079H4428H3063H935H5019H4428H894H3389H66962The 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 and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.H136H5414H3079H4428H3063H3027H7117H3627H1004H430H935H776H8152H1004H430H935H3627H214H1004H4303Then 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.H4428H559H828H7227H5631H935H1121H3478H4410H2233H65794“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.”H3206H3971H3971H2896H4758H7919H2451H3045H1847H995H4093H3581H5975H4428H1964H3925H5612H3956H37785The 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.H4428H4487H3117H3117H1697H4428H6598H3196H4960H1431H7969H8141H7117H5975H6440H44286Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah.H1121H3063H1840H2608H4332H58387The 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.H8269H5631H7760H8034H7760H1840H1095H2608H7714H4332H4335H5838H56648But 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.H1840H7760H3820H1351H6598H4428H6598H3196H4960H1245H8269H5631H13519Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel.H430H5414H1840H2617H7356H6440H8269H563110But 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.”H8269H5631H559H1840H3373H113H4428H4487H3978H4960H7200H6440H2196H3206H1524H2325H7218H442811Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.H559H1840H4453H8269H5631H4487H1840H2608H4332H583812“Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said.H5254H5650H6235H3117H5414H2235H398H4325H835413“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.”H4758H7200H6440H4758H3206H398H6598H4428H6598H7200H6213H565014The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.H8085H1697H5254H6235H311715At 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.H7117H6235H3117H4758H7200H2896H1277H1320H3206H398H6598H4428H659816So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.H4453H5375H6598H3196H4960H5414H223517God 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.H702H3206H430H5414H4093H7919H5612H2451H1840H995H2377H247218When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar.H7117H3117H4428H559H935H8269H5631H935H6440H501919The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service.H4428H1696H4672H1840H2608H4332H5838H5975H6440H442820Whenever 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.H1697H2451H998H4428H1245H4672H6235H3027H2748H825H443821Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.H1840H259H8141H4428H3566
Dublin, OH
, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.H7969
