1I kong Jojakim af Judas tredje regeringsår kom Babylons konge, Nebukadnezar, med sin hær og belejrede Jerusalem,2og Herren hjalp ham, så Jojakim måtte overgive sig. Derefter tog Nebukadnezar de hellige kar fra Herrens hus med hjem til Babylon, hvor han anbragte dem i sin guds skatkammer. Han tog også en del unge mænd fra kongehuset og de fornemste familier i Israel med sig til Babylon. Da han var kommet hjem, befalede han sin hofmarskal, Ashpenaz, at udvælge nogle af de unge mænd og undervise dem i tre år i kaldæisk sprog og kultur. De skulle være velskabte, se godt ud, være veluddannede, lærenemme og egnede til at gøre tjeneste i kongens palads.5I de tre år deres uddannelse varede, fik de unge mænd samme slags mad og vin som kongen selv. Hans plan var at gøre dem til sine personlige rådgivere.6Blandt de udvalgte var der fire unge mænd fra Judas stamme, som hed Daniel, Hananja, Mishael og Azarja.7Hofmarskalen gav dem babyloniske navne.* Daniel kom til at hedde Belteshazzar, Hananja blev kaldt Shadrak, Mishael blev kaldt Meshak, og Azarja blev kaldt Abed-Nego.8Daniel besluttede af religiøse grunde,* at han ikke ville spise den mad og drikke den vin, som blev serveret, så han bad hofmarskalen om, at de måtte få noget andet at spise.9Gud gjorde det sådan, at hofmarskalen blev venligt stemt over for Daniel,10men han var alligevel meget betænkelig ved sagen. „Hvis I ikke spiser den kongelige mad,” indvendte han, „er jeg bange for, at I bliver blege og tynde i sammenligning med de andre unge mænd, og i sidste ende bliver det mig, det går ud over. Kongen vil hugge hovedet af mig, fordi jeg har forsømt mine pligter.”11Daniel henvendte sig nu til den opsynsmand, som Ashpenaz havde udpeget til at tage sig af de fire unge mænd.12„Prøv i ti dage at give os grønsager og vand,” foreslog han.13„Derefter kan du sammenligne os med de unge mænd, som spiser kongens mad, og så afgøre, om du vil tillade, at vi fortsætter med at spise grønsager.”14Opsynsmanden gik med på det,15og da prøvetiden var overstået, så Daniel og hans tre venner både bedre og sundere ud end de andre, der havde spist kongens mad.16Derfor lod han dem fortsætte med at spise grønsager, og gav dem ikke mad og vin fra kongens køkken.17Gud gjorde disse fire unge mænd usædvanligt lærenemme, så de snart var godt kendt med datidens videnskab, og Gud gav Daniel en særlig evne til at tyde drømme og syner.18Da den treårige uddannelse var afsluttet, førte hofmarskalen alle de unge mænd frem for kongen, som stillede dem en række spørgsmål. Ingen kunne måle sig med Daniel, Hananja, Mishael og Azarja i visdom, så kongen tog dem straks i sin tjeneste.20Hver gang der kom et problem, som krævede særlig visdom og dømmekraft, var det kongens erfaring, at disse fire unge mænd var ti gange dygtigere end alle hans øvrige rådgivere, astrologer og drømmetydere.21På den måde blev Daniel kongelig rådgiver i Babylon, indtil perserrigets kong Kyros erobrede byen.
English Standard Version
Daniel Taken to Babylon
1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.2And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.3Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family* and of the nobility,4youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.5The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.6Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.7And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.
Daniel’s Faithfulness
8But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.9And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs,10and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.”11Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,12“Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.13Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, 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 it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food.16So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.17As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.18At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.19And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king.20And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.21And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.
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