1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against Jerusalem and laid siege to it.
2 The Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with part of the vessels of the house of God. He carried them off to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.
3 The king then instructed Ashpenaz, his chief official, to bring in some of the children of Israel, from the royal line and from the nobility:
4 young men with no defect, handsome in appearance, versed in every kind of wisdom, well informed, quick to learn and fit to serve in the king's palace, who were to be taught the writings and the language of the Chaldeans.
5 The king allotted them a daily ration from the king's fine food and from the wine he drank, and they were to be trained for three years, after which they would enter the king's service.
6 Among these, from the sons of Judah, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
7 The chief official gave them new names: Daniel he named Belteshazzar, Hananiah Shadrach, Mishael Meshach, and Azariah Abednego.
8 But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself with the king's fine food or with the wine he drank, and he asked the chief official to allow him not to defile himself.
9 God granted Daniel favor and compassion with the chief official,
10 but the chief official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has allotted your food and drink. What if he sees you looking more haggard than the other young men your age? You would make me forfeit my head to the king."
11 So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief official had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah,
12 "Please try your servants for ten days: let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13 Then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the king's fine food, and treat your servants according to what you see."
14 He agreed to this and tried them for ten days.
15 When the ten days were over, they looked better and better fed than all the young men who ate the king's fine food.
16 So the guard kept taking away their fine food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and insight into all writings and wisdom, and Daniel could understand visions and dreams of every kind.
18 When the time the king had set for bringing them in was up, the chief official brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 The king talked with them, and among them all no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service.
20 In every matter requiring wisdom and understanding that the king asked them about, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters throughout his kingdom.
21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.