Daniel and His Friends
1 In the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia attacked Jerusalem. 2 The Lord let Nebuchadnezzar capture Jehoiakim and take away some of the things used in God's temple. And when the king returned to Babylonia, he put these things in the temple of his own god.
3 One day the king ordered Ashpenaz, his highest palace official, to choose some young men from the royal family of Judah and from other leading Jewish families. 4 The king said, “They must be healthy, handsome, smart, wise, educated, and fit to serve in the royal palace. Teach them how to speak and write our language 5 and give them the same food and wine that I am served. Train them for three years, and then they can become court officials.”
6 Four of the young Jews chosen were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all from the tribe of Judah. 7 But the king's chief official gave them Babylonian names: Daniel became Belteshazzar, Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach, and Azariah became Abednego.
8 Daniel made up his mind to eat and drink only what God had approved for his people to eat. And he asked the king's chief official for permission not to eat the food and wine served in the royal palace. 9 God had made the official friendly and kind to Daniel. 10 But the man still told him, “The king has decided what you must eat and drink. And I am afraid he will kill me, if you eat something else and end up looking worse than the other young men.”
11 The king's official had put a guard in charge of Daniel and his three friends. So Daniel said to the guard, 12 “For the next ten days, let us have only vegetables and water at mealtime. 13 When the ten days are up, compare how we look with the other young men, and decide what to do with us.” 14 The guard agreed to do what Daniel had asked.
15 Ten days later, Daniel and his friends looked healthier and better than the young men who had been served food from the royal palace. 16 After this, the guard let them eat vegetables instead of the rich food and wine.
17 God made the four young men smart and wise. They read a lot of books and became well educated. Daniel could also tell the meaning of dreams and visions.
18 At the end of the three-year period set by King Nebuchadnezzar, his chief palace official brought all the young men to him. 19 The king interviewed them and discovered that none of the others were as outstanding as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they were given positions in the royal court. 20 From then on, whenever the king asked for advice, he found their wisdom was ten times better than that of any of his other advisors and magicians. 21 Daniel served there until the first year of King Cyrus.
Daniel nookaume kaye vatatu tava tekulwa mouhamba waBabilon
1 Momudo omutitatu wepangelo laJehoiakim, ohamba yaJuda, Nebukadnesar, ohamba yaBabilon, oye uya kuJerusalem, ndele tai shi kondeke. 2 Ndele Omwene okwa yandja Jehoiakim, ohamba yaJuda, momake aye pamwe nombinga imwe yomoiyuma yomotembeli yaKalunga, ndele ye okwe i twala kedu laSinear motembeli yakalunga kaye, noiyuma okwe i tuvikila melimba lemona lakalunga kaye. 3 Opo nee ohamba oya lombwela Aspenas, omukulunhu womalenga, a kufe movana vaIsrael, mwaava vomepata leehamba ile moidale 4 ovanyasha ovamati ava vehe noshipo shasha komalutu, ndelenee vawa okutala novanaendunge mounongo aushe, ndele ve neshiivo nomayele nomitwe dipu okutambula omalongo naava va wana okulonga mouhamba wohamba, ndele ye okwa li e noku va longa okushanga nokupopya elaka lOvakaldea. 5 Ndele ohamba oya lombwela, vo va pewe efiku keshe eendja domeendja dohamba nomaviinyu aa haa nuwa kohamba. Osho ngaha ve nokutekulwa omido nhatu, opo va shiive okulongela ohamba omido odo ngeenge da pita po.
6 Ndele mokati kavo mwa li ovana vaJuda Daniel, Hanania, Mishael naAsaria. 7 Ndelenee omukulunhu womalenga okwe va lukulula: Daniel okwe mu luka Beltesasar, Hanania okwe mu luka Sadrak, naMishael Mesak, naAsaria okwe mu luka Abednego. 8 Ndele Daniel okwa tokola momutima waye nokutya, ye ite ke linyateka neendja dohamba ile nomaviinyu haa nuwa kuyo, nokwa indila komukulunhu womalenga, a itavelwe okukala ine linyateka. 9 Ndele Kalunga okwa itavela Daniel a mone onghenda nohokwe koshipala shomukulunhu womalenga. 10 Ndele omukulunhu womalenga okwa tya kuDaniel: “Ame ohandi tila omwene wange ohamba, ou e mu tokolela eendja deni nokunwa kweni, ngeenge ta mono oipala yeni ya vatuka, i dulike koipala yovamati vakweni vepupi leni, osho ngaha tamu twalifa omutwe wange moshiponga kohamba.” 11 Ndelenee Daniel okwa lombwela omupashukili ou a tulwa po komukulunhu womalenga okupashukila Daniel, Hanania, Mishael naAsaria, ta ti: 12 “Yelekela ovamati voye omafiku omulongo, tu pewe okulya ombidi nokunwa omeva. 13 Ove u tu tale nee, oipala yetu noipala yovamati ovo tava li eendja dohamba opo u tokole po pokumona oipala yovamati voye.” 14 Moshinima eshi okwe va uda ndele te va yeleke omafiku omulongo. 15 Ndele eshi pa pita omafiku omulongo, vo ova monika ve nomalutu a ondoka nove li nawa, ve dule ovamati aveshe ovo va lya eendja dohamba. 16 Opo nee omupashukili okwa kaleka eendja davo nomaviinyu avo kwa li ve noku a nwa, ndele te va pe ombidi.
17 Ndele ovanyasha ovamati ava vane, Kalunga okwe va pa omayele okukoneka omishangwa adishe nounongo keshe. Daniel okwa li e neendunge dokushiiva omamoniko neendjodi. 18 Ndele omafiku enya eshi a pwa ko palombwelo lohamba va li ve nokutwalwa kuye, omukulunhu womalenga okwe va twala nee koshipala shaNebukadnesar. 19 Ndele ohamba ya popya navo, ndele mokati kavo aveshe inamu monika nande umwe ngaashi Daniel, Hanania, Mishael naAsaria. Osho ngaha va kala nokuyakula koshipala shohamba. 20 Ndele ohamba oye va pula moinima aishe yeendunge noyounongo nokwa koneka, ovo ovanaendunge, ve dule lwomulongo ovanongo neemhule adishe da li mouhamba waye aushe. 21 Ndele Daniel okwa kala ko fiyo okomudo wotete wohamba Kores.
