THE STORY OF DANIEL AND HIS FRIENDS (1.1—6.28)
The Young Men at Nebuchadnezzar's Court
1 In the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia attacked Jerusalem and surrounded the city. 2 The Lord let him capture King Jehoiakim and seize some of the Temple treasures. He took some prisoners back with him to the temple of his gods in Babylon, and put the captured treasures in the temple storerooms.
3 The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief official, to select from among the Israelite exiles some young men of the royal family and of the noble families. 4 They had to be handsome, intelligent, well-trained, quick to learn, and free from physical defects, so that they would be qualified to serve in the royal court. Ashpenaz was to teach them to read and write the Babylonian language. 5 The king also gave orders that every day they were to be given the same food and wine as the members of the royal court. After three years of this training they were to appear before the king. 6 Among those chosen were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all of whom were from the tribe of Judah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
8 Daniel made up his mind not to let himself become ritually unclean by eating the food and drinking the wine of the royal court, so he asked Ashpenaz to help him, 9 and God made Ashpenaz sympathetic to Daniel. 10 Ashpenaz, however, was afraid of the king, so he said to Daniel, “The king has decided what you are to eat and drink, and if you don't look as fit as the other young men, he may kill me.”
11 So Daniel went to the guard whom Ashpenaz had placed in charge of him and his three friends. 12 “Test us for ten days,” he said. “Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare us with the young men who are eating the food of the royal court, and base your decision on how we look.”
14 He agreed to let them try it for ten days. 15 When the time was up, they looked healthier and stronger than all those who had been eating the royal food. 16 So from then on the guard let them continue to eat vegetables instead of what the king provided.
17 God gave the four young men knowledge and skill in literature and philosophy. In addition, he gave Daniel skill in interpreting visions and dreams.
18 At the end of the three years set by the king, Ashpenaz took all the young men to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them all, and Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah impressed him more than any of the others. So they became members of the king's court. 20 No matter what question the king asked or what problem he raised, these four knew ten times more than any fortuneteller or magician in his whole kingdom. 21 Daniel remained at the royal court until Cyrus, the emperor of Persia, conquered Babylonia.
EHUNGI RA DANIEL NOMAPANGA WE
Ovarumendu omitanda pondjuwo youhona wa Nebukadnesar
1 Mombura oitjatatu youhona wa Jojakim, ombara ya Juda, Nebukadnesar, ombara ya Babilon, otja rwisa Jerusalem ne tji kovere. 2 Muhona wa yandja ombara Jojakim momake wa Nebukadnesar, na yandjere Nebukadnesar kutja a huure ovihuze tjiva vyondjuwo ya Muhona. Eye wa twara ovahuurwa tjiva kondjuwo yoomukuru ve vovisenginina mObabilon, na katwa ovihuze mbya huura momatuwo womapwikiro wondjuwo ndji.
3 Ombara Nebukadnesar wa rakiza Aspenas, omuhongore we otjiuru, kutja a toorore mokati kovahuurwa Ovaisrael ovarumendu tjiva omitanda veṱunḓu rouhona novomaṱunḓu wovakwatwa vanawa. 4 Owo va sere okurira ovawa ovamanise novanazondunge nu mba hongwa nawa, mbe hakahana okurihonga nu mbe hi novipo kotutu kutja ve yenene okukarera mondjuwo youhona. Aspenas wa sere okuvehonga okuresa nokutjanga eraka rOtjibabilon. 5 Ombara wina ya rakiza kutja eyuva arihe owo ve pewe ovikurya nomavinu tjingevyo otja imbi vyovandu vondjuwo youhona. Kombunda yozombura ndatu zomahongero nga owo ve sokukurama komurungu wombara. 6 Mokati kovarumendu omitanda, mba toororwa, mwa ri mba: ODaniel na Hananja na Misael na Asarja, avehe mba va ri ovomuhoko wa Juda. 7 Omuhongore otjiuru we ve ruka omana omape nga: Daniel wa rukwa Beltsasar, Hananja wa rukwa Sadrak, Misael wa rukwa Mesak, nu Asarja wa rukwa Abed-Nego.
8 Daniel we rimana kutja eye ke nokurizunḓa omuini mokurya ovikurya na mokunwa omavinu wondjuwo youhona, eye otja ningira Aspenas kutja e mu vatere. 9 Nu Ndjambi wa tjita kutja Aspenas a ṱire Daniel ondjenda. 10 Nungwari Aspenas aa tira ombara, nopa tjera nai ku Daniel: “Ombara ya tye imbi mbi mamu ri na imbi mbi mamu nu, nu tji mu hi nokumunika nawa pu pe ṱeki omitanda omikweṋu, mape ya ai ndji zepa.”
11 Daniel otja ya komutjevere ngwa zikirwe i Aspenas okutjevera Daniel nomapanga we yetatu, 12 na katja nai komutjevere ngwi: “Tu rora oure womayuva omurongo. Tu pa ozombowa tu rye, nomeva tu nwe, 13 tjazumba u tu sasaneke novarumendu omitanda mbe rya ovikurya vyondjuwo youhona, nu u tye kutja matu munika vi.”
14 Eye wa itavera kutja owo ve rorwe oure womayuva omurongo. 15 Omayuva nga tji ya kapita, owo otjaave munika ouveruke novanamasa pu imba avehe mbaa ve ri ovikurya vyombara. 16 Okuza ku nai omutjevere otje ve yandjera okurya ozombowa moruveze rwovikurya mbi ombara mbi ya rakiza kutja ve pewe.
17 Ndjambi wa yandja ondjiviro nozondunge zokukonḓonona omatjangwa nozokuripura ounongo kovarumendu mba vane omitanda. Eye wina wa yandja ozondunge zokuhandjaura ovirimunikise noturoto ku Daniel.
18 Kombunda yozombura ndatu nḓa tuwa po i ombara, Aspenas otja twara ovarumendu avehe omitanda ku Nebukadnesar. 19 Ombara Nebukadnesar wa hungira na imba avehe, nu Daniel na Hananja na Misael na Asarja ve mu pa onyuṋe tjinene povakwao avehe varwe. Owo otji va rira ovakarere vondjuwo yombara. 20 Motjiṋa atjihe tjounongo nondjiviro ombara mbyaa i ve pura, ovarumendu vane mba aave tjiwa okuyezira povikando omurongo okukapita ozombuke nozondjai nḓa ri mouhona wayo auhe. 21 Daniel wa kara pondjuwo youhona nga Kirus, ombara ya Persie, tja havera ehi ra Babilon.
