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.
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.
