Daniel 1
The full text of Daniel 1 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew and Aramaic. Free to read.
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels from the house of God. He carried them off to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.
3 Then the king told Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the Israelites—from the royal family and from the nobility—
4 young men without any physical defect, good-looking, skilled in every branch of wisdom, knowledgeable and perceptive, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
5 The king assigned them a daily portion from the king's food and from the wine he drank. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they would enter the king's service.
6 Among them, from the Judeans, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
7 The chief eunuch gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king's food or with the wine he drank. So he asked the chief eunuch for permission not to defile himself.
9 Now God had granted Daniel favor and compassion from the chief eunuch.
10 The chief eunuch said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see your faces looking worse than the other young men your age? You would endanger my head with the king."
11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief eunuch had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
12 "Please test 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 food, and deal with your servants based on what you see."
14 So the steward agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of ten days their appearance was better and healthier than all the young men who ate the king's food.
16 So the steward continued to remove their rich food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in every kind of literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
18 At the end of the time the king had set for them to be brought in, the chief eunuch presented them before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 The king spoke with them, and among all of them no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king's service.
20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
21 And Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.
Translation notes (9)
- Daniel 1:2a Shinar = archaic name for Babylonia (cf. Gen 11:2). Its use evokes the Tower of Babel—history repeating.
- Daniel 1:3a The Hebrew phrase *rab sarisim* means 'chief eunuch' or 'chief court official.' The word *saris* can mean either an official who has been castrated or simply a court official.
- Daniel 1:5a This phrase literally means 'the king's delicacies,' which in Hebrew is *pat-bag*, a word borrowed from Persian.
- Daniel 1:7a Babylonian names replace their original Hebrew names, which were *theophoric*, meaning they included the name of God. These new names are Belteshazzar ('Bel, protect his life'), Shadrach (possibly 'command of Aku'), Meshach (uncertain), and Abednego ('servant of Nebo/Nabu').
- Daniel 1:8a This literally means 'Daniel set upon his heart.' The defilement, or making himself unclean, likely relates to food offered to idols or a violation of Jewish dietary laws, or both.
- Daniel 1:12a The Hebrew word *zero'im* means 'things sown,' referring to seeds, grains, or vegetables. This was not necessarily a modern vegetarian diet but rather foods not involved in idol-worship.
- Daniel 1:15a This literally means 'fatter of flesh.' In the ancient world, being plump was seen as a sign of health and prosperity.
- Daniel 1:20a The phrase 'ten times' possibly recalls the ten-day test, or it could simply be a general number indicating overwhelming superiority.
- Daniel 1:21a The year 539 BC marks the end of Daniel's career, which spanned the entire Neo-Babylonian period. This does not mean he died then (compare 10:1).
About this translation
You are reading the Trinity Bible Version (TBV) — an original 2026 translation made straight from the Hebrew and Aramaic, in clear modern English, exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter of every book is free to read online. For the study edition — with Hebrew and Greek on every verse and the full translation notes — open Daniel in the Trinity Bible app.
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