Daniel 1 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

During the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem and surrounded it.

The Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the objects from God's temple. Nebuchadnezzar carried them off to the land of Shinar, to the temple of his god, and he put the sacred objects in the treasury of his god.

Then the king told Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites — specifically from the royal family and the nobility —

young men with no physical defects, good-looking, sharp in every kind of wisdom, well-informed, quick learners, and capable of serving in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.

The king set aside a daily portion of food and wine from his own table for them. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they would enter the king's service.

Among these young men were some from the tribe of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

The chief official gave them new names: Daniel became Belteshazzar, Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach, and Azariah became Abednego.

But Daniel made up his mind that he would not make himself unacceptable to God by eating the king's food or drinking his wine. So he asked the chief official for permission not to do this.

Now God had caused the chief official to look on Daniel with kindness and compassion.

The chief official told Daniel, "I'm afraid of my lord the king. He personally decided what you would eat and drink. What if he sees that you look worse than the other young men your age? You'd be putting my head on the line."

Daniel then went to the guard whom the chief official had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

"Please test us for ten days," he said. "Just give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.

Then compare how we look with how the young men who eat the king's food look, and deal with us based on what you see."

So the guard agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days, they looked healthier and better nourished than all the young men who had been eating the king's food.

So the guard continued to take away their rich food and wine and gave them vegetables instead.

God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding of every kind of literature and wisdom. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of every kind.

When the training period that the king had set was over, the chief official brought all the young men before Nebuchadnezzar.

The king talked with all of them, and no one measured up to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king's service.

In every matter that required wisdom and insight, the king found them ten times better than all the magicians and diviners in his entire kingdom.

And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.