< Daniel 1 >

1 Judah manghai Jehoiakim kah a ram, a kum thum vaengah Babylon manghai Nebukhanezar te cet tih Jerusalem te a taengah a dum.
After King Jehoiakim had been ruling in Judah for almost three years, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem [with his army] and surrounded the city.
2 Te vaengah ka Boeipa loh Judah manghai Jehoiakim neh Pathen im kah hnopai ca te Nebukhanezar kut ah a paek. Te dongah te rhoek te Shinar khohmuen kah a pathen im la a khuen tih hnopai te a pathen kah thakvoh im ah a khueh.
[After two years, ] Yahweh allowed Nebuchadnezzar’s [soldiers] to capture Jehoiakim, [who was the] King of Judah. They also took some of the things that were in the temple of God, and took them to Babylonia. There Nebuchadnezzar put them in the temple of his god.
3 Te phoeiah manghai loh amah kah imkhoem puei Ashpenaz te Israel ca lamkah neh mangpa tiingan lamkah khaw, angrhaeng rhoek lamkah khaw khuen hamla a thui pah.
Then Nebuchadnezzar commanded Ashpenaz, the chief official in his palace, to bring [to him] some of the Israeli men [whom they had brought to Babylon. He wanted men] who belonged to important families, including the family of the King of Judah.
4 Te vaengah a taengah a lolhmaih pakhat khaw aka om pawh camoe rhoek neh a mueimae aka then, cueihnah cungkuem neh aka cangbam, mingnah aka ming, cangnah aka yakming neh amih taengah thadueng aka om tah manghai bawkim ah om ham neh amih te Khalden ca neh ol tukkil hamla a khueh.
[King Nebuchadnezzar wanted only] men who were very healthy, handsome/good-looking, wise, well-educated, capable of learning many things, and suitable for working in the palace. He also wanted to teach them the Babylonian language and have them read things that had been written in the Babylonian language.
5 Manghai loh amih ham tah a hnin hnin ah a hmuethma a khueh pah. Manghai buh neh a buhkoknah misurtui paek tih kum thum khuiah amih te pantai sak ham, a tloihsoi ah manghai mikhmuh ah pai sak ha a uen.
The king commanded [his servants], “Give them the same kind of food and wine that is given to me. Train them for three years. Then they will become my servants.”
6 Amih lakli ah Judah koca lamkah Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael neh Azariah om.
Among the young Israeli men [who were chosen] were [me], Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who all came from Judah.
7 Amih te imkhoem mangpa loh ming a paek tih Daniel te Belteshazzar la, Hananiah te Shadrakh la, Mishael te Meshakh la, Azariah te Abednego la a khueh pah.
But Ashpenaz gave us [Babylonian] names. The name he gave to me was Belteshazzar, the name he gave to Hananiah was Shadrach, the name he gave to Mishael was Meshach, and the name he gave to Azariah was Abednego.
8 Tedae Daniel long tah manghai buh neh, a buhkoknah misurtui neh a nok uh pawt ham a lungbuei ah a khueh. Te dongah a nok pawt ham imkhoem mangpa te a dawt.
But I decided that I would not eat the kind of food that the king ate, or drink the wine that he drank, because that would make me (ritually defiled/unacceptable to God). So I asked Ashpenaz to allow me to eat and drink other things.
9 Pathen loh Daniel te imkhoem mangpa mikhmuh ah sitlohnah neh haidamnah a paek rhoe a paek.
God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
10 Tedae imkhoem mangpa loh Daniel te, “Kai khaw ka boei manghai te ka rhih ta. Anih long ni na caak na buhkoknah he hang khueh. Camoe kah na omngaihnah lakah balae tih na maelhmai te hmai aka tal la a hmuh eh? Ka lu he manghai taengah nan mop coeng,” a ti nah.
but he was worried about what I suggested. He said, “My master, the king, has commanded that you eat the kinds of food and drink that he does. If [you eat other things and as a result] you become more thin and pale than the other young men who are your age, he will [order his soldiers to] cut off my head because of what you have done!”
11 Te vaengah Daniel loh buhtaem, (Anih te Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael neh Azariah soah imkhoem mangpa la a khueh) taengah,
Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 “Na sal rhoek he hnin rha khuiah n'noemcai mai lamtah ankak mah kaimih m'pae mai saeh. Ka caak uh khaw tui neh ka yun uh eh.
So I said to this guard: “[Please] test us for ten days. [During that time] give us [only] vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13 Te phoeiah kaimih kah mueimae neh manghai buh aka ca camoe rhoek kah mueimae te namah mikhmuh ah tueng saeh. Te vaengkah na hmuh bangla na sal rhoek taengah saii,” a ti nah.
After ten days, see how we look, and see how the other young men look, the ones who are eating the kind of food that the king eats. Then you can decide about [what food you will let us eat].”
14 Te dongah hekah ol bangla amih te a rhoi tih hnin rha khuiah amih te a noem.
The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
15 Hnin rha a thoknah dongah amih kah mueimae te a then la a sawt. Te vaengah manghai buh aka ca camoe boeih lakah a pumsa toitup.
After ten days, [he saw that] my three friends and I looked healthier [DOU] than the young men who had been eating the food that the king wanted them to eat.
16 Te dongah buhtaem loh amih kah buh neh a buhkoknah misur te a puen tih amih te ankak a paek.
So after that, the guard gave us [only] vegetables to eat; he did not give us the king’s special food and wine.
17 Tedae amih pali, camoe rhoek tah Pathen loh a taengah cangnah dongah cabu neh cueihnah boeih te cangbam hamla a paek. Te dongah Daniel loh mangthui neh mueimang te boeih a yakming.
And God gave to us four young men wisdom and the ability to study many things that Babylonians had written and studied. And [he also gave to] me the ability to understand the meaning of visions and dreams.
18 Khohnin kuepnah a pha vaengah amih khuen hamla manghai loh a thui pah tih amih imkhoem mangpa loh Nebukhanezar mikhmuh ah a khuen.
When those three years that the king had set for training us young men from Judah were ended, Ashpenaz brought all of us to King Nebuchadnezzar.
19 Manghai te amih taengah a voek vaengah Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael neh Azariah bang he amih boeih khui lamloh hmu pawh. Te dongah amih tah manghai mikhmuh ah pai uh.
The king talked with [each of] us, and realized that none of the other young men were as capable as Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah and I were. So we four became the king’s special advisors/servants.
20 Olka cungkuem dongah cueihnah neh yakmingnah amih lamkah te manghai loh a cae vaengah amih tah a ram pum kah khungvatuk neh hmayuep boeih lakah a kut parha la a hmuh.
In all important matters, the king found that what we [four men] advised was ten times as good as what all the magicians and sorcerers/fortune-tellers in his kingdom advised.
21 Daniel tah manghai Cyrus kah a kum khat nah hil om.
I remained [there serving the king more than 60 years], until the first year that Cyrus became king.

< Daniel 1 >