但以理書 1
1 猶大王約雅敬在位第三年，巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒來到耶路撒冷，將城圍困。
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 主將猶大王約雅敬，並上帝殿中器皿的幾分交付他手。他就把這器皿帶到示拿地，收入他神的廟裏，放在他神的庫中。
[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 王吩咐太監長亞施毗拿，從以色列人的宗室和貴冑中帶進幾個人來，
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 就是年少沒有殘疾、相貌俊美、通達各樣學問、知識聰明俱備、足能侍立在王宮裏的，要教他們迦勒底的文字言語。
[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 王派定將自己所用的膳和所飲的酒，每日賜他們一分，養他們三年。滿了三年，好叫他們在王面前侍立。
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 他們中間有猶大族的人：但以理、哈拿尼雅、米沙利、亞撒利雅。
Among the young Israeli men [who were chosen] were [me], Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who all came from Judah.
7 太監長給他們起名：稱但以理為伯提沙撒，稱哈拿尼雅為沙得拉，稱米沙利為米煞，稱亞撒利雅為亞伯尼歌。
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 但以理卻立志不以王的膳和王所飲的酒玷污自己，所以求太監長容他不玷污自己。
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 上帝使但以理在太監長眼前蒙恩惠，受憐憫。
God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
10 太監長對但以理說：「我懼怕我主我王，他已經派定你們的飲食，倘若他見你們的面貌比你們同歲的少年人肌瘦，怎麼好呢？這樣，你們就使我的頭在王那裏難保。」
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 但以理對太監長所派管理但以理、哈拿尼雅、米沙利、亞撒利雅的委辦說：
Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 「求你試試僕人們十天，給我們素菜吃，白水喝，
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 然後看看我們的面貌和用王膳那少年人的面貌，就照你所看的待僕人吧！」
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 委辦便允准他們這件事，試看他們十天。
The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
15 過了十天，見他們的面貌比用王膳的一切少年人更加俊美肥胖。
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 於是委辦撤去派他們用的膳，飲的酒，給他們素菜吃。
So after that, the guard gave us [only] vegetables to eat; he did not give us the king’s special food and wine.
17 這四個少年人，上帝在各樣文字學問上賜給他們聰明知識；但以理又明白各樣的異象和夢兆。
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 尼布甲尼撒王預定帶進少年人來的日期滿了，太監長就把他們帶到王面前。
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 王與他們談論，見少年人中無一人能比但以理、哈拿尼雅、米沙利、亞撒利雅，所以留他們在王面前侍立。
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 王考問他們一切事，就見他們的智慧聰明比通國的術士和用法術的勝過十倍。
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 到塞魯士王元年，但以理還在。
I remained [there serving the king more than 60 years], until the first year that Cyrus became king.
