Daniel 1
1 I Kong Jojakim af Judas tredje Regeringsaar drog Kong Nebukadnezar af Babel til Jerusalem og belejrede det.
During the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem and surrounded it.
2 Og Herren gav Kong Jojakim af Juda og en Del af Guds Hus's Kar i hans Haand, og han førte dem til Sinears Land; men Karrene bragte han til sin Guds Skatkammer.
The Lord allowed him to defeat King Jehoiakim, and also to remove some of the objects used in the Temple of God. He took them back to Babylon, to the house of his god, placing them in the treasury of his god.
3 Kongen bød derpaa sin Overhofmester Asjpenaz at tage nogle Israeliter, dels af kongelig Slægt, dels af adelig Byrd,
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to take charge of some of the captured Israelites from the royal and noble families,
4 unge Mænd uden mindste Lyde og med et smukt Ydre, vel bevandrede i al Visdom, kundskabsrige og lærenemme, egnede til at gøre Tjeneste i Kongens Palads, og lære dem Kaldæernes Skrift og Tungemaal
“They are to be young men without any physical defect who are good-looking,” he said. “They must be well-educated, quick to learn, have good insight, and be well able to serve in the king's palace and be taught the literature and language of Babylon.”
5 og opdrage dem i tre Aar, for at de saa kunde træde i Kongens Tjeneste; og Kongen tildelte dem deres daglige Kost af sin egen Mad og af den Vin, han selv drak.
The king also provided them with a daily allowance of the same kind of rich food and wine he was served. At the end of their three years of education they would enter the king's service.
6 Iblandt dem var Judæerne Daniel, Hananja, Misjael og Azarja;
Among those chosen were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah.
7 og Overhofmesteren gav dem andre Navne, idet han kaldte Daniel Beltsazzar, Hananja Sjadrak, Misjael Mesjak og Azarja Abed-Nego.
The chief eunuch gave them new names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.
8 Men Daniel satte sig for, at han ikke vilde gøre sig uren med Kongens Mad eller den Vin, Kongen drak; derfor bad han Overhofmesteren om at blive fri for at gøre sig uren dermed.
However, Daniel made up his mind not to make himself impure by eating the king's rich food and wine. He asked the chief eunuch to allow him not to make himself impure.
9 Og Gud lod Daniel finde Yndest og Velvilje hos Overhofmesteren;
God had helped Daniel to be viewed with kindness and sympathy by the chief eunuch.
10 men Overhofmesteren sagde til ham: »Jeg frygter for, at min Herre Kongen, som har tildelt eder Mad og Drikke, skal finde, at I ser ringere ud end de andre unge Mænd paa eders Alder, og at I saaledes skal bringe Skyld over mit Hoved hos Kongen.«
But the chief eunuch told Daniel, “I'm afraid of what my lord the king would do to me. He's the one who decided what you should eat and drink. What if he were to see you looking pale and sickly compared to the other young men of your age. Because of you the king would have my head!”
11 Saa sagde Daniel til den Opsynsmand, som Overhofmesteren havde sat over Daniel, Hananja, Misjael og Azarja:
Daniel then spoke with the guard that the chief eunuch had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 »Prøv engang dine Trælle i ti Dage og lad os faa Grøntsager at spise og Vand at drikke!
“Please put us, your servants, to the test and just give us vegetables to eat and water to drink for ten days,” Daniel told him.
13 Sammenlign saa vort Udseende med de unge Mænds, som spiser Kongens Mad; saa kan du gøre med dine Trælle, efter hvad du ser.«
“After that, compare us with those young men who ate the king's rich food. Then decide on the basis of what you see.”
14 Han føjede dem da heri og prøvede det med dem i ti Dage.
The guard agreed to the proposal they made and tested them for ten days.
15 Og da de ti Dage var omme, saa de bedre ud og var ved bedre Huld end alle de unge Mænd, som spiste Kongens Mad.
When the ten days were up they looked healthier and better fed than all the young men who had eaten the king's rich food.
16 Saa lod Opsynsmanden deres Mad og Vinen, de skulde drikke, bringe bort og gav dem Grøntsager i Stedet.
After that the guard didn't give them the rich food and wine, just vegetables.
17 Disse fire unge Mænd gav Gud Kundskab og Indsigt i al Skrift og Visdom; Daniel forstod sig ogsaa paa alle Haande Syner og Drømme.
God gave these four young men the ability to learn and understand in all areas of literature and knowledge, while Daniel was also given the gift of interpreting all kinds of visions and dreams.
18 Og da den Tid, Kongen havde fastsat for deres Fremstilling, kom, førte Overhofmesteren dem frem for Nebukadnezar.
When their time of education ordered by the king was over, the chief eunuch brought all the young men before King Nebuchadnezzar.
19 Da saa Kongen talte med dem, fandtes der iblandt dem alle ingen, som kunde maale sig med Daniel, Hananja, Misjael og Azarja, og de traadte derfor i Kongens Tjeneste.
The king talked with them and none could compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king's service.
20 Og naar som helst Kongen spurgte dem om noget, der krævede Visdom og Indsigt, fandt han dem ti Gange dygtigere end alle Drømmetydere og Manere i hele sit Rige.
Whatever subject the king asked them about, everything that required wisdom of understanding, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
21 Og Daniel blev ... til Kong Kyros's første Aar.
Daniel remained in this position until the first year of King Cyrus' reign.
