Daniel 1
1 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.
猶大王約雅金在位第三年，巴比倫王拿步高前來圍攻耶路撒冷，
2 [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.
上主將猶大王約雅金和天主殿內的一部分器皿，交在拿步高手中，他便將這些器皿帶到史納爾地方，存放在他神殿的庫房內。
3 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.
君王吩咐他的宦官長阿市培納次，要他由以色列子民中，選一些王室或貴族的青年，
4 [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.
他們應沒有缺陷，容貌俊美，足智多才，富有知識，明察事理，適合在王宮內充當侍從，應教給他們加色丁文字和語言。
5 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.”
君王且給他們指定了，每天要吃君王所吃的食品和所飲的美酒，如此教養他們三年；期滿以後，他們便可侍立在君王左右。
6 Among the young Israeli men [who were chosen] were [me], Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who all came from Judah.
他們中為猶大後裔的，有達尼爾、阿納尼雅、米沙耳和阿匝黎雅。
7 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.
宦官長另給他們起了名字：給達尼爾起名叫貝特沙匝，阿納尼雅叫沙得辣客，米沙耳叫默沙客，阿匝黎雅叫阿貝得乃哥。
8 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.
但是阿尼爾心中早已拿定主意，決不讓自己為君王的食品和君王飲的美酒所玷污，所以他請求宦官長使自己免受玷污。
9 God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
天主賞達尼爾在宦官長眼中獲得寵遇和同情。
10 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!”
宦官長對達尼爾說：「我害怕我的主上君王，他原給你們指定了飲食，若見你們的面容比你們同年的青年消瘦，這樣你們豈不是將我的頭斷送給君王! 」
11 Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
達尼爾對宦官長派來照管達尼爾、阿納尼雅、米沙耳和阿匝黎雅的人說：「
12 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.
請你一連十天試一試你的僕人們，只給我們蔬菜吃，清水喝；
13 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].”
然後，你親自觀察我們的容貌，和那些吃君王食品的青年的容貌，就照你所觀察的，對待你的僕人們罷! 」
14 The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
他答應了他們的要求，試驗了他們十天。
15 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.
十天以後，他們的容貌比那些吃君王食品的青年顯得更為美麗，肌肉更為豐滿。
16 So after that, the guard gave us [only] vegetables to eat; he did not give us the king’s special food and wine.
負責照管的人，遂將他們的食品和應喝的美酒撤去，祇給他們蔬菜。
17 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.
至於這四個青年，天主賜給了他們精通各種文字和學問的才智與聰明，而且達尼爾還通曉各種神視和夢兆。
18 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.
君王規定帶他們進宮的期限一滿，宦官長就領他們進見拿步高。
19 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.
君王和他們交談，發現其中沒有一個能及得上達尼爾、阿納尼雅、米沙耳和阿匝黎雅的，於是他們隨侍在君王前，
20 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.
君王無論詢問他們什麼智識和學問，發現他們都十倍於自己全國所有的巫師和術士。
21 I remained [there serving the king more than 60 years], until the first year that Cyrus became king.
達尼爾就這樣一直到居魯士王元年。
