< 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.
Yudahene Yehoiakim dii ade ne mfe abiɛsa mu no, Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar baa Yerusalem de nʼasraafo betuaa ɔman no ano.
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.
Awurade maa no dii Yudahene Yehoiakim so nkonim. Bere a Nebukadnessar resan akɔ Babilonia no, ɔtasee akronkronne bi fii Onyankopɔn asɔredan mu, de kɔɔ nʼabosonnan mu koguu adekorabea hɔ wɔ Babilonia asase so.
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.
Afei ɔhene no ka kyerɛɛ ne piamfohene Aspenas se, ɔmfa mmerante no bi a wofi Yuda adehye abusua mu, ne wɔn a wofi mmusua atitiriw mu a wɔde wɔn aba Babilonia sɛ nnommum no mmra ahemfi hɔ,
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.
mmerante ahoɔdenfo a wɔn ho nni dɛm, na wɔn ho yɛ fɛ. Hwɛ sɛ wɔwɔ nhumu, na wɔadom wɔn osuahu mu akyɛde a wonim nyansa, na wɔwɔ nnyinaso bi a ɛbɛma wɔatumi asom wɔ ahemfi hɔ. Kyerɛ mmerante no Kaldeafo kasa ne ne nhoma.
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.”
Ɔhene no hyɛe sɛ, daa wɔmfa aduan ne nsa a efi ne didipon so mmrɛ wɔn. Na ɛsɛ sɛ wɔtetew wɔn mfe abiɛsa, na wɔn mu bi abɛyɛ nʼasomfo.
6 Among the young Israeli men [who were chosen] were [me], Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who all came from Judah.
Mmerante baanan bi a woyii wɔn no ne Daniel, Hanania, Misael ne Asaria a wɔn nyinaa fi Yuda abusuakuw mu.
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.
Piamfohene no de din foforo totoo wɔn. Ɔtoo Daniel Beltesasar; ɔtoo Hanania Sadrak; ɔtoo Misael Mesak na ɔtoo Asaria Abednego.
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.
Na Daniel yɛɛ nʼadwene sɛ ɔrenni aduan, nnom nsa a ɔhene no de bɛbrɛ wɔn no, ɔsrɛɛ piamfohene no sɛ ɔmma no kwan na wangu ne ho fi.
9 God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
Na Onyankopɔn maa Daniel nyaa piamfohene no anim adɔe ne mmɔborɔhunu.
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!”
Piamfohene no ka kyerɛɛ Daniel se, “Me wura ɔhene no ahyɛ sɛ munni saa aduan yi, na monnom nsa no. Sɛ mofonfɔn na wɔde mo toto mmabun a wɔyɛ mo tipɛnfo no ho a, ɔhene no bɛma wɔatwa me ti sɛ matoto mʼadwuma ase.”
11 Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Daniel ka kyerɛɛ ɔsomfo a piamfohene no de no asi ɔno ne Hanania, Misael ne Asaria so no se,
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.
“Ma yɛn nhabamma ne nsu nnadu, na fa sɔ yɛn hwɛ.
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].”
Afei fa yɛn toto mmerante afoforo no a wɔredi ɔhene nnuan pa no ho, na hwɛ sɛnea yɛte. Ɛno akyi, yɛ wo nkoa sɛnea wuhu.”
14 The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
Enti ɔsomfo no penee asɛm a Daniel de too nʼanim no so, sɔɔ wɔn hwɛɛ nnadu.
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.
Nnadu no akyi, wohuu sɛ wɔn anim ayɛ fɛ na wɔwɔ honam sen mmerante a wodii ahennuan no nyinaa.
16 So after that, the guard gave us [only] vegetables to eat; he did not give us the king’s special food and wine.
Enti ɔsomfo no sii gyinae sɛ ɔbɛtoa so ama wɔn nhabamma nko ara, na wamfa ahennuan amma wɔn.
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.
Na mmerantewa baanan yi Nyankopɔn maa wɔn nhomanim ne nyansahu nyinaa mu nimdeɛ, na Daniel nyaa anisoadehu ne dae nkyerɛase ho nimdeɛ.
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.
Bere a ɔhene no ahyɛ no soe no, ɔpanyin no de mmerante yi nyinaa brɛɛ Nebukadnessar.
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.
Ɔhene no ne wɔn nyinaa kasae, na wɔn mu biara ansɔ nʼani gye sɛ, Daniel, Hanania, Misael ne Asaria. Enti wɔde wɔn kaa ɔhene no piamfo no ho.
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.
Asɛm biara a ehia nyansa ne ntease a ɔhene no bisa wɔn no ohu sɛ wɔsen nkonyaayifo ne pɛadeahufo a wɔwɔ nʼaheman mu nyinaa no mpɛn du.
21 I remained [there serving the king more than 60 years], until the first year that Cyrus became king.
Daniel tenaa hɔ ara kosii ɔhene Kores adedi afe a edi kan mu.

< Daniel 1 >