< 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 adeɛ ne mfeɛ mmiɛnsa mu no, Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar baa Yerusalem de nʼakodɔm bɛtuaa ɔman no.
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. Ɛberɛ a Nebukadnessar resane akɔ Babilonia no, ɔtasee akronkronneɛ bi firii Onyankopɔn asɔredan mu, de kɔɔ nʼabosomdan mu kɔguu 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 nʼapiafoɔhene Aspenas sɛ, ɔmfa mmeranteɛ no bi a wɔfiri Yuda adehyeɛ abusua mu, ne wɔn a wɔfiri mmusua atitire mu a wɔde wɔn aba Babilonia sɛ nneduafoɔ no mmra ahemfie 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.
mmeranteɛ ahoɔdenfoɔ a wɔn ho nni dɛm, na wɔn ho yɛ fɛ. Hwɛ sɛ wɔwɔ nhunumu, na wɔadom wɔn osuahunu mu akyɛdeɛ a wɔnim nyansa, na wɔwɔ nnyinasoɔ bi a ɛbɛma wɔatumi asom wɔ ahemfie hɔ. Kyerɛ mmeranteɛ no Kaldeafoɔ kasa ne ne nwoma.
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 hyɛɛ sɛ, daa wɔmfa aduane ne nsã a ɛfiri ne didipono so mmrɛ wɔn. Na ɛsɛ sɛ wɔtete wɔn mfeɛ mmiɛnsa, na wɔn mu bi abɛyɛ nʼasomfoɔ.
6 Among the young Israeli men [who were chosen] were [me], Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who all came from Judah.
Mmeranteɛ baanan bi a wɔyii wɔn no ne Daniel, Hanania, Misael ne Asaria a wɔn nyinaa firi Yuda abusuakuo 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.
Apiafoɔhene no de din foforɔ totoo wɔn. Ɔtoo Daniel Beltesasar; ɔtoo Hanania Sadrak; ɔtoo Misael Mesak ɛnna 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 aduane, nnom nsã a ɔhene no de bɛbrɛ wɔn no, ɔsrɛɛ apiafoɔhene no sɛ ɔmma no ɛkwan na wangu ne ho fi.
9 God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
Na Onyankopɔn maa Daniel nyaa apiafoɔhene no anim adɔeɛ 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!”
Apiafoɔhene no ka kyerɛɛ Daniel sɛ, “Me wura ɔhene no ahyɛ sɛ monni saa aduane yi, na monnom nsã no. Sɛ mofonfɔn na yɛde mo toto mmabunu a wɔyɛ mo tipɛnfoɔ 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 ɔsomfoɔ a apiafoɔhene no de no asi ɔno ne Hanania, Misael ne Asaria so no sɛ,
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 nhahamma ne nsuo dadu, 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 mmeranteɛ afoforɔ no a wɔredi ɔhene nnuane pa no ho, na hwɛ sɛdeɛ yɛte. Ɛno akyi yɛ wo nkoa sɛdeɛ wohunu.”
14 The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
Enti, ɔsomfoɔ no penee asɛm a Daniel de too nʼanim no so, sɔɔ wɔn hwɛɛ dadu.
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.
Dadu no akyi, wɔhunuu sɛ wɔn anim ayɛ fɛ na wɔwɔ honam sene mmeranteɛ a wɔdii ahennuane 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, ɔsomfoɔ no sii gyinaeɛ sɛ ɔbɛtoa so ama wɔn nhahamma nko ara, na wamfa ahennuane 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 mmerantewaa baanan yi Onyankopɔn maa wɔn nwomanim ne nyansahu nyinaa mu nimdeɛ, na Daniel nyaa anisoadehunu ne daeɛ nkyerɛaseɛ 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.
Ɛberɛ a ɔhene no ahyɛ no duruiɛ no, ɔpanin no de mmeranteɛ 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 kasaeɛ, na wɔn mu biara ansɔ nʼani gye sɛ, Daniel, Hanania, Misael ne Asaria. Enti, wɔde wɔn kaa ɔhene no apiafoɔ 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 ɛhia nyansa ne nteaseɛ a ɔhene no bisa wɔn no ɔhunu sɛ, wɔ sene nkonyaayifoɔ ne pɛadeɛhunufoɔ a wɔwɔ nʼahemman mu nyinaa no mpɛn edu.
21 I remained [there serving the king more than 60 years], until the first year that Cyrus became king.
Daniel tenaa hɔ ara, kɔsii ɔhene Kores adedie afe a ɛdi ɛkan mu.

< Daniel 1 >