Daniel 1
1 Le Yuda fia Yehoyakim ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe etɔ̃lia me la, Babilonia fia Nebukadnezar va Yerusalem, eye wòɖe to ɖee.
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 Aƒetɔ la tsɔ Yehoyakim, Yuda fia de asi nɛ kple nanewo tso Mawu ƒe gbedoxɔ me. Etsɔ nu siawo yi eƒe mawu ƒe gbedoxɔ me le Babilonia, eye wòda wo ɖe eƒe mawu ƒe nudzraɖoƒe.
[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 Fia la ɖe gbe na Aspenaz, aƒedzikpɔlawo ƒe amegã be wòatia Israelviwo dometɔ aɖewo tso fia la kple bubumewo ƒe ƒomewo me,
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 ɖekakpui siwo menye nuwɔamitɔwo le go aɖeke me o, wodze ɖeka, woɖi ame siwo dina be yewoasrɔ̃ nu tso nu sia nu ŋu, wonya nu, sea nu gɔme kabakaba eye wodze na dɔwɔwɔ le fiasã la me. Ele nɛ be wòafia Babiloniatɔwo ƒe gbegbɔgblɔ kple nuŋɔŋlɔ wo.
[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 Fia la naa woƒe gbe sia gbe ƒe nuɖuɖu kple wain wo tso fia la ƒe kplɔ̃ dzi. Woahe wo ƒe etɔ̃ eye le ɣeyiɣi sia megbe la, woazu fia la ƒe subɔlawo.
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 Ame siawo dometɔ aɖewo nye Yudatɔwo. Woawoe nye Daniel, Hananiya, Misael kple Azaria.
Among the young Israeli men [who were chosen] were [me], Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who all came from Judah.
7 Amegã la tsɔ ŋkɔ yeye na wo: Daniel ƒe ŋkɔ yeyeae nye Beltesazar, Hananiya tɔe nye Sadrak, Misael tɔe nye Mesak, eye Azaria tɔe nye Abednego.
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 Ke Daniel ɖo ta me be yemagblẽ kɔ ɖo na ye ɖokui kple fia la ƒe nuɖuɖu kple wain o, eye wòbia mɔ eƒe dzikpɔla be yemagblẽ kɔ ɖo na ye ɖokui to mɔ sia dzi o.
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 Azɔ la, Mawu na be dzikpɔla la nave enu eye wòakpɔ nublanui nɛ.
God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
10 Ke dzikpɔla la gblɔ na Daniel be, “Mele vɔvɔ̃m na nye aƒetɔ kple fia la, ame si ɖo wò nuɖuɖu kple nunono nam. Nu ka ta wòakpɔ wò, wò lãme manyo abe wò hati ɖekakpui bubuawo tɔ ene o? Ekema fia la axɔ nye ta ɖe tawò.”
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 Daniel gblɔ na ameŋudzɔla si dzikpɔla la tia be wòadzɔ Daniel, Hananiya, Misael kple Azaria ŋu la be,
Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 “Meɖe kuku do wò dɔlawo kpɔ ŋkeke ewo. Mègana nu bubu aɖeke mí wu amagbe si míaɖu kple tsi si míano o.
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 Ekema nàtsɔ míaƒe dzedzeme asɔ kple ɖekakpui siwo ɖua fia la ƒe nuɖuɖu eye nàwɔ na mí ɖe nu si nàkpɔ la nu.”
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 Ale wòlɔ̃ eye wòdo wo kpɔ ŋkeke ewo.
The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
15 Le ŋkeke ewo megbe la, Yuda ɖekakpuiawo dze lãmesesẽtɔwo kple ame siwo ɖu nu nyuiwo wu ame siwo ɖu fia la ƒe nuɖuɖu.
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 Ale ameŋudzɔla la ɖe nuɖuɖu nyui si woaɖu kple wain si woano la ɖa eye wòtsɔa amagbewo na wo ɖe wo teƒe.
So after that, the guard gave us [only] vegetables to eat; he did not give us the king’s special food and wine.
17 Mawu na nunya kple gɔmesese ɖekakpui ene siawo tso nuŋlɔɖi kple nunya ƒe alɔdze ɖe sia ɖe ŋu. Ke Daniel ya tea ŋu sea ŋutegawo kple drɔ̃e ɖe sia ɖe ƒomevi gɔme.
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 Le ɣeyiɣi si fia la ɖo be woakplɔ wo vɛ na ye ƒe nuwuwu la, aƒedzikpɔlawo ƒe amegã la kplɔ wo yi na Nebukadnezar.
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 Fia la ƒo nu kpli wo eye wòkpɔ be, ame bubuawo dometɔ aɖeke mede Daniel, Hananiya, Misael kple Azaria nu o, ale woxɔ wo wodze dɔwɔwɔ na fia la gɔme.
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 Le nunya kple gɔmesese ƒe nya ɖe sia ɖe gome, esi ŋu fia la abia nya wo le la, ekpɔna be wonyo zi ewo wu yeƒe fiaɖuƒea me tɔwo ƒe akunyawɔlawo kple bokɔwo katã.
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 Daniel nɔ afi ma va se ɖe fia Sirus ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe gbãtɔ me.
I remained [there serving the king more than 60 years], until the first year that Cyrus became king.
