< Daniel 1 >

1 Le Yuda fia Yehoyakim ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe etɔ̃lia me la, Babilonia fia Nebukadnezar va Yerusalem, eye wòɖe to ɖee.
During the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem and surrounded it.
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.
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 Fia la ɖe gbe na Aspenaz, aƒedzikpɔlawo ƒe amegã be wòatia Israelviwo dometɔ aɖewo tso fia la kple bubumewo ƒe ƒomewo me,
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to take charge of some of the captured Israelites from the royal and noble families,
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.
“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 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 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 Ame siawo dometɔ aɖewo nye Yudatɔwo. Woawoe nye Daniel, Hananiya, Misael kple Azaria.
Among those chosen were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of 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.
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 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.
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 Azɔ la, Mawu na be dzikpɔla la nave enu eye wòakpɔ nublanui nɛ.
God had helped Daniel to be viewed with kindness and sympathy by the chief eunuch.
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 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 Daniel gblɔ na ameŋudzɔla si dzikpɔla la tia be wòadzɔ Daniel, Hananiya, Misael kple Azaria ŋu la be,
Daniel then spoke with the guard that the chief eunuch had put in charge of Daniel, 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.
“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 Ekema nàtsɔ míaƒe dzedzeme asɔ kple ɖekakpui siwo ɖua fia la ƒe nuɖuɖu eye nàwɔ na mí ɖe nu si nàkpɔ la nu.”
“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 Ale wòlɔ̃ eye wòdo wo kpɔ ŋkeke ewo.
The guard agreed to the proposal they made and tested them 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.
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 Ale ameŋudzɔla la ɖe nuɖuɖu nyui si woaɖu kple wain si woano la ɖa eye wòtsɔa amagbewo na wo ɖe wo teƒe.
After that the guard didn't give them the rich food and wine, just vegetables.
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.
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 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 their time of education ordered by the king was over, the chief eunuch brought all the young men before 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 them and none could compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king's service.
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.
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 Daniel nɔ afi ma va se ɖe fia Sirus ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe gbãtɔ me.
Daniel remained in this position until the first year of King Cyrus' reign.

< Daniel 1 >