Daniel 1
1 La troisième année du règne de Jojakim, roi de Juda, Nebucadnetsar, roi de Babylone, vint à Jérusalem et l'assiégea.
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 L'Éternel livra entre ses mains Jehoïakim, roi de Juda, avec une partie des ustensiles de la maison de Dieu, et il les transporta au pays de Schinear, dans la maison de son dieu. Il apporta les ustensiles dans la maison du trésor de son dieu.
[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 Le roi parla à Ashpenaz, maître de ses eunuques, pour qu'il fasse venir quelques-uns des enfants d'Israël, de la descendance royale et des nobles:
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 des jeunes gens qui n'avaient pas de défaut, mais qui étaient de bonne constitution, habiles en toute sagesse, doués de savoir, comprenant la science, et qui étaient capables de se tenir dans le palais du roi; et qu'il leur enseignât le savoir et la langue des Chaldéens.
[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 Le roi leur donna une portion quotidienne des mets du roi et du vin qu'il buvait, et leur imposa une nourriture de trois ans, à l'issue de laquelle ils se présenteraient devant le roi.
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 Or, parmi ces enfants de Juda, il y avait Daniel, Hanania, Mishaël et Azaria.
Among the young Israeli men [who were chosen] were [me], Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who all came from Judah.
7 Le prince des eunuques leur donna des noms: à Daniel, il donna le nom de Beltschatsar; à Hanania, celui de Shadrac; à Mishael, celui de Meshach; et à Azaria, celui d'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 Mais Daniel résolut dans son cœur de ne pas se souiller avec les mets du roi et avec le vin qu'il buvait. Il demanda donc au prince des eunuques de ne pas se souiller.
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 Dieu fit en sorte que Daniel trouve de la bonté et de la compassion aux yeux du prince des eunuques.
God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
10 Le prince des eunuques dit à Daniel: « Je crains mon seigneur le roi, qui a fixé votre nourriture et votre boisson. Car pourquoi verrait-il vos visages plus mauvais que ceux des jeunes gens de votre âge? Vous mettriez alors ma tête en danger auprès du roi. »
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 Alors Daniel dit à l'intendant que le prince des eunuques avait nommé sur Daniel, Hanania, Mischaël et Azaria:
Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 « Mets tes serviteurs à l'épreuve, je t'en prie, pendant dix jours; qu'ils nous donnent des légumes à manger et de l'eau à boire.
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 Puis, que l'on examine devant toi notre visage et celui des jeunes gens qui mangent les mets du roi; et selon ce que tu verras, traite tes serviteurs. »
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 Il les écouta donc à ce sujet et les mit à l'épreuve pendant dix jours.
The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
15 Au bout de dix jours, leur visage était plus beau et ils étaient plus gras que tous les jeunes gens qui avaient mangé les mets du roi.
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 L'intendant enleva leurs mets et le vin qu'on leur avait donné à boire, et leur donna des légumes.
So after that, the guard gave us [only] vegetables to eat; he did not give us the king’s special food and wine.
17 Quant à ces quatre jeunes gens, Dieu leur donna de la connaissance et de l'habileté dans toute l'instruction et la sagesse; et Daniel eut l'intelligence de toutes les visions et de tous les songes.
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 A la fin des jours que le roi avait fixés pour les faire venir, le prince des eunuques les fit venir devant Nebucadnetsar.
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 Le roi s'entretint avec eux, et il ne se trouva parmi eux personne comme Daniel, Hanania, Mishaël et Azaria. Ils se tinrent donc devant le roi.
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 Pour toutes les questions de sagesse et d'intelligence que le roi leur posa, il les trouva dix fois meilleurs que tous les magiciens et enchanteurs qui étaient dans tout son royaume.
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 a continué jusqu'à la première année du roi Cyrus.
I remained [there serving the king more than 60 years], until the first year that Cyrus became king.
