Daniel 1
1 La troisième année du règne de Jehoïakim, 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 et le Seigneur livra en sa main Jehoïakim, roi de Juda, et une partie des ustensiles de la maison de Dieu, et il les fit apporter dans le pays de Shinhar, dans la maison de son dieu: il fit porter 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 Et le roi dit à Ashpenaz, chef de ses eunuques, d’amener d’entre les fils d’Israël, et de la semence royale et d’entre les 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 en qui il n’y ait aucun défaut, et beaux de visage, et instruits en toute sagesse, et possédant des connaissances, et entendus en science, et qui soient capables de se tenir dans le palais du roi, – et de leur enseigner les lettres 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 Et le roi leur assigna, pour chaque jour, une portion fixe des mets délicats du roi et du vin qu’il buvait, pour les élever pendant trois ans, à la fin desquels ils se tiendraient 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 Et parmi eux il y avait, d’entre les fils de Juda, 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 et le prince des eunuques leur donna des noms: à Daniel il donna [le nom de] Belteshatsar, et à Hanania celui de Shadrac, et à Mishaël celui de Méshac, et à Azaria celui d’Abed-Nego.
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 Et Daniel arrêta dans son cœur qu’il ne se souillerait point par les mets délicats du roi et par le vin qu’il buvait; et il demanda au prince des eunuques [de lui permettre] 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 Et Dieu fit trouver à Daniel faveur et grâce auprès du prince des eunuques.
God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
10 Et le prince des eunuques dit à Daniel: Je crains le roi mon seigneur, qui a prescrit votre nourriture et votre boisson; car pourquoi verrait-il vos visages plus tristes que ceux des jeunes gens de votre âge? Et vous exposeriez ma tête 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 Et Daniel dit à l’intendant que le prince des eunuques avait établi sur Daniel, Hanania, Mishaël et Azaria:
Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 Éprouve, je te prie, tes serviteurs dix jours, et qu’on nous donne 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 et on regardera, en ta présence, nos visages et le visage des jeunes gens qui mangent les mets délicats du roi; et tu agiras avec tes serviteurs d’après ce que tu verras.
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 Et il les écouta dans cette affaire, et les mit à l’épreuve, dix jours;
The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
15 et, au bout de dix jours, leurs visages avaient meilleure apparence et étaient plus gras que ceux de tous les jeunes gens qui mangeaient les mets délicats 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 Alors l’intendant ôta leurs mets délicats et le vin de leur boisson, 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 Et à ces jeunes gens, aux quatre, Dieu donna de la science et de l’instruction dans toutes les lettres et dans toute la sagesse; et Daniel avait de l’intelligence en toute vision et dans 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 Et, à la fin des jours où le roi avait dit de les amener, le prince des eunuques les amena 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 et le roi parla avec eux, et entre eux tous il n’en fut trouvé aucun comme Daniel, Hanania, Mishaël et Azaria; et ils se tinrent 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 Et dans toutes les choses qui réclamaient de la sagesse et de l’intelligence, au sujet desquelles le roi les interrogea, il les trouva dix fois supérieurs à tous les devins [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 Et Daniel fut là 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.
