Daniel 1
1 La troisième année du règne de Jojakim, roi de Juda, Nebucadnetsar, roi de Babylone, marcha contre 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 Le Seigneur livra entre ses mains Jojakim, roi de Juda, et une partie des ustensiles de la maison de Dieu. Nebucadnetsar emporta les ustensiles au pays de Schinear, dans la maison de son dieu, il les mit 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 donna l’ordre à Aschpenaz, chef de ses eunuques, d’amener quelques-uns des enfants d’Israël de race royale ou de famille noble,
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 de jeunes garçons sans défaut corporel, beaux de figure, doués de sagesse, d’intelligence et d’instruction, capables de servir dans le palais du roi, et à qui l’on enseignerait 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 Le roi leur assigna pour chaque jour une portion des mets de sa table et du vin dont il buvait, voulant les élever pendant trois années, au bout desquelles ils seraient au service du 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 Il y avait parmi eux, d’entre les enfants de Juda, Daniel, Hanania, Mischaël 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 chef des eunuques leur donna des noms, à Daniel celui de Beltschatsar, à Hanania celui de Schadrac, à Mischaël celui de Méschac, 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 Daniel résolut de ne pas se souiller par les mets du roi et par le vin dont le roi buvait, et il pria le chef des eunuques de ne pas l’obliger à 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 trouver à Daniel faveur et grâce devant le chef des eunuques.
God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
10 Le chef des eunuques dit à Daniel: Je crains mon seigneur le roi, qui a fixé ce que vous devez manger et boire; car pourquoi verrait-il votre visage plus abattu que celui des jeunes gens de votre âge? 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 Alors Daniel dit à l’intendant à qui le chef des eunuques avait remis la surveillance de Daniel, de Hanania, de Mischaël et d’Azaria:
Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 Éprouve tes serviteurs pendant 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 tu regarderas ensuite notre visage et celui des jeunes gens qui mangent les mets du roi, et tu agiras avec tes serviteurs d’après ce que tu auras vu.
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 leur accorda ce qu’ils demandaient, et les éprouva 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, ils avaient meilleur visage et plus d’embonpoint que tous les jeunes gens qui mangeaient 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 emportait les mets et le vin qui leur étaient destinés, et il leur donnait 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 Dieu accorda à ces quatre jeunes gens de la science, de l’intelligence dans toutes les lettres, et de la sagesse; et Daniel expliquait toutes les visions et 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 Au terme fixé par le roi pour qu’on les lui amenât, le chef des eunuques les présenta à 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, parmi tous ces jeunes gens, il ne s’en trouva aucun comme Daniel, Hanania, Mischaël et Azaria. Ils furent donc admis au service du 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 Sur tous les objets qui réclamaient de la sagesse et de l’intelligence, et sur lesquels le roi les interrogeait, il les trouvait dix fois supérieurs à tous les magiciens et astrologues 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 Ainsi fut Daniel 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.
