Daniel 1
1 En la troisième année du règne de Joakim, roi de Juda, Nabuchodonosor, 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 Joakim, roi de Juda, et une partie des vases de la maison de Dieu; et il les emporta dans la terre de Sennaar, dans la maison de son dieu, et il mit les vases 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 Asphénez, préposé des eunuques, de choisir d’entre les fils d’Israël, et de la race des rois, et des princes,
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 hommes qui fussent sans aucun défaut, d’une belle apparence, et instruits en toute sagesse, habiles dans les sciences et dans les arts, et qui pussent demeurer dans le palais du roi, afin qu’il leur apprît 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 établit qu’on les nourrirait chaque jour de ses propres mets et qu’ils boiraient du vin dont il buvait lui-même, afin qu’étant ainsi nourris pendant trois ans, ils pussent ensuite demeurer en présence 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 Or, entre ces jeunes hommes, il se trouva des enfants de Juda, Daniel, Ananias, Misaël et Azarias.
Among the young Israeli men [who were chosen] were [me], Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who all came from Judah.
7 Et le préposé des eunuques leur donna des noms, appelant Daniel, Baltassar; Ananias, Sidrach; Misaël, Misach; et Azarias, Abdénago.
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 point se souiller par les mets de la table du roi, et par le vin dont il buvait, et il demanda au préposé des eunuques de ne point 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 Or, Dieu fit trouver à Daniel grâce et faveur devant le prince des eunuques.
God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
10 Et le prince des eunuques dit à Daniel: Moi je crains mon seigneur le roi, qui a déterminé pour vous les mets et le vin; or, s’il voit vos visages plus maigres que ceux des autres jeunes hommes de votre âge, vous livrerez ma tête à la condamnation 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 Malasar, que le prince des eunuques avait établi sur Daniel, Ananias, Misaël et Azarias:
Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 Eprouvez, je vous prie, vos 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 après cela regardez nos visages, et les visages des jeunes hommes qui se nourrissent des mets du roi; et selon que vous aurez vu, vous agirez avec vos 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 Celui-ci, ayant entendu de telles paroles, les éprouva pendant dix jours.
The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
15 Mais après dix jours, leurs visages parurent meilleurs et d’un embonpoint plus grand que celui de tous les jeunes hommes qui mangeaient des 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 Malasar donc enlevait les mets et le vin qu’on leur servait pour boire, et 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 Or à ces jeunes hommes Dieu donna la science et la connaissance de tout livre et de toute sagesse, mais à Daniel 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 C’est pourquoi étant accomplis les jours après lesquels le roi avait dit qu’ils seraient introduits, le préposé des eunuques les introduisit devant Nabuchodonosor.
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 lorsque le roi leur eut parlé, il ne se trouva point parmi tous les autres de jeunes hommes tels que Daniel, Ananias, Misaël et Azarias; et ils demeurèrent en présence 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 Et sur toute question de sagesse et d’intelligence que leur fit le roi, il trouva en eux dix fois plus que dans tous les devins et les mages 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 Or Daniel fut à la cour 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.
