ダニエル書 1
1 ユダの王エホヤキムの治世の第三年にバビロンの王ネブカデネザルはエルサレムにきて、これを攻め囲んだ。
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 主はユダの王エホヤキムと、神の宮の器具の一部とを、彼の手にわたされたので、彼はこれをシナルの地の自分の神の宮に携えゆき、その器具を自分の神の蔵に納めた。
[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 時に王は宦官の長アシペナズに、イスラエルの人々の中から、王の血統の者と、貴族たる者数人とを、連れて来るように命じた。
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 すなわち身に傷がなく、容姿が美しく、すべての知恵にさとく、知識があって、思慮深く、王の宮に仕えるに足る若者を連れてこさせ、これにカルデヤびとの文学と言語とを学ばせようとした。
[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 そして王は王の食べる食物と、王の飲む酒の中から、日々の分を彼らに与えて、三年のあいだ彼らを養い育て、その後、彼らをして王の前に、はべらせようとした。
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 彼らのうちに、ユダの部族のダニエル、ハナニヤ、ミシャエル、アザリヤがあった。
Among the young Israeli men [who were chosen] were [me], Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who all came from Judah.
7 宦官の長は彼らに名を与えて、ダニエルをベルテシャザルと名づけ、ハナニヤをシャデラクと名づけ、ミシャエルをメシャクと名づけ、アザリヤをアベデネゴと名づけた。
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 ダニエルは王の食物と、王の飲む酒とをもって、自分を汚すまいと、心に思い定めたので、自分を汚させることのないように、宦官の長に求めた。
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 神はダニエルをして、宦官の長の前に、恵みとあわれみとを得させられたので、
God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
10 宦官の長はダニエルに言った、「わが主なる王は、あなたがたの食べ物と、飲み物とを定められたので、わたしはあなたがたの健康の状態が、同年輩の若者たちよりも悪いと、王が見られることを恐れるのです。そうすればあなたがたのために、わたしのこうべが、王の前に危くなるでしょう」。
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 そこでダニエルは宦官の長がダニエル、ハナニヤ、ミシャエルおよびアザリヤの上に立てた家令に言った、
Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 「どうぞ、しもべらを十日の間ためしてください。わたしたちにただ野菜を与えて食べさせ、水を飲ませ、
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 そしてわたしたちの顔色と、王の食物を食べる若者の顔色とをくらべて見て、あなたの見るところにしたがって、しもべらを扱ってください」。
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 家令はこの事について彼らの言うところを聞きいれ、十日の間、彼らをためした。
The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
15 十日の終りになってみると、彼らの顔色は王の食物を食べたすべての若者よりも美しく、また肉も肥え太っていた。
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 それで家令は彼らの食物と、彼らの飲むべき酒とを除いて、彼らに野菜を与えた。
So after that, the guard gave us [only] vegetables to eat; he did not give us the king’s special food and wine.
17 この四人の者には、神は知識を与え、すべての文学と知恵にさとい者とされた。ダニエルはまたすべての幻と夢とを理解した。
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 さて、王が命じたところの若者を召し入れるまでの日数が過ぎたので、宦官の町は彼らをネブカデネザルの前に連れていった。
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 王が彼らと語ってみると、彼らすべての中にはダニエル、ハナニヤ、ミシャエル、アザリヤにならぶ者がなかったので、彼らは王の前にはべることとなった。
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 王が彼らにさまざまの事を尋ねてみると、彼らは知恵と理解において、全国の博士、法術士にまさること十倍であった。
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 ダニエルはクロス王の元年まで仕えていた。
I remained [there serving the king more than 60 years], until the first year that Cyrus became king.
