Daniel 1:3–8
3 The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch,D to bring some of the Israelites from the royal familye and from the nobility—4 young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom,f knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace.g He was to teach them the Chaldean languageh and literature. 5 The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank.i They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to attend the king.E,j 6 Among them, from the Judahites, were Daniel,k Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 The chief eunuch gave them names; he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.l
8 Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s foodm or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief eunuch not to defile himself.n