DANIEL’S CAPTIVITY IN BABYLON

1 In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakima of Judah, King NebuchadnezzarA,b of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. 2 The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God.c Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon,B,d to the house of his god,C and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.

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.