Daniel 1:3–16

³Then the king said for Ashpenaz, the chief of his ¹officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal ^aseed and of the nobles,

⁴youths in whom was ^ano defect, who were good in appearance, showing ^binsight in every branch of wisdom, being thoroughly ¹knowledgeable and discerning knowledge, and who had ability to stand in the king’s palace; and he said for him to teach them the ²literature and ^ctongue of the ^dChaldeans.

⁵And the king appointed for them a daily ration from the ^aking’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be ¹educated three years, at the end of which they were to ^bstand before the king.

⁶Now among them from the sons of Judah were ^aDaniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

⁷Then the commander of the officials set names for them; and for Daniel he set the name ^aBelteshazzar, for Hananiah ^bShadrach, for Mishael ^cMeshach, and for Azariah ^dAbed-nego.

Daniel’s Heart

⁸But Daniel set in his heart that he would not ^adefile himself with the ^bking’s choice food or with the ^cwine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.

⁹Now God granted Daniel ^alovingkindness and compassion before the commander of the officials,

¹⁰and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would ¹make me forfeit my head to the king.”

¹¹But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

¹²“Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be ^agiven some vegetables to eat and water to drink.

¹³“Then let our appearance be ¹observed before you and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”

¹⁴So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.

¹⁵At the end of ten days it was seen that their appearance was ^abetter and that ¹they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food.

¹⁶So the overseer continued to ¹withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept ^agiving them vegetables.