1. IN the third yeare of the kingdom of Ioakim king of Iuda, came Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon into Ierusalem, and besieged it.
2. And our Lord deliuered into his hand Iaokim the king of Iuda, and part of the vessels of the house of God: and he caried them away into the land of Sennaar, into the house of his god, & the vessels he brought into the house of the treasure of his god.
3. And the king spake to Asphenez the gouernour of the Eunuches, that he should bring in of the children of Israel, and of the kings, & the tyrants seede,
4. children in whom was no spot, beautiful of forme, and instructed in al wisedom, cunning in knowledge, and taught in discipline, and that might stand in the kings palace, that he might teach them the learning, and the tongue of the Chaldees.
5. And the king appoynted them a certain prouision for euerie day, of his meates, & of the wine wherof he dranke himself, that being nourished three yeares, afterward they might stand in the kings sight.
6. There were therfore among them of the children of Iuda, Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and Azarias.
7. And the gouernour of the enuches gaue them names: to Daniel, Baltassar: to Ananias, Sidrach, to Misael, Misach: & to Azarias, Abdenago.
8. But Daniel purposed in his hart, that he would not be polluted of the kings table, nor of the wine of his drinke: & he requested the gouernour of the eunuches, that he might not be contaminated.
9. And God gaue vnto Daniel grace and mercie in the sight of the price of eunuches.
10. And the prince of the enuches said to Daniel: I feare my Lord the king, who hath appoynted for you meate and drinke: who if he shal see your faces leaner then the other youthes your equals, you shal condemne my head to the king.
11. And Daniel sayd to Malasar whom the prince of the eunuches appoynted ouer Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and Azarias:
12. Proue I besech thee, thy seruants for tenne dayes, & let pulse be geuen vs to eate, & water to drinke:
13. and looke vpon our faces, and the faces of the children that eate of the kings meate: and as thou shalt see, thou shalt doe with thy seruants.
14. Who hearing that manner of speach, proued them for tenne dayes.
15. And after tenne daies their faces appeared better & more corpulent then al the children, that did eate of the kings meate.
16. Moreouer Malasar tooke away the meates, and the wine of their drinke: and he gaue them pulse.
17. And to these children God gaue knowledge, and discipline in euerie booke, and wisedom: but to Daniel the vnderstanding of al visions and dreames.
18. The dayes therfore being accomplished, after which the king had sayd, that they should be brought in; the gouernour of the eunuches brought them in the sight of Nabuchodonosor.
19. And when the king had spoken to them, there were not fond such of them al, as Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and Azarias: and they stood in the kings sight.
20. And euerie word of wisedom and vnderstanding, that the king demanded of them, he found in them more by ten fold aboue al the southsayers, & magicians, that were in al his kingdom.
21. And Daniel was euen to the first yeare of Cyrus the king.