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Daniel 1

Daniel’s resolve unfolds under God’s rule, as God grants favor and wisdom to displaced youths serving a foreign king.

Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem, and the Lord gives Judah’s king and some temple vessels into his hand. In Babylon, selected Judean youths, including Daniel and his three companions, receive new names and training for royal service. Daniel resolves to avoid defilement from the king’s food and wine, then requests a ten-day test with vegetables and water. God grants him favor and gives the four youths knowledge and wisdom. Their training ends with an examination before the king.

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1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
2The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar to the house of his god. He brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
3The king spoke to Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring in some of the children of Israel, even of the royal offspring and of the nobles:
4youths in whom was no defect, but well-favored, skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding science, and who had the ability to stand in the king’s palace; and that he should teach them the learning and the language of the Chaldeans.
5The king appointed for them a daily portion of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and that they should be nourished three years, that at its end they should stand before the king.
6Now among these of the children of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
7The prince of the eunuchs gave names to them: to Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
9Now God made Daniel find kindness and compassion in the sight of the prince of the eunuchs.
10The prince of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink. For why should he see your faces worse looking than the youths who are of your own age? Then you would endanger my head with the king.”
12“Test your servants, I beg you, ten days; and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.
15At the end of ten days, their faces appeared fairer and they were fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate of the king’s delicacies.
17Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
18At the end of the days which the king had appointed for bringing them in, the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
19The king talked with them; and among them all was found no one like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king.
20In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters who were in all his realm.
21Daniel continued even to the first year of King Cyrus.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Daniel 1:2The opening defeat is placed under the Lord’s authority, even as temple vessels enter a foreign god’s treasury.
Daniel 1:9God grants Daniel favor with the official whose fear of the king makes Daniel’s request dangerous.
Daniel 1:17The youths’ wisdom comes from God, and Daniel’s understanding of visions and dreams prepares for what follows.
Where this chapter reaches

2 Kings and 2 Chronicles also recount Babylon’s conquest of Judah and the removal of temple treasures, sharing Daniel’s setting of defeat and exile. Genesis shares the pattern of God granting Joseph favor and understanding of dreams in a foreign court, while Proverbs identifies God as the source of wisdom.

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After reading the whole chapter

What do God’s actions throughout the chapter reveal about his rule during Judah’s defeat and exile?

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What stands out about Daniel’s firm resolve and his response to the official’s fear?

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Questions people ask about Daniel 1

Why did Daniel refuse the king’s food and wine?

Daniel says the king’s food and wine would defile him, but the chapter does not explain the precise source of defilement. Possible concerns include food forbidden by God’s law or association with idol worship. The account centers on his resolve, his request for permission, and God’s provision.

How old was Daniel in Daniel 1?

The chapter gives no exact age. Daniel belongs to a group described as youths selected for palace service and a three-year course in Chaldean learning and language. He was young enough to enter this training, but claims that he was a particular age go beyond the text.

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What the Bible says about temptation →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).