In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, the mighty Babylonian empire, under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar, swept through the land like a tempest. Jerusalem, the holy city, was besieged, and the temple of the Lord was desecrated. The treasures of the house of God were carried away to Babylon, and among the spoils of war were the young men of Israel—nobles, sons of kings, and those of high birth—who were taken captive to serve in the king’s palace.
Among these young men were four who would become renowned for their faith and wisdom: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were youths without blemish, handsome in appearance, skilled in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, and quick to understand. They were chosen to stand before the king, to be trained in the language and literature of the Chaldeans, and to serve in his court.
The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that he ate and the wine that he drank. They were to be nourished for three years, after which they would stand before the king. But Daniel resolved in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or wine, for it was likely offered to idols and prepared in ways that violated the laws of God. He sought permission from the chief of the eunuchs, Ashpenaz, to abstain from the royal diet.
Ashpenaz, though sympathetic to Daniel’s request, feared the king’s wrath. “I fear my lord the king,” he said, “who has appointed your food and your drink. Why should he see that you are in worse condition than the other youths of your own age? You would endanger my head with the king.”
But Daniel, undeterred, turned to the steward whom Ashpenaz had appointed over them. “Test your servants for ten days,” he proposed. “Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.”
The steward agreed to this plan. For ten days, Daniel and his companions ate only vegetables and drank only water. At the end of the ten days, their countenances appeared healthier and their bodies better nourished than all the youths who had eaten the king’s food. Seeing this, the steward continued to provide them with vegetables and water instead of the royal delicacies.
God blessed these four young men with exceptional wisdom and understanding. To Daniel, He gave insight into all visions and dreams. When the time came for them to stand before the king, none were found to compare with them in wisdom and knowledge. They were ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in the kingdom.
King Nebuchadnezzar himself examined them and found them superior to all others. They entered the king’s service, and in every matter of wisdom and understanding, they excelled. Thus, Daniel and his companions remained faithful to God in a foreign land, and God honored their faithfulness by granting them favor, wisdom, and influence in the court of Babylon.
Through their obedience and trust in the Lord, they demonstrated that even in the midst of a pagan empire, the God of Israel reigns supreme. Their story serves as a testament to the power of faith, the importance of purity, and the blessings that come from honoring God above all else.
