Maphunziro a Danieli ku Babuloni
1Chaka chachitatu cha ufumu wa Yehoyakimu mfumu ya Yuda, Nebukadinezara mfumu ya ku Babuloni inabwera ndi kuzinga mzinda wa Yerusalemu ndi kuwuthira nkhondo. 2Ndipo Ambuye anapereka Yehoyakimu mfumu ya ku Yuda mʼdzanja lake, pamodzi ndi zina mwa zida zotumikira mʼNyumba ya Mulungu. Iye anazitenga napita nazo ku nyumba ya mulungu wake ku Babuloni ndi kuziyika mʼnyumba yosungiramo chuma cha mulungu wake.
3Tsono mfumu inalamula Asipenazi, mkulu wa nduna zake kuti abwere nawo ena mwa Aisraeli ochokera mʼbanja laufumu ndi la olemekezeka, 4achinyamata wopanda chilema, okongola, aluso mu nzeru zonse, okhala ndi chidziwitso, achangu pophunzira, odziwa kutumikira mʼnyumba ya mfumu. Ndipo anati awaphunzitsenso kuwerenga chiyankhulo cha Ababuloni. 5Ndipo mfumu imawapatsa tsiku ndi tsiku gawo la chakudya ndi vinyo wa ku nyumba yaufumu, ndi kuti awaphunzitse kwa zaka zitatu, ndipo kenaka adzayambe kutumikira mfumu.
6Pakati pa amenewa panali ena ochokera ku Yuda: Danieli, Hananiya, Misaeli ndi Azariya. 7Mkulu wa nduna za mfumu anawapatsa mayina atsopano: Danieli anamutcha Belitesezara; Hananiya anamutcha Sadirake; Misaeli anamutcha Mesaki; ndi Azariya anamutcha Abedenego.
8Koma Danieli anatsimikiza mtima kuti asadzidetse ndi chakudya ndi vinyo wa mfumu, ndipo anapempha chilolezo kwa mkulu wa nduna za mfumu kuti asadzidetse mwa njira imeneyi. 9Ndipo Mulungu anafewetsa mtima wa ndunayo kuti amukomere mtima ndi kumuchitira chifundo Danieli, 10koma ndunayo inamuwuza Danieli kuti, “Ine ndikuchita mantha ndi mbuye wanga mfumu, amene wapereka chakudya ndi chakumwa chanu. Kodi akuoneni inu owonda kuposa anzanu a misinkhu yanu pa chifukwa chanji? Mfumu ikhoza kundidula mutu chifukwa cha iwe.”
11Ndipo Danieli anati kwa kapitawo amene anali mkulu wa nduna za mfumu amene anamuyika kuti ayangʼanire Danieli, Hananiya, Misaeli ndi Azariya, 12“Chonde mutiyese ife akapolo anu pa masiku khumi: mutipatse masamba okha kuti tidye ndi madzi akumwa. 13Ndipo mudzafananize maonekedwe athu ndi a anyamata amene akudya chakudya cha mfumu, ndi kuti mudzachite ndi anyamata anu monga momwe mudzawaonere.” 14Choncho anawavomera ndipo anawayesa pa masiku khumi.
15Pakutha pa masiku khumi iwo anaoneka athanzi ndi odya bwino kuposa aliyense wa anyamata amene ankadya chakudya cha mfumu aja. 16Choncho kapitawo anawachotsera chakudya ndi vinyo za ku nyumba yaufumu zija nawapatsa ndiwo zamasamba basi.
17Kwa anyamata anayiwa Mulungu anapereka chidziwitso ndi kuzindikira bwino mitundu yonse ya zolembedwa ndi za maphunziro. Ndipo Danieli ankatanthauzira masomphenya ndi maloto a mitundu yonse.
18Ndipo kumapeto kwa masiku amene mfumu inayika kuti adzaonetse anyamatawa ku nyumba yake, mkulu wa nduna za mfumu uja anawapereka iwo kwa Nebukadinezara. 19Mfumu inayankhula nawo, ndipo panalibe wofanana ndi Danieli; Hananiya Misaeli ndi Azariya; Choncho analowa ndi kukhala otumikira mfumu. 20Nthawi zonse mfumu ikawafunsa zonse zofuna nzeru ndi chidziwitso, inkapeza kuti iwo anali oposa amatsenga ndi owombeza onse a mu ufumu wake wonse mopitirira muyeso.
21Ndipo Danieli anali kumeneko mpaka chaka choyamba cha ufumu wa Koresi.
Daniel’s Training in Babylon
1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia1:2 Hebrew Shinar and put in the treasure house of his god.
3Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.1:4 Or Chaldeans 5The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your1:10 The Hebrew for your and you in this verse is plural. food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
11Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
15At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
17To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
18At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
21And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.
