Study Desk

In the third year of the reign of ^(C1)Jehoiakim king of Judah, ^(C2)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

And the ^(C1)Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the ^(C2)vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of ^(C3)Shinar, to the house of his ^(F1)god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his ^(F1)(C4)god.

Then the king told Ashpenaz, the chief of his ^(F1)officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the ^(F2)royal ^(C1)family and of the nobles,

youths in whom there was ^(C1)no impairment, who were good-looking, suitable for ^(C2)instruction in every kind of expertise, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability to ^(F1)serve in the king's ^(F2)court; and he ordered Ashpenaz to teach them the ^(F3)literature and ^(C3)language of the ^(C4)Chaldeans.

The king also allotted for them a daily ration from the ^(C1)king's choice food and from the wine which he drank, and ordered that they be educated for three years, at the end of which they were to ^(F1)(C2)enter the king's personal service.

Now among them from the sons of Judah were ^(C1)Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name ^(C1)Belteshazzar, to Hananiah ^(C2)Shadrach, to Mishael ^(C2)Meshach, and to Azariah ^(C2)Abed-nego.