< Daniel 1 >

1 After King Jehoiakim had been ruling in Judah for almost three years, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem [with his army] and surrounded the city.
La troisième année du règne de Joakim, roi de Juda, Nabuchodonosor, roi de Babylone, vint contre Jérusalem et l'assiégea.
2 [After two years, ] Yahweh allowed Nebuchadnezzar’s [soldiers] to capture Jehoiakim, [who was the] King of Judah. They also took some of the things that were in the temple of God, and took them to Babylonia. There Nebuchadnezzar put them in the temple of his god.
Le Seigneur livra entre ses mains Joakim, roi de Juda, et une partie des vases de la maison de Dieu; et il les emporta au pays de Sennaar, dans la maison de son dieu, et il déposa les vases dans le trésor de son dieu.
3 Then Nebuchadnezzar commanded Ashpenaz, the chief official in his palace, to bring [to him] some of the Israeli men [whom they had brought to Babylon. He wanted men] who belonged to important families, including the family of the King of Judah.
Le roi dit à Asphenez, chef de ses eunuques, d'amener d'entre les enfants d'Israël, de la race royale ou de la noblesse,
4 [King Nebuchadnezzar wanted only] men who were very healthy, handsome/good-looking, wise, well-educated, capable of learning many things, and suitable for working in the palace. He also wanted to teach them the Babylonian language and have them read things that had been written in the Babylonian language.
des jeunes gens sans aucun défaut, beaux de figure, doués de toutes sortes de talents, instruits et intelligents, pleins de vigueur, pour qu'ils se tinssent dans le palais du roi et qu'on leur enseignât la littérature et la langue des Chaldéens.
5 The king commanded [his servants], “Give them the same kind of food and wine that is given to me. Train them for three years. Then they will become my servants.”
Le roi leur assigna pour chaque jour une portion des mets royaux et du vin dont il buvait, afin que, ayant été élevés pendant trois ans, ils se tinssent au bout de ce temps devant le roi.
6 Among the young Israeli men [who were chosen] were [me], Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who all came from Judah.
Il y avait parmi eux, d'entre les enfants de Juda, Daniel, Ananias, Misaël et Azarias.
7 But Ashpenaz gave us [Babylonian] names. The name he gave to me was Belteshazzar, the name he gave to Hananiah was Shadrach, the name he gave to Mishael was Meshach, and the name he gave to Azariah was Abednego.
Le chef des eunuques leur donna des noms; il appela Daniel Baltassar, Ananias Sidrac, Misaël Misac, et Azarias Abdénago.
8 But I decided that I would not eat the kind of food that the king ate, or drink the wine that he drank, because that would make me (ritually defiled/unacceptable to God). So I asked Ashpenaz to allow me to eat and drink other things.
Daniel résolut en son cœur de ne pas se souiller par les mets du roi et par le vin dont il buvait, et il demanda au chef des eunuques de ne pas l'obliger à se souiller.
9 God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
Et Dieu fit trouver à Daniel grâce et faveur auprès du chef des eunuques.
10 but he was worried about what I suggested. He said, “My master, the king, has commanded that you eat the kinds of food and drink that he does. If [you eat other things and as a result] you become more thin and pale than the other young men who are your age, he will [order his soldiers to] cut off my head because of what you have done!”
Le chef des eunuques dit à Daniel: " Je crains le roi, mon maître, qui a fixé ce que vous devez manger et boire; car pourquoi verrait-il vos visages plus défaits que ceux des jeunes gens de votre âge? Vous mettriez en danger ma tête auprès du roi. "
11 Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Alors Daniel dit au maître d'hôtel, que le chef des eunuques avait établi sur Daniel, Ananias, Misaël et Azarias:
12 So I said to this guard: “[Please] test us for ten days. [During that time] give us [only] vegetables to eat and water to drink.
" Fais, je te prie, un essai avec tes serviteurs pendant dix jours, et qu'on nous donne des légumes à manger et de l'eau à boire.
13 After ten days, see how we look, and see how the other young men look, the ones who are eating the kind of food that the king eats. Then you can decide about [what food you will let us eat].”
Après cela, tu regarderas nos visages et le visage des jeunes gens qui mangent les mets du roi, et, selon que tu auras vu, tu agiras avec tes serviteurs. "
14 The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
Il consentit à leur demande et les éprouva pendant dix jours.
15 After ten days, [he saw that] my three friends and I looked healthier [DOU] than the young men who had been eating the food that the king wanted them to eat.
Au bout de dix jours, ils se trouvèrent avoir meilleur visage et plus d'embonpoint que tous les jeunes gens qui mangeaient les mets du roi.
16 So after that, the guard gave us [only] vegetables to eat; he did not give us the king’s special food and wine.
Et le maître d'hôtel emportait les mets et le vin qu'ils devaient boire, et leur donnait des légumes.
17 And God gave to us four young men wisdom and the ability to study many things that Babylonians had written and studied. And [he also gave to] me the ability to understand the meaning of visions and dreams.
A ces jeunes gens, à tous les quatre, Dieu donna du savoir et de l'habileté dans toute la littérature et en toute sagesse, et Daniel avait l'intelligence de toutes sortes de visions et de songes.
18 When those three years that the king had set for training us young men from Judah were ended, Ashpenaz brought all of us to King Nebuchadnezzar.
Au bout du temps fixé par le roi pour les amener, le chef des eunuques les amena devant Nabuchodonosor.
19 The king talked with [each of] us, and realized that none of the other young men were as capable as Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah and I were. So we four became the king’s special advisors/servants.
Le roi s'entretint avec eux, et il ne se trouva personne parmi eux tous comme Daniel, Ananias, Misaël et Azarias; ils furent donc admis au service du roi.
20 In all important matters, the king found that what we [four men] advised was ten times as good as what all the magicians and sorcerers/fortune-tellers in his kingdom advised.
Sur tous les sujets qui réclamaient de la sagesse et de l'intelligence, et sur lesquels le roi les interrogeait, il les trouvait dix fois supérieurs à tous les lettrés et magiciens qui étaient en tout son royaume.
21 I remained [there serving the king more than 60 years], until the first year that Cyrus became king.
Daniel fut ainsi jusqu'à la première année du roi Cyrus.

< Daniel 1 >