Daniele 1
1 NELL'anno terzo del regno di Gioiachim, re di Giuda, Nebucadnesar, re di Babilonia, venne contro a Gerusalemme, e l'assediò.
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.
2 E il Signore diede in man sua Gioiachim, re di Giuda, ed una parte degli arredi della Casa di Dio; ed egli li condusse nel paese di Sinear, nella casa de' suoi dii; e portò quegli arredi nella casa del tesoro de' suoi dii.
[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.
3 E il re disse ad Aspenaz, capo de' suoi eunuchi, che, d'infra i figliuoli d'Israele, e del sangue reale, e de' principi,
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.
4 ne menasse de' fanciulli, in cui non [fosse] alcun difetto, belli d'aspetto, e intendenti in ogni sapienza, e saputi in iscienza, e dotati d'avvedimento, e di conoscimento, e prodi della persona, per istare nel palazzo del re; e che s'insegnassero loro le lettere, e la lingua de' Caldei.
[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.
5 E il re assegnò loro una certa provvisione per giorno, delle vivande reali, e del vino del suo bere; e [ordinò] ancora che si allevassero lo spazio di tre anni, in capo de' quali stessero davanti al re.
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.”
6 Or fra essi furono, de' figliuoli di Giuda, Daniele, Anania, Misael, ed Azaria.
Among the young Israeli men [who were chosen] were [me], Daniel, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who all came from Judah.
7 Ma il capo degli eunuchi pose loro [altri] nomi: a Daniele pose nome Beltsasar; e ad Anania, Sadrac; ed a Misael, Mesac; e ad Azaria, Abed-nego.
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.
8 Or Daniele si mise in cuore di non contaminarsi con le vivande del re, nè col vino del suo bere; e richiese il capo degli eunuchi [che gli fosse permesso] di non contaminarsi.
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.
9 E Iddio fece trovare a Daniele grazia, e pietà appresso il capo degli eunuchi.
God had caused Ashpenaz to greatly respect me,
10 Ma il capo degli eunuchi disse a Daniele: Io temo il re, mio signore, il quale ha ordinato il vostro cibo, e le vostre bevande; imperocchè, perchè s'egli vedesse le vostre facce più triste [di quelle] degli [altri] fanciulli, pari vostri, vorreste voi rendermi colpevole di fallo capitale inverso il re?
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!”
11 Ma Daniele disse al Melsar, il quale il capo degli eunuchi avea costituito sopra Daniele, Anania, Misael, ed Azaria:
Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch me, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 Deh! fa' prova dei tuoi servitori lo spazio di dieci giorni; e sienci dati de' legumi da mangiare, e dell'acqua da bere.
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.
13 E poi sieno riguardate in presenza tua le nostre facce, e quelle de' fanciulli che mangiano delle vivande reali; e allora fa' co' tuoi servitori, come tu avviserai.
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].”
14 Ed egli acconsentì loro, e fece prova di essi per dieci giorni.
The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.
15 E in capo de' dieci giorni, le lor facce apparvero più belle, e più piene di carne, che quelle di tutti gli [altri] fanciulli che mangiavano le vivande reali.
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.
16 Laonde il Melsar [da quel dì innanzi] prendeva le lor vivande, e il vino del lor bere, e dava lor de' legumi.
So after that, the guard gave us [only] vegetables to eat; he did not give us the king’s special food and wine.
17 E Iddio donò a tutti e quattro quei fanciulli conoscimento, e intendimento in ogni letteratura e sapienza; e rendette Daniele intendente in ogni visione, ed in sogni.
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.
18 E in capo del tempo, che il re avea detto che [que' fanciulli] gli fosser menati, il capo degli eunuchi li menò nel cospetto di Nebucadnesar.
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.
19 E il re parlò con loro; ma fra essi tutti non si trovò alcuno simile a Daniele, ad Anania, a Misael, e ad Azaria; ed essi stettero nella presenza del re.
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.
20 E in ogni affare di sapienza, e d'intendimento, del quale il re li domandasse, li trovò sopravanzar per dieci volte tutti i magi, [e] gli astrologi, ch'[erano] in tutto il suo regno.
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.
21 E Daniele fu [così] fino all'anno primo del re Ciro.
I remained [there serving the king more than 60 years], until the first year that Cyrus became king.
