Daniel 1:8-10

Expanded Bible

⁸ Daniel ·decided [^Lset his heart] not to eat the king’s food or drink his wine because that would ·defile [contaminate] him [^Cperhaps would make him ritually unclean, but more likely because he depended on God to sustain him]. So he ·asked [sought] ·Ashpenaz [^Lthe chief officer/or of the eunuchs] for permission not to ·defile [contaminate] himself in this way.

⁹ God made Ashpenaz, the chief ·officer [or of the eunuchs], want to be ·kind [loving] and ·merciful [gracious] to Daniel, ¹⁰ but ·Ashpenaz [^Lthe chief officer/or of the eunuchs] said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my master, the king. He ·ordered me to give you this [^Lallotted/assigned your] food and drink. If you begin to look ·worse [thinner] than other ·young men [children; youth] your age, the king will see this. Then ·he will cut off my head because of you [^Lyou will forfeit my head to the king].”