Daniel 1:8-14

New Catholic Bible

⁸ However, Daniel was determined not to defile himself by partaking of food and wine from the royal table, and he pleaded with the chief eunuch to spare him this defilement. ⁹ God influenced the eunuch to grant this favor and to treat Daniel with compassion. ¹⁰ However, the eunuch said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king. He has specifically designated what food and drink are to be supplied to you. If he should notice that you appear to be notably thinner than the other young men of your age, he would probably issue a command that I be beheaded.”

¹¹ Then Daniel said to the guard whom the eunuch had assigned to supervise Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹² “Please test your servants for a period of ten days, during which we will be given only vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ You can then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat only the food designated by the king. Then deal with your servants and treat us in accordance with what you observe.”

¹⁴ The guard agreed to this proposal and tested them for a period of ten days.