Daniel 1:8-14

Evangelical Heritage Version

The Young Men Are Steadfast in Their Faith

⁸ Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the special food of the king or with the wine that he drank. So he sought permission from the chief official, so that he would not have to defile himself. ⁹ God made the chief of the officials favorable and sympathetic toward Daniel. ¹⁰ Then the chief of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink. Why should he see your faces looking less healthy than those of the other young men who are your age? You put my life at risk before the king.”

¹¹ Daniel said to the superintendent whom the chief of the officials had placed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹² “Please test your servants for ten days. Tell them to give us only vegetables, and we will eat them and drink water. ¹³ Observe our appearance and the appearance of the young men who eat the special royal food. Then deal with your servants based on what you see.” ¹⁴ So he listened to what they said about this and tested them for ten days.