In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to
Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some
of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in
the treasure house of his god.
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the
Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome,
showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in
the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned
them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and
after that they were to enter the king’s service.
Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief
official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael,
Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.