¹ In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

² And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his God; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his God.

³ And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;

⁴ Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

⁵ And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

⁶ Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

⁷ Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego.

⁸ But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

⁹ Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

¹⁰ And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

¹¹ Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

¹² Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

¹³ Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

¹⁴ So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.

¹⁵ And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.

¹⁶ Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.

¹⁷ As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

¹⁸ Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

¹⁹ And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.

²⁰ And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

²¹ And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.

¹ Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

² The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

³ And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

⁴ And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

⁵ By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

⁶ And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.

⁷ And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

⁸ And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

⁹ He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

¹⁰ And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

¹¹ Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

¹² And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

¹³ And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

¹⁴ And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

¹⁵ And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,

¹⁶ And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,

¹⁷ And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

¹⁸ And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.

¹⁹ And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

²⁰ These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.

²¹ Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

²² The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.

²³ And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.

²⁴ And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.

²⁵ And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

²⁶ And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazar-maveth, and Jerah,

²⁷ And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,

²⁸ And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,

²⁹ And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.

³⁰ And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.

³¹ These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.

³² These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.