Daniel Taken to Babylon

1 During the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah [^C605 bc], Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon [^Cruled 605–562 bc] came to Jerusalem and ·surrounded it with his army [besieged/^Lpressed it]. ² The Lord ·allowed Nebuchadnezzar to capture Jehoiakim king of Judah [^Lgave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand; ^CGod was in control, not Nebuchadnezzar]. Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the ·things [articles; utensils; ^Ccups, forks, and other items used in ritual; 5:2–4; Ex. 27:9; 30:27; 31:8–9; Ezra 1:9–11] from the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of God, which he carried to ·Babylonia [^Lthe land of Shinar] and put in the ·temple [^Lhouse of the treasury] of his ·gods [or god; ^Cprobably Marduk, the chief god of Babylon].

³ Then King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, ·his chief officer [or the chief of his eunuchs], to bring some of the ·men of Judah into his palace. He wanted them to be from important families, including the family of the king of Judah [^L…sons of Israel, from the royal family and from the nobility].