"Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. " Seeing in these youth the promise of remarkable ability, Nebuchadnezzar determined that they should be trained to fill important positions in his kingdom. That they might be fully qualified for their lifework, he arranged for them to learn the language of the Chaldeans and for three years to be granted the unusual educational advantages afforded princess of the realm.

Iblandt dem var judæerne Daniel, Hananja, Misjael og Azarja." Da Nebukadnezar så, at disse unge mænd var i besiddelse af fremragende evner, besluttede han at lade dem uddanne, så de kunne beklæde betydningsfulde stillinger i hans rige. For at gøre dem fuldt ud skikkede til deres livsgerning drog han omsorg for, at de lærte kaldæernes sprog og fik den samme glimrende uddannelse som landets egne fyrster.