Daniel 1:13

Good News Translation

Then compare us with the young men who are eating the food of the royal court, and base your decision on how we look."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.”

Hebrew Names Version
Then let our faces be looked on before you, and the face of the youths who eat of the king's dainties; and as you see, deal with your servants.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see."

New American Standard Bible
"Then let our appearance be examined in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king's choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see."

New Century Version
After ten days compare how we look with how the other young men look who eat the king's food. See for yourself and then decide how you want to treat us, your servants."

Amplified Bible
"Then let our appearance and the appearance of the young men who eat the king's finest food be observed and compared by you, and deal with your servants in accordance with what you see."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then let our countenances bee looked vpon before thee, and the countenances of the children that eate of the portion of the Kings meate: and as thou seest, deale with thy seruantes.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king's choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see."

Berean Standard Bible
Then compare our appearances with those of the young men who are eating the royal food, and deal with your servants according to what you see."

Contemporary English Version
When the ten days are up, compare how we look with the other young men, and decide what to do with us."

Complete Jewish Bible
Then see how we look, and compare us with how the boys who eat the king's food look; and deal with your servants according to what you see."

Darby Translation
then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king's delicate food: and as thou shalt see, deal with thy servants.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then after ten days, compare us with the other young men who eat the king's food. See for yourself who looks healthier, and then decide how you want to treat us, your servants."

George Lamsa Translation
Then let our appearance and the appearance of the boys who eat of the kings delicacies be examined; and as you see, deal with your servants.

Lexham English Bible
Then let our appearances and the appearance of the young men who are eating the fine food of the king be compared before you, and then deal with your servants according to what you see."

Literal Translation
Then let our face be seen before you, our countenance and the appearance of the boys who eat of the king's food. And as you see, do so with your servants.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
then loke vpon oure faces, and theirs that eate off the kinges meate. And as thou seyst, so deale with thy seruauntes.

American Standard Version
Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king's dainties; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

Bible in Basic English
Then take a look at our faces and the faces of the young men who have food from the king's table; and, having seen them, do to your servants as it seems right to you.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king's food; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.'

King James Version (1611)
Then let our countenances be looked vpon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the Kings meate: and as thou seest, deale with thy seruants.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then let our countenaunces be loked vpon before thee, and the countenaunces of the children that eate of the portion of the kinges meate: and as thou seest, deale with thy seruauntes.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And let our countenances be seen by thee, and the countenances of the children that eat at the king’s table; and deal with thy servants according as thou shalt see.

English Revised Version
Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king's meat; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

World English Bible
Then let our faces be looked on before you, and the face of the youths who eat of the king's dainties; and as you see, deal with your servants.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and the cheris of children that eten the kyngis mete; and as thou seest, so do thou with thi seruauntis.

Update Bible Version
Then let our countenances be looked on before you, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king's dainties; and as you see, deal with your slaves.

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

New English Translation
Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who are eating the royal delicacies; deal with us in light of what you see."

New King James Version
Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king's delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants."

New Living Translation
"At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king's food. Then make your decision in light of what you see."

New Life Bible
Then compare how we look with the young men who are eating the king's best food. And do with us what you think is best by what you see."

New Revised Standard
You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you observe."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenances of the youths who have been eating the delicacies of the king, - and, as thou shalt see, deal thou with thy servants.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And look upon our faces, and the faces of the children that eat of the king’s meat: and as thou shalt see, deal with thy servants.

Revised Standard Version
Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's rich food be observed by you, and according to what you see deal with your servants."

Young's Literal Translation
and our appearance is seen before thee, and the appearance of the lads who are eating the king's portion of food, and as thou seest -- deal with thy servants.'

Contextual Overview

⁸ Daniel made up his mind not to let himself become ritually unclean by eating the food and drinking the wine of the royal court, so he asked Ashpenaz to help him, ⁹ and God made Ashpenaz sympathetic to Daniel. ¹⁰ Ashpenaz, however, was afraid of the king, so he said to Daniel, "The king has decided what you are to eat and drink, and if you don't look as fit as the other young men, he may kill me." ¹¹ So Daniel went to the guard whom Ashpenaz had placed in charge of him and his three friends. ¹² "Test us for ten days," he said. "Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare us with the young men who are eating the food of the royal court, and base your decision on how we look." ¹⁴ He agreed to let them try it for ten days. ¹⁵ When the time was up, they looked healthier and stronger than all those who had been eating the royal food. ¹⁶ So from then on the guard let them continue to eat vegetables instead of what the king provided.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee,.... And be thoroughly examined, whether any alteration is made therein for the worse:

and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat; who were either Chaldean youths brought up in this manner; or rather young men of the Jews, who were not so scrupulous as Daniel and his companions, and made no objection to eating the king's food; let their countenances and ours be compared together:

and as thou seest deal with thy servants: if there is no difference, or we are not the worse for abstaining from the king's meat, then grant us our request, and continue to indulge us in this manner; but, if otherwise, do as thou wilt. Daniel, no doubt, in putting the matter on this issue, as it should turn out at the end of ten days, had a revelation or assurance from God how it would be, or he would never have ventured to put it to such a trial.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then let our countenances be looked upon - One of the “objects” to be secured by this whole trial was to promote their personal beauty, and their healthful appearance Daniel 1:4-5, and Daniel was willing that the trial should be made with reference to that, and that a judgment should be formed from the observed effect of their temperate mode of life. The Hebrew word rendered countenance (מראה mar'eh) is not limited to the “face,” as the word countenance is with us. It refers to the whole appearance, the form, the “looks;” and the expression here is equivalent to, “Then look on us, and see what the result has been, and deal with us accordingly” The Greek is, αἱ ἰδέαι ἡμῶν hai ideai hēmōn - our appearance.

Of the children - Youths; young men. Notes, Daniel 1:4. The reference is, probably, to the Chaldean youths who were trained up amidst the luxuries of the court. It is possible, however, that the reference is to Hebrew youths who were less scrupulous than Daniel and his companions.

And as thou seest, deal with thy servants - As the result shall be. That is, let us be presented at court, and promoted or not, as the result of our mode of living shall be. What the effect would have been if there had been a failure, we are not informed. Whether it would have endangered their lives, or whether it would have been merely a forfeiture of the proffered honors and advantages, we have no means of determining. It is evident that Daniel had no apprehension as to the issue.