INKOSI uNebukhadinezari ithatha wonke ama-Israyeli afundile aya eBhabhiloni. Kamuva inkosi ikhetha phakathi kwawo abafana abane abahle nabahlakaniphile. Abane babo yilaba bafana obabona lapha. Omunye uDaniyeli, kanti abanye abathathu eBhabhiloni kuthiwa oShadiraki, uMeshaki no-Abhedinego.

UNebukhadinezari uceba ukuqeqesha lezi zinsizwa ukuba zise-benze emzini wakhe. Ngemva kweminyaka emithathu yokuqeqeshwa uzokhetha ezihlakaniphe kunazo zonke ukuba zimsize ekuxazululeni izinkinga. Inkosi ifuna abafana babe namandla nempilo ngesikhathi beqeqeshwa. Ngakho iyala izinceku zayo ukuba bonke zibanike ukudla kwenkosi okucebile newayini.

Bheka uDaniyeli osemusha. Uyazi ukuthi uthini enduneni kaNebukhadinezari u-Ashipenazi? UDaniyeli umtshela ukuthi akafuni ukudla izinto ezicebile zetafula lenkosi. U-Ashipenazi ukhathazekile. Uthi: ‘Inkosi enqumile ukuthi nizodlani niphuzeni. Uma ningabukeki niphile njengabanye abafana, ingangibulala.’

Ngakho uDaniyeli uya encekwini ebekwe u-Ashipenazi phezu kwakhe nabangane bakhe abathathu. Uthi: ‘Ake usilinge izinsuku eziyi-10. Sinikeze imfino namanzi. Khona-ke usiqhathanise nabanye abafana abadla ukudla kwenkosi, ubone ukuthi obani abangcono.’

Umphathi uyavuma ukwenza lokhu. Ngemva kwezinsuku eziyi-10, uDaniyeli nabangane bakhe abatha-thu, babukeka bengcono kunabo bonke abanye abafana. Ngakho umphathi uyavuma ukuba baqhu-beke bedla imfino esikhundleni sokudla kwenkosi.

Ekupheleni kweminyaka emithathu bonke abafana bayiswa kuNebukhadinezari. Ngemva kokukhuluma nabo, inkosi ithola uDaniyeli nabangane bakhe abathathu bengabahlakaniphe kunabo bonke. Ngakho iyabagcina ukuba bayisize emzini wayo. Noma nini uma inkosi ibuza imibuzo kuDaniyeli, uShadiraki, uMeshaki no-Abhedinego, noma ibanika izinkinga ezinzima, bazi ngokuphindwe ka-10 kunanoma yimuphi kubapristi bayo namadoda ahlakaniphile.