The king assigned them fine food and choice wine on a daily basis, ordering them to be trained for three years, at the end of which time they would enter the king's service.

Then compare how we look with the young men who ate the king's rich food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you observe."

At the end of ten days their appearance was better and their faces were well-nourished compared to the young men who ate the king's rich food.

So the guard took away their rich food and wine, giving them vegetables.

its legs made of iron, and its feet made partly of iron and partly of clay.

"As you were watching, a rock was quarried but not with human hands and it struck the iron and clay feet of the statue, breaking them to pieces.

"The feet and toes that you saw, made partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, represent a divided kingdom. It will still have the strength of iron, in that you saw iron mixed with clay.

Just as their toes and feet are part iron and part clay, so will the kingdom be both strong and brittle.

Its foliage was beautiful, its fruit bountiful, and its food sufficient for everyone. The animals of the field found shade under it, the birds of the sky lived in its branches, and every creature was fed from it.

with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit enough food for everyone and under which wild animals of the field found shelter and the birds of the air had nests in its branches

The first resembled a lion, but it had eagles' wings. I continued to watch until its wings were plucked off, it was lifted up off the ground, and it was forced to stand on two feet like a man. A human soul was imparted to it.

"After this, I continued to observe the night visions. And look! there was a fourth awe-inspiring, terrifying, and viciously strong animal! It had large, iron teeth. It devoured and crushed things, and trampled under its feet whatever remained. Different from all of the other previous animals, it had ten horns.

"I wanted to learn the precise significance of the fourth animal that was different from all the others, extremely awe-inspiring, with iron teeth and bronze claws, and that had devoured and crushed things, trampling under its feet whatever remained.

"While he had been speaking with me, I had fainted on my face, but he touched me and enabled me to stand upright on my feet.

"Then he said, "Do you understand why I came to you? Soon I'll return to fight the prince of Persia. I'm going forth to war and take note the prince of Greece is coming!

""The southern king will fly into a rage and march out to fight the northern king. He'll gather a large army, but that army will be handed over to him.

He'll capture treasures of gold, silver, and all the treasures of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites at his feet.