The book of Daniel begins around the year 605BC, the people of Judah are taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar as he is on his way back to Babylon from defeating Necho king of Egypt at the battle of Carchemish. Daniel was amongst these taken as he was one of the young shining lights of the people of Israel, they were taken so that they might be indctrinated into the Babylonian way of thinking and work for the king in his civil service, of course they were also taken as hostages. The young men of Israle were given new names, each to do with a Babylonian god, a good education and meat from the kings table, this last thing daniel politely refused as eating such things would have made him spiritually impure. The refusal to eat the food offered could have carried with it a death sentence but Daniel took the responsability upon himself so as not to endanger the chief eunuch, Daniel and his companions gave themselves to the Lord in a remarkable way and the Lord blessed them in return in a remarkable way.
