Daniel 1:13

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. The Septuagint Version here differs considerably from the Massoretic text; it is as follows: "And should our countenance appear more downcast than ( διατετραμμένη παρὰ ) those other youths who eat of the royal feast, according as thou seest good ( θέλῃς ), so deal with thy servants." In the text before the Septuagint translator לְפָנִיךָ ( l'phaneka ), "before thee," is omitted, and instead of מַרְאֵה ( mareh )," appearance," is read hsilgnE:egaugnaL זֹעַפִים } ( zo ‛aphim ), and after is inserted מִן ( min ), "from," the sign of the comparative, equivalent to " than. " Theodotion, Jerome, and the Peshitta represent accurately the Massoretic text. Against the Septuagint reading is the fact that in the Massoretic, marayeeaen is construed a singular, but in Ezekiel 15:1-8 :10 it is plural. The vocalization of tirayh , "thou shalt see," is Aramaean, £ and therefore confirms the idea that this chapter is a translation in which the original shines through. The reading of the Septuagint implies that a different meaning must be put on the last clause from that in the English Version. It means that, should the experiment prove a failure, they were willing to suffer any punishment that the official in question saw good. Such an interference with the arrangements of.the king would be a crime to be punished with stripes. Although a perfectly consistent sense can be brought from the text behind the Septuagint, yet, from the fact that the phrase, זֹעַפִים מִן־חַיְלָדִים ( zo ‛apheem min -hay'ladeem ), occurs in the tenth verse, and therefore may be repeated here by accident, we would not definitely prefer it. Further, the Massoretic text follows more naturally from the context. Let the steward see the result of the experiment after ten days, and, as he sees, so let him judge and act. Daniel and his companions leave the matter thus really in the hands of Providence.