3Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring in some Israelites from the royal family and the nobility —
4young men without blemish, handsome, gifted in all wisdom, knowledgeable, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace — and to teach them the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
5The king assigned them daily provisions of the royal food and wine. They were to be trained for three years, after which they were to enter the king’s service.
— Daniel 1:3-5