< Daniel 3 >

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar the king, made an image of gold, the height thereof, sixty cubits, the breadth thereof, six cubits, —he set it up in the valley of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the local governors, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
And, Nebuchadnezzar the king, sent to gather together the satraps, the nobles and the pashas, the chief judges, the treasurers, the judges, the lawyers, and all the rulers of the province, —to come to the dedication of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar the king, had set up.
3 Then the local governors, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces were gathered together to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Then were gathered together, the satraps, the nobles and the pashas, the chief judges, the treasurers, the judges, the lawyers, and all the rulers of the province, to the dedication of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up, —and they stood before the image, which Nebuchadnezzar, had set up.
4 Then the herald cried aloud, “To you it is commanded, peoples, nations, and languages,
And, the herald, proclaimed aloud, —To you, is given the word, O ye peoples, races, and tongues:
5 that whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.
At what time ye shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery, the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music, ye shall fall down and adore the image of gold, which Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up;
6 Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the middle of a burning fiery furnace the same hour.”
and, whosoever shall not fall down and adore, shall, instantly, be cast into the burning furnace of fire.
7 Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Wherefore, at the same time—when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery, and all kinds of instruments of music, they were falling down—even all the peoples, the races, and the tongues, —adoring the image of gold, which Nebuchadnezzar the king, had set up.
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near and brought accusation against the Jews.
Wherefore, at the same time, drew near certain Chaldeans, —and accused the Jews:
9 They answered Nebuchadnezzar the king, “O king, live for ever!
they spake, and said, to Nebuchadnezzar the king: O king! for ages, live!
10 You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music shall fall down and worship the golden image;
Thou thyself, O king, hast made a decree, that, any man who shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music, shall fall down and adore the image of gold;
11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the middle of a burning fiery furnace.
and, whosoever shall not fall down and adore, shall be cast into the burning furnace of fire.
12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have not respected you. They do not serve your gods, and do not worship the golden image which you have set up.”
There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the business of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, —these men, have made thee, O king, of no account, thy god, they serve not, and, the image of gold which thou hast set up, do they not adore.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. Then these men were brought before the king.
Then, Nebuchadnezzar—with anger and wrath, gave word to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, then, these men, brought they before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar answered them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden image which I have set up?
Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it, with design, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, —that, my god, ye are not serving, and, the image which I have set up, are not adoring?
15 Now if you are ready whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, good; but if you do not worship, you shall be cast the same hour into the middle of a burning fiery furnace. Who is that god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
Now, if ye be ready, at what time ye shall hear the sound of the cornet, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all the instruments of music, ye shall fall down and adore the image which I have made, but, if ye shall not adore, instantly, shall ye be cast into the midst of the burning furnace of fire, —and who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered, and said to the king: O Nebuchadnezzar! we are not accounting it needful, concerning this, to answer thee.
17 If it happens, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
If it is, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us, —out of the burning furnace of fire, and out of thy hand, O king, he will deliver.
18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”
But, if not, be it known to thee, O king, —that, thy god, will we not serve, and, the image of gold which thou hast set up, will we not adore.
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the form of his appearance was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.
Then, Nebuchadnezzar, was filled with wrath, and, the likeness of his countenance, was changed, against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, —he spake and gave word to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was ever seen heated;
20 He commanded certain mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
and, to men, who were the mightiest men in his army, gave he word to bind fast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, —to cast them into the burning furnace of fire.
21 Then these men were bound in their pants, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other clothes, and were cast into the middle of the burning fiery furnace.
Then bound they, these men, in their trousers, their tunics, and their cloaks, and their (other) clothing, —and cast into the midst of the burning furnace of fire.
22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Therefore, because the word of the king had raged forth, and the furnace was exceeding hot, those very men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, were slain by the flame of the fire;
23 These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the middle of the burning fiery furnace.
and, these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down into the midst of the burning furnace of fire, fast bound.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste. He spoke and said to his counselors, “Did not we cast three men bound into the middle of the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.”
Then, Nebuchadnezzar the king, was amazed, and rose up in haste: he spake and said to his nearest friends—Were there not three men, we cast into the midst of the fire, fast bound? They answered and said to the king, Surely, O king!
25 He answered, “Look, I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are unharmed. The appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
He answered and said, Lo! I, see four men, unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and, injury, there is not in them, and, the appearance of the fourth, is like to a son of the gods!
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace. He spoke and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the middle of the fire.
Then did Nebuchadnezzar, draw near, to the door of the burning furnace of fire, he spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, step forth and come hither. Then stepped forth Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, out of the midst of the fire.
27 The local governors, the deputies, and the governors, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power on their bodies. The hair of their head was not singed. Their pants were not changed. The smell of fire was not even on them.
And—being gathered together—the satraps, the nobles, and the pashas and near friends of the king, saw these men, over whose bodies the fire had, no power, nor was, a hair of their head, singed, neither were, their trousers, disfigured, —nor had, the smell of fire, come upon them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God.
Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his messenger, and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, —when, the word of the king, they transgressed, and delivered up their bodies, that they might not serve nor adore any god, saving their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree that every people, nation, and language which speak anything evil against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill, because there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.”
Therefore do I make a decree, that, whosoever of any people, race, or tongue it be that shall charge any error upon the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and, his house, into a dunghill, shall be changed; because there is no other God, who is able to deliver, like this!
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Then, the king, advanced Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon.

< Daniel 3 >