Daniel 3
1 In [his] eighteenth year Nabuchodonosor the king made a golden image, its height was sixty cubits, its breadth six cubits: and he set it up in the plain of Deira, in the province of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide: he put it up in the valley of Dura, in the land of Babylon.
2 And he sent forth to gather the governors, and the captains, and the heads of provinces, chiefs, and princes, and those who were in authority, and all the rulers of districts, to come to the dedication of the image.
And Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to get together all the captains, the chiefs, the rulers, the wise men, the keepers of public money, the judges, the overseers, and all the rulers of the divisions of the country, to come to see the unveiling of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had put up.
3 So the heads of provinces, the governors, the captains, the chiefs, the great princes, those who were in authority, and all the rulers of districts, were gathered to the dedication of the image which king Nabuchodonosor had set up; and they stood before the image.
Then the captains, the chiefs, the rulers, the wise men, the keepers of public money, the judges, the overseers, and all the rulers of the divisions of the country, came together to see the unveiling of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had put up; and they took their places before the image which Nebuchadnezzar had put up.
4 Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, you peoples, tribes, [and] languages,
Then one of the king's criers said in a loud voice, To you the order is given, O peoples, nations, and languages,
5 at what hour you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and sackbut, and lute, and every kind of music, you shall fall down and worship the golden image which king Nabuchodonosor has set up.
That when the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all sorts of instruments, comes to your ears, you are to go down on your faces in worship before the image of gold which Nebuchadnezzar the king has put up:
6 And whoever shall not fall down and worship, in the same hour he shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace.
And anyone not falling down and worshipping will that same hour be put into a burning and flaming fire.
7 And it came to pass when the nations heard the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and sackbut, and lute, and all kinds of music, all the nations, tribes, [and] languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image which king Nabuchodonosor had set up.
So at that time, all the people, when the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and all sorts of instruments, came to their ears, went down on their faces in worship before the image of gold which Nebuchadnezzar the king had put up.
8 Then came near [certain] Chaldeans, and accused the Jews to the king, [saying],
At that time certain Chaldaeans came near and made a statement against the Jews.
9 O king, live for ever.
They made answer and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O King, have life for ever.
10 You, O king, has made a decree that every man who shall hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, sackbut, and lute, and all kinds of music,
You, O King, have given an order that every man, when the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all sorts of instruments, comes to his ears, is to go down on his face in worship before the image of gold:
11 and shall not fall down and worship the golden image, shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace.
And anyone not falling down and worshipping is to be put into a burning and flaming fire.
12 There are [certain] Jews whom you has appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago, who have not obeyed your decree, O king: they serve not your gods, and worship not the golden image which you have set up.
There are certain Jews whom you have put over the business of the land of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men have not given attention to you, O King: they are not servants of your gods or worshippers of the gold image which you have put up.
13 Then Nabuchodonosor in wrath and anger commanded to bring Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago: and they were brought before the king.
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his wrath and passion gave orders for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to be sent for. Then they made these men come in before the king.
14 And Nabuchodonosor answered and said to them, Is it true, Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago, that you serve not my gods, and worship not the golden image which I have set up?
Nebuchadnezzar made answer and said to them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you will not be servants of my god or give worship to the image of gold which I have put up?
15 Now then if you be ready, whenever you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and sackbut, and lute, and harmony, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the golden image which I have made; [well]: but if you worship not, in the same hour you shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace; and who is the God that shall deliver you out of my hand?
Now if you are ready, on hearing the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all sorts of instruments, to go down on your faces in worship before the image which I have made, it is well: but if you will not give worship, that same hour you will be put into a burning and flaming fire; and what god is there who will be able to take you out of my hands?
16 Then answered Sedrach, Misach [and] Abdenago and said to king Nabuchodonosor, We have no need to answer you concerning this matter.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answering Nebuchadnezzar the king, said, There is no need for us to give you an answer to this question.
17 For our God whom we serve is in the heavens, able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will rescue us from your hands, O king.
If our God, whose servants we are, is able to keep us safe from the burning and flaming fire, and from your hands, O King, he will keep us safe.
18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we [will] not serve your gods, nor worship the image which you have set up.
But if not, be certain, O King, that we will not be the servants of your gods, or give worship to the image of gold which you have put up.
19 Then Nabuchodonosor was filled with wrath, and the form of his countenance was changed toward Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago: and he gave orders to heat the furnace seven times [more than usual], until it should burn to the uttermost.
Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of wrath, and the form of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: and he gave orders that the fire was to be heated up seven times more than it was generally heated.
20 And he commanded mighty men to bind Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, and to cast [them] into the burning fiery furnace.
And he gave orders to certain strong men in his army to put cords on Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego and put them into the burning and flaming fire.
21 Then those men were bound with their coats, and caps, and hose, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace,
Then these men had cords put round them as they were, in their coats, their trousers, their hats, and their clothing, and were dropped into the burning and flaming fire.
22 forasmuch as the king's word prevailed; and the furnace was made exceeding hot.
And because the king's order was not to be put on one side, and the heat of the fire was so great, the men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were burned to death by the flame of the fire.
23 Then these three men, Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, fell bound into the midst of the burning furnace, and walked in the midst of the flame, singing praise to God, and blessing the Lord.
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, with the cords about them, went down into the burning and flaming fire.
24 And Nabuchodonosor heard them singing praises; and he wondered, and rose up in haste, and said to his nobles, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? and they said to the king, Yes, O king.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar, full of fear and wonder, got up quickly, and said to his wise men, Did we not put three men in cords into the fire? and they made answer and said to the king, True, O King.
25 And the king said, But I see four men loose, and walking in the midst of the fire, and there has no harm happened to them; and the appearance of the fourth is like the Son of God.
He made answer and said, Look! I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not damaged; and the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods.
26 Then Nabuchodonosor drew near to the door of the burning fiery furnace, and said, Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago, you servants of the most high God, proceed forth, and come here. So Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago, came forth out of the midst of the fire.
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near the door of the burning and flaming fire: he made answer and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, you servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came out of the fire.
27 Then were assembled the satraps, and captains, and heads of provinces, and the royal princes; and they saw the men, [and perceived] that the fire had not had power against their bodies, and the hair of their head was not burnt, and their coats were not scorched, nor was the smell of fire upon them.
And the captains, the chiefs, and the rulers, and the king's wise men who had come together, saw these men, over whose bodies the fire had no power, and not a hair of their heads was burned, and their coats were not changed, and there was no smell of fire about them.
28 And king Nabuchodonosor answered and said, Blessed be the God of Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago, who has sent his angel, and delivered his servants, because they trusted in him; and they have changed the king's word, and delivered their bodies to be burnt, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Nebuchadnezzar made answer and said, Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent his angel and kept his servants safe who had faith in him, and who put the king's word on one side and gave up their bodies to the fire, so that they might not be servants or worshippers of any other god but their God.
29 Therefore I publish a decree: Every people, tribe, [or] language, that shall speak reproachfully against the God of Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago shall be destroyed, and their houses shall be plundered: because there is no other God who shall be able to deliver thus.
And it is my decision that any people, nation, or language saying evil against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, will be cut to bits and their houses made waste: because there is no other god who is able to give salvation such as this.
30 Then the king promoted Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago, in the province of Babylon, and advanced them, and gave them authority to rule over all the Jews who were in his kingdom.
Then the king gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego even greater authority in the land of Babylon.
