< Daniel 3 >

1 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.
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.
2 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.
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.
3 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.
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.
4 And, the herald, proclaimed aloud, —To you, is given the word, O ye peoples, races, and tongues:
Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, ye peoples, tribes, [and] languages,
5 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;
at what hour ye shall hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and sackbut, and psaltery, and every kind of music, ye shall fall down and worship the golden image which king Nabuchodonosor has set up.
6 and, whosoever shall not fall down and adore, shall, instantly, be cast into the burning furnace of fire.
And whosoever shall not fall down and worship, in the same hour he shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace.
7 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.
And it came to pass when the nations heard the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and sackbut, and psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the nations, tribes, [and] languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image which king Nabuchodonosor had set up.
8 Wherefore, at the same time, drew near certain Chaldeans, —and accused the Jews:
Then came near [certain] Chaldeans, and accused the Jews to the king, [saying],
9 they spake, and said, to Nebuchadnezzar the king: O king! for ages, live!
O king, live for ever.
10 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;
Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man who shall hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, sackbut, and psaltery, and all kinds of music,
11 and, whosoever shall not fall down and adore, shall be cast into the burning furnace of fire.
and shall not fall down and worship the golden image, shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace.
12 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.
There are [certain] Jews whom thou hast appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago, who have not obeyed thy decree, O king: they serve not thy gods, and worship not the golden image which thou hast set up.
13 Then, Nebuchadnezzar—with anger and wrath, gave word to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, then, these men, brought they before the king.
Then Nabuchodonosor in wrath and anger commanded to bring Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago: and they were brought before the king.
14 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?
And Nabuchodonosor answered and said to them, Is it true, Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago, that ye serve not my gods, and worship not the golden image which I have set up?
15 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?
Now then if ye be ready, whensoever ye shall hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and sackbut, and psaltery, and harmony, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the golden image which I have made; [well]: but if ye worship not, in the same hour ye shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace; and who is the God that shall deliver you out of my hand?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered, and said to the king: O Nebuchadnezzar! we are not accounting it needful, concerning this, to answer thee.
Then answered Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago, and said to king Nabuchodonosor, We have no need to answer thee concerning this matter.
17 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.
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 thy hands, O king.
18 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.
But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we [will] not serve thy gods, nor worship the image which thou hast set up.
19 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;
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.
20 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.
And he commanded mighty men to bind Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, and to cast [them] into the burning fiery furnace.
21 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.
Then those men were bound with their coats, and caps, and hose, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace,
22 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;
forasmuch as the king’s word prevailed; and the furnace was made exceeding hot.
23 and, these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down into the midst of the burning furnace of fire, fast bound.
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.
24 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!
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.
25 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!
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.
26 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.
Then Nabuchodonosor drew near to the door of the burning fiery furnace, and said, Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago, ye servants of the most high God, proceed forth, and come hither. So Sedrach, Misach, [and] Abdenago, came forth out of the midst of the fire.
27 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.
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.
28 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.
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.
29 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!
Wherefore 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.
30 Then, the king, advanced Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon.
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.

< Daniel 3 >