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.
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.
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.
4 Then the
herald cried aloud,
“To you it is commanded, peoples,
nations, and languages,
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.
6 Whoever doesn’t fall
down and worship
shall be cast
into the middle of
a burning
fiery furnace the
same hour.”
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.
8 Therefore
at that time
certain Chaldeans
came near
and brought accusation against
the Jews.
9 They answered
Nebuchadnezzar the
king, “O king,
live for ever!
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;
11 and
whoever doesn’t fall
down and worship
shall be cast
into the middle of
a burning
fiery furnace.
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 don’t serve
your gods, and don’t
worship the golden
image which you
have set up.”
13 Then
Nebuchadnezzar in
rage and
fury commanded that
Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego be brought. Then these
men were brought
before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar answered them, “Is
it true, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego,
that you don’t
serve my gods and
you don’t worship
the golden image
which I have
set up?
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 don’t 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?”
16 Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego
answered the king,
“Nebuchadnezzar, we
have no need
to answer you
in this matter.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
23 These three
men, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego,
fell down bound
into the middle of the
burning fiery furnace.
24 Then
Nebuchadnezzar the
king was astonished
and rose up
in haste. He spoke
and said to
his counselors, “Didn’t
we cast three
men bound into
the middle of the
fire?”
They answered the
king, “True, 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.”
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.
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 wasn’t
singed. Their pants weren’t changed.
The smell of
fire wasn’t even
on 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.
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.”
30 Then
the king promoted
Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego in
the province
of Babylon.