< Daniel 3 >
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits, and the breadth of it 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 satraps, 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 satraps, 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, O peoples, nations, and languages,
5 that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.
6 And he who does not fall down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
7 Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, 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 and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live forever.
10 Thou, O king, have made a decree, that every man who shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image.
11 And he who does not fall down and worship, shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have not regarded thee. They do not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou have set up.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, Is it of purpose, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that ye do not serve my god, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made, well. But if ye do not worship, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that god who shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou have set up.
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was accustomed to be heated.
20 And 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 coats, their tunics, and their head coverings, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace very hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste. He spoke and said to his counselors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no harm. And 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, ye servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came forth out of the midst of the fire.
27 And the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed. Neither were their coats changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his agent, 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 speaks anything amiss 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 after this sort.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
