Daniel 3
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits, and whose breadth was six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue that was sixty cubits tall and six cubits wide. 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 prefects, and the deputy governors, the chief judges, the treasurers, the judges, the counsellors, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar sent messages out to gather together the provincial governors, regional governors, and local governors, together with the counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the high officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the statue that he had set up.
3 Then the satraps, prefects, and deputy governors, the chief judges, treasurers, judges, counsellors, and all the rulers of the provinces were gathered together to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Then the provincial governors, regional governors, and local governors, together with the counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the high officials of the provinces gathered together to the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They stood before it.
4 Then a herald cried aloud: To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
Then a herald loudly shouted, “You are commanded, peoples, nations, and languages,
5 that at the time ye hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the harp, the sambuck, the psaltery, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up.
that at the time you hear the sound of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and prostrate yourselves to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
6 And whoso doth not fall down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Whoever does not fall down and worship, at that very moment, will be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
7 Therefore at the time when all the people heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, the harp, the sambuck, the psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages fell down and worshipped the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
So when all the peoples heard the sounds of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and prostrated themselves to the golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldaeans came near, and accused the Jews.
Now at this time certain Chaldeans came and brought accusations against the Jews.
9 They spake and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever!
They said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, “King, live forever!
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the harp, the sambuck, the psaltery, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image;
You, king, have made a decree that every person who hears the sounds of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music, must fall down and prostrate himself to the golden statue.
11 and that whoso doth not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Whoever does not fall down and worship must be thrown into a blazing furnace.
12 Now there are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, these men, O king, have not regarded thee; they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Now there are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon; their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, king, pay no attention to you. They will not worship or serve your gods, or prostrate themselves before the golden statue you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Then Nebuchadnezzar, filled with anger and rage, commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought to him. So they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said to them, Was it by design, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Do ye not serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Have you made your minds up, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not worship my gods or prostrate yourselves to the golden statue that I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at the time ye hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the harp, the sambuck, the psaltery, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have set up, well! but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is the God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Now if you are ready—when you hear the sounds of the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, and pipes, and all kinds of music—to fall down and prostrate yourselves to the statue that I have made, all will be well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Who is the god who is able to rescue 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.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17 Behold, 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!
If there is an answer, it is that our God whom we serve is able to keep us safe from the blazing furnace, and he will rescue us out of your hand, 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 hast set up.
But if not, let it be known to you, king, that we will not worship your gods, and we will not prostrate ourselves to the golden statue you set up.”
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And he spake and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage; the look on his face changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He commanded that the furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was normally heated.
20 And he commanded the mightiest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Then he commanded some very strong men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the blazing furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their trousers, their under-garments, their mantles, and their other clothing, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
They were tied up still wearing their robes, tunics, turbans, and other clothing, and they were thrown into the blazing furnace.
22 And because the command of the king was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire killed those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Because the king's command was strictly followed and the furnace was very hot, the flames killed the 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.
These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the blazing furnace while they were tied up.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar, the king, was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said to his counsellors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the king, True, O king!
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was amazed and stood up quickly. He asked his advisors, “Did we not throw three men tied up into the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, king.”
25 He answered and said, Behold, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.
He said, “But I see four men who are not tied up walking around in the fire, and they are not hurt. The brilliance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the Most High God, come forth! Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came forth out of the midst of the fire.
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near the door of the blazing furnace and called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of God Most High, come out! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.
27 And the satraps, prefects, and deputy governors, and the counsellors of the king, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them.
The provincial governors, regional governors, other governors, and the king's counselors who had gathered together saw these men. The fire had not hurt their bodies; the hair on their heads was not singed; their robes were not harmed; and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants, that trusted in him, and disobeyed the command of the king, and gave up their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God!
Nebuchadnezzar said, “Let us praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his messenger and given his message to his servants. They trusted in him when they set aside my command, and they gave up their bodies rather than worship or prostrate themselves to any god except their God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language which speaks anything reproachful against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and its houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other God that can deliver in this manner.
Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must be torn apart, and that their houses must be made into rubbish heaps because there is no other god who is able to save like this.”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
