< Daniel 3 >

1 King Nebuchadnezzar ordered his men to make a gold statue. It was (90 feet/27 meters) high and (9 feet/2.7 meters) wide. They set it up in the Dura plain in Babylon province.
茲にネブカデネザル王 一箇の金の像を造れりその高は六十キユビトその横の廣は六キユビトなりき即ちこれをバビロン州のドラの平野に立たり
2 Then he sent messages to all the provincial governors, the district governors, the chief advisors, the counselors, the various judges, and all the other officials in the province. He told them to come to the dedication of the statue that he had set up.
而してネブカデネザル王は州牧將軍方伯刑官庫官法官士師および州郡の諸有司を召集めそのネブカデネザル王の立たる像の告成禮に臨ましめんとせり
3 When they all arrived, they all stood in front of that statue.
是においてその州牧將軍方伯刑官庫官法官士師および州郡の諸有司等はネブカデネザル王の立たる像の告成禮に臨みそのネブカデネザル王の立たる像の前に立り
4 Then an announcer shouted, “You people who come from many countries and many people-groups and [who speak many] languages, listen to what the king has commanded!
時に傳令者大聲に呼はりて言ふ諸民諸族諸音よ汝らは斯命ぜらる
5 When you hear the sounds made by the trumpets, the flutes, the guitars, the harps, the wind instruments, and all the other musical instruments, bow down to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue.
汝ら喇叭簫琵琶琴瑟篳篥などの諸の樂器の音を聞く時は俯伏しネブカデネザル王の立たまへる金像を拝すべし
6 Anyone who refuses to do that will be thrown into a blazing furnace!”
凡て俯伏て拝せざる者は即時に火の燃る爐の中に投こまるべしと
7 So when all those people who had gathered heard the sounds made by the musical instruments, they all bowed down to worship the statue.
是をもて諸民等喇叭簫琵琶琴瑟などの諸の樂器の音を聞くや直に諸民諸族諸音みな俯伏しネブカデネザル王の立たる金像を拝したり
8 But some of the men who studied the stars went to the king.
その時或カルデヤ人等進みきたりてユダヤ人を讒奏せり
9 They reported to him, “We hope that you, O king, will live a long time!
即ち彼らネブカデネザル王に奏聞して言ふ願くは王長壽かれ
10 You decreed that all the officials [whom you had gathered] should bow down and worship the gold statue when they heard the sounds made by the musical instruments.
王よ汝は命を出して宣へり凡て喇叭簫琵琶琴瑟篳篥などの諸の樂器の音を聞く者はみな俯伏しこの金像を拝すべし
11 You also decreed that those who refused to do that would be thrown into a blazing furnace.
凡て俯伏し拝せざる者はみな火の燃る爐の中に投こまるべしと
12 Sir, there are some men from Judah whom you have appointed to be officials in Babylon province who have not obeyed your decree. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They have refused to worship your god and the gold statue that you have set up.”
此に汝が立てバビロン州の事務を司どらせ給へるユダヤ人シヤデラク、メシヤクおよびアベデネゴあり王よ此人々は汝を尊ばず汝の神々にも事へず汝の立たまへる金像をも拝せざるなりと
13 Nebuchadnezzar became very angry. He commanded [his soldiers] to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When they were brought to him,
是においてネブカデネザル怒りかつ憤りてシヤデラク、メシヤクおよびアベデネゴを召寄よと命じければ即ちこの人々を王の前に引きたりしに
14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true that you three men have refused to worship my gods or the gold statue that I have set up?
ネブカデネザルかれらに問て言けるはジヤデラク、メシヤク、アベデネゴよ汝ら我神に事へずまた我が立たる金像を拝せざるは是故意にするなるか
15 [If that is true, ] I will give you one more chance. If you bow down to worship the statue that I have set up when you hear the sounds of the musical instruments, fine. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. Then (what god will be able to rescue you from my power?/no god will be able to rescue you from my power!)” [RHQ]
汝らもし何の時にもあれ喇叭簫琵琶琴瑟篳篥などの諸の樂器の音を聞く時に俯伏し我が造れる像を拝することを爲ば可し然ど汝らもし拝することをせずば即時に火の燃る爐の中に投こまるべし何の神か能く汝らをわが手より救ひいだすことをせん
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend our [actions] to you in this matter.
シヤデラク、メシヤクおよびアベデネゴ對へて王に言けるはネブカデネザルよこの事においては我ら汝に答ふるに及ばず
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we worship is able to rescue us. Sir, he will rescue us from your power.
もし善らんには王よ我らの事ふる我らの神我らを救ふの能あり彼その火の燃る爐の中と汝の手の中より我らを救ひいださん
18 But [even] if he does not [rescue us], you need to know that we will never worship your gods or the gold statue that you have set up.”
假令しからざるも王よ知たまへ我らは汝の神々に事へずまた汝の立たる金像を拝せじ
19 Nebuchadnezzar was extremely angry. [His being very angry even] showed on his face. He commanded that the furnace should be made seven times as hot as usual.
是においてネブカデネザル怒氣を充しシヤデラク、メシヤクおよびアベデネゴにむかひてその面の容を變へ即ち爐を常に熱くするよりも七倍熱くせよと命じ
20 [After that was done, ] he commanded some of the [very] strong men of his army to tie Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and [then] to throw them into the blazing furnace.
またその軍勢の中の力強き人々を喚てシヤデラク、メシヤクおよびアベデネゴを縛りてこれを火の燃る爐の中に投こめと命じたり
21 So [the soldiers] tied them up and threw them into the furnace, while they were wearing their clothes.
是をもて此人々はその褲子羽織外套およびその他の服装を着たるままにて縛られて火の燃る爐の中に投こまれたりしが
22 Because the fire had been made very hot because the king had very strongly ordered them to do that, the flames [leaped out and] killed the soldiers as they were throwing the men into the fire!
王の命はなはだ急にして爐は甚だしく熱しゐたれば彼のシヤデラク、メシヤクおよびアベデネゴを引抱へゆける者等はその火焔に燒ころされたり
23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the roaring flames.
また此シヤデラク、メシヤク、デベデネゴの三人は縛られたるままにて燃る爐の中に落いりぬ
24 But as Nebuchadnezzar was watching, he was amazed. He suddenly jumped up and shouted to his advisors, “Did we tie up three men and throw them into the flames, or not?” They replied, “Yes, O king, [we did].”
時にネブカデネザル王驚きて急忙しくたちあがり大臣等に言ふ我らは三人を縛りて火の中に投いれざりしや彼ら王にこたへて言ふ王よ然りと
25 Nebuchadnezzar shouted, “[Look]! I see four men in the fire! They have no ropes on them, they are walking around, and [the flames] are not hurting them! And the fourth man looks like a divine being!”
王また應へて言ふ今我見るに四人の者縲絏解て火の中に歩みをり凡て何の害をも受ずまたその第四の者の容は神の子のごとしと
26 Nebuchadnezzar came closer to the opening of the flaming furnace, and he shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you who worship the Supreme God, come out of there! Come here!” So they stepped out of the fire.
ネブカデネザルすなはちその火の燃る爐の口に進みよりて呼て言ふ至高神の僕シヤデラク、メシヤク、アベデネゴよ汝ら出きたれと是においてシヤデラク、メシヤクおよびアベデネゴその火の中より出きたりしかば
27 Then all the king’s officials crowded around them. They saw that the flames had not harmed them. The flames had not [even] singed any of the hair on their heads or scorched any of their clothes! There was not [even] any smell of smoke on them!
州牧將軍方伯および王の大臣等集りて比人々を見たり此人々の身は火もこれを害する力なかりきまたその頭の髮は燒けずその衣裳は傷ねず火の臭氣もこれに付ざりき
28 [Then] Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise the God whom Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego [worship]! He sent one of his angels to rescue these [three] men who worship him and trust in him. They ignored my command; they insisted that they would worship only their God, and were willing to die instead of worshiping any other god.
ネブカデネザルすなはち宣て曰くシヤデラク、メシヤク、アベデネゴの神は讃べき哉彼その使者を遣りて己を賴む僕を救へりまた彼らは自己の神の外には何の神にも事へずまた拝せざらんとて王の命をも用ひず自己の身をも捨んとせり
29 Therefore, I am [now] making this decree: ‘If any people, from any country or people-group or any language group, criticize the God whom Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worship, they will be cut in pieces and their houses [will be torn down and] made into a pile of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue people like this!’”
然ば我今命を下す諸民諸族諸音の中凡てシヤデラク、メシヤクおよびアベダネゴの神を詈る者あらばその身は切裂れその家は厠にせられん其は是のごとくに救を施す神他にあらざればなりと
30 Then the king gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego more important positions in Babylon province than they had before.
かくて王またシヤデラク、メシヤクおよびアベデネゴの位をすすめてバビロン州にをらしむ

< Daniel 3 >