1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up onu[Gen. 11:2] the plain of Dura, invver. 12, 30; ch. 2:48, 49 the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gatherwver. 27; ch. 6:1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7; [Ezra 8:36] the satraps, the prefects, andxch. 2:48 the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Thenw[See ver. 2 above] the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the heraldych. 4:14; 5:7; [Rev. 18:2] proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, Ozver. 29; ch. 4:1; 5:19; 6:25; 7:14; [Rev. 5:9] peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear theaver. 7, 10, 15 sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, youb[ch. 2:46] are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediatelyc[Jer. 29:22; Ezek. 23:25] be cast into a burning fiery furnace. ” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, allz[See ver. 4 above] the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 Therefore at that time certaindSee ch. 1:4 Chaldeansech. 6:12 came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king,fver. 29; ch. 4:6; 6:26 have made a decree, that every man whogver. 5, 7, 15 hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music,gver. 5, 7, 15 shall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worshipc[See ver. 6 above] shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you havehch. 2:49 appointed over the affairs ofv[See ver. 1 above] the province of Babylon:i[ch. 1:7] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king,jch. 6:13 pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up. ”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzarkch. 2:12 in furious rage commanded thati[See ver. 12 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready whenlver. 5, 7, 10 you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship,c[See ver. 6 above] you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. Andm[ch. 6:20; Ex. 5:2; 2 Kgs. 18:35] who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands? ”
16 i[See ver. 12 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so,n[ver. 15] 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.1Or If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, he will deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up. ”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar waso[ver. 13; Esth. 7:7] filled with fury, and the expression of his facep[ch. 2:49] was changed againsti[See ver. 12 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his armyq[ver. 24, 25] to bindi[See ver. 12 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men wereq[See ver. 20 above] bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king's order wasrch. 2:15 urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took ups[ch. 1:7] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fellq[See ver. 20 above] bound into the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar wastch. 4:19 astonished and rose upuch. 2:25 in haste. He declared to hisvch. 4:36; 6:7 counselors, “Did we not cast three menwver. 20, 21, 23 bound into the fire? ” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king. ” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound,x[Isa. 43:2] walking in the midst of the fire, and theyy[ch. 6:23] are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is likez[ver. 28; Job 1:6] a son of the gods. ”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared,s[See ver. 22 above] “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of theach. 4:2; 5:18, 21 Most High God, come out, and come here! ” Thens[See ver. 22 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And thebver. 2 satraps, the prefects, the governors, andv[See ver. 24 above] the king's counselors gathered together and saw thatc[Heb. 11:34] the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, theirdver. 21 cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God ofs[See ver. 22 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whoech. 6:22 has sent his angel andf[ver. 15, 17; Ps. 34:7] delivered his servants, whog[Ps. 25:2] trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather thanh[Ex. 20:3] serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 ThereforeiSee ver. 10 I make a decree: AnyjSee ver. 4 people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God ofs[See ver. 22 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednegokch. 2:5 shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way. ” 30 Then the king promoteds[See ver. 22 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego inlver. 1, 12; ch. 2:48, 49 the province of Babylon.