Daniel 3:8–23
8 Some Chaldeansab took this occasion to come forward and maliciously accuseI,ac the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever. 10 You as king have issued a decreead that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music must fall down and worship the gold statue. 11 Whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.a These men have ignored you,b the king; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
13 Then in a furious ragec Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statued I have set up? 15 Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire—and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”e
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. 17 If the God we serve exists,f then he can rescueg us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he canA rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18 But even if he does not rescue us,B we want you as king to know that we will not serveh your godsi or worship the gold statue you set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage,j and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary, 20 and he commanded some of the best soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings,C and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Since the king’s command was so urgentD,k and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flamesE killed those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.