3 *Nebuchadnezzar the king made aan image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in bthe plain of Dura, in cthe province of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together dethe princes, dfthe governors, and dgffthe captains, gthe judges, gthe treasurers, gthe counsellers, gthe sheriffs, and all fthe rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 3 ggThen the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellers, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto 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 an herald cried †aloud, To you †it is commanded, hO people, nations, and languages, 5 That at what time iye hear jthe sound of kthe cornet, lflute, lmharp, sackbut, psaltery, ||†dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, nye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 6 And whoso nfalleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour obe cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 7 pTherefore at that time, when all the people heard jthe sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all hthe people, the nations, and the languages, nfell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8 pWherefore at that time certain qChaldeans rcame near, and saccused the Jews. 9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, tO king, live for ever. 10 Thou, O king, uhast made a decree, that every man that shall hear jthe sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, nshall fall down and worship the golden image: 11 And whoso nfalleth not down and worshippeth, that ohe should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom vthou hast set over the affairs of cthe province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, †have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor nworship the golden image which thou hast set up.

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring vShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it ||true, O vShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor nworship the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear jthe sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, nye fall down and worship the image which I have made; xwell: but if ye worship not, oye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and ywho is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? 16 vShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not zcareful to aanswer 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 bhe will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar †cfull of fury, and the form of dhis visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 20 And he commanded the †most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their ||ecoats, their hosen, and their ||fhats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore because the king’s †commandment was gurgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, hthe ||flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. i

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up kin haste, and spake, and said unto his ||lcounsellers, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, mwalking in the midst of the fire, and †nthey have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like othe Son of God. 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the †mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of pthe most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, qcame forth of the midst of the fire. 27 And rthe princes, rgovernors, and rcaptains, and the king’s lcounsellers, being gathered together, saw these men, supon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their ecoats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, twho hath sent ouhis angel, and udelivered his servants vthat trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, wexcept their own God. 29 Therefore †xI make a decree, That every ypeople, nation, and language, which speak †any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, zshall be †cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: abecause bthere is no other God that can deliver after this sort. 30 Then the king †promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, cin the province of Babylon.