Daniel 3:3–30

³Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

⁴Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you ¹the command is given, ^aO peoples, nations and men of every ²language,

⁵that at the moment you ^ahear the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, ²trigon, ³psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.

⁶“But whoever does not fall down and worship shall ¹immediately be ^acast into the midst of a ^bfurnace of blazing fire.”

⁷Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every ²language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Worship of the Image Refused

⁸For this reason at that time certain ^aChaldeans came forward and ^1bbrought charges against the Jews.

⁹They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “^aO king, live forever!

¹⁰“You, O king, have ^amade a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to ^bfall down and worship the golden image.

¹¹“But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.

¹²“There are certain Jews whom you have ^aappointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

¹³Then Nebuchadnezzar in ^arage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king.

¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve ^amy gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?

¹⁵“Now if you are ready, ^aat the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will ²immediately be ^bcast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and ^cwhat god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

^16aShadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.

¹⁷“¹If it be so, our ^aGod whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; ²and ^bHe will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

¹⁸“^aBut even if He does not, ^blet it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Daniel’s Friends Protected

¹⁹Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with ^awrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered ¹by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.

²⁰He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire.

²¹Then these men were tied up in their ^1atrousers, their ²coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.

²²For this reason, because the king’s ¹command was ^2aurgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.

²³But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, ^afell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

²⁴Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.”

²⁵He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and ^awalking about in the midst of the fire ¹without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the ^bgods!”

²⁶Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the ^aMost High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego ^bcame out of the midst of the fire.

²⁷The ^asatraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the ^bfire had no ¹effect on ²the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their ^3ctrousers ⁴damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.

²⁸Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the ^aGod of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has ^bsent His angel and delivered His servants who put their ^ctrust in Him, ¹violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as ^dnot to serve or worship any god except their own God.

²⁹“Therefore I ^amake a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of ^bShadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their ^chouses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is ^dno other god who is able to deliver in this way.”

³⁰Then the king ^acaused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.