Daniel 3:8–30

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.