Daniel 3

¹King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden statue made, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, which he set up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

²He then ordered the satraps, prefects, and governors, the counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the officials of the provinces to be summoned to the dedication of the statue which he had set up.

³The satraps, prefects, and governors, the counselors, treasurers, judges, and magistrates and all the officials of the provinces, all these came together for the dedication and stood before the statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

⁴A herald cried out: Nations and peoples of every language, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments,

⁵you are ordered to fall down and worship the golden statue which King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

⁶Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be instantly cast into a white-hot furnace.

⁷Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments, the nations and peoples of every language all fell down and worshiped the golden statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

⁸At that point, some of the Chaldeans came and accused the Jews

⁹to King Nebuchadnezzar: O king, live forever!

¹⁰O king, you issued a decree that everyone who heard the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments should fall down and worship the golden statue;

¹¹whoever did not was to be cast into a white-hot furnace.

¹²There are certain Jews whom you have made administrators of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego; these men, O king, have paid no attention to you; they will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up.

¹³Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and sent for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were promptly brought before the king.

¹⁴King Nebuchadnezzar questioned them: Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not serve my god, or worship the golden statue that I set up?

¹⁵Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made, whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments; otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace; and who is the God that can deliver you out of my hands?

¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter.

¹⁷If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us!

¹⁸But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up.

¹⁹Nebuchadnezzar's face became livid with utter rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual

²⁰and had some of the strongest men in his army bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the white-hot furnace.

²¹They were bound and cast into the white-hot furnace with their coats, hats, shoes and other garments,

²²for the king's order was urgent. So huge a fire was kindled in the furnace that the flames devoured the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into it.

²³But these three fell, bound, into the midst of the white-hot furnace.

²⁴King Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles, Did we not cast three men bound into the fire? Assuredly, O king, they answered.

²⁵But, he replied, I see four men unfettered and unhurt, walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.

²⁶Then Nebuchadnezzar came to the opening of the white-hot furnace and called to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: Servants of the most high God, come out. Thereupon Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.

²⁷When the satraps, prefects, governors, and nobles of the king came together, they saw that the fire had had no power over the bodies of these men; not a hair of their heads had been singed, nor were their garments altered; there was not even a smell of fire about them.

²⁸Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel to deliver the servants that trusted in him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

²⁹Therefore I decree for nations and peoples of every language that whoever blasphemes the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut to pieces and his house destroyed. For there is no other God who can rescue like this.

³⁰Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.