DanielChapter 3

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¹King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue. It was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.a ²Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent for all his leaders to gather. He called the satraps, high officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, and lawmen. He called all the other officials of the provinces too. They were to come to the special service for the statue he had set up. ³So all these leaders gathered. The satraps, high officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, lawmen, and all the rulers of the provinces came. They came to the special service for the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They stood in front of it. ⁴Then the king's messenger called out in a loud voice. "People of every nation and language, here is your command. ⁵Soon you will hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music. As soon as you hear it, you must bow down. You must worship the gold statue King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. ⁶Anyone who does not bow down and worship will be thrown right away into a blazing hot furnace." ⁷So the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and all kinds of music. As soon as they heard it, the people of every nation and language bowed down. They worshiped the gold statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁸At this time some astrologers came forward. They were full of hate, and they brought charges against the Jews. ⁹They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, may you live forever! ¹⁰O king, you gave an order. You said everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music must bow down. They must worship the gold statue. ¹¹And you said anyone who does not bow down and worship will be thrown into a blazing hot furnace. ¹²But there are some Jews you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. O king, these men pay no attention to you. They will not serve your gods. They will not worship the gold statue you have set up." ¹³Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of rage. He sent for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought to the king. ¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true? Do you refuse to serve my gods? Do you refuse to worship the gold statue I have set up? ¹⁵Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, will you be ready to bow down and worship the statue I made? If so, very good. But if you won't worship it, you'll be thrown at once into a blazing hot furnace. Then what god will be able to save you from my hands?" ¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king. "O Nebuchadnezzar, we don't need to defend ourselves to you about this. ¹⁷If the God we serve exists, then he is able to save us from the blazing hot furnace. He is able to save us from your hand, O king.b ¹⁸But even if he does not, we want you to know this, O king. We will not serve your gods. We will not worship the gold statue you have set up." ¹⁹Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage. His face changed as he looked at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual. ²⁰He ordered some very strong soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they were to throw them into the blazing hot furnace. ²¹So the three men were tied up. They still had on their robes, pants, turbans, and other clothes. Then they were thrown into the blazing hot furnace. ²²The king's order was so urgent, and the furnace was so hot, that the flames killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego up to it. ²³And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the blazing hot furnace. They were still tied up tight. ²⁴Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped to his feet in shock. He asked his advisers, "Didn't we throw three men into the fire? Weren't they tied up tight?" "Yes, O king, we did," they answered. ²⁵"Look!" he cried out. "I see four men walking around in the fire! They're not tied up, and they're not hurt. And the fourth one looks like a son of the gods!" ²⁶Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the door of the blazing hot furnace. He called out, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!" So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. ²⁷The satraps, high officials, governors, and royal advisers gathered around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed the bodies of these men. Not one hair on their heads was burned. Their robes were not harmed. They didn't even smell like smoke. ²⁸Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and saved his servants. They trusted in him. They disobeyed the king's command. They were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god but their own God. ²⁹So I make this law. People of any nation or language might say anything bad against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If they do, they will be cut into pieces. Their houses will be turned into piles of rubble. For no other god can save like this." ³⁰Then the king gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego higher positions in the province of Babylon.