Daniel 3

¹Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, its height sixty cubits, its breadth six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

²And Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the advisors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

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

⁸Therefore, at that time, certain Chaldean men came forward and brought accusations against the Jews.

⁹They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, 'O king, live forever!'

¹⁰You, O king, have issued a decree that every person who hears the sound of the horn, the flute, the lyre, the trigon, the psaltery, and the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image.

¹¹And whoever does not fall down and worship will be cast into the midst of the blazing fire furnace.

¹²There are certain Jewish men whom you appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego -- these men have paid no regard to you, O king; your gods they do not serve, nor the golden image that you have set up do they worship.

¹³Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then these men were brought before the king.

¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, 'Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?'

¹⁵Now, if you are ready -- at the time when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and every kind of music -- to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, at that moment you shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is the god who can rescue you from my hand?

¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, Nebuchadnezzar, 'We have no need to give you an answer concerning this matter.'

¹⁷If our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the blazing fire furnace, and from your hand, O king, he will rescue us.

¹⁸But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, and we will not bow down to the golden image that you have set up.

¹⁹Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression of his face was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered that the furnace be heated seven times more than it was customary to heat it.

²⁰And he ordered certain mighty men of valor from his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the blazing fire furnace.

²¹Then those men were bound in their robes, their leggings, their leggings, and their helmets, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

²²Therefore, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace was heated exceedingly, those men who had brought up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were slain by the flame of the fire.

²³And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the midst of the burning fiery furnace, bound.

²⁴Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste. He answered and said to his counselors, 'Did we not throw three men into the fire, bound?' They answered and said to the king, 'True, O king.'

²⁵He answered and said, 'Behold, I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and no harm is upon them; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.'

²⁶Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the opening of the burning fiery furnace and called out, 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here!' Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the midst of the fire.

²⁷And the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal counselors gathered around and saw that the fire had no power over the bodies of these men -- the hair of their heads was not singed, their robes were not altered, and the smell of fire had not come upon them.

²⁸Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted in him, and set aside the command of the king and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God."

²⁹Therefore I hereby issue a decree that any people, nation, or language that speaks anything in error or neglect against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn to pieces and their house made a pile of rubble, because there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.

³⁰Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to prosper in the province of Babylon.