THE
BOOK OF DANIEL
Daniel Chapter 3
1
¶ King Nebuchadnezzar made a statue of gold, that was sixty cubits high, and
six cubits wide: he set it up on the plain of Dura,
in the
2
Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent men to gather together the princes,
governors, captains, judges, treasurers, counselors, sheriffs, and all the
other officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which
King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
3
Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the
counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered
together to dedicate the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and
they stood in front of the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4
Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O
people, nations, and languages,
5
That when you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,
psaltery, dulcimer, and any other kind of music, you fall down and worship the
golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up:
6
And whoever does not fall down and worship will the same hour be cast into the
middle of a burning fiery furnace.
7
Therefore when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sackbut, psaltery, and other kinds of music, people of every nation and
language, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar
the king had set up.
8
¶ When that happened certain Chaldeans
came near, and accused the Jews.
9
They spoke and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10
You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the
cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and other kinds of music,
must fall down and worship the golden image:
11
And whoever does not fall down and worship, is to be cast into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace.
12
There are certain Jews whom you have placed over the affairs of the
13
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded men to bring
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
So they brought these men before the king.
14
Nebuchadnezzar then asked them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you
do not serve my gods, or worship the golden image that I have set up?
15
Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and other kinds of
music; fall down and worship the image which I have made: but if you do not
worship it, you will be thrown the same hour into the midst of a burning
fiery furnace; and who is the God who can deliver you from my hands?
16
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an
answer to this question.
17
If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace,
he will deliver us from of your hand, O king.
18
But if not, we want you to know, O king, that we will
not serve your gods, or worship the golden image which you have set up.
19
¶ Then Nebuchadnezzar became furious, and the expression on his face changed
toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego:
and he commanded them to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was
usually heated.
20
And he commanded the most mighty men in his army to
bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
and throw them into the burning fiery furnace.
21
Then these men were bound in their coats, their tunics, their turbans, and
their other garments, and were thrown into the
midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22
And because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace so extremely
hot, the flaming fire killed those men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23
And those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning
fiery furnace.
24
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and got up quickly, and
said to his counselors, Didn’t we throw three men who
were tied up into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the
king, True, O king.
25
He answered and said, Look, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the
fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth looks like the Son of God.
26
Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and
said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
you servants of the most high God, come out, and come here.
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
came out of the midst of the fire.
27
And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counselors, gathered
around, and saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these three
men, nor was a hair of their head singed, or their clothing burned, or the
smell of fire on them.
28
¶ Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke, and said, Blessed is
the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who has sent his messenger, and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and
defied the king’s command, risking their lives, so that they might not serve or
worship any god, except their own God.
29
Therefore I make a decree, That people of any nation and language, who say any
thing bad about the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, will be cut in pieces, and their houses will be
made a dunghill: because there is no other God who can save in this way.
30
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the