Daniel 3

3 ¹ King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue, ninety feet tall and nine feet wide, and set it up on the Dura plain in Babylon province. ² King Nebuchadnezzar sent for the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all provincial officials to dedicate the image he had set up. ³ Then satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all provincial officials gathered to dedicate the statue King Nebuchadnezzar set up, and stood before it.

⁴ Then the herald proclaimed loudly, "Peoples, nations, and languages — you are commanded: ⁵ When you hear the horn, flute, lyre, harp, zither, bagpipe, and all music, fall down and worship the gold image King Nebuchadnezzar set up. ⁶ Anyone who doesn't fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing fiery furnace.

⁷ As soon as all peoples heard the horn, flute, lyre, harp, zither, and every kind of music, all peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

⁸ At that time certain astrologers came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. ⁹ They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "King, may you live forever! ¹⁰ You, king, decreed: whoever hears the horn, flute, lyre, harp, zither, bagpipe, and any music must fall down and worship the gold image. ¹¹ and whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing fiery furnace. ¹² Some Jews you put in charge of Babylon province — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — disregard you, king. They won't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.

¹³ Furious, Nebuchadnezzar ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego brought; they were brought before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar said, "Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, is it true you don't serve my gods or worship the gold statue I set up? ¹⁵ Now if you're ready — when horn, flute, lyre, harp, zither, bagpipe, and every kind of music sound, fall down and worship the image I made — good. But if you don't worship, you'll be thrown at once into a blazing fiery furnace. What god can rescue you from my hands?

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, "Nebuchadnezzar, we don't need to answer you about this. ¹⁷ If our Father, whom we serve, can rescue us from the blazing furnace, he will rescue us from your hand, king. ¹⁸ But if not, know this, king: we won't serve your gods or bow to the gold statue you set up.

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious, his expression changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; he ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than normal. ²⁰ He ordered his strongest soldiers to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. ²¹ So these men, tied up in cloaks, trousers, turbans, and other garments, were thrown into the blazing fiery furnace. ²² Because of the king's harsh order and furnace's extreme heat, the fire's flame killed the men who lifted up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. ²³ These three men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—fell bound into the blazing furnace.

²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar, astonished, rose in haste. He asked his advisers, 'Didn't we throw three bound men into the fire?' They answered the king, 'True, king.'

²⁵ He said, "Look—I see four men, unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, unharmed; the fourth looks like a son of the gods." ^a a v25 The king saw a fourth figure in the flames — the saving presence of our Father, who did not leave his servants alone in the fire.

²⁶ Nebuchadnezzar went to the blazing furnace's door and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out here!" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.

²⁷ The satraps, prefects, governors, and king's counselors gathered and saw fire had no power over their bodies — hair not singed, robes unharmed, no smell of fire on them.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his trusting servants, defying the king's command, giving their bodies rather than serve or worship any god but their own God. ²⁹ I decree: any people, nation, or language that insults the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut to pieces, their houses turned to rubble—since no other god can rescue like this.

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