Daniel 3
3
Gold statue
1King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue. It was ninety feet high and nine feet wide. He set it up in the Dura Valley in the province of Babylon. 2King Nebuchadnezzar then ordered the chief administrators, ministers, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to assemble and come for the dedication of the statue that he had set up. 3So the chief administrators, ministers, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They stood in front of the statue the king had set up. 4The herald proclaimed loudly: “Peoples, nations, and languages! This is what you must do: 5When you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, zither, lyre, harp, flute, and every kind of instrument, you must bow down and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6Anyone who will not bow down and worship will be immediately thrown into a furnace of flaming fire.” 7So because of this order as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, pipe, zither, lyre, harp, flute,#3.7 Identification of the instruments is not certain; several of the Aramaic terms are Greek loanwords. and every kind of instrument, all the peoples, nations, and languages bowed down and worshipped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Plot against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
8At that moment some Chaldeans came forward, seizing a chance to attack the Jews. 9They said to King Nebuchadnezzar:
“Long live the king! 10Your Majesty, you gave a command that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, zither, lyre, harp, flute, and every kind of instrument should bow down and worship the gold statue. 11Anyone who wouldn’t bow and worship would be thrown into a furnace of flaming fire. 12Now there are some Jews, ones you appointed to administer the province of Babylon—specifically, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who have ignored your command. They don’t serve your gods, and they don’t worship the gold statue you’ve set up.”
13In a violent rage Nebuchadnezzar ordered them to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were brought before the king.
14Nebuchadnezzar said to them: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: Is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue I’ve set up? 15If you are now ready to do so, bow down and worship the gold statue I’ve made when you hear the sound of horn, pipe, zither, lyre, harp, flute, and every kind of instrument. But if you won’t worship it, you will be thrown straight into the furnace of flaming fire. Then what god will rescue you from my power?”
16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar: “We don’t need to answer your question. 17If our God—the one we serve—is able to rescue us from the furnace of flaming fire and from your power, Your Majesty, then let him rescue us.#3.17 Or he will deliver us 18But if he doesn’t, know this for certain, Your Majesty: we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you’ve set up.”
Inside the furnace
19Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and his face twisted beyond recognition because of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In response he commanded that the furnace be heated to seven times its normal heat. 20He told some of the strongest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of flaming fire. 21So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were bound, still dressed in all their clothes, and thrown into the furnace of flaming fire. (22Now the king’s command had been rash, and the furnace was heated to such an extreme that the fire’s flame killed the very men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to it.) 23So these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell, bound, into the furnace of flaming fire.
24Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in shock and said to his associates, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?”
They answered the king, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
25He replied, “Look! I see four men, unbound, walking around inside the fire, and they aren’t hurt! And the fourth one looks like one of the gods.” 26Nebuchadnezzar went near the opening of the furnace of flaming fire and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. 27The chief administrators, ministers, governors, and the king’s associates crowded around to look at them. The fire hadn’t done anything to them: their hair wasn’t singed; their garments looked the same as before; they didn’t even smell like fire!
Nebuchadnezzar praises God
28Nebuchadnezzar declared: “May the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be praised! He sent his messenger#3.28 Or angel to rescue his servants who trusted him. They ignored the king’s order, sacrificing their bodies, because they wouldn’t serve or worship any god but their God. 29I now issue a decree to every people, nation, and language: whoever speaks disrespectfully about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s God will be torn limb from limb and their house made a trash heap, because there is no other god who can rescue like this.”
30Then the king made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prosperous in the province of Babylon.
Currently Selected:
Daniel 3: CEB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Daniel 3
3
1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a statue of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and he set it up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
2 Then king Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather together the governors, magistrates and judges, generals and sovereigns and commanders, and all the leaders of the regions, to come together for the dedication of the statue, which king Nebuchadnezzar had raised.
3 Then the governors, magistrates and judges, generals and sovereigns and nobles, who were appointed to power, and all the leaders of the regions were brought together so as to convene for the dedication of the statue, which king Nebuchadnezzar had raised. And so they stood before the statue that king Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 And a herald proclaimed loudly, "To you it is said, to you peoples, tribes, and languages,
5 that in the hour when you will hear the sound of the trumpet and the pipe and the lute, the harp and the psaltery, and of the symphony and every kind of music, you must fall down and adore the gold statue, which king Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
6 But if anyone will not bow down and adore, in the same hour he will be cast into a furnace of burning fire."
7 After this, therefore, as soon as all the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the pipe and the lute, the harp and the psaltery, and of the symphony and every kind of music, all the peoples, tribes, and languages fell down and adored the gold statue, which king Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 And soon, about the same time, some influential Chaldeans came and accused the Jews,
9 and they said to king Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever.
10 You, O king, have established a decree, so that every man who might hear the sound of the trumpet, the pipe and the lute, the harp and the psaltery, and of the symphony and every kind of music, will prostrate himself and adore the gold statue.
11 But if any man will not fall down and adore, he would be cast into a furnace of burning fire.
12 Yet there are influential Jews, whom you have appointed over the works of the region of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have scorned your decree. They do not worship your gods, and they do not adore the gold statue which you have raised up."
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in fury and in wrath, commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego should be brought, and so, without delay, they were brought before the king.
14 And king Nebuchadnezzar addressed them and said, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not worship my gods, nor adore the gold statue, which I have set up?
15 Therefore, if you are prepared now, whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, pipe, lute, harp and psaltery, and of the symphony and every kind of music, prostrate yourselves and adore the statue which I have made. But if you will not adore, in the same hour you will be cast into the furnace of burning fire. And who is the God that will rescue you from my hand?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to king Nebuchadnezzar, "It is not right for us to obey you in this matter.
17 For behold our God, whom we worship, is able to rescue us from the oven of burning fire and to free us from your hands, O king.
18 But even if he will not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not worship your gods, nor adore the gold statue, which you have raised up."
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury and the appearance of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and he commanded that the furnace should be heated to seven times its usual fire.
20 And he ordered the strongest men of his army to bind the feet of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the furnace of burning fire.
21 And immediately these men were bound, and along with their coats, and their hats, and their shoes, and their garments, were cast into the middle of the furnace of burning fire.
22 But the king's order was so urgent that the furnace was heated excessively. As a result, those men who had cast in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were killed by the flame of the fire.
23 But these three men, that is, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, having been bound, fell down in the middle of the oven of burning fire.
24 And they were walking in the midst of the flame, praising God and blessing the Lord.
25 Then Azariah, while standing, prayed in this manner, and opening his mouth in the midst of the fire, he said:
26 "Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and your name is praiseworthy and glorious for all ages.
27 For you are just in all the things that you have accomplished for us, and all your works are true, and your ways are right, and all your judgments are true.
28 For you have made equally true judgments in all the things that you have brought upon us and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our fathers. For in truth and in judgment, you have brought down all these things because of our sins.
29 For we have sinned, and we have committed iniquity in withdrawing from you, and we have offended in all things.
30 And we have not listened to your precepts, nor have we observed or done as you have ordered us, so that it might go well with us.
31 Therefore, everything that you have brought upon us, and all that you have done for us, you have done in true judgment.
32 And you have delivered us into the hands of our enemies: traitors, unjust and most wicked, and to a king, unjust and most wicked, even more so than all others on earth.
33 And now we are not able to open our mouths. We have become a shame and a disgrace to your servants and to those who worship you.
34 Do not hand us over forever, we ask you, because of your name, and do not abolish your covenant.
35 And do not withdraw your mercy from us, because of Abraham, your beloved, and Isaac, your servant, and Israel, your holy one.
36 You have spoken with them, promising that you would multiply their offspring like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the seashore.
37 For we, O Lord, are diminished more than all other peoples, and we are brought low throughout all the earth, this day, because of our sins.
38 Neither is there, at this time, a leader, or a ruler, or a prophet, nor any holocaust, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, or place of first fruits, in your eyes,
39 so that we may be able to find your mercy. Nevertheless, with a contrite soul and humble spirit, let us be accepted.
40 Just as in the holocausts of rams and bullocks, and as in thousands of fat lambs, so let our sacrifice be in your sight this day, in order to please you. For there is no shame for those who trust in you.
41 And now we follow you wholeheartedly, and we fear you, and we seek your face.
42 Do not put us to shame, but deal with us in agreement with your clemency and according to the multitude of your mercies.
43 And rescue us by your wonders and give glory to your name, O Lord.
44 And let all those be confounded who lead your servants towards evil. May they be confounded by all your power and may their strength be crushed.
45 And may they know that you are the Lord, the only God, and glorious above the world."
46 And they did not cease, those attendants of the king who had cast them in, to heat the furnace with oil, and flax, and pitch, and brush.
47 And the flame streamed forth above the furnace for forty-nine cubits.
48 And the fire erupted and burnt those of the Chaldeans within its reach near the furnace.
49 But the angel of the Lord descended with Azariah and his companions into the furnace; and he cast the flame of the fire out of the furnace.
50 And he made the middle of the furnace like the blowing of a damp wind, and the fire did not touch them, nor afflict them, nor bother them at all.
51 Then these three, as if with one voice, praised and glorified and blessed God, in the furnace, saying:
52 "Blessed are you, Lord, God of our fathers: praiseworthy, and glorious, and exalted above all forever. And blessed is the holy name of your glory: praiseworthy, and exalted above all, for all ages.
53 Blessed are you in the holy temple of your glory: praiseworthy above all and exalted above all forever.
54 Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom: praiseworthy above all and exalted above all forever.
55 Blessed are you who beholds the abyss and sits upon the cherubims: praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
56 Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven: praiseworthy and glorious forever.
57 All works of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
58 Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
59 Heaven, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
60 All waters that are above the heavens, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
61 All powers of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
62 Sun and moon, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
63 Stars of heaven, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
64 Every rain and dew, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
65 Every breath of God, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
66 Fire and steam, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
67 Cold and heat, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
68 Dews and frost, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
69 Sleet and winter, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
70 Ice and snow, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
71 Nights and days, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
72 Light and darkness, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
73 Lightning and clouds, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
74 May the land bless the Lord: and praise and exalt him above all forever.
75 Mountains and hills, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
76 All things that grow in the land, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
77 Fountains, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
78 Seas and rivers, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
79 Whales and all things that move in the waters, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
80 All things that fly in the heavens, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
81 All beasts and cattle, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
82 Sons of men, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
83 May Israel bless the Lord: and praise and exalt him above all forever.
84 Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
85 Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
86 Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
87 Those who are holy and humble in heart, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.
88 Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever. For he has delivered us from the underworld, and saved us from the hand of death, and freed us from the midst of the burning flame, and rescued us from the midst of the fire.
89 Give thanks to the Lord because he is good: because his mercy is forever.
90 All those who are pious, bless the Lord, the God of gods: praise him and acknowledge him because his mercy is for all generations."
91 Then king Nebuchadnezzar was astonished, and he quickly got up and said to his nobles: "Did we not cast three men shackled into the midst of the fire?" Answering the king, they said, "True, O king."
92 He answered and said, "Behold, I see four men unbound and walking in the midst of the fire, and no harm is in them, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of God."
93 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the entrance of the furnace of burning fire, and he said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the supreme God, come out and approach." And immediately Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went out from the midst of the fire.
94 And when the governors, and the magistrates, and the judges, and the powerful of the king had gathered together, they considered these men because the fire had no power against their bodies, and not a hair of their head had been scorched, and their pants had not been affected, and the smell of the fire had not passed onto them.
95 Then Nebuchadnezzar, bursting out, said, "Blessed is their God, the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel and rescued his servants who believed in him. And they altered the verdict of the king, and they delivered up their bodies, so that they would not serve or adore any god except their God.
96 Therefore, this decree is established by me: that every people, tribe, and language, whenever they have spoken blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, will perish and their homes will be destroyed. For there is no other God who is able to save in this way."
97 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
98 NEBUCHADNEZZAR, the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in the whole world, may peace be increased with you.
99 The supreme God has accomplished signs and wonders with me. Therefore, it has pleased me to proclaim
100 his signs, which are great, and his wonders, which are mighty. For his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his power continues from generation to generation.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in