THE BOOK OF
DANIEL
Daniel 3 ©
Nebuchadnezzar sets up an image, and will every man to worship it, v. 1, etc. Daniel’s companions, refusing to do it, and contemning the king’s threats, are cast into the fiery furnace, upon the accusation of the Chaldeans, 8. Yet are miraculously preserved and delivered by God, but they who kindled the fire are burned, 22, 23. At this the king is exceedingly astonished, 24. And he praises God for His faithfulness and power, 28.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR the king 1made an image of gold, 2whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Then 3the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Then 4an herald cried aloud, 5To you it is commanded, 6O people, nations, and languages,
That at what time ye hear the sound 7of the cornet, flute, 8harp, 9sackbut, psaltery, 10dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, 11psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
¶ 12Wherefore 13at that time certain Chaldeans came near, 14and accused the Jews.
15They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, 16live for ever.
Thou, O king, hast 17made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer,a and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
There are certain Jews 18whom thou hast set over the 19affairs of the province of Babylon, 20Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: 21they 22serve not 23thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
¶Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, 24Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,b psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; 25well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and 26who is that God that shall 27deliver you out of my hands?
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, 28we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
29If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
30But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
¶Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and 31the form of his visagec was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace 32one seven times more 33than it was wont to be heated.
And he commanded 34the most mighty men 35that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Then these men were 36bound in their 37coats, their hosen,d and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Therefore because 38the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the 39flame of the fire slew those men that 40took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down 41bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
42Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and 43rose up 44in haste, and spake, and said unto his 45counsellers, Did not 46we cast three men 47bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, 48True, O king.
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is 49like the Son of God.
¶ 50Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, 51ye servants 52of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. 53Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth 54of the midst of the fire.
55And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had 56no power, nor was 57an hair of their head 58singed, 59neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had 60passed on them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar 61spake, and said, Blessed be 62the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent 63his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have 64changed the king's word, and 65yielded their bodies, 66that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak 67any thing amiss 68against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut 69ine pieces, and 70their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God 71that can deliver after this sort.
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon.