Nebuchadnezzar the king made a ¹gold -plated ^aimage, whose height including the pedestal was sixty cubits (ninety feet) and its width six cubits (nine feet) . He set it up on the plain of Dura in the ^bprovince of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the ^1asatraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and lawyers and all the chief officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and lawyers, and all the chief officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before it. 4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “You are commanded, ^aO peoples, nations, and speakers of every language, 5 that at the moment you ^ahear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon (four-stringed harp) , dulcimer, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be ^athrown into the midst of a ^bfurnace of blazing fire.” 7 So when the people heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, dulcimer, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and speakers of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8 At that time certain ^aChaldeans came forward and ^bbrought malicious accusations against the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “^aO king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have ^amade a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer, bagpipe, and all kinds of music is to ^bfall down and worship the golden image. 11 Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have ^aappointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in a furious ^arage gave a command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; and these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you do not serve ^amy gods or worship the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready, ^awhen you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image which I have made, very good. But if you do not worship, you shall be ^bthrown at once into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and ^cwhat god is there who can rescue you out of my hands?”

16 ^aShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you on this point. 17 If it be so, our ^aGod whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and ^bHe will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 ^aBut even if He does not, ^blet it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!” Job 13:15; Acts 4:19, 20

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with ^afury, and his facial expression changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then he gave a command that the furnace was to be heated seven ¹times hotter than usual. 20 He commanded certain strong men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 Then these three men were tied up in their ^atrousers, their coats, their turbans, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Because the king’s command was ^aurgent and the furnace was extremely hot, the flame of the fire killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 23 But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ^afell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king looked and was astounded, and he jumped up and said to his counselors, “Did we not throw three men who were tied up into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.” 25 He answered, “Look! I see four men untied, ^awalking around in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the appearance of the fourth is like ¹a son of the ^bgods!” Phil 2:5-8 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing furnace and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of the ^aMost High God, come out of there! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego ^bcame out of the midst of the fire. 27 The ^asatraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s counselors gathered around them and saw that in regard to these men the ^bfire had no effect on their bodies—their hair was not singed, their ^cclothes were not scorched or damaged, even the smell of smoke was not on them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the ^aGod of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has ^bsent His angel and rescued His servants who ^cbelieved in, trusted in, and relied on Him! They violated the king’s command and surrendered their bodies ^drather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I ^amake a decree that any people, nation, or language that speaks anything offensive against the God of ^bShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be cut into pieces and their ^chouses be made a heap of rubbish, for there is ^dno other god who is able to save in this way!” 30 Then the king ^acaused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an ^aimage of gold, the height of which was ¹sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the ^bprovince of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the ^asatraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, 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. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they were standing before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then the herald loudly called out: “To you it is said, ^aO peoples, nations, and men of every tongue, 5 that at the time you ^ahear the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, ²trigon, ³psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. 6 But whoever does not fall down and worship shall ¹immediately be ^acast into the midst of a ^bfurnace of blazing fire.” 7 Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8 For this reason at that time certain ^aChaldeans came near and ^1bbrought charges against the Jews. 9 They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “^aO king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have ^amade a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to ^bfall down and worship the golden image. 11 But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have ^aappointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. These men, O king, do not pay attention to you; they do not serve your gods and do not worship the golden image which you have set up.”

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in ^arage and wrath said to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you are not serving ^amy gods and do not worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready, ^aat the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, then you shall fall down and worship the image that I have made. But if you do not worship, you will ²immediately be ^bcast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and ^cwhat god is there who can save you out of my hands?”

16 ^aShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to respond to you with an answer concerning this matter. 17 ¹If it be so, our ^aGod whom we serve is able to save us from the furnace of blazing fire; ²and ^bHe will save us out of your hand, O king. 18 ^aBut if not, ^blet it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods, and we will not worship the golden image that you have set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with ^awrath, and the image of his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He answered and said to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he said to certain mighty men of valor who were in his military ¹host to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 Then these men were tied up in their ^1atrousers, their ²coats, their caps, and their other clothes and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. 22 For this reason, because the king’s word was ^1aurgent and the furnace had been heated to an extraordinary degree, the flame of the fire killed those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 23 But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ^afell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and hurriedly stood up; he answered and said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast tied up into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “Certainly, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “Look! I see four men loosed and ^awalking about in the midst of the fire ¹without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the ^bgods!” 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he answered and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the ^aMost High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego ^bcame out of the midst of the fire. 27 Then the ^asatraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the ^bfire had no power over ¹the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their ^2ctrousers ³damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the ^aGod of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has ^bsent His angel and saved His servants who put their ^ctrust in Him, ¹violating the king’s word, and gave up their bodies so as ^dnot to serve and not to worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I ^amake a decree that any people, nation, or tongue that says anything offensive against the God of ^bShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their ^chouses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is ^dno other god who is able to deliver in this way.” 30 Then the king ^acaused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to succeed in the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an ^aimage of gold, the height of which was sixty ¹cubits and its width six ²cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the ^bprovince of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the ^asatraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, 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. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you ¹the command is given, ^aO peoples, nations and men of every ²language, 5 that at the moment you ^ahear the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, ²trigon, ³psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. 6 But whoever does not fall down and worship shall ¹immediately be ^acast into the midst of a ^bfurnace of blazing fire.” 7 Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every ²language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8 For this reason at that time certain ^aChaldeans came forward and ^1bbrought charges against the Jews. 9 They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “^aO king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have ^amade a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to ^bfall down and worship the golden image. 11 But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have ^aappointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in ^arage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve ^amy gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready, ^aat the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, ¹lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will ²immediately be ^bcast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and ^cwhat god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

16 ^aShadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 ¹If it be so, our ^aGod whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; ²and ^bHe will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 ^aBut even if He does not, ^blet it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with ^awrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered ¹by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 Then these men were tied up in their ^1atrousers, their ²coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. 22 For this reason, because the king’s ¹command was ^2aurgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. 23 But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, ^afell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.” 25 He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and ^awalking about in the midst of the fire ¹without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the ^bgods!” 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the ^aMost High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego ^bcame out of the midst of the fire. 27 The ^asatraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the ^bfire had no ¹effect on ²the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their ^3ctrousers ⁴damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the ^aGod of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has ^bsent His angel and delivered His servants who put their ^ctrust in Him, ¹violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as ^dnot to serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I ^amake a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of ^bShadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their ^chouses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is ^dno other god who is able to deliver in this way.” 30 Then the king ^acaused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.