Daniel 3
3
Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Image
1King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits#3:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on #[Gen. 11:2] the plain of Dura, in #ver. 12, 30; ch. 2:48, 49the province of Babylon. 2Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather #ver. 27; ch. 6:1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7; [Ezra 8:36] the satraps, the prefects, and #ch. 2:48the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3Then #[See ver. 2 above]the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4And the herald #ch. 4:14; 5:7; [Rev. 18:2] proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O #ver. 29; ch. 4:1; 5:19; 6:25; 7:14; [Rev. 5:9]peoples, nations, and languages, 5that when you hear the #ver. 7, 10, 15 sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you #[ch. 2:46]are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately #[Jer. 29:22; Ezek. 23:25]be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all #[See ver. 4 above]the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
The Fiery Furnace
8Therefore at that time certain #See ch. 1:4 Chaldeans #ch. 6:12came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9They declared#3:9 Aramaic answered and said; also verses 24, 26 to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10You, O king, #ver. 29; ch. 4:6; 6:26 have made a decree, that every man who #ver. 5, 7, 15hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, #ver. 5, 7, 15shall fall down and worship the golden image. 11And whoever does not fall down and worship #[See ver. 6 above]shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12There are certain Jews whom you have #ch. 2:49 appointed over the affairs of #[See ver. 1 above] the province of Babylon: #[ch. 1:7] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, #ch. 6:13pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
13Then Nebuchadnezzar #ch. 2:12 in furious rage commanded that #[See ver. 12 above]Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to 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? 15Now if you are ready when #ver. 5, 7, 10 you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good.#3:15 Aramaic lacks well and good But if you do not worship, #[See ver. 6 above] you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And #[ch. 6:20; Ex. 5:2; 2 Kgs. 18:35]who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
16 # [See ver. 12 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17If this be so, #[ver. 15]our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.#3:17 Or If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, he will deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and out of your hand, O king 18But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
19Then Nebuchadnezzar was #[ver. 13; Esth. 7:7] filled with fury, and the expression of his face #[ch. 2:49] was changed against #[See ver. 12 above]Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army #[ver. 24, 25] to bind #[See ver. 12 above]Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21Then these men were #[See ver. 20 above]bound in their cloaks, their tunics,#3:21 The meaning of the Aramaic words rendered cloaks and tunics is uncertain; also verse 27 their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22Because the king’s order was #ch. 2:15 urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up #[ch. 1:7]Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell #[See ver. 20 above]bound into the burning fiery furnace.
24Then King Nebuchadnezzar was #ch. 4:19 astonished and rose up #ch. 2:25 in haste. He declared to his #ch. 4:36; 6:7 counselors, “Did we not cast three men #ver. 20, 21, 23bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, #[Isa. 43:2] walking in the midst of the fire, and they #[ch. 6:23] are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like #[ver. 28; Job 1:6]a son of the gods.”
26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, #[See ver. 22 above] “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the #ch. 4:2; 5:18, 21Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then #[See ver. 22 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27And the #ver. 2 satraps, the prefects, the governors, and #[See ver. 24 above] the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that #[Heb. 11:34] the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their #ver. 21cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of #[See ver. 22 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who #ch. 6:22 has sent his angel and #[ver. 15, 17; Ps. 34:7] delivered his servants, who #[Ps. 25:2] trusted in him, and set aside#3:28 Aramaic and changed the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than #[Ex. 20:3]serve and worship any god except their own God. 29Therefore #See ver. 10 I make a decree: Any #See ver. 4 people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of #[See ver. 22 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego #ch. 2:5shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30Then the king promoted #[See ver. 22 above] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in #ver. 1, 12; ch. 2:48, 49the province of Babylon.
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