Daniel 3:15-23

Christian Standard Bible

¹⁵ Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire—and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?” ^(A)

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. ¹⁷ If the God we serve exists,^(B) then he can rescue^(C) us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can^[a] rescue us from the power of you, the king. ¹⁸ But even if he does not rescue us,^[b] we want you as king to know that we will not serve^(D) your gods^(E) or worship the gold statue you set up.”

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage,^(F) and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary, ²⁰ and he commanded some of the best soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. ²¹ So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings,^[c] and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. ²² Since the king’s command was so urgent^[d](G) and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames^[e] killed those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. ²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.