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El horno en llamas

El rey Nabucodonosor mandó hacer una estatua de oro, de veintisiete metros de alto por dos metros y medio[a] de ancho, y mandó que la colocaran en los llanos de Dura, en la provincia de Babilonia. Luego ordenó a los sátrapas, prefectos, gobernadores, consejeros, tesoreros, jueces, magistrados y demás oficiales de las provincias que asistieran a la dedicación de la estatua que había mandado erigir. Para celebrar tal dedicación, los sátrapas, prefectos, gobernadores, consejeros, tesoreros, jueces, magistrados y demás oficiales de las provincias se reunieron ante la estatua. Entonces los heraldos proclamaron en voz alta: «A vosotros, pueblos, naciones y gente de toda lengua, se os ordena lo siguiente: Tan pronto como escuchéis la música de trompetas, flautas, cítaras, liras, arpas, zampoñas y otros instrumentos musicales, deberéis inclinaros y adorar la estatua de oro que el rey Nabucodonosor ha mandado erigir. Todo el que no se incline ante ella ni la adore será arrojado de inmediato a un horno en llamas».

Ante tal amenaza, tan pronto como se escuchó la música de todos esos instrumentos musicales, todos los pueblos y naciones, y gente de toda lengua, se inclinaron y adoraron la estatua de oro que el rey Nabucodonosor había mandado erigir. Pero algunos astrólogos se presentaron ante el rey y acusaron a los judíos:

―¡Que viva el rey para siempre! —exclamaron—. 10 El rey ha emitido un decreto ordenando que todo el que oiga la música de trompetas, flautas, cítaras, liras, arpas, zampoñas y otros instrumentos musicales se incline ante la estatua de oro y la adore. 11 También ha ordenado que todo el que no se incline ante la estatua ni la adore sea arrojado a un horno en llamas. 12 Pero hay algunos judíos, a quienes el rey ha puesto al frente de la provincia de Babilonia, que no acatan sus órdenes. No adoran a los dioses del rey ni a la estatua de oro que mandó erigir. Se trata de Sadrac, Mesac y Abednego.

13 Lleno de ira, Nabucodonosor los mandó llamar. Cuando los jóvenes se presentaron ante el rey, 14 Nabucodonosor les dijo:

―Vosotros tres, ¿es verdad que no honráis a mis dioses ni adoráis a la estatua de oro que he mandado erigir? 15 En cuanto escuchéis la música de los instrumentos musicales, más os vale que os inclinéis ante la estatua que he mandado hacer y que la adoréis. De lo contrario, seréis lanzados de inmediato a un horno en llamas, ¡y no habrá dios capaz de libraros de mis manos!

16 Sadrac, Mesac y Abednego respondieron a Nabucodonosor:

―¡No hace falta que nos defendamos ante ti! 17 Si se nos arroja al horno en llamas, el Dios al que servimos puede librarnos del horno y de tus manos. 18 Pero, aun si nuestro Dios no lo hace así, has de saber que no honraremos a tus dioses ni adoraremos tu estatua.

19 Ante la respuesta de Sadrac, Mesac y Abednego, Nabucodonosor se puso muy furioso y cambió su actitud hacia ellos. Mandó entonces que se calentara el horno siete veces más de lo normal, 20 y que algunos de los soldados más fuertes de su ejército ataran a los tres jóvenes y los arrojaran al horno en llamas. 21 Fue así como los arrojaron al horno con sus mantos, sandalias, turbantes y todo, es decir, tal y como estaban vestidos. 22 Tan inmediata fue la orden del rey, y tan caliente estaba el horno, que las llamas alcanzaron y mataron a los soldados que arrojaron a Sadrac, Mesac y Abednego, 23 los cuales, atados de pies y manos, cayeron dentro del horno en llamas.

24 En ese momento Nabucodonosor se puso de pie, y sorprendido les preguntó a sus consejeros:

―¿Acaso no eran tres los hombres que atamos y arrojamos al fuego?

―Así es, rey —le respondieron.

25 ―¡Pues mirad! —exclamó—. Allí en el fuego veo a cuatro hombres, sin ataduras y sin daño alguno, ¡y el cuarto tiene la apariencia de un dios![b]

26 Dicho esto, Nabucodonosor se acercó a la puerta del horno en llamas y gritó:

―Sadrac, Mesac y Abednego, siervos del Dios Altísimo, ¡salid de ahí, y venid aquí!

Cuando los tres jóvenes salieron del horno, 27 los sátrapas, prefectos, gobernadores y consejeros reales se arremolinaron en torno a ellos y vieron que el fuego no les había causado ningún daño, y que ni uno solo de sus cabellos se había chamuscado; es más, su ropa no estaba quemada ¡y ni siquiera olía a humo!

28 Entonces exclamó Nabucodonosor: «¡Alabado sea el Dios de estos jóvenes, que envió a su ángel y los salvó! Ellos confiaron en él y, desafiando la orden real, optaron por la muerte antes que honrar o adorar a otro dios que no fuera el suyo. 29 Por tanto, yo decreto que se descuartice a cualquiera que hable en contra del Dios de Sadrac, Mesac y Abednego, y que su casa sea reducida a cenizas, sin importar la nación a que pertenezca o la lengua que hable. ¡No hay otro dios que pueda salvar de esta manera!»

30 Después de eso, el rey ascendió a Sadrac, Mesac y Abednego a un alto puesto en la provincia de Babilonia.

Footnotes

  1. 3:1 veintisiete metros … dos metros y medio. Lit. sesenta codos … seis codos.
  2. 3:25 dios. Lit. hijo de dioses.

The king's statue

King Nebuchadnezzar caused his workers to make a gold statue. It was 30 metres high and 3 metres wide. He built it on the flat land called Dura, in the Babylon region. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent a message to all his government officers. He told them to meet together in the place where the statue was. He wanted them to see that he had built a great statue. So all the officers came. Those were the rulers, the judges, the wise people, and all the leaders in the different regions of the Babylon nation. They all came together to give honour to the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had built.

Then an officer shouted aloud, ‘Listen to me, you people from every country and nation, who speak different languages! The king makes this command: Listen for the sound of music from trumpets, flutes, lyres, harps or any other kind of music. When you hear the music, you must bend down low towards the ground. You must worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has built. The king will punish anyone who does not do that. His soldiers will throw them immediately into a very hot fire.’

So, when all the people heard the different kinds of music, they obeyed. The people from every country and nation, who spoke different languages all bent down low. They worshipped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had built.

Then some wise men went to the king. They told him bad things against the Jews. They said to the king, ‘King, live for ever! 10 You made a rule. You said that everyone must listen for the sound of the special music. When they hear it, they must bend down and they must worship the gold statue. 11 You said that you would punish everyone who does not obey you. You said you would throw them into the middle of a very hot fire. 12 But there are some Jewish men who do not obey you. They are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. You gave them authority to take care of everything in Babylon region. Those men do not respect your authority. They do not give honour to your gods. They do not worship your gold statue.’

13 When King Nebuchadnezzar heard this, he was very angry. He told his servants to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to him. So they brought those men to stand in front of the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, is it true that you do not give honour to my gods? And you do not worship the gold statue that I have built? 15 Next time you hear the sound of the special music, you must obey my rule. You must bend down and you must worship the statue that I have built. If you do not worship the statue, my servants will throw you immediately into the middle of a very hot fire. There is no god who can save you from my power.’

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered the king, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to say anything to show you that we are not guilty. 17 We serve a great God. If you throw us into the very hot fire, he is able to keep us safe. Yes, sir, he will keep us safe from your power too. 18 But even if he does not save us, we still would not serve your gods. And we will not worship the gold statue that you have built. We want you to understand that very clearly, sir.’

The king punishes Daniel's three friends

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was even more angry with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. His face became red. He said to his servants, ‘Make the fire in the oven seven times hotter than usual.’ 20 He told the strongest men in his army, ‘Tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Then throw them into the very hot fire!’

21 So the soldiers tied up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego with ropes. They were still wearing their coats, their hats and their other clothes when the soldiers took hold of them. The soldiers threw them into the middle of the hot fire with all their clothes on. 22 The soldiers needed to obey the king in a hurry. The fire was very hot. As a result, flames from the fire killed the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into it. 23 So the three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, fell into the middle of the hot fire. The ropes still held them very strongly.

24 What King Nebuchadnezzar saw next surprised him very much. He jumped up and he shouted to his officers, ‘We tied up three men and we threw them into the fire. Isn't that right?’ The officers answered the king, ‘Yes, sir, we certainly did that.’ 25 The king said, ‘But I see four men walking about in the fire! No ropes are holding them and the fire has not hurt them. The fourth man seems like a son of the gods.’

26 King Nebuchadnezzar went near to the door of the oven where the very hot fire was. He shouted aloud to the men inside, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, I see that you are servants of the powerful God who rules over everything. Now come out here!’

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire. 27 Then the king's officers, his wise men and the government rulers and leaders came near to the three men. They saw that the fire had not hurt Shadrach, Meshach or Abednego. The fire had not even burnt their hair or their clothes. They did not even have any smell from the fire.

Nebuchadnezzar's new command

28 Then King Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise the God that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego serve! He sent his angel to keep his servants safe. They continued to trust in their God. So they did not obey the command that I had made as king. They would not agree to serve any other god except their own God. They would rather have died than worship any other god. 29 No other god can save people like their God has done for them. So I make a command for the people of every nation who speak any language. They must never say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. If anyone does that, my soldiers will cut them into pieces. They will knock down those people's houses so that they become heaps of stones.’

30 Then the king gave more authority to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to rule in the region of Babylon.