Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Image

3 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits^[a] and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on ^(A)the plain of Dura, in ^(B)the province of Babylon. ² Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather ^(C)the satraps, the prefects, and ^(D)the 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. ³ Then ^(E)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. ⁴ And the herald ^(F)proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O ^(G)peoples, nations, and languages, ⁵ that when you hear the ^(H)sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you ^(I)are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. ⁶ And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately ^(J)be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” ⁷ Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all ^(K)the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

The Fiery Furnace

⁸ Therefore at that time certain ^(L)Chaldeans ^(M)came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. ⁹ They declared^[b] to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, ^(N)have made a decree, that every man who ^(O)hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, ^(P)shall fall down and worship the golden image. ¹¹ And whoever does not fall down and worship ^(Q)shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have ^(R)appointed over the affairs of ^(S)the province of Babylon: ^(T)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, ^(U)pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar ^(V)in furious rage commanded that ^(W)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar 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? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready when ^(X)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.^[c] But if you do not worship, ^(Y)you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And ^(Z)who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

^16 (AA)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If this be so, ^(AB)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.^{[d] 18} But 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.”

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was ^(AC)filled with fury, and the expression of his face ^(AD)was changed against ^(AE)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. ²⁰ And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army ^(AF)to bind ^(AG)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. ²¹ Then these men were ^(AH)bound in their cloaks, their tunics,^[e] their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. ²² Because the king's order was ^(AI)urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up ^(AJ)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. ²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell ^(AK)bound into the burning fiery furnace.

That You May Know

¹³ I write ^(A)these things to you who ^(B)believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴ And this is ^(C)the confidence that we have toward him, that ^(D)if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

¹⁶ If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and ^(E)God^[a] will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. ^(F)There is sin that leads to death; ^(G)I do not say that one should pray for that. ^17 (H)All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

¹⁸ We know that ^(I)everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but ^(J)he who was born of God ^(K)protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

¹⁹ We know that we are from God, and ^(L)the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come and ^(M)has given us understanding, so that we may know ^(N)him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and ^(O)eternal life. ²¹ Little children, ^(P)keep yourselves from idols.