Daniel 3
Orthodox Jewish Bible
3 Nevuchadnetzar the king made a tzelem of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nevuchadnetzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the tzelem which Nevuchadnetzar the king had set up.
3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the tzelem that Nevuchadnetzar the king had set up; and they stood before the tzelem that Nevuchadnetzar had set up.
4 Then a karoz (herald) cried aloud, To you it is ommanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, psaltery, pipes, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden tzelem that Nevuchadnetzar the king hath set up;
6 And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery attun (furnace).
7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshiped the golden tzelem that Nevuchadnetzar the king had set up.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Kasdim (Chaldeans) came near, and accused the Yehudim.
9 They spoke and said to the king Nevuchadnetzar, O king, live for ever.
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, psaltery, and pipes, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden tzelem;
11 And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery attun (furnace).
12 There are certain Yehudim whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have disregarded thee; they serve (pay-lammed-chet, serve as deity) not thy g-ds, nor worship the golden tzelem which thou hast set up.
13 Then Nevuchadnetzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nevuchadnetzar spoke and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do ye not serve my g-ds, nor worship the golden tzelem which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, psaltery, and pipes, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the tzelem which I have made, well; but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery attun; and who is that G-d that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nevuchadnetzar, we are not needful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, Eloheinu whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not be the ones serving as deity (pey-lammed-chet) thy g-ds, nor worship the golden tzelem which thou hast set up.
19 Then was Nevuchadnetzar full of fury, and the expression on his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the attun seven times hotter than usual.
20 And he commanded certain gibborim (mighty men) of valor that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery attun.
21 Then these anashim (men) were bound in their mantles, their tunics, and their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was severe, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flames of the eish (fire) violently killed those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nevuchadnetzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spoke, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast shloshah anashim (three men) bound into the midst of the eish (fire)? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see anashim arba’ah (four men) free (not bound, loose), walking in the midst of the eish (fire), and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Bar Elohin (Ben Elohim, Hebrew).
26 Then Nevuchadnetzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace, and spoke, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of El Elyon (G-d Most High), come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the eish (fire).
27 And the satraps, governors, and administrators, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the eish (fire) had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their garments affected, nor the smell of eish (fire) had passed on them.
28 Then Nevuchadnetzar spoke, and said, Baruch Elohim shel Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who hath sent His malach, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve ([as deity], peylammed-chet) nor worship any g-d, except their own G-d.
29 Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the G-d of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a pile of rubble, because there is no other g-d that can deliver like this.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
Daniel 3
New King James Version
The Image of Gold
3 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was [a]sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then a herald cried [b]aloud: “To you it is commanded, (A)O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; 6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall (B)be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
7 So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Daniel’s Friends Disobey the King
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans (C)came forward and accused the Jews. 9 They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, (D)“O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; 11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12 (E)There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have (F)not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in (G)rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, (H)good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. (I)And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, (J)we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our (K)God whom we serve is able to (L)deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we (M)worship the gold image which you have set up.”
Saved in Fiery Trial
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore, because the king’s command was [c]urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his [d]counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”
They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, (N)walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like (O)the[e] Son of God.”
Nebuchadnezzar Praises God
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the [f]mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the (P)Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. 27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men (Q)on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His (R)Angel[g] and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 29 (S)Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the (T)God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be (U)cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; (V)because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”
30 Then the king [h]promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.
Footnotes
- Daniel 3:1 About 90 feet
- Daniel 3:4 Lit. with strength
- Daniel 3:22 Or harsh
- Daniel 3:24 High officials
- Daniel 3:25 Or a son of the gods
- Daniel 3:26 Lit. door
- Daniel 3:28 Or angel
- Daniel 3:30 Lit. caused to prosper
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
