Daniel 3
Amplified Bible
The King’s Golden Image
3 Nebuchadnezzar the king made a [a]gold [-plated] image, whose height [including the pedestal] was sixty cubits (ninety feet) and its width six cubits (nine feet). He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the [b]satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and lawyers and all the chief officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and lawyers, and all the chief officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before it. 4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and speakers of every language, 5 that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon (four-stringed harp), dulcimer, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.” 7 So when the people heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, dulcimer, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and speakers of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Worship of the Image Refused
8 At that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought [malicious] accusations against the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer, bagpipe, and all kinds of music is to fall down and worship the golden image. 11 Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in a furious rage gave a command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; and these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image which I have made, very good. But if you do not worship, you shall be thrown at once into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can rescue you out of my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you on this point. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!”(A)
Daniel’s Friends Protected
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and his facial expression changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then he gave a command that the furnace was to be heated seven [c]times hotter than usual. 20 He commanded certain strong men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 Then these [three] men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their turbans, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was extremely hot, the flame of the fire killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 23 But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king [looked and] was astounded, and he jumped up and said to his counselors, “Did we not throw three men who were tied up into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.” 25 He answered, “Look! I see four men untied, walking around in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the appearance of the fourth is like [d]a son of the gods!”(B) 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing furnace and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of the Most High God, come out [of there]! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. 27 The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s counselors gathered around them and saw that in regard to these men the fire had no effect on their bodies—their hair was not singed, their clothes were not scorched or damaged, even the smell of smoke was not on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants who believed in, trusted in, and relied on Him! They violated the king’s command and surrendered their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be cut into pieces and their houses be made a heap of rubbish, for there is no other god who is able to save in this way!” 30 Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.
Footnotes
- Daniel 3:1 Large images like this one were not made of solid gold.
- Daniel 3:2 The title of an official or governor designated by the king to rule over one or more provinces in the Median and Persian Empires. The authority granted to a satrap would be similar to that granted to a vassal prince and required that he submit regular written reports to the king through one of his chief commissioners. The satrap did not have authority over military personnel stationed in his provinces.
- Daniel 3:19 I.e. units of intensity.
- Daniel 3:25 The kjv has “the Son of God” here, referring to the pre-incarnate Christ, because the usual term for God is Elohim, a plural form. Even if it was the pre-incarnate Christ, however, the pagan king would not have had Him in mind but a “son” of the Babylonian gods, perhaps a minor deity or an angel. The ancient rabbis of course would have fought any attempts by Christians to equate the fourth person in the furnace with the Son of God, so they portrayed God as turning Nebuchadnezzar over to Satan for punishment for the words he exclaimed here, as if he did in fact say “Son of God,” and they made out v 28 to be a confession on the king’s part that what he saw was after all just an angel.
Daniel 3
Almeida Revista e Corrigida 2009
A estátua de ouro. Os companheiros de Daniel no forno de fogo ardente
3 O Rei Nabucodonosor fez uma estátua de ouro, cuja altura era de sessenta côvados, e a sua largura, de seis côvados; levantou-a no campo de Dura, na província de Babilônia. 2 E o rei Nabucodonosor mandou ajuntar os sátrapas, os prefeitos, os presidentes, os juízes, os tesoureiros, os conselheiros, os oficiais e todos os governadores das províncias, para que viessem à consagração da estátua que o rei Nabucodonosor tinha levantado. 3 Então, se ajuntaram os sátrapas, os prefeitos, os presidentes, os juízes, os tesoureiros, os conselheiros, os oficiais e todos os governadores das províncias, para a consagração da estátua que o rei Nabucodonosor tinha levantado, e estavam em pé diante da imagem que Nabucodonosor tinha levantado. 4 E o arauto apregoava em alta voz: Ordena-se a vós, ó povos, nações e gente de todas as línguas: 5 Quando ouvirdes o som da buzina, do pífaro, da harpa, da sambuca, do saltério, da gaita de foles e de toda sorte de música, vos prostrareis e adorareis a imagem de ouro que o rei Nabucodonosor tem levantado. 6 E qualquer que se não prostrar e não a adorar será na mesma hora lançado dentro do forno de fogo ardente. 7 Portanto, no mesmo instante em que todos os povos ouviram o som da buzina, do pífaro, da harpa, da sambuca, do saltério e de toda sorte de música, se prostraram todos os povos, nações e línguas e adoraram a estátua de ouro que o rei Nabucodonosor tinha levantado.
8 Ora, no mesmo instante, se chegaram alguns homens caldeus e acusaram os judeus. 9 E falaram e disseram ao rei Nabucodonosor: Ó rei, vive eternamente! 10 Tu, ó rei, fizeste um decreto, pelo qual todo homem que ouvisse o som da buzina, do pífaro, da harpa, da sambuca, do saltério, da gaita de foles e de toda sorte de música se prostraria e adoraria a estátua de ouro; 11 e qualquer que se não prostrasse e adorasse seria lançado dentro do forno de fogo ardente. 12 Há uns homens judeus, que tu constituíste sobre os negócios da província de Babilônia: Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego; esses homens, ó rei, não fizeram caso de ti; a teus deuses não servem, nem a estátua de ouro, que levantaste, adoraram.
13 Então, Nabucodonosor, com ira e furor, mandou chamar Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego. E trouxeram a esses homens perante o rei. 14 Falou Nabucodonosor e lhes disse: É de propósito, ó Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego, que vós não servis a meus deuses nem adorais a estátua de ouro que levantei? 15 Agora, pois, se estais prontos, quando ouvirdes o som da buzina, do pífaro, da cítara, da harpa, do saltério, da gaita de foles e de toda sorte de música, para vos prostrardes e adorardes a estátua que fiz, bom é; mas, se a não adorardes, sereis lançados, na mesma hora, dentro do forno de fogo ardente; e quem é o Deus que vos poderá livrar das minhas mãos? 16 Responderam Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego e disseram ao rei Nabucodonosor: Não necessitamos de te responder sobre este negócio. 17 Eis que o nosso Deus, a quem nós servimos, é que nos pode livrar; ele nos livrará do forno de fogo ardente e da tua mão, ó rei. 18 E, se não, fica sabendo, ó rei, que não serviremos a teus deuses nem adoraremos a estátua de ouro que levantaste.
19 Então, Nabucodonosor se encheu de furor, e se mudou o aspecto do seu semblante contra Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego; falou e ordenou que o forno se aquecesse sete vezes mais do que se costumava aquecer. 20 E ordenou aos homens mais fortes que estavam no seu exército que atassem a Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego, para os lançarem no forno de fogo ardente. 21 Então, aqueles homens foram atados com as suas capas, e seus calções, e seus chapéus, e suas vestes e foram lançados dentro do forno de fogo ardente. 22 E, porque a palavra do rei apertava, e o forno estava sobremaneira quente, a chama do fogo matou aqueles homens que levantaram a Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego. 23 E estes três homens, Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego, caíram atados dentro do forno de fogo ardente.
24 Então, o rei Nabucodonosor se espantou e se levantou depressa; falou e disse aos seus capitães: Não lançamos nós três homens atados dentro do fogo? Responderam e disseram ao rei: É verdade, ó rei. 25 Respondeu e disse: Eu, porém, vejo quatro homens soltos, que andam passeando dentro do fogo, e nada há de lesão neles; e o aspecto do quarto é semelhante ao filho dos deuses. 26 Então, se chegou Nabucodonosor à porta do forno de fogo ardente; falou e disse: Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego, servos do Deus Altíssimo, saí e vinde! Então, Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego saíram do meio do fogo. 27 E ajuntaram-se os sátrapas, e os prefeitos, e os presidentes, e os capitães do rei, contemplando estes homens, e viram que o fogo não tinha tido poder algum sobre os seus corpos; nem um só cabelo da sua cabeça se tinha queimado, nem as suas capas se mudaram, nem cheiro de fogo tinha passado sobre eles.
28 Falou Nabucodonosor e disse: Bendito seja o Deus de Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego, que enviou o seu anjo e livrou os seus servos, que confiaram nele, pois não quiseram cumprir a palavra do rei, preferindo entregar os seus corpos, para que não servissem nem adorassem algum outro deus, senão o seu Deus. 29 Por mim, pois, é feito um decreto, pelo qual todo povo, nação e língua que disser blasfêmia contra o Deus de Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego seja despedaçado, e as suas casas sejam feitas um monturo; porquanto não há outro deus que possa livrar como este. 30 Então, o rei fez prosperar a Sadraque, Mesaque e Abede-Nego, na província de Babilônia.
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