^4 (A)Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

Darius Honors God

²⁴ And the king gave the command, ^(A)and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, ^(B)their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.

¹³ So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, ^(A)who is ^[a]one of the captives from Judah, ^(B)does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

Daniel’s Friends Disobey the King

⁸ Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans ^(A)came forward and accused the Jews. ⁹ They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, ^(B)“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 (C)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 ^(D)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 ^(E)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, ^(F)good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ^(G)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, ^(H)we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If that is the case, our ^(I)God whom we serve is able to ^(J)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 ^(K)worship the gold image which you have set up.”

Further Sayings of the Wise

²³ These things also belong to the wise: