Beginning

1 In the third year of the realm of Jehoiakim, king of Judah (In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah), Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem, and besieged it.

² And the Lord betook in his hand Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and he took a part of the vessels of the house of God; and he bare out those into the land of Shinar, into the house of his god, and he took the vessels into the house of treasure of his god. (And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, into his power, and he took some of the vessels of the House of God; and he carried them back to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he put the vessels in the treasure house of his god.)

³ And the king said to Ashpenaz, sovereign of his honest servants and chaste, that he should bring in of the sons of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and the children of tyrants, [or (of) strong men,] (And the king said to Ashpenaz, the ruler of his honest and chaste servants, that is, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring in some of the Israelites, yea, some of the king’s descendants, and some of the young men of the strong men,)

⁴ in which were no wem, fair in shape, and learned in all wisdom, wary in knowing, and taught in chastising, either learning, and that might stand in the palace of the king, that he should teach them the letters and language of Chaldees. (in whom there was no blemish, or fault, comely in shape, and learned in all wisdom, yea, knowledgeable, and taught in learning, or in the disciplines, and who might stand in the palace of the king, so that he could teach them the letters and the language of the Chaldeans.)

⁵ And the king ordained to them lifelode by each day of his meats, and of the wine whereof he drank; that they nourished by three years, should stand afterward before the sight of the king. (And the king ordained for them the daily sustenance of his food, and the wine which he drank; and that after they were nourished for three years, they would stand before the king.)

⁶ Therefore Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, of the sons of Judah, were among them. (And so Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, of the sons of Judah, were among them.)

⁷ And the sovereign of the honest servants and chaste putted to them names (And the ruler of the honest and chaste servants, that is, the master of the eunuchs, gave them new names); to Daniel he putted Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach, and to Azariah, Abednego.

⁸ Forsooth Daniel purposed in his heart, that he should not be defouled of the board of the king, neither of the wine of his drink; and he prayed the sovereign of the honest servants and chaste, that he should not be defouled. (But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not be defiled with the king’s food, nor with his wine to drink; and he beseeched the ruler of the eunuchs, that he might not be so defiled.)

⁹ Forsooth God gave grace and mercy to Daniel, in the sight of the prince of honest servants and chaste. (And God made the ruler of the eunuchs to show grace and mercy to Daniel.)

¹⁰ And the prince of honest servants and chaste said to Daniel, I dread my lord the king, that ordained to you meat and drink; and if he see your faces leaner than (the) other young waxing men, your even-eld(er)s, ye shall condemn mine head to the king. (And the ruler of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who ordained for you food and drink; for if he shall see your faces leaner than the other young men, yea, your fellows, then ye shall condemn my head to the king.)

¹¹ And Daniel said to Melzar, whom the prince of honest servants and chaste had ordained on Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, (And Daniel said to Melzar, whom the ruler of the eunuchs had ordained over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,)

¹² I beseech, assay thou us thy servants by ten days, and pottages be given to us to eat, and water to drink; (I beseech thee, assay thou us thy servants for ten days, and let vegetables be given to us to eat, and water to drink;)

¹³ and behold thou our cheers, and the cheers of children that eat the king’s meat; and as thou seest, so do thou with thy servants. (and look thou upon our faces, and upon the faces of the young men who eat the king’s food; and as thou seest fit, so do thou with thy servants.)

¹⁴ And when he heard such a word, he assayed them (for) ten days.

¹⁵ Forsooth after ten days the cheers of them appeared better and fatter, than all the children that ate the king’s meat. (And after ten days their faces appeared better and fatter, than all the other young men who ate the king’s food.)

¹⁶ Certainly Melzar took [away] the meats, and the wine of the drink of them, and gave them pottages. (And so Melzar took away the food, and the wine, and gave them vegetables to eat, and water to drink.)

¹⁷ Forsooth to these children God gave knowing and learning in each book, and in all wisdom; but to Daniel God gave understanding of all visions and dreams. (And to these young men God gave knowledge from each book, and learning from all wisdom; but to Daniel alone God gave understanding of all visions and dreams.)

¹⁸ Therefore when the days were [ful]filled, after which the king said, that they should be brought in, the sovereign of honest servants and chaste brought in them, in the sight of Nebuchadnezzar. (And so when the days were fulfilled, after which the king had said, that they should be brought in, the ruler of the eunuchs brought them in, before Nebuchadnezzar.)

¹⁹ And when the king had spoken to them, such were not found of all, as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; and they stood in the sight of the king. (And when the king had spoken to them, such was not found from any of the others, as from Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; and so they stood before the king, that is, and so they entered into his service.)

²⁰ And each word of wisdom and of understanding, which the king asked of them, he found in them tenfold, over all false diviners and astronomers, that were in all his realm (over all the fortunetellers, and the astrologers, who were in all his kingdom).

²¹ Forsooth Daniel was (there) till to the first year of king Cyrus.

2 In the second year of the realm of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar saw a dream; and his spirit was afeared, and his dream fled away from him. (In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream; and his spirit was afraid, and then his dream fled away from him.)

² Therefore the king commanded, that the (false) diviners, and astronomers, and witches, and Chaldees should be called together, that they should tell to the king his dreams; and when they were come, they stood before the king. (And so the king commanded, that the fortunetellers, and the astrologers, and the witches, and the Chaldeans should be called together, so that they could tell the king about his dream; and when they had come, they stood before the king.)

³ And the king said to them, I saw a dream, and I am shamed in mind, and I know not what I saw. (And the king said to them, I had a dream, and I am confused, and I do not know what I saw/and I do not know what it meant.)

⁴ And Chaldees answered the king by Syriack language, King, live thou without end; say thy dream to thy servants, and we shall show to thee the expounding thereof. (And the Chaldeans answered the king in the Syrian, or in the Aramaic, language and said, O King, may thou live forever; first tell thy dream to thy servants, and then we shall tell thee its interpretation.)

⁵ And the king answered, and said to [the] Chaldees, The word is gone away from me; if ye show not to me the dream, and the expounding thereof, ye shall perish, and your houses shall be forfeited. (And the king answered, and said to the Chaldeans, The dream hath gone away from me/This is what I have decided; if ye do not tell me the dream, and its interpretation, then ye shall die, and your houses shall be laid waste.)

⁶ Forsooth if ye tell the dream, and the expounding thereof, ye shall take of me meeds and gifts, and much honour; therefore show ye to me the dream, and the interpreting thereof. (But if ye tell me the dream, and its interpretation, then ye shall receive from me rewards and gifts, and much honour; and so tell me the dream, and its interpretation.)

⁷ They answered the second time, and said, The king say the dream to his servants, and we shall show the interpreting thereof. (They answered a second time, and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and then we shall tell its interpretation.)

⁸ The king answered, and said, Certainly I know, that ye again-buy the time, and know that the word is gone away from me. (And the king answered, Certainly I see, that ye be trying to gain time, for ye know that the dream hath gone away from me/because ye know that this is what I have decided.)

⁹ Therefore if ye show not to me the dream, one sentence is of you, for ye make an interpreting both false and full of deceit, that ye speak to me till the time pass; therefore say ye the dream to me, that I know that ye speak also the very interpreting thereof. (And so if ye do not tell me the dream, one punishment shall be for all of you, for ye make an interpretation both false and full of deceit, and ye shall just speak to me until the time pass; and so tell me the dream, so that I know that ye also say its true interpretation.)

¹⁰ Therefore [the] Chaldees answered before the king, and said, King, no man is on earth that may [ful]fill thy word; but neither any great man and mighty of kings asketh such a word of any (false) diviner, and astronomer, and of a man of Chaldea. (And so the Chaldeans answered the king, and said, O king, there is no one on earth who can fulfill thy request; nor would any great king, or mighty man, ask such a request of any fortuneteller, or astrologer, or a man of Chaldea.)

¹¹ For the word which thou, (O) king, askest, is grievous, neither any shall be found that shall show it in the sight of the king (nor shall anyone be found who can tell it to the king), except (the) gods, whose living is not with men.

¹² And when this word was heard, the king commanded, in strong vengeance and in great ire, that all [the] wise men of Babylon should perish. (And when this word was heard, the king commanded, with strong vengeance and with great anger, that all the wise men of Babylon should be put to death.)

¹³ And by the sentence gone out, the wise men were (to be) slain; and Daniel and his fellows were sought, that they should perish. (And by the order gone out, the wise men were to be killed; and Daniel and his fellows were sought, so that they could be put to death.)

¹⁴ Then Daniel asked of the law and sentence of Arioch, prince of [the] chivalry of the king, that was gone out to slay the wise men of Babylon. (And Daniel asked about the law and the sentence, or the order, to Arioch, the leader of the king’s cavalry, or of his bodyguard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.)

¹⁵ And he asked him, that had taken power of the king, for what cause so cruel a sentence went out from the face of the king. Therefore when Arioch had showed the thing to Daniel, (And he asked him, who had received the power of life and death from the king, for what cause such a cruel order had gone out from the king. And so when Arioch had told the reason to Daniel,)

¹⁶ Daniel entered, and prayed the king, that he should give time to him to show the solving to the king. (Daniel entered in, and beseeched the king, that he would give him some time, so that he could tell the interpretation to the king. And the king agreed.)

¹⁷ And he entered into his house, and showed the need to Hananiah, and Mishael, and Azariah, his fellows,

¹⁸ that they should ask mercy of the face of God of heaven on this sacrament, (or hid truth); and that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with other wise men of Babylon. (that they should ask for mercy from the God of heaven, and that he explain this secret, or this hidden truth, so that Daniel and his fellows would not die along with the other wise men of Babylon.)

¹⁹ Then the private^[a] was showed to Daniel by a vision in night. And Daniel blessed (the) God of heaven, (Then the mystery, or the secret, was revealed to Daniel by a vision in the night. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven,)

²⁰ and said, The name of the Lord be blessed from the world, and till into the world, for wisdom and strength be his; (and said, The Lord’s name be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and strength be his;)

²¹ and he changeth times and ages, he translateth realms and ordaineth; he giveth wisdom to wise men, and knowing to them that understand teaching, either chastising; (and he changeth times and ages, he transfereth kingdoms and ordaineth them; he giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who understand teaching, or the disciplines;)

²² he showeth deep things and hid (he revealeth secrets, or mysteries, and hidden things), and he knoweth things set in darknesses, and light is with him.

²³ God of our fathers, I acknowledge to thee, and I praise thee, for thou hast given wisdom and strength to me; and now thou hast showed to me those things which we prayed thee, for thou hast opened to us the word of the king. (God of our forefathers, I acknowledge to thee, and I praise thee, for thou hast given wisdom and strength to me; and now thou hast shown me those things for which we prayed to thee, for thou hast opened to us the matter concerning the king.)

²⁴ After these things Daniel entered to Arioch, whom the king had ordained, that he should lose the wise men of Babylon, and thus he spake to him, Lose thou not the wise men of Babylon; lead thou me in before the sight of the king, and I shall tell the solving to the king. (And after these things Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had ordered, that he should destroy the wise men of Babylon, and he said this to him, Destroy thou not the wise men of Babylon; lead thou me in before the king, and I shall tell the interpretation to the king.)

²⁵ Then Arioch hasting led in Daniel to the king, and said to him, I have found a man of the sons of (the) passing over of Judah, that shall tell the solving to the king. (Then Arioch, making haste, led Daniel in to the king, and said to him, I have found a man of the sons of the captivity of Judah, who shall tell the interpretation to the king.)

²⁶ The king answered, and said to Daniel, to whom the name was Belteshazzar, Whether guessest thou, that thou mayest verily show to me the dream which I saw, and the interpreting thereof? (And the king said to Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar, Thinkest thou, that thou can truly tell me the dream which I saw, and its interpretation?)

²⁷ And Daniel answered before the king, and said, The private which the king asketh, [the] wise men, and astronomers, and (false) diviners, and lookers of altars, may not show to the king. (And Daniel answered the king, and said, The mystery, or the secret, which the king asketh about, the wise men, and the astrologers, and the fortunetellers, and the lookers on altars, cannot tell the king.)

²⁸ But God is in heaven that showeth privates, which hath showed to thee, thou king Nebuchadnezzar, what things shall come in the last times. Thy dream and visions of thine head, in thy bed, be such. (But there is God in heaven who revealeth mysteries, or secrets, and he hath shown thee, O King Nebuchadnezzar, what things shall come in the last times, or at the end of the age. Thy dream and the visions in thy head, on thy bed, be such.)

²⁹ Thou, king, begannest to think in thy bed, what was to coming after these things; and he that showeth privates (and he who revealeth mysteries, or secrets), showed to thee what things shall come.

³⁰ And this sacrament, [or hid truth], is showed to me not by wisdom which is in me more than in all living men, but that the interpreting should be made open to the king, and thou shouldest know the thoughts of thy soul. (And this secret, or this hidden truth, is shown to me not by any wisdom which is in me more than in anyone else alive, but so that the interpretation can be made open to the king, and so that thou wouldest know the thoughts in thy mind.)

³¹ Thou, king, sawest, and lo! as one great image (Thou, king, sawest, lo! one great image, or one large figure); that image was great, and high in stature, and stood before thee, and the looking thereof was fearedful.

³² The head of this image was of best gold, but the breast and arms were of silver; certainly the womb and thighs were of brass, (The head of this figure was made of the best gold, and the chest and the arms were made of silver; the belly and the thighs were made of bronze,)

³³ but the legs were of iron; forsooth some part of the feet was of iron, some was of earth. (and the legs were made of iron; and a part of the feet was made of iron, and a part was made of clay.)

³⁴ Thou sawest thus, till a stone was cut down (out) of the hill, without hands, and smote the image in the iron feet thereof and earthen, and all-brake those. (Thou sawest it so, until a stone was cut down from the hill, without the use of any hands, and it struck the figure on its iron and clay feet, and broke them all in pieces.)

³⁵ Then the iron, tilestone, either earthen vessel, brass, silver, and gold, were all-broken (al)together, and driven as into a dead spark of a large summer hall, that be ravished of wind, and no place is found to those; forsooth the stone, that smote the image, was made a great hill, and filled all earth. (Then the iron, the tilestone, or the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, were all broken in pieces, and driven like dead sparks on a threshing floor in the summer, that be carried away by the wind, and there is no place where they can be found; and then the stone, that struck the figure, was made into a great mountain, and it filled all the earth.)

³⁶ This is the dream. Also, thou king, we shall say before thee the interpreting thereof. (That is the dream. And, O king, now we shall tell thee its interpretation.)

³⁷ Thou art king of kings, and God of heaven gave to thee realm, strength, and empire, and glory; (Thou art king of kings, and the God of heaven gave thee a kingdom, and power, and empire, and glory;)

³⁸ and he gave in(to) thine hand all things in which the sons of men, and the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air dwell, and ordained all things under thy lordship; therefore thou art the golden head.

³⁹ And another realm less than thou shall rise after thee; and the third realm, another of brass, that shall have the empire of all earth. (And after thee, another kingdom less than thou, shall rise up; and then the third kingdom, one of bronze, that shall have rule over all the earth.)

⁴⁰ And the fourth realm shall be as iron; as iron maketh less, and maketh tame all things, so it shall make less, and shall all-break all these realms. (And the fourth kingdom shall be like iron; and like iron shattereth, or breaketh in pieces, and maketh everything tame, or subdueth all things, so it shall make less, and shall all-break all these kingdoms.)

⁴¹ Forsooth that thou sawest a part of the feet, and fingers, (or toes,) of earth, [or clay,] of a potter, and a part of iron, the realm shall be parted (And that thou sawest that a part of the feet, and the toes, was made of the clay of a potter, and a part was made of iron, the kingdom shall be divided); which nevertheless shall rise (up out) of the planting of (the) iron, by that that thou sawest iron mingled with a tilestone of clay,

⁴² and the toes of the feet, in part of iron, and in part of earth, in part the realm shall be firm, and in part broken. (and like the toes of the feet, were in part made of iron, and in part made of clay, so the kingdom in part shall be firm, or shall be strong, and in part it shall be broken, or shall be weak.)

⁴³ Forsooth that thou sawest iron mingled with a tilestone of clay, soothly those shall be mingled together with man’s seed; but those shall not cleave to themselves, as iron may not be meddled with tilestone. (And that thou sawest iron mingled with clay, truly people shall mix their seed together, that is, they shall intermarry; but they shall not cleave long to each other, just like iron cannot successfully be mixed with clay.)

⁴⁴ Forsooth in the days of those realms, (the) God of heaven shall raise (up) a realm, that shall not be destroyed without end, and his realm shall not be given to another people; it shall make less, and (shall) waste all these realms, and it shall stand without end,

⁴⁵ by this that thou sawest, that a stone was cut down (out) of the hill, without hands, and made less, [or brake,] the tilestone, and the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold (by this that thou sawest, that a stone was cut down from the hill, without the use of any hands, and broke the clay, and the iron, and the bronze, and the silver, and the gold). [The] Great God hath showed to the king what things shall come afterward; and the dream is true, and the interpreting thereof is faithful.

⁴⁶ Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell down on his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded sacrifices and incense to be brought, that those should be sacrificed to him (so that they could be sacrificed to him).

⁴⁷ Therefore the king spake, and said to Daniel, Verily your God is God of gods, and Lord of kings, that showeth mysteries, for thou mightest open this sacrament, (or hid truth). (And so the king spoke, and said to Daniel, Truly your God is God of gods, and Lord of kings, who revealeth mysteries, for thou could open this secret, or this hidden truth.)

⁴⁸ Then the king raised (up) Daniel on high, and gave many gifts and great to him (and gave him many great gifts); and ordained him prince and prefect, either chief justice, over all the provinces of Babylon, and master over all the wise men of Babylon.

⁴⁹ Forsooth Daniel asked of the king, and (he) ordained Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over all the works of the province of Babylon; but Daniel himself was in the gates of the king (but Daniel himself was at the king’s court).

3 Nebuchadnezzar, the king, made a golden image, in the height of sixty cubits, and in the breadth of six cubits; and he setted it in the field of Dura, of the province of Babylon. (And King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold figure, sixty cubits high, and six cubits broad, or wide; and he put it in the field of Dura/and he set it up on the Dura Plain, in the province of Babylon.)

² Therefore Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather together the wise men, magistrates, and judges, and dukes, and tyrants, [or strong men,] and prefects, and all princes of countries, that they should come together to the hallowing of the image which the king Nebuchadnezzar had raised [up]. (And so Nebuchadnezzar sent out word to gather together the wise men, and magistrates, and judges, and leaders, and strong men, and prefects, and all the rulers, or all the governors, of the provinces, that they should come together to the dedication of the figure which King Nebuchadnezzar had raised up.)

³ Then the wise men, magistrates, and judges, and dukes, and tyrants, (or strong men,) and best men, that were set in powers, and all the princes of countries, were gathered together, that they should come together to the hallowing of the image, which the king Nebuchadnezzar had raised [up]. Forsooth they stood in the sight of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar had set (up); (Then the wise men, and magistrates, and judges, and leaders, and strong men, and best men, who were set in power, and all the governors of the provinces, were gathered together, that they should all come together to the dedication of the figure, which King Nebuchadnezzar had raised up. And they stood before the figure, which Nebuchadnezzar had set up;)

⁴ and a beadle cried mightily, It is said to you, peoples, kindreds, and languages; (and a crier shouted out loudly, It is said to you, all the peoples, and nations, or tribes, of every language;)

⁵ in the hour in which ye hear the sound of trump, and of pipe, and of harp, of sambuca, and of psaltery, and of symphony, and of all kind of musics, fall ye down, and worship the golden image which the king Nebuchadnezzar made. (at the time when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and zither, and lute, yea, of a symphony, and of all kinds of music, fall ye down, and worship the gold figure which King Nebuchadnezzar hath made.)

⁶ Soothly if any man falleth not down, and worshippeth not, in the same hour he shall be sent into a furnace of fire burning. (Truly if anyone falleth not down, and worshippeth not, in that same hour he shall be sent into a furnace of burning fire.)

⁷ Therefore after these things, anon as all peoples heard the sound of trump, and of pipe, and of harp, of sambuca, and of psaltery, of symphony, and of all kind of musics, all peoples, lineages, and languages fell down, and worshipped the golden image which the king Nebuchadnezzar had made. (And so after these things, as soon as all the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and zither, and lute, yea, of a symphony, and of all kinds of music, all the peoples, and tribes, or nations, of every language, fell down, and worshipped the gold figure which King Nebuchadnezzar had made.)

⁸ And anon in that time men of Chaldea nighed, and accused the Jews, (And at once, the Chaldeans approached, and accused the Jews,)

⁹ and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar (and said to King Nebuchadnezzar), King, live thou without end.

¹⁰ Thou, king, hast set a decree, that each man that heareth the sound of trump, of pipe, and of harp, of sambuca, and of psaltery, and of symphony, and of all kind of musics, bow down himself, and worship the golden image; (Thou, king, hast made a decree, that everyone who heareth the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and zither, and lute, yea, of a symphony, and of all kinds of music, bow he himself down, and worship the gold figure;)

¹¹ forsooth if any man falleth not down, and worshippeth not, be he sent into the furnace of fire burning (and if anyone falleth not down, and worshippeth not, be he sent into the furnace of burning fire.)

¹² Therefore men Jews be, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, which thou hast ordained on the works of the country of Babylon. Thou king, these men have despised thy decree; they honour not thy gods, and they worship not the golden image, which thou raisedest. (And so there be some Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whom thou hast ordained over the works of the province of Babylon. O king, these men have despised thy decree; they do not honour thy gods, and they do not worship the gold figure, which thou hast raised up.)

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar commanded, in strong vengeance and in wrath, that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego should be brought; which were brought anon in the sight of the king (who were brought in at once before the king).

¹⁴ And the king Nebuchadnezzar pronounced, and said to them, Whether verily Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye honour not my gods, and worship not the golden image which I made? (And King Nebuchadnezzar said to them, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do ye truly not honour my gods, and not worship the gold figure which I have made, or which I have raised up?)

¹⁵ Now therefore be ye ready, in whatever hour ye hear the sound of trump, of pipe, of harp, of sambuca, of psaltery, and of symphony, and of all kind of musics, bow ye down you, and worship the image which I made; that if ye worship not, in the same hour ye shall be sent into the furnace of fire burning; and who is God that shall deliver you from mine hand? (And so now be ye ready, at whatever hour ye hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and zither, and lute, yea, of a symphony, and of all kinds of music, to bow ye yourselves down, and worship the figure which I have made; but if ye do not worship it, in that same hour ye shall be sent into the furnace of burning fire; and then what god shall rescue you, or shall save you, from my power?)

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered, and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar (and said to King Nebuchadnezzar), It needeth not, that we answer of this thing to thee.

¹⁷ For why our God, whom we worship, may ravish us from the chimney of fire burning, and may deliver from thine hands, thou king. (For our God, whom we worship, can rescue us from the furnace of burning fire, and can save us from thy hands, O king.)

¹⁸ That if he do not, be it known to thee, thou king, that we honour not thy gods, and we worship not the golden image which thou hast raised. (But even if he shall not do that, be it known to thee, O king, that we shall not honour thy gods, and we shall not worship the gold figure which thou hast raised up.)

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with strong vengeance, and the beholding of his face was changed on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And he commanded that the furnace should be made hotter sevenfold than that it was wont to be made hot. (Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the look on his face was changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And he commanded that the furnace should be made seven times hotter than that it was wont to be made.)

²⁰ And he commanded to the strongest men of his host that they should bind the feet of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and send them into the furnace of fire burning. (And he commanded to the strongest men of his army that they should bind together the feet of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and then send them into the furnace of burning fire.)

²¹ And anon those men were bound, with breeches, and caps, and shoes, and clothes, and were sent into the midst of the furnace of fire burning; (And at once those men were bound, still wearing their breeches, or pants, and caps, and shoes, and other clothes, and they were sent into the midst of the furnace of burning fire.)

²² for why the commandment of the king constrained. Forsooth the furnace was made full hot; certainly the flame of the fire killed those men, that had sent Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace (And because the king’s order was unyielding, and the furnace was made so very hot, the flame of the fire killed those men, who sent Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace.)

²³ Soothly these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound in the midst of the chimney of fire burning. (And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound in the midst of the furnace of burning fire.)

²⁴ Then king Nebuchadnezzar was astonied, and rose hastily, and said to his best men, Whether we sent not three men fettered into the midst of the fire? Which answered the king, and said, Verily, king. (Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished, and rose hastily, and said to his best men, Did we not send three fettered men into the midst of the fire? And they answered the king, and said, Truly we did, O king.)

²⁵ The king answered, and said, Lo! I see four men unbound, and going in the midst of the fire, and nothing of corruption is in them; and the likeness of the fourth is like the son of God (and the appearance of the fourth is like an angel, or like a son of God/is like the Son of God).

²⁶ Then the king Nebuchadnezzar nighed to the door of the furnace of fire burning, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the servants of high God living, go ye out, and come ye. And anon Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went out of the midst of the fire. (Then King Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of burning fire, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the servants of the living Most High God, come ye out now. And at once Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went out from the midst of the fire.)

²⁷ And the wise men, and magistrates, and judges, and mighty men of the king were gathered together, and beheld those men, for the fire had nothing of power in the bodies of them, and an hair of their head was not burnt; also the breeches of them were not changed, and the odour of fire had not passed by them. (And the wise men, and magistrates, and judges, and mighty men of the king were gathered together, and saw that the fire had no power to harm their bodies, and that not even a hair on their heads was burned; and that their breeches, or their pants, were not burned, and that the odour of the fire had passed them by, or did not linger about them.)

²⁸ And Nebuchadnezzar brake out, and said, Blessed be the God of them, that is, of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that sent his angel, and delivered his servants that believed into him (who sent his angel, and rescued his servants who believed in him), and changed the word of the king, and gave their bodies, that they should not serve, and that they should not worship any god, except their God alone.

²⁹ Therefore this decree is set of me, That each people, and languages, and lineages, whoever speaketh blasphemy against God of Shadrach, of Meshach, and of Abednego, perish, and his house be destroyed; for none other is God, that may save so. (And so this decree is made by me, That any person, of any language, or tribe, or nation, whomever speaketh blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be put to death, and his house shall be destroyed; for there is no other God who can save anyone in this manner.)

³⁰ Then the king advanced Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon; and sent into all the land an epistle, containing these words.