¹ Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold whose height was sixty cubits; its breadth, six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

² Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges and the magistrates. And all the officials of the provinces were ordered to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

³ And were gathered the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

⁴ And the herald shouted with strength: To you it is commanded O peoples, nations, and languages,

⁵ at the time you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you shall fall down and do homage to the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.

⁶ And whoever does not fall down and do homage, at that moment they will be thrown into the midst of a furnace of burning fire.

⁷ All accordingly did this, at that time when all the people heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages, fell down, doing homage to the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

⁸ All accordingly at that time men, Chaldeans, came near and ate the piece of the Jews.

⁹ They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live forever!

¹⁰ You, O king, have made a decree that every man who shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, and the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and do homage to the golden image.

¹¹ And whoever does not fall down and do homage, he should be thrown into the middle of a furnace of burning fire.

¹² There are men, Jewish men, whom you have set over the business of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. These men do not fix attention on you, O king, on your decree They do not serve your gods, not doing homage to the golden image which you have set up.

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar in anger and wrath commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.

¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego that you are not serving my gods, and not doing homage to the golden image which I have set up?

¹⁵ Now if you are ready, at the time you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, fall down and do homage to the image which I have made. But if you do not do homage, in that moment you shall be thrown into the middle of a burning furnace of fire. And who is that god who shall deliver you out of my hand?

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to return a word to you on this matter.

¹⁷ If it is that our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, even He will deliver out of your hand, O king.

¹⁸ And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or do homage to the golden image which you have set up.

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and the form of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He spoke and commanded to heat the furnace seven times more than it was customary to heat it.

²⁰ And he commanded mighty men of strength in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to throw them into the furnace of burning fire.

²¹ Then these men were bound in their slippers, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the midst of the furnace of burning fire.

²² All accordingly did this, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace was heated exceedingly, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

²³ But those men, the three of them, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the furnace of burning fire.

²⁴ Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was amazed. And he rose up in haste; he spoke and said to his royal officials, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They replied and said to the king, True, O king.

²⁵ He answered and said, Behold! I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and there is no injury among them. and the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods.

²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar drew near to the door of the furnace of burning fire. He answered and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire.

²⁷ And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's officials gathered. And they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power, and the hair of their head was not singed, and their slippers were not changed, and the smell of fire did not cling on them.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent His Angel and has delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and have changed the king's words, and have given their bodies that they might not serve and not do homage to any god except their own God.

²⁹ And a decree is set out by me, that every people, nation, and language who speak anything amiss about the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, he will be made into members, and his house shall be made an outhouse. Because there is no other God who is able to deliver like this.

³⁰ Then the king made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego prosper in the province of Babylon.

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