“1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image 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 Nebuchadnezzar the
king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the
captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and
all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image
which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 3 Then the princes, the
governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors,
the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered
together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king
had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set
up. 4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people,
nations, and languages, 5 [That] at what time ye hear the sound of the
cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of
musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar
the king hath set up: 6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall
the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 7
Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the
cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the
people, the nations, and the languages, fell down [and] worshipped the
golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.”
“8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the
Jews. 9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for
ever. 10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall
hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and
dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the
golden image: 11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, [that] he
should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are
certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of
Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not
regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image
which thou hast set up. 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in [his] rage and fury
commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought
these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them,
[Is it] true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my
gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now if ye be
ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down
and worship the image which I have made; [well]: but if ye worship not,
ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery
furnace; and who [is] that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O
Nebuchadnezzar, we [are] not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17
If it be [so], our God 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
serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
“19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage
was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: [therefore] he
spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times
more than it was wont to be heated. 20 And he commanded the most mighty
men that [were] in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
[and] to cast [them] into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men
were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their
[other] garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery
furnace. 22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the
furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew 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 Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up
in haste, [and] spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast
three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto
the king, True, O king. 25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men
loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the
form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came
near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, [and] spake, and said,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come
forth, and come [hither]. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came
forth of the midst of the fire. 27 And the princes, governors, and
captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these
men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their
head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had
passed on them.”
“28 [Then] Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed [be] the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered
his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and
yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god,
except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people,
nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their
houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can
deliver after this sort. 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.” (Daniel 3:1-30 AV)
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