Daniel 3
Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Image
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on athe plain of Dura, in bthe province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather athe satraps, the prefects, and bthe governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then athe satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald aproclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O bpeoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the asound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you bare to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately abe cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all athe peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
The Fiery Furnace
8 Therefore at that time certain aChaldeans bcame forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, ahave made a decree, that every man who bhears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, bshall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship ashall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have aappointed over the affairs of bthe province of Babylon: cShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, dpay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar ain furious rage commanded that bShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when ayou hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, byou shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And cwho is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
16 aShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, aour God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was afilled with fury, and the expression of his face bwas changed against cShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army ato bind bShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were abound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s order was aurgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up bShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell abound into the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was aastonished and rose up bin haste. He declared to his ccounselors, “Did we not cast three men dbound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, awalking in the midst of the fire, and they bare not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like ca son of the gods.”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, a“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the bMost High God, come out, and come here!” Then aShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the asatraps, the prefects, the governors, and bthe king’s counselors gathered together and saw that cthe fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their dcloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of aShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who bhas sent his angel and cdelivered his servants, who dtrusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than eserve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore aI make a decree: Any bpeople, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of cShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego dshall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted aShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in bthe province of Babylon.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.