Daniel 3

¹ King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden statue made, six cubits tall and three cubits wide, which he erected on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

² King Nebuchadnezzar then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, counsellors, treasurers, judges, men of law, and all the provincial authorities to assemble and attend the dedication of the statue erected by King Nebuchadnezzar.

³ Then the satraps, prefects, governors, counsellors, treasurers, judges, men of law and all the provincial authorities assembled for the dedication of the statue erected by King Nebuchadnezzar; and they stood there in front of the statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had erected.

⁴ The herald then made this proclamation: ‘Men of all peoples, nations, languages! This is required of you: the moment you hear the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, or any other instrument, you must prostrate yourselves and worship the golden statue erected by King Nebuchadnezzar.

⁶ Those who do not prostrate themselves and worship shall immediately be thrown into the burning fiery furnace.’

⁷ And so, the instant the people heard the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe and all the other instruments, the men of all peoples, nations and languages prostrated themselves and worshipped the statue erected by King Nebuchadnezzar.

⁸ Some Chaldaeans then came forward and laid information against the Jews.

⁹ They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘O king, live for ever!

¹⁰ You have issued a decree, O king, to the effect that everyone on hearing the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe or any other instrument is to prostrate himself and worship the golden statue;

¹¹ and that anyone who does not prostrate himself and worship is to be thrown into the burning fiery furnace.

¹² Now there are certain Jews to whom you have entrusted the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; these men have ignored your command, O king; they do not serve your gods, and refuse to worship the golden statue you have erected.’

¹³ Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar sent for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The men were immediately brought before the king.

¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar addressed them, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods, and that you refuse to worship the golden statue I have erected?

¹⁵ When you hear the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, or any other instrument, are you prepared to prostrate yourselves and worship the statue I have made? If you refuse to worship it, you must be thrown straight away into the burning fiery furnace; and where is the god who could save you from my power?’

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Your question hardly requires an answer:

¹⁷ if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, O king, he will save us;

¹⁸ and even if he does not, then you must know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have erected’.

¹⁹ These words infuriated King Nebuchadnezzar; his expression was very different now as he looked at Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He gave orders for the furnace to be made seven times hotter than usual,

²⁰ and commanded certain stalwarts from his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the burning fiery furnace.

²¹ They were then bound, fully clothed, cloak, hose and headgear, and thrown into the burning fiery furnace.

²² The king’s command was so urgent and the heat of the furnace was so fierce, that the men carrying Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were burnt to death by the flames from the fire;

²³ the three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fell, still bound, into the burning fiery furnace.

²⁴ And they walked in the heart of the flames, praising God and blessing the Lord.

²⁵ Azariah stood in the heart of the fire, and he began to pray:

²⁶ ‘All honour and blessing to you, Lord, God of our ancestors, may your name be held glorious for ever.

²⁷ In all that you have done your justice is apparent: your promises are always faithfully fulfilled, your ways never deviate, your judgements are always true.

²⁸ You have given a just sentence in all the disasters you have brought down on us and on Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors, since it is for our sins that you have treated us like this, fairly and as we deserved.

²⁹ Yes, we have sinned and committed a crime by deserting you, yes, we have sinned gravely; we have not listened to the precepts of your Law,

³⁰ we have not observed them, we have not done what we were told to do for our own good.

³¹ Yes, all the disasters you have brought down on us, all that you have done to us, you have been fully justified in doing.

³² You have delivered us into the power of our enemies, of a lawless people, the worst of the godless, of an unjust king, the worst in the whole world;

³³ today we dare not even open our mouths, shame and dishonour are the lot of those who serve and worship you.

³⁴ Oh! Do not abandon us for ever, for the sake of your name; do not repudiate your covenant,

³⁵ do not withdraw your favour from us, for the sake of Abraham, your friend, of Isaac your servant, and of Israel your holy one,

³⁶ to whom you promised descendants as countless as the stars of heaven and as the grains of sand on the seashore.

³⁷ Lord, now we are the least of all the nations, now we are despised throughout the world, today, because of our sins.

³⁸ We have at this time no leader, no prophet, no prince, no holocaust, no sacrifice, no oblation, no incense, no place where we can offer you the first-fruits

³⁹ and win your favour. But may the contrite soul, the humbled spirit be as acceptable to you

⁴⁰ as holocausts of rams and bullocks, as thousands of fattened lambs: such let our sacrifice be to you today, and may it be your will that we follow you wholeheartedly, since those who put their trust in you will not be disappointed.

⁴¹ And now we put our whole heart into following you, into fearing you and seeking your face once more.

⁴² Do not disappoint us; treat us gently, as you yourself are gentle and very merciful.

⁴³ Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds, let your name win glory, Lord.

⁴⁴ Confusion seize those who ill-treat your servants: may they be covered with shame, deprived of all their power, and may their strength be broken.

⁴⁵ Let them learn that you alone are God and Lord, glorious over the whole earth.’

⁴⁶ All this time the servants of the king who had thrown the men into the furnace had been stoking it with crude oil, pitch, tow and brushwood

⁴⁷ until the flames rose to a height of forty-nine cubits above the furnace

⁴⁸ and, leaping out, burnt those Chaldaeans to death who were standing round it.

⁴⁹ But the angel of the Lord came down into the furnace beside Azariah and his companions; he drove the flames of the fire outwards,

⁵⁰ and fanned in to them, in the heart of the so furnace, a coolness such as wind and dew will bring, so that the fire did not even touch them or cause them any pain or distress.

⁵¹ Then all three in unison began to sing, glorifying and blessing God, there in the furnace, in these words:

⁵² ‘May you be blessed, Lord, God of our ancestors, be praised and extolled for ever. Blessed be your glorious and holy name, praised and extolled for ever.

⁵³ May you be blessed in the Temple of your sacred glory, exalted and glorified above all else for ever:

⁵⁴ blessed on the throne of your kingdom, praised and exalted above all else for ever.

⁵⁵ Blessed, you fathomer of the great depths, enthroned on the cherubs, praised and glorified above all else for ever;

⁵⁶ blessed in the vault of heaven, exalted and glorified above all else for ever.

⁵⁷ ‘All things the Lord has made, bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁵⁸ Angels of the Lord! all bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁵⁹ Heavens! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁶⁰ Waters above the heavens! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁶¹ Powers of the Lord! all bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁶² Sun and moon! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁶³ Stars of heaven! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁶⁴ Showers and dews! all bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁶⁵ Winds! all bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him

⁶⁶ Fire and heat! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁶⁷ Cold and heat! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁶⁸ Dews and sleets! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁶⁹ Frost and cold! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁷⁰ Ice and snow! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁷¹ Nights and days! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁷² Light and darkness! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁷³ Lightning and clouds! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁷⁴ Let the earth bless the Lord, give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁷⁵ Mountains and hills! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁷⁶ Every thing that grows on the earth! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁷⁷ Springs of water! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁷⁸ Seas and rivers! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁷⁹ Sea beasts and everything that lives in water! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁸⁰ Birds of heaven! all bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁸¹ Animals wild and tame! all bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁸² Sons of men! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁸³ Israel! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁸⁴ Priests! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁸⁵ Servants of the Lord! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁸⁶ Spirits and souls of the virtuous! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁸⁷ Devout and humble-hearted men! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him.

⁸⁸ Ananiah; Azariah, Mishael! bless the Lord: give glory and eternal praise to him. For he has snatched us from the underworld, saved us from the hand of death, saved us from the burning fiery furnace, rescued us from the heart of the flame.

⁸⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his love is everlasting.

⁹⁰ All you who worship him, bless the God of gods, praise him and give him thanks, for his love is everlasting.’

⁹¹ Then King Nebuchadnezzar sprang to his feet in amazement. He said to his advisers, ‘Did we not have these three men thrown bound into the fire?’ They replied, ‘Certainly, O king’.

⁹² ‘But,’ he went on ‘I can see four men walking about freely in the heart of the fire without coming to any harm. And the fourth looks like a son of the gods.'[*a]

⁹³ Nebuchadnezzar approached the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and shouted, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, come here!’ And from the heart of the fire out came Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

⁹⁴ The satraps, prefects, governors, and advisers of the king crowded round the three men to examine them: the fire had had no effect on their bodies: not a hair of their heads had been singed, their cloaks were not scorched, no smell of burning hung about them.

⁹⁵ Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: he has sent his angel to rescue his servants who, putting their trust in him, defied the order of the king, and preferred to forfeit their bodies rather than serve or worship any god but their own.

⁹⁶ I therefore decree as follows: Men of all peoples, nations, and languages! Let anyone speak disrespectfully of the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and I will have him torn limb from limb and his house razed to the ground, for there is no other god who can save like this.’

⁹⁷ Then the king showered favours on Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

⁹⁸ Nebuchadnezzar the king, to men of all peoples, nations and languages, throughout the world: ‘May peace be always with you.

⁹⁹ It is my pleasure to make known the signs and wonders with which the Most High God has favoured me.

¹⁰⁰ ‘How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty, his empire lasts from age to age.

²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar sprang to his feet in amazement. He said to his advisers, ‘Did we not have these three men thrown bound into the fire?’ They replied, ‘Certainly, O king’.

²⁵ ‘But,’ he went on ‘I can see four men walking about freely in the heart of the fire without coming to any harm. And the fourth looks like a son of the gods.'[*a]

²⁶ Nebuchadnezzar approached the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and shouted, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, come here!’ And from the heart of the fire out came Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

²⁷ The satraps, prefects, governors, and advisers of the king crowded round the three men to examine them: the fire had had no effect on their bodies: not a hair of their heads had been singed, their cloaks were not scorched, no smell of burning hung about them.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: he has sent his angel to rescue his servants who, putting their trust in him, defied the order of the king, and preferred to forfeit their bodies rather than serve or worship any god but their own.

²⁹ I therefore decree as follows: Men of all peoples, nations, and languages! Let anyone speak disrespectfully of the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and I will have him torn limb from limb and his house razed to the ground, for there is no other god who can save like this.’

³⁰ Then the king showered favours on Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

³¹ Nebuchadnezzar the king, to men of all peoples, nations and languages, throughout the world: ‘May peace be always with you.

³² It is my pleasure to make known the signs and wonders with which the Most High God has favoured me.

³³ ‘How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty, his empire lasts from age to age.