A King Demands Worship
A ninety-foot gold statue and an orchestra make worship compulsory. Three Judeans refuse and give the king the answer that costs most: our Father can rescue us, but even if he does not, we will not bow. A fourth figure walks with them in the fire.
3 1King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue, about ninety feet tall and nine feet wide, and set it up on the Dura plain in Babylon province. 2King Nebuchadnezzar sent for the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3Then satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all provincial officials gathered to dedicate the statue King Nebuchadnezzar set up, and stood before the statue Nebuchadnezzar set up.
4Then the herald proclaimed loudly, "Peoples, nations, and languages—you are commanded: 5When you hear the horn, flute, lyre, harp, zither, bagpipe, and all music, fall down and worship the gold image King Nebuchadnezzar set up. 6Anyone who doesn't fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing fiery furnace."
7As soon as all peoples heard the horn, flute, lyre, harp, zither, and every kind of music, all peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8At that time certain astrologers came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "King, may you live forever! 10You, king, decreed: whoever hears the horn, flute, lyre, harp, zither, bagpipe, and any music must fall down and worship the gold image, 11and whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing fiery furnace. 12Some Jews you put in charge of Babylon province—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—disregard you, king. They won't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."
13Furious, Nebuchadnezzar ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego brought; they were brought before the king. 14Nebuchadnezzar said, "Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, is it true you don't serve my gods or worship the gold statue I set up? 15Now if you're ready—when horn, flute, lyre, harp, zither, bagpipe, and every kind of music sound, fall down and worship the image I made—good. But if you don't worship, you'll be thrown at once into a blazing fiery furnace. What god can rescue you from my hands?"
16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, "Nebuchadnezzar, we don't need to answer you about this. 17If our Father, whom we serve, can rescue us, he will rescue us from the blazing furnace and from your hand, king. 18But if not, know this, king: we won't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."
19Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious, his expression changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; he ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than normal. 20He ordered some of his strongest soldiers to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21So these men, tied up in cloaks, trousers, turbans, and other garments, were thrown into the blazing fiery furnace. 22Because of the king's harsh order and furnace's extreme heat, the fire's flame killed the men who lifted up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23These three men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—fell bound into the blazing furnace.
24Then King Nebuchadnezzar, astonished, rose in haste. He asked his advisers, "Didn't we throw three bound men into the fire?" They answered the king, "True, king."
25He said, "Look—I see four men, unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, unharmed; the fourth looks like a son of the gods." a a v25 The king saw a fourth figure in the flames — the saving presence of our Father, who did not leave his servants alone in the fire.
26Nebuchadnezzar went to the blazing furnace's door and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out here!" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.
27The satraps, prefects, governors, and king's counselors gathered and saw fire had no power over these men's bodies—hair not singed, robes unharmed, no smell of fire on them.
28Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his trusting servants. They defied the king's command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god but their own God. 29I decree: any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut to pieces, their houses turned to rubble—since no other god can rescue like this."
30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
