다니엘 3

The gold statue

¹King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue about 90 feet high and about 9 feet wide, and he had it set up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. ²Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ³So the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They stood in front of the statue Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁴Then the herald called out loudly, “Peoples, nations and people of every language, this is the command to you: ⁵As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe and every kind of music, you must fall down and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.^{a 6}Anyone who does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” ⁷So as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations and people of every language fell down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁸Then at that time some Chaldeans came forward and brought malicious charges against the Jews. ⁹They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, may you live forever! ¹⁰You, O king, have made a decree: everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe and every kind of music must fall down and worship the gold statue, ¹¹and that anyone who does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. ¹²There are some Jews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, whom you have put in charge of the affairs of the province of Babylon. These men pay no attention to you, O king. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego before the king

¹³Then Nebuchadnezzar, in a furious rage, ordered that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be brought in. So these men were brought before the king. ¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold statue I have set up?^{b 15}Now then, if you are ready to fall down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe and every kind of music, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. And what god is there who can rescue you from my power?” ¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷If it comes to that, our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the blazing furnace, and he will rescue us from your power, O king.^{c 18}But even if he does not, you must know, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold statue you have set up.”

The blazing furnace

¹⁹Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and his expression changed toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than it was normally heated. ²⁰He commanded some of the strongest soldiers of his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and to throw them into the blazing furnace. ²¹So these men were tied up, still wearing their trousers, their tunics, their caps and their other clothes, and they were thrown into the blazing furnace.^{d 22}Because the king’s order was so urgent and the furnace so very hot, the flames of the fire killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego up to it. ²³And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, fell, still tied up, into the blazing furnace.^e

Four men in the fire

²⁴Then King Nebuchadnezzar was amazed, and he jumped to his feet. He asked his advisers, “Did we not throw three men, tied up, into the fire?” They replied to the king, “Yes, O king, we did.” ²⁵He said, “Look! I see four men, untied, walking around in the fire, and they are unharmed! And the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”^f

Out of the fire

²⁶Then Nebuchadnezzar went up to the opening of the blazing furnace and called, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, step out and come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire. ²⁷The satraps, prefects, governors and the king’s advisers crowded around and saw that the fire had had no power over the bodies of these men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their trousers were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. ²⁸Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him, defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or bow down to any god but their own. ²⁹So I issue this decree: any people, nation or language that says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and their houses turned into rubbish heaps. For there is no other god who can rescue like this.” ³⁰Then the king gave Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego higher positions in the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar’s letter

³¹From King Nebuchadnezzar, to all the peoples, nations and people of every language who live in all the earth: May you have abundant peace!^{g 32}I am pleased to make known to you \q the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. ³³How great are his signs! \q How powerful are his wonders! \q His kingdom is a kingdom for all ages; \q his rule lasts through every generation.