Dan 3 | ESV | STEP | King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold , whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits . He set it up on the plain of Dura , in the province of Babylon .

1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on ^bthe plain of Dura, in ^cthe province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather ^dthe satraps, the prefects, and ^ethe 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 ^fthe 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 ^gproclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O ^hpeoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the ⁱsound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you ^jare 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 ^kbe 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 ^lthe 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 ^mChaldeans ⁿcame forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared ^{▼▼Aramaic answered and said; also verses 24, 26} to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, ^phave made a decree, that every man who ^qhears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, ^rshall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship ^sshall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have ^tappointed over the affairs of ^uthe province of Babylon: ^vShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, ^wpay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar ^xin furious rage commanded that ^yShadrach, 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 ^zyou 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. ^{▼▼Aramaic lacks well and good} But if you do not worship, ^abyou shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And ^acwho is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

16 ^adShadrach, 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, ^aeour 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. ^{▼▼Or If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, he will deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and 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 ^agfilled with fury, and the expression of his face ^ahwas changed against ^aiShadrach, 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 ^ajto bind ^akShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were ^albound in their cloaks, their tunics, ^{▼▼The meaning of the Aramaic words rendered cloaks and tunics is uncertain; also verse 27} their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s order was ^anurgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up ^aoShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell ^apbound into the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was ^aqastonished and rose up ^arin haste. He declared to his ^ascounselors, “Did we not cast three men ^atbound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, ^auwalking in the midst of the fire, and they ^avare not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like ^awa son of the gods.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, ^ax“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the ^ayMost High God, come out, and come here!” Then ^azShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the ^basatraps, the prefects, the governors, and ^bbthe king’s counselors gathered together and saw that ^bcthe fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their ^bdcloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of ^beShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who ^bfhas sent his angel and ^bgdelivered his servants, who ^bhtrusted in him, and set aside ^{▼▼Aramaic and changed} the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than ^bjserve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore ^bkI make a decree: Any ^blpeople, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of ^bmShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ^bnshall 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 ^boShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in ^bpthe province of Babylon.