Daniel / Faith Tested in the Fiery Furnace

Faith Tested in the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Chapter 3

¹ Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, sixty cubits in height, six cubits in breadth; he set it up in the valley of Dura in the province of Babel. ² King Nebuchadnezzar sent to assemble the satraps, prefects, and governors, the treasurers, counselors, judges, investigators, and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ³ Then the satraps, prefects, and governors, the advisers, treasurers, judges, and all the rulers of the provinces assemble for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up, and they stand before the image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. ⁴ A herald cried mightily, saying, "Peoples, nations, and languages!" ⁵ When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, bagpipe, lyres, zither, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. ⁶ Whoever does not serve and worship it in that hour will be thrown into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ⁷ At that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, zither, harp, bagpipes, lyre, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down, worshiping the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁸ At that time, Chaldean men drew near and ate their accusations against the Judahites. ⁹ They answered and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever!" ¹⁰ You, O king, have set a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music shall fall down and worship the golden image. ¹¹ And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a fiery furnace. ¹² There are Jewish men whom you appointed over the service of the province of Babel—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—those men, O king, have not regarded you; they do not serve god, and they do not bow down to the image of gold that you set up. ¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and wrath commanded them to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they came before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and do not worship the golden image that I have set up?" ¹⁵ Now look, you are ready that at the time that you hear the sound of horn, pipe, cornet, sackbut, psalteries, and symphonia, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image that you have made. And look, if you do not worship, in that hour immediately you will be thrown into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, and who is the god that will deliver you from my hand? ¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "We have no need to answer you in this matter." ¹⁷ Look, our God whom we worship is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and from your hand, O king—he will deliver. ¹⁸ But if it is not so, O king, we will not serve your God, and we will not worship the golden image that you have set up. ¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and the image of his face changed against Mishael, Abednego, and the way of them; he answered and said to the furnace: "Be heated sevenfold upon what he saw to it." ²⁰ And he said to certain strong men to bring Mishael and Abednego to the furnace to cast them into the fiery burning. ²¹ Then the men bound them in their trousers, tunics, cloaks, and other clothing, and threw them into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. ²² Because of this, since the king's word was urgent, they hastened their mighty men who had raised up Mishael and Abednego to the burning furnace—they killed a multitude of flames of fire. ²³ And those men, the three of them, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire, bound. ²⁴ Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was amazed and rose in haste, answered and said to those words: "Are they not three fighting men whom we threw into the midst of the awesome furnace bound?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." ²⁵ He answered and said, "Look—I see four men, strong men, walking about in the midst of the fire, and no birth pangs are in them, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods." ²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar drew near to the door of the burning fiery furnace. He answered and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the God Most High, come out and come!" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from inside the furnace. ²⁷ And the satraps, prefects, and governors, and the words of the king, were seeing these men that fire had not ruled in their bodies, and the hair of their head had not been singed, and their trousers had not changed, and the smell of fire had not passed over them. ²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, "Blessed be their God, who sent his messenger and delivered his servants—Shadrach and Abednego—who trusted in him and changed the king's word and gave their bodies that they would not serve nor worship any god except their God." ²⁹ And from me is set a decree that every people, nation, and language that says reviling speech against their God who sent Mishak and Abed Nego—their likeness shall be served and his house shall not be able to drink—all because there is not with me another god who is able to deliver like this. ³⁰ Then the king succeeded in causing Mishael and Abed-Nego to prosper in the province of Babel.