Daniel 3 In the eighteenth year of Nabuchodonosar, the king made an image of gold; the height of it was sixty cubits, and its breadth six cubits. And having set it up in the plain of Deeira, in the province of Babylon,

Thomson⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ In the eighteenth year of Nabuchodonosar, the king made an image of gold; the height of it was sixty cubits, and its breadth six cubits. And having set it up in the plain of Deeira, in the province of Babylon, ² he sent for the presidents and the generals, and the governors, rulers and princes, and those in authority, and all the chiefs of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nabuchodonosar the king had set up. ³ And when the governors, the presidents, the generals, the leaders, the great princes, those in authority, and all the chiefs of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image which Nabuchodonosar the king had set up, and were standing before the image, ⁴ the herald cried with a loud voice, To you peoples of different tribes and languages command is given; ⁵ whenever you shall hear the sound of the trumpet and syrinx and of the kithara and sanibuk and of the psaltery, and all kinds of musical instruments, prostrate yourselves and worship the golden image which Nabuchodonosar the king hath set up. ⁶ And whoever will not prostrate himself and worship, shall that very hour be cast into that furnace of fire, which is heating. ⁷ So when the people heard the sound of the trumpet and syrinx, and of the kithara and sambuk, and of the psaltery, and all kinds of musical instruments, all the peoples, tribes and languages, falling prostrate, worshipped the golden image which nabuchodonosar the king had set up. ⁸ Then came certain Chaldeans, and stated to the king an accusation against the Jews, ⁹ "king, live forever! thou, king, ¹⁰ hast made a decree, that every man who shall hear the sound of the trumpet and syrinx and of the kithara and sambuk, and of the psaltery and all kinds of musical instruments; ¹¹ and who will not prostrate himself and worship the golden image, shall be cast into that furnace of fire which is heated. ¹² Now there are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the works of the province of Babylon, namely, Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago, who have not hearkened, king, to thy decree. They neither serve thy gods, nor do they worship the golden image which thou hast set up." ¹³ Upon this Nabuchodonosar in wrath and fury commanded to bring Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago: and when they were brought before the king, ¹⁴ Nabuchodonosar addressed them, saying, Is it true, Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago, that you do not serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? ¹⁵ Now therefore are you ready, when you hear the sound of the trumpet and syrinx and of the kithara and sambuk and of the psaltery and symphony and all kinds of musical instruments, to fall prostrate and worship the golden image which I have made? For if you do not worship you shall, that very hour, be cast into the furnace of fire, which is heated. And what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands? ¹⁶ In reply to this, Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago said to the king Nabuchodonosar, We are at no loss to answer thee in respect to this matter. ¹⁷ For our God in heaven, whom we worship, is able to deliver us out of the furnace of fire which is heated, and he will deliver us, king, out of thy hands. ¹⁸ But even though he do not, be it known to thee, king, that we cannot serve thy gods, nor will we worship the image which thou hast set up. ¹⁹ At this Nabuchodonosar was filled with wrath, and the form of his countenance was changed against Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago. And he ordered to heat the furnace seven fold, till it was hot as possible: ²⁰ and commanded some strong men to bind Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago, and cast them into the furnace of fire which was heated. ²¹ Then were these men bound, clad as they were with their Babylonish dress and with turbans and boots; and cast into the midst of the furnace of fire which was heated, ²² as the command of the king was peremptory. But though the furnace was heated to an excessive degree and ²³ these three men, Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago fell bound into the midst of the glowing furnace, yet they walked about in the midst of the flame, praising God and blessing the Lord. ²⁴ When Nabuchodonosar heard them singing praise he was amazed and starting up hastily said to his nobles, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? And when they said to the king, True, king, ²⁵ the king said, Here I see four men loose and walking about in the midst of the fire unhurt: And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of a god. ²⁶ Then Nabuchodonosar went near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and said, Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago, ye servants of the Most High God, come out and come hither. Upon which Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago came forth out of the midst of the fire. ²⁷ And the satraps and the generals and the governors and the mighty men of the king gathered round and viewed the men with astonishment; for the fire had not had any power over their body. Even the hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their mantles changed, nor a smell of fire on them. ²⁸ Then Nabuchodonosar the king addressing them, said, "Blessed be the God of Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago, who hath sent his angel and delivered his servants. Because they have trusted in him and have altered the king's decree and delivered up their bodies to fire that they might not serve nor worship any god, but only their own God, ²⁹ therefore I issue this decree, "Every people, tribe, language, which shall utter any reproach against the God of Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago, shall be devoted to destruction and their houses to plunder: for there is no other god who can deliver in this manner." ³⁰ Then the king reinstated Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago in the province of Babylon, and advanced them in dignity and honoured them with a command over all the Jews in his realm.