Book 35 : KETUVIM - DANIEL - Chapter 003
03:001
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height
was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits; he set it up in the
plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon
03:002
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the
satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the
counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the
dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up
03:003
Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the
judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the
provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that
Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that
Nebuchadnezzar had set up
03:004
And the herald cried aloud: 'To you it is commanded, O
peoples, nations, and languages
03:005
that at what time ye hear the sound of the horn, pipe,
harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and
worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up
03:006
and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same
hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
03:007
Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the
sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the
peoples, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden
image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up
03:008
Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and
brought accusation against the Jews
03:009
They spoke and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: 'O king,
live for ever
03:010
Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that
shall hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and
all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image
03:011
and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall be cast
into the midst of a burning fiery furnace
03:012
There are certain Jews whom thou hast appointed over the
affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men,
O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden
image which thou hast set up.
03:013
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to
bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then were these men brought before the
king
03:014
Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them: 'Is it true, O
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that ye serve not my gods, nor worship the
golden image which I have set up
03:015
Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of
the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, ye
fall down and worship the image which I have made ,well; but if ye worship not,
ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and
who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?
03:016
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the
king: 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer thee in this matter
03:017
If our G-d whom we serve is able to deliver us, He will
deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and out of thy hand, O king
03:018
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will
not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
03:019
Then was Nebuchadnezzar filled with fury, and the form of
his visage was changed, against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; he spoke, and
commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to
be heated
03:020
And he commanded certain mighty men that were in his army
to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning
fiery furnace
03:021
Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics,
and their robes, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the
burning fiery furnace
03:022
Therefore because the king's commandment was peremptory,
and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego
03:023
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,
fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace
03:024
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was alarmed, and rose up in
haste; he spoke and said unto his ministers: 'Did not we cast three men bound
into the midst of the fire?' They answered and said unto the king: 'True, O
king.
03:025
He answered and said: 'Lo, I see four men loose, walking
in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the appearance of the
fourth is like a son of the gods.
03:026
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning
fiery furnace; he spoke and said: 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants
of G-d Most High, come forth, and come hither.' Then Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego, came forth out of the midst of the fire
03:027
And the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, and the
king's ministers, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no
power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed, neither were
their cloaks changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them
03:028
Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said: 'Blessed be the G-d of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent His angel, and delivered His
servants that trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word, and have yielded
their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own
G-d
03:029
Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and
language, which speak any thing amiss against the G-d of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill;
because there is no other god that is able to deliver after this sort.
03:030
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,
in the province of Babylon
03:031
Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all peoples, nations, and
languages, that dwell in all the earth; peace be multiplied unto you
03:032
It hath seemed good unto me to declare the signs and
wonders that G-d Most High hath wrought toward me
03:033
How great are His signs! and how mighty are His wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to
generation
Book 35 : KETUVIM - DANIEL - Chapter 003
|