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Daniel
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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. 2 Then
Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and
the captains, 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. 3 Then the princes, the governors,
and captains, 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. 4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you
it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 5 That at
what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery,
dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image
that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 6 And whoso falleth not down
and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery
furnace. 7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound
of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the
people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the
golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and
accused the Jews. 9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O
king, live for ever. 10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every
man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and
dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should
be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are
certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they
serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 13 Then
Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar
spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now
if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, 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
that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? 16 Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not
careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God
whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will
deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 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.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of
his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore
he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more
than it was wont to be heated. 20 And he commanded the most mighty men
that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and
to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men
were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other
garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore
because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the
flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And
these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst
of the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was
astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors,
Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and
said unto the king, True, O king. 25 He answered and said, Lo, I see
four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the
form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came
near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth,
and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the
midst of the fire. 27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and
the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose
bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were
their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be
the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and
delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word,
and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except
their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people,
nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a
dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. 30 Then
the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
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