CHAPTER 3
1 Nebuchadnezzar, the king, made a golden image, in the height of sixty cubits, and in the breadth of six cubits; and he setted it in the field of Dura, of the province of Babylon. (And King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold figure, sixty cubits high, and six cubits broad, or wide; and he put it in the field of Dura or and he set it up on the Dura Plain, in the province of Babylon.)
2 Therefore Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather together the wise men, magistrates, and judges, and dukes, and tyrants, [or strong men], and prefects, and all princes of countries, that they should come together to the hallowing of the image which the king Nebuchadnezzar had raised [up]. (And so Nebuchadnezzar sent out word to gather together the wise men, and magistrates, and judges, and leaders, and strong men, and prefects, and all the rulers, or all the governors, of the provinces, that they should come together to the dedication of the figure which King Nebuchadnezzar had raised up.)
3 Then the wise men, magistrates, and judges, and dukes, and tyrants, (or strong men), and best men, that were set in powers, and all the princes of countries, were gathered together, that they should come together to the hallowing of the image, which the king Nebuchadnezzar had raised [up]. Forsooth they stood in the sight of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar had set (up); (Then the wise men, and magistrates, and judges, and leaders, and strong men, and best men, who were set in power, and all the governors of the provinces, were gathered together, that they should all come together to the dedication of the figure, which King Nebuchadnezzar had raised up. And they stood before the figure, which Nebuchadnezzar had set up;)
4 and a beadle cried mightily, It is said to you, peoples, kindreds, and languages; (and a crier shouted out loudly, It is said to you, all the peoples, and nations, or tribes, of every language;)
5 in the hour in which ye hear the sound of trump, and of pipe, and of harp, of sambuca, and of psaltery, and of symphony, and of all kind of musics, fall ye down, and worship the golden image which the king Nebuchadnezzar made. (at the time when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and zither, and lute, yea, of a symphony, and of all kinds of music, fall ye down, and worship the gold figure which King Nebuchadnezzar hath made.)
6 Soothly if any man falleth not down, and worshippeth not, in the same hour he shall be sent into a furnace of fire burning. (Truly if anyone falleth not down, and worshippeth not, in that same hour he shall be sent into a furnace of burning fire.)
7 Therefore after these things, anon as all peoples heard the sound of trump, and of pipe, and of harp, of sambuca, and of psaltery, of symphony, and of all kind of musics, all peoples, lineages, and languages fell down, and worshipped the golden image which the king Nebuchadnezzar had made. (And so after these things, as soon as all the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and zither, and lute, yea, of a symphony, and of all kinds of music, all the peoples, and tribes, or nations, of every language, fell down, and worshipped the gold figure which King Nebuchadnezzar had made.)
8 And anon in that time men of Chaldea nighed, and accused the Jews, (And at once, the Chaldeans approached, and accused the Jews,)
9 and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar (or and said to King Nebuchadnezzar), King, live thou without end.
10 Thou, king, hast set a decree, that each man that heareth the sound of trump, of pipe, and of harp, of sambuca, and of psaltery, and of symphony, and of all kind of musics, bow down himself, and worship the golden image; (Thou, king, hast made a decree, that everyone who heareth the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and zither, and lute, yea, of a symphony, and of all kinds of music, bow he himself down, and worship the gold figure;)
11 forsooth if any man falleth not down, and worshippeth not, be he sent into the furnace of fire burning. (and if anyone falleth not down, and worshippeth not, be he sent into the furnace of burning fire.)
12 Therefore men Jews be, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, which thou hast ordained on the works of the country of Babylon. Thou king, these men have despised thy decree; they honour not thy gods, and they worship not the golden image, which thou raisedest. (And so there be some Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whom thou hast ordained over the works of the province of Babylon. O king, these men have despised thy decree; they do not honour thy gods, and they do not worship the gold figure, which thou hast raised up.)
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar commanded, in strong vengeance and in wrath, that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego should be brought; which were brought anon in the sight of the king (or who were brought in at once before the king).
14 And the king Nebuchadnezzar pronounced, and said to them, Whether verily Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye honour not my gods, and worship not the golden image which I made? (And King Nebuchadnezzar said to them, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do ye truly not honour my gods, and not worship the gold figure which I have made, or which I have raised up?)
15 Now therefore be ye ready, in whatever hour ye hear the sound of trump, of pipe, of harp, of sambuca, of psaltery, and of symphony, and of all kind of musics, bow ye down you, and worship the image which I made; that if ye worship not, in the same hour ye shall be sent into the furnace of fire burning; and who is God that shall deliver you from mine hand? (And so now be ye ready, at whatever hour ye hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and zither, and lute, yea, of a symphony, and of all kinds of music, to bow ye yourselves down, and worship the figure which I have made; but if ye do not worship it, in that same hour ye shall be sent into the furnace of burning fire; and then what god shall rescue you, or shall save you, from my power?)
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered, and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar (or and said to King Nebuchadnezzar), It needeth not, that we answer of this thing to thee.
17 For why our God, whom we worship, may ravish us from the chimney of fire burning, and may deliver from thine hands, thou king. (For our God, whom we worship, can rescue us from the furnace of burning fire, and can save us from thy hands, O king.)
18 That if he do not, be it known to thee, thou king, that we honour not thy gods, and we worship not the golden image which thou hast raised. (But even if he shall not do that, be it known to thee, O king, that we shall not honour thy gods, and we shall not worship the gold figure which thou hast raised up.)
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with strong vengeance, and the beholding of his face was changed on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And he commanded that the furnace should be made hotter sevenfold than that it was wont to be made hot. (Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the look on his face was changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And he commanded that the furnace should be made seven times hotter than that it was wont to be made.)
20 And he commanded to the strongest men of his host that they should bind the feet of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and send them into the furnace of fire burning. (And he commanded to the strongest men of his army that they should bind together the feet of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and then send them into the furnace of burning fire.)
21 And anon those men were bound, with breeches, and caps, and shoes, and clothes, and were sent into the midst of the furnace of fire burning; (And at once those men were bound, still wearing their breeches, or pants, and caps, and shoes, and other clothes, and they were sent into the midst of the furnace of burning fire.)
22 for why the commandment of the king constrained. Forsooth the furnace was made full hot; certainly the flame of the fire killed those men, that had sent Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace. (And because the king’s order was unyielding, and the furnace was made so very hot, the flame of the fire killed those men, who sent Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace.)
23 Soothly these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound in the midst of the chimney of fire burning. (And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound in the midst of the furnace of burning fire.)
24 Then king Nebuchadnezzar was astonied, and rose hastily, and said to his best men, Whether we sent not three men fettered into the midst of the fire? Which answered the king, and said, Verily, king. (Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished, and rose hastily, and said to his best men, Did we not send three fettered men into the midst of the fire? And they answered the king, and said, Truly we did, O king.)
25 The king answered, and said, Lo! I see four men unbound, and going in the midst of the fire, and nothing of corruption is in them; and the likeness of the fourth is like the son of God (or and the appearance of the fourth is like an angel, or is like a son of God, or is like the Son of God).
26 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar nighed to the door of the furnace of fire burning, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the servants of high God living, go ye out, and come ye. And anon Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went out of the midst of the fire. (Then King Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of burning fire, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the servants of the living Most High God, come ye out now. And at once Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went out from the midst of the fire.)
27 And the wise men, and magistrates, and judges, and mighty men of the king were gathered together, and beheld those men, for the fire had nothing of power in the bodies of them, and an hair of their head was not burnt; also the breeches of them were not changed, and the odour of fire had not passed by them. (And the wise men, and magistrates, and judges, and mighty men of the king were gathered together, and saw that the fire had no power to harm their bodies, and that not even a hair on their heads was burned; and that their breeches, or their pants, were not burned, and that the odour of the fire had passed them by, or did not linger about them.)
28 And Nebuchadnezzar brake out, and said, Blessed be the God of them, that is, of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that sent his angel, and delivered his servants that believed into him, (or who sent his angel, and rescued his servants who believed in him), and changed the word of the king, and gave their bodies, that they should not serve, and that they should not worship any god, except their God alone.
29 Therefore this decree is set of me, That each people, and languages, and lineages, whoever speaketh blasphemy against God of Shadrach, of Meshach, and of Abednego, perish, and his house be destroyed; for none other is God, that may save so. (And so this decree is made by me, That any person, of any language, or tribe, or nation, whomever speaketh blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be put to death, and his house shall be destroyed; for there is no other God who can save anyone in this manner.)
30 Then the king advanced Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon; and sent into all the land an epistle, containing these words.