The Koine Bible

In the eighteenth year, Nebuchadnezzar the king, governing cities and countries and all those dwelling upon the earth from India to Ethiopia, made a golden image; its height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits, and he set it up in the plain of the enclosure of the country of Babylonia.

Nebuchadnezzar, king of kings and ruling over the whole inhabited world, sent to gather all the nations, tribes, and languages: satraps, generals, governors, and consuls, administrators and those in authority by province, and all those throughout the inhabited world, to come to the dedication of the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

The aforementioned stood opposite the image.

The herald proclaimed to the crowds: It is commanded to you, nations and countries, peoples and tongues.

you hear the sound of the trumpet, pipe, lyre, sambuca, psaltery, symphony, and every kind of musical instrument, falling down, worship the golden image which King Nebuchadnezzar set up

Everyone who, having fallen down, does not worship shall be thrown into the furnace of burning fire.

At that time, when all the nations heard the sound of the trumpet and every kind of musical sound, all the nations, tribes, and tongues, falling down, worshiped the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up before this.

At that time Chaldean men came forward and slandered the Judeans.

They answered and said, “O lord king, live forever.”

O king, you commanded and decreed that every person who hears the sound of the trumpet and every sound of musical instruments, falling down, shall worship the golden image.

whoever, having fallen down, does not worship shall be thrown into the furnace of the fire that is burning

But there are certain Jewish men whom you appointed over the land of Babylon: Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago. Those men did not fear your command, and they did not serve your idol, and they did not worship your golden image which you set up.

Nebuchadnezzar, angered with wrath, ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought; then those men were brought before the king.

And Nebuchadnezzar the king, having understood, said to them, “Why do you not serve my gods, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and do not bow down to the golden image which I set up?”

Now then, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet and every kind of musical instrument, falling down to worship the golden image that I set up; but if not, know that if you do not worship, you will immediately be thrown into the burning furnace of fire, and what god will rescue you from my hands?

But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, we have no need to answer you concerning this command.

For our God is in the heavens, the one Lord whom we fear; he is able to rescue us from the furnace of fire, and from your hands, O king, he will rescue us.

Then it will be evident to you that we neither serve your idol nor worship your golden image which you set up.

Nebuchadnezzar was filled with anger, and the appearance of his face was changed, and he ordered the furnace to be heated sevenfold more than it was necessary for it to be heated.

He commanded the strongest men among those in his army to bind Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago and cast them into the burning furnace of fire.

Those men were bound, having their sandals and their tiaras on their heads, together with their clothing, and they were thrown into the furnace.

The king’s command was urgent, and the furnace was heated seven times more than before; and the men appointed, having bound them and brought them to the furnace, threw them into it.

Indeed, the flame, having gone out from the furnace, burned up and killed the men who had bound those around Azariah, but they themselves were preserved.

Then Hananiah and Azariah and Mishael prayed and praised the Lord when the king commanded them to be thrown into the furnace.

But Azarias prayed thus and, opening his mouth, he confessed to the Lord together with his companions in the midst of the fire, while the furnace was being intensely heated by the Chaldeans, and they said:

You are Lord, the God of our fathers, and praiseworthy and glorified is your name forever.

You are righteous in all that you have done for us, and all your works are true, and your ways are straight, and all your judgments are true.

You have executed true judgments in all that you have brought upon us and upon your holy city, Jerusalem, that of our fathers, because in truth and judgment you have done all these things because of our sins.

We sinned in all things and acted lawlessly by turning away from you, and we greatly sinned in all things, and we did not obey the commandments of your law.

We neither kept nor did as you commanded us, so that it might be well with us.

Now all that you have brought upon us and all that you have done to us, you have done in true judgment.

You handed us over into the hands of our lawless and most hostile enemies, apostates, and to an unjust and most wicked king beyond all the earth.

Now it is not possible for us to open our mouth; shame and reproach have come upon your servants and those who fear you.

You should not hand us over to the end on account of your name, and do not scatter your covenant.

Do not withdraw your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, your beloved, and for the sake of Isaac, your servant, and Israel, your holy one.

You spoke to them, saying to multiply their offspring like the stars of heaven and like the sand beside the shore of the sea.

Master, we have been diminished among all the nations and are lowly in all the land today because of our sins.

There is at this time neither ruler nor prophet nor leader, neither whole burnt offering nor sacrifice nor offering nor incense, nor a place to bear fruit before you and find mercy.

With a contrite soul and humbled spirit may we be received, as with whole burnt offerings of rams and bulls, and as with myriads of fat lambs.

May our sacrifice be before you today and make atonement behind you, for there is no shame for those who trust in you, and make complete behind you.

Now we follow with all our heart, and we fear you, and we seek your face; do not put us to shame.

Deal with us according to your gentleness and according to the abundance of your mercy.

Deliver us according to your wonders, and give glory to your name, Lord.

May all who show evil to your servants be put to shame, and may they be disgraced by every power, and may their strength be crushed.

For you alone are Lord, God, and glorious throughout the whole inhabited world.

The attendants of the king who were throwing them in did not stop burning the furnace, and when they had thrown the three at once into the furnace, the furnace was blazing according to its heat sevenfold; and when they had thrown them in, some who were throwing them in were above them, while others below them were kindling beneath them naphtha, tow, pitch, and vine branches.

The flame was pouring out above the furnace for forty-nine cubits.

It passed through and burned up those whom it found around the furnace of the Chaldeans.

But the angel of the Lord descended together with those around Azariah into the furnace and shook the flame of the fire out of the furnace.

It made the midst of the furnace like a dew-bearing breeze whistling through, and the fire did not touch them at all, and it did not hurt or trouble them.

And the three, as from one mouth, were singing hymns and glorifying and blessing and exalting God in the furnace, saying:

You are Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and highly exalted forever; and blessed is the holy name of your glory, highly praised and highly exalted throughout all the ages.

You are in the temple of your holy glory, and greatly hymned and exceedingly glorified through the ages.

You are upon the throne of your kingdom, and praised and exceedingly exalted unto the ages.

You are the one who sees the abysses, seated upon cherubim, and praiseworthy and glorified forever.

You are in the firmament, and hymned and glorified unto the ages.

All the works of the Lord, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Angels of the Lord, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Heavens, sing praise to the Lord and exalt him exceedingly for the ages.

All the waters above the heavens, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

All the powers of the Lord, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Sun and moon, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Stars of heaven, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Every shower and dew, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

All spirits, hymn the Lord and exalt him exceedingly for the ages.

Fire and heat, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly unto the ages.

Frost and cold, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Dews and snowfalls, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly for the ages.

Frost and cold, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Frosts and snows, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Nights and days, hymn the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Light and darkness, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Lightnings and clouds, hymn the Lord and exalt him exceedingly unto the ages.

Let the earth hymn the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Mountains and hills, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

All things growing upon the earth, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Springs, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Seas and rivers, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Sea creatures and all that move in the waters, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

All the birds of the sky, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Four-footed creatures and beasts of the earth, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Sons of men, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Israel, hymn the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Priests, sing praise to the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Servants, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Spirits and souls of the righteous, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Holy and humble in heart, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever.

Anania, Azaria, Misael, praise the Lord and exalt him exceedingly forever, for he rescued us from Hades and saved us from the hand of death, and he delivered us from the midst of the burning flame, and from the fire he redeemed us.

To the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is forever.

All who fear the God of gods, praise and give thanks, for his mercy is forever and forever and ever.

It happened when the king heard them singing hymns, and, standing, he observed them alive; then Nebuchadnezzar the king was amazed, and he rose in haste and said to his friends.

I see four men, unbound, walking in the fire, and no harm has come upon them, and the appearance of the fourth is like an angel of God.

The king approached the door of the furnace burning with fire and called them by name: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, servants of the God of gods, the Most High; come out from the fire. So then the men came out from the midst of the fire.

The supreme rulers, governors, chiefs of tribes, and the king’s friends gathered together and observed those men, that the fire had not touched their bodies, their hair had not been burned, their garments had not been altered, nor was there a smell of fire in them.

But King Nebuchadnezzar said, Blessed is the Lord, the God of Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, who sent his angel and saved his servants who trusted in him; for they disobeyed the king’s command and gave their bodies over to burning, so that they might not serve or worship any god other than their own God.

Now I decree that every nation and tribe and tongue—whoever blasphemes against the Lord, the God of Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago—shall be dismembered, and his house shall be confiscated, because there is no other god who will be able to deliver in this way.

Therefore the king, having given authority to Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago over the whole region, appointed them rulers.