¹² There are certain Jews whom you have ^(A)appointed over the affairs of ^(B)the province of Babylon: ^(C)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, ^(D)pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar ^(E)in furious rage commanded that ^(F)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready when ^(G)you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good.^[a] But if you do not worship, ^(H)you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And ^(I)who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

^16 (J)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If this be so, ^(K)our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.^{[b] 18} But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was ^(L)filled with fury, and the expression of his face ^(M)was changed against ^(N)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. ²⁰ And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army ^(O)to bind ^(P)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. ²¹ Then these men were ^(Q)bound in their cloaks, their tunics,^[c] their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. ²² Because the king's order was ^(R)urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up ^(S)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. ²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell ^(T)bound into the burning fiery furnace.

²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar was ^(U)astonished and rose up ^(V)in haste. He declared to his ^(W)counselors, “Did we not cast three men ^(X)bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” ²⁵ He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, ^(Y)walking in the midst of the fire, and they ^(Z)are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like ^(AA)a son of the gods.”

²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, ^(AB)“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the ^(AC)Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then ^(AD)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. ²⁷ And the ^(AE)satraps, the prefects, the governors, and ^(AF)the king's counselors gathered together and saw that ^(AG)the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their ^(AH)cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. ²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of ^(AI)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who ^(AJ)has sent his angel and ^(AK)delivered his servants, who ^(AL)trusted in him, and set aside^[d] the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than ^(AM)serve and worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore ^(AN)I make a decree: Any ^(AO)people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of ^(AP)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ^(AQ)shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” ³⁰ Then the king promoted ^(AR)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in ^(AS)the province of Babylon.

²⁹ At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, ³⁰ and the king answered and said, ^(A)“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by ^(B)my mighty power as a royal residence and for ^(C)the glory of my majesty?” ^31 (D)While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, ^32 (E)and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, ^(F)until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” ³³ Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. ^(G)He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored

^34 (H)At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and ^(I)my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored ^(J)him who lives forever,

³⁶ At the same time ^(Q)my reason returned to me, and for ^(R)the glory of my kingdom, ^(S)my majesty and splendor returned to me. ^(T)My counselors and ^(U)my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was ^(V)added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, ^(W)praise and extol and honor the ^(X)King of heaven, ^(Y)for all his works are right and his ways are just; and ^(Z)those who walk in pride he is able to humble.