Daniel 3:17-28

New American Standard Bible

¹⁷ If it be so, our ^(A)God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire; ^[a]and ^(B)He will rescue us from your hand, O king. ^18 (C)But even if He does not, ^(D)let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods nor worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

Daniel’s Friends Protected

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with ^(E)wrath, and his facial expression was changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He answered ^[b]by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. ²⁰ And he ordered certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in order to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. ²¹ Then these men were tied up in their ^(F)trousers, their ^[c]coats, their caps, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire. ²² For this reason, because the king’s ^[d]command was ^(G)harsh and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. ²³ But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ^(H)fell into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

²⁴ Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up quickly; he said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the middle of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Absolutely, O king.” ²⁵ He responded, “Look! I see four men untied and ^(I)walking about in the middle of the fire ^[e]unharmed, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the ^(J)gods!” ²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the ^(K)Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego ^(L)came out of the middle of the fire. ²⁷ The ^(M)satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the ^(N)fire had no ^[f]effect on ^[g]the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their heads singed, nor were their ^[h](O)trousers ^[i]damaged, nor had even the smell of fire touched them.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the ^(P)God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has ^(Q)sent His angel and rescued His servants who put their ^(R)trust in Him, ^[j]violating the king’s command, and surrendered their bodies ^(S)rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.