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NOVEMBER 30
come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.
27 And the satraps, administrators, governors,
3:15 who is the god…? The king’s challenge and the king’s counselors gathered together,
would return to embarrass him. The true God and they saw these men on whose bodies the
was able to deliver,just as He was able to reveal fire had no power; the hair of their head was
a dream and its meaning. Nebuchadnezzar not singed nor were their garments affected,
had earlier called him “the God of gods”(2:47); and the smell of fire was not on them.
but having let that fade from his attention, he 28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed
soon would be shocked and humiliated when be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-
God took up his challenge (3:28,29). Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His
servants who trusted in Him, and they have
not worship, you shall be cast immediately into frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their
the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is bodies, that they should not serve nor worship
the god who will deliver you from my hands?” any god except their own God! Therefore I
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16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego make a decree that any people, nation, or lan-
answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchad- guage which speaks anything amiss against
nezzar, we have no need to answer you in this the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-
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matter. If that is the case, our God whom we Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses
serve is able to deliver us from the burning shall be made an ash heap; because there is
fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your no other God who can deliver like this.”
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hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach,
you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.
nor will we worship the gold image which you 4 Nebuchadnezzar the king,
have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and To all peoples, nations, and languages
the expression on his face changed toward that dwell in all the earth:
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke Peace be multiplied to you.
and commanded that they heat the furnace
seven times more than it was usually heated. 2 I thought it good to declare the signs
20 And he commanded certain mighty men of and wonders that the Most High God
valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, has worked for me.
Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into 3 How great are His signs,
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the burning fiery furnace. Then these men And how mighty His wonders!
were bound in their coats, their trousers, their His kingdom is an everlasting
turbans, and their other garments, and were kingdom,
cast into the midst of the burning fiery fur- And His dominion is from generation
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nace. Therefore, because the king’s com- to generation.
mand was urgent, and the furnace exceeding-
ly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men 4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my
who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- house, and flourishing in my palace.
Nego. And these three men, Shadrach, 5 I saw a dream which made me afraid,
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Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound and the thoughts on my bed and the
into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. visions of my head troubled me.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was aston- 6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in
ished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying all the wise men of Babylon before me,
to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men that they might make known to me the
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bound into the midst of the fire?” interpretation of the dream. Then the
They answered and said to the king, “True, magicians, the astrologers, the
O king.” Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came
25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men in, and I told them the dream; but they
loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they did not make known to me its
are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like interpretation. But at last Daniel came
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the Son of God.” before me (his name is Belteshazzar,
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the according to the name of my god; in
mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and
saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, I told the dream before him, saying:
servants of the Most High God, come out, and 9 “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians,

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