Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Image
1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an qimage of gold, whose height was sixty cubits1 and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O rpeoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
The Fiery Furnace
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared2 to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 sYou, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 tThere are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, upay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in vfurious rage commanded that 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 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.3 But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
16 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, our God whom we serve is able to wdeliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.4 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.”
1 See what kind of hlove the Father has given to us, that we should be called ichildren of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that jit did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that kwhen he appears1 we shall be llike him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to mtake away sins, and nin him there is no sin. 6 oNo one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either pseen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one qdeceive you. rWhoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to sdestroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s2 seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning sJohn, whether he might be tthe Christ, 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you uwith water, vbut he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the wHoly Spirit and fire. 17 His xwinnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to ygather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with zunquenchable fire.”
18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. 19 aBut Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, bhis brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, 20 added this to them all, that che locked up John in prison.
21 dNow when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, ethe heavens were opened, 22 and the fHoly Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, g“You are my hbeloved Son;1 iwith you I am well pleased.”2
