Daniel 3:18

English Standard Version

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."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

Hebrew Names Version
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.

King James Version
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

New American Standard Bible
"But even if He does not, 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."

New Century Version
But even if God does not save us, we want you, O king, to know this: We will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up."

Amplified Bible
"But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!"

Geneva Bible (1587)
But if not, bee it knowen to thee, O King, that wee will not serue thy gods, nor worship the golden image, which thou hast set vp.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

Berean Standard Bible
But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up."

Contemporary English Version
But even if he doesn't, we still won't worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up."

Complete Jewish Bible
But even if he doesn't, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will neither serve your gods nor worship the gold statue which you have set up."

Darby Translation
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image that thou hast set up.

Easy-to-Read Version
But even if God does not save us, we want you to know, King, that we refuse to serve your gods. We will not worship the gold idol you have set up."

George Lamsa Translation
Then the king shall know that we will not serve your god nor worship the golden image which you have set up.

Good News Translation
But even if he doesn't, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up."

Lexham English Bible
And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, and the statue of gold that you have set up we will not worship."

Literal Translation
And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And though he wil not, yet shalt thou knowe (o kynge) that we will not serue thy goddes, ner do reuerece to the ymage, which thou hast set vp.

American Standard Version
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Bible in Basic English
But if not, be certain, O King, that we will not be the servants of your gods, or give worship to the image of gold which you have put up.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.'

King James Version (1611)
But if not, bee it knowen vnto thee, O king, that we will not serue thy gods, nor worship thy golden image, which thou hast set vp.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And though he will not, yet shalt thou knowe O king, that we will not serue thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set vp.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the image which thou hast set up.

English Revised Version
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

World English Bible
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
That if he nyle, be it knowun to thee, thou kyng, that we onouren not thi goddis, and we worschipen not the goldun ymage, which thou hast reisid.

Update Bible Version
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.

Webster's Bible Translation
But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

New English Translation
But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don't serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected."

New King James Version
But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

New Living Translation
But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up."

New Life Bible
But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the object of gold that you have set up."

New Revised Standard
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, if not, be it known to thee, O king, - that, thy god, will we not serve, and, the image of gold which thou hast set up, will we not adore.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if he will not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not worship thy gods, nor adore the golden statue which thou hast set up.

Revised Standard Version
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."

Young's Literal Translation
And lo -- not! be it known to thee, O king, that thy gods we are not serving, and to the golden image thou hast raised up we do no obeisance.'

Contextual Overview

⁸ Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. ⁹ They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, 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 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." ¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious 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. 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 deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

be it: Job 13:15, Proverbs 28:1, Isaiah 51:12, Isaiah 51:13, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 10:32, Matthew 10:33, Matthew 10:39, Matthew 16:2, Luke 12:3-9, Acts 4:10-13, Acts 4:19, Acts 5:29-32, Revelation 2:10, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 12:11

that: Exodus 20:3-5, Leviticus 19:4

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 21:11 - did as Jezebel 1 Chronicles 21:4 - Wherefore Proverbs 3:25 - Be Daniel 3:25 - the Son of God Daniel 5:18 - O thou Habakkuk 2:19 - that Acts 13:38 - it

Cross-References

Genesis 3:14
The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:15
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Joshua 23:13
know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.

Job 1:21
And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord ."

Job 5:5
The hungry eat his harvest, and he takes it even out of thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth.

Job 31:40
let thorns grow instead of wheat, and foul weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.

Psalms 90:3
You return man to dust and say, "Return, O children of man!"

Psalms 104:2
covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.

Proverbs 22:5
Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.

Proverbs 24:31
and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But if not,.... If our God does not think fit to exert his power, and deliver us, which we are well assured he is able to do; if it is not his will, we are content, we are resigned unto it:

be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, be it as it will, whether we are delivered or not; we are not sure of the one, but we are at a point as to the other:

nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up; come life, come death, we are ready; we had rather die than sin: they were all of one mind, and agreed in this matter; a noble instance of spiritual fortitude and courage!

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But if not - That is, “if he should “not” deliver us; if it should “not” occur that he would protect us, and save us from that heated oven: whatever may be the result in regard to us, our determination is settled.”

Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods ... - This answer is firm and noble. It showed that their minds were made up, and that it was with them a matter of “principle” not to worship false gods. The state of mind which is denoted by this verse is that of a determination to do their duty, whatever might be the consequences. The attention was fixed on what was “right,” not on what would be the result. The sole question which was asked was, what “ought” to be done in the case; and they had no concern about what would follow. True religion is a determined purpose to do right, and not to do wrong, whatever may be the consequences in either case. It matters not what follows - wealth or poverty; honor or dishonor; good report or evil report; life or death; the mind is firmly fixed on doing right, and not on doing wrong. This is “the religion of principle;” and when we consider the circumstances of those who made this reply; when we remember their comparative youth, and the few opportunities which they had for instruction in the nature of religion, and that they were captives in a distant land, and that they stood before the most absolute monarch of the earth, with no powerful friends to support them, and with the most horrid kind of death threatening them, we may well admire the grace of that God who could so amply furnish them for such a trial, and love that religion which enabled them to take a stand so noble and so bold.