Study Desk

Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with ^(C1)wrath, and his facial expression was changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He answered ^(F1)by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.

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.

Then these men were tied up in their ^(C1)trousers, their ^(F1)coats, their caps, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire.

For this reason, because the king's ^(F1)command was ^(C1)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.

But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ^(C1)fell into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

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."

He responded, "Look! I see four men untied and ^(C1)walking about in the middle of the fire ^(F1)unharmed, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the ^(C2)gods!"

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 ^(C1)Most High God, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego ^(C2)came out of the middle of the fire.

The ^(C1)satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the ^(C2)fire had no ^(F1)effect on ^(F2)the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their heads singed, nor were their ^(F3)(C3)trousers ^(F4)damaged, nor had even the smell of fire touched them.

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, "Blessed be the ^(C1)God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has ^(C2)sent His angel and rescued His servants who put their ^(C3)trust in Him, ^(F1)violating the king's command, and surrendered their bodies ^(C4)rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.