Nagmando si Nebucadnezar nga Simbahon ang Estatwa
1Karon, nagpahimo si Nebucadnezar sang estatwa nga bulawan.3:1 estatwa nga bulawan: buot silingon, estatwa nga ginhaklapan sang bulawan. Ang iya sini kataason 90 ka tapak kag ang kasangkaron 9 ka tapak. Kag sang natapos na, ginpatindog niya ini sa patag sang Dura didto sa probinsya sang Babilonia. 2-3Pagkatapos ginpatawag ni Haring Nebucadnezar ang mga gobernador, mga mayor, mga komisyoner, mga manuglaygay, mga tresurero, mga hukom, mga pangulo, kag ang iban pa nga mga opisyal sang mga probinsya agod magtambong sa pagdedikar sang estatwa. Sang didto na sila nagatindog sa atubangan sang estatwa, 4nagsinggit ang manugbalita, “Kamo nga naghalin sa nagkalain-lain nga mga nasyon, lahi, kag lingguahe, 5kon mabatian na gani ninyo ang tunog sang budyong, plawta, kudyapi, arpa, kag iban pa nga mga instrumento, magluhod kamo dayon kag magsimba sa estatwa nga bulawan nga ginpatindog ni Haring Nebucadnezar. 6Ang bisan sin-o nga indi magsimba ihaboy gilayon sa nagadabadaba nga hurnohan.” 7Gani pagkabati nila sang tunog sang mga instrumento nagluhod dayon sila kag nagsimba sa estatwa.
8Sang sadto nga tion, may pila ka taga-Babilonia3:8 taga-Babilonia: ukon, mga manugpakot; sa literal, Kaldeanhon. nga nagpalapit sa hari kag ginpakalain nila ang mga Judio. 9Nagsiling sila kay Haring Nebucadnezar, “Kabay pa nga magkabuhi ka sing malawig, Mahal nga Hari. 10Indi bala nga nagmando ka nga kon sin-o ang makabati sang tunog sang mga instrumento magluhod dayon kag magsimba sa estatwa nga bulawan, 11kag ang indi magsimba ihaboy sa nagadabadaba nga hurnohan? 12Pero wala nagtuman sang imo sugo ang mga Judio nga sila ni Shadrac, Meshac, kag Abednego nga ginpadumala mo sa probinsya sang Babilonia. Wala sila nagaalagad sa imo mga dios, kag wala sila nagasimba sa estatwa nga bulawan nga imo ginpatindog.”
13Pagkabati sadto sang hari puwerte gid ang iya kaakig. Ginpatawag niya dayon sila ni Shadrac, Meshac, kag Abednego. 14Pag-abot nila ginpamangkot sila sang hari, “Matuod bala nga wala kamo nagaalagad sa akon mga dios kag wala kamo nagasimba sa estatwa nga bulawan nga akon ginpatindog? 15Karon, ginamanduan ko kamo nga magsimba sa estatwa kon mabatian ninyo ang tunog sang mga instrumento. Kay kon indi gani, ihaboy kamo gilayon sa nagadabadaba nga hurnohan. Tan-awon ta lang kon may dios nga makaluwas sa inyo.”
16Nagsabat sila nga tatlo, “Mahal nga Hari, wala kami sing may masiling parte sina. 17Kon amo gid man ina ang matabo luwason kami sang Dios nga amon ginaalagaran sa sina nga nagadabadaba nga hurnohan. Luwason kami sang Dios sa imo mga kamot. 18Pero kon indi gid man niya kami pagluwason, gusto namon nga mahibaluan mo nga indi gid kami mag-alagad sa imo mga dios ukon magsimba sa estatwa nga bulawan nga imo ginpatindog.”
19Tungod sa ila sabat puwerte gid ang kaakig sang hari sa ila, kag makita ini sa iya hitsura. Gani nagmando siya nga painiton pa gid sing pito ka pilo ang hurnohan. 20Dayon nagsugo siya sang iya pinakamakusog nga mga soldado nga gapuson sila ni Shadrac, Meshac, kag Abednego kag ihaboy sa nagadabadaba nga hurnohan. 21Gani gin-gapos sila kag ginhaboy sa hurnohan nga may mga bayo pa. 22Kag tungod nga ginpainit gid ang hurnohan suno sa mando sang hari, napatay ang mga soldado nga naghaboy sa ila tungod sa ibwal sang kalayo. 23Kag sila nga tatlo nga nakagapos nagtupa sa nagadabadaba nga hurnohan.
24Samtang nagatan-aw si Haring Nebucadnezar gulpi siya nga tumindog sa puwerte nga katingala. Nagpamangkot siya sa iya mga opisyal, “Indi bala nga tatlo lang ka tawo ang aton gin-gapos kag ginhaboy sa kalayo?” Nagsabat sila, “Huo, Mahal nga Hari.” 25Nagsiling dayon ang hari, “Tan-awa ninyo! Apat ang nakita ko nga nagalakat-lakat sa kalayo. Wala na sila nakagapos kag wala sila maano. Ang isa sa ila daw isa ka dios.”3:25 isa ka dios: ukon, isa ka anghel. Tan-awa ang bersikulo 28.
26Gani, nagpalapit si Nebucadnezar sa puwertahan sang nagadabadaba nga hurnohan kag nagpanawag, “Shadrac, Meshac, kag Abednego, nga mga alagad sang Labing Mataas nga Dios, guwa kamo dira! Dali kamo diri!” Kag nagguwa sila nga tatlo.
27Dayon nagtilipon sa ila ang mga gobernador, mga mayor, mga komisyoner, kag ang iban nga mga opisyal sang hari. Kag nakita nila nga wala sila maano sang kalayo. Bisan gani ang ila buhok ukon bayo wala gid masunog, kag bisan baho na lang sang aso wala gid.
28Tungod sadto nagsiling ang hari, “Dayawon ang Dios nila ni Shadrac, Meshac, kag Abednego. Ginpadala niya ang iya anghel agod luwason ang iya mga alagad nga nagsalig sa iya. Ini sila wala magsunod sa akon sugo nga magsimba sa estatwa, kundi ginpakamaayo pa nila nga ihaboy sila sa kalayo sang sa magsimba sa bisan sin-o nga dios luwas sa ila nga Dios. 29Gani nagamando ako nga ang bisan sin-o nga tawo sang bisan ano man nga nasyon, lahi, ukon lingguahe nga maghambal sing malain kontra sa Dios nila ni Shadrac, Meshac, kag Abednego pagahiwa-hiwaon kag gub-on ang ila mga balay. Kay wala na gid sing iban pa nga Dios nga makaluwas pareho sini.”
30Kag ginhatagan sang hari sila ni Shadrac, Meshac, kag Abednego sang mas mataas pa gid nga posisyon sa probinsya sang Babilonia.
A Gold Statue and a Blazing Furnace
1King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue. It was 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. He set it up on the plain of Dura near the city of Babylon. 2Then the king sent for the royal rulers, high officials and governors. He sent for the advisers, treasurers, judges and court officers. And he sent for all the other officials of Babylon. He asked them to come to a special gathering to honor the statue he had set up. 3So the royal rulers, high officials and governors came together. So did the advisers, treasurers, judges and court officers. All the other officials joined them. They came to honor the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They stood in front of it.
4Then a messenger called out loudly, “Listen, you people who come from every nation! Pay attention, you who speak other languages! Here is what the king commands you to do. 5You will soon hear the sound of horns and flutes. You will hear zithers, lyres, harps and pipes. In fact, you will hear all kinds of music. When you do, you must fall down and worship the gold statue. That is the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6If you don’t, you will be thrown into a blazing furnace right away.”
7All the people heard the sound of the horns and flutes. They heard the zithers, lyres, harps and other musical instruments. As soon as they did, they fell down and worshiped Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. They were people from all nations no matter what language they spoke.
8At this time some people who studied the heavens came forward. They spoke against the Jews. 9They said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, may you live forever! 10Your Majesty has commanded everyone to fall down and worship the gold statue. You told them to do it when they heard the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, pipes and other musical instruments. 11If they didn’t, they would be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12But you have appointed some Jews to help Daniel govern Babylon and the towns around it. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They don’t pay any attention to you, King Nebuchadnezzar. They don’t serve your gods. And they refuse to worship the gold statue you have set up.”
13Nebuchadnezzar was very angry. He sent for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So they were brought to him. 14The king said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, is what I heard about you true? Don’t you serve my gods? Don’t you worship the gold statue I set up? 15You will hear the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, pipes and other musical instruments. When you do, fall down and worship the statue I made. If you will, that’s very good. But if you won’t, you will be thrown at once into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to save you from my power?”
16Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him. They said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to talk about this anymore. 17We might be thrown into the blazing furnace. But the God we serve is able to bring us out of it alive. He will save us from your power. 18But we want you to know this, Your Majesty. Even if we knew that our God wouldn’t save us, we still wouldn’t serve your gods. We wouldn’t worship the gold statue you set up.”
19Then Nebuchadnezzar was very angry with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The look on his face changed. And he ordered that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20He also gave some of the strongest soldiers in his army a command. He ordered them to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Then he told his men to throw them into the blazing furnace. 21So they were tied up. Then they were thrown into the furnace. They were wearing their robes, pants, turbans and other clothes. 22The king’s command was carried out quickly. The furnace was so hot that its flames killed the soldiers who threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into it. 23So the three men were firmly tied up. And they fell into the blazing furnace.
24Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet. He was so amazed he asked his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men? Didn’t we throw three men into the fire?”
They replied, “Yes, we did, Your Majesty.”
25The king said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire. They aren’t tied up. And the fire hasn’t even harmed them. The fourth man looks like a son of the gods.”
26Then the king approached the opening of the blazing furnace. He shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, come out! You who serve the Most High God, come here!”
So they came out of the fire. 27The royal rulers, high officials, governors and advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire hadn’t harmed their bodies. Not one hair on their heads was burned. Their robes weren’t burned either. And they didn’t even smell like smoke.
28Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “May the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be praised! He has sent his angel and saved his servants. They trusted in him. They refused to obey my command. They were willing to give up their lives. They would rather die than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29No other god can save people this way. So I’m giving an order about the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. No one may say anything against him. That’s true no matter what language they speak. If they say anything against him, they’ll be cut to pieces. And their houses will be turned into piles of trash.”
30Then the king honored Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He gave them higher positions in the city of Babylon and the towns around it.
