In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim King of Judah, Nebudchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim King of Judah into his hand,...Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, handsome and skilful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to serve in the king's palace, and to teach them the letters and language of the Chaldeans...
Among those were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abenego.....
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babyon. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to assemble 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 which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up...
Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. The said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O King, live for ever! 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; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 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 heed to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."
Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up? 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 which 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 that will deliver you out of my hands?"
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If it 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. 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."
Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he ordered certain mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their mantles, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were cast into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king's order was strict and the furnace very hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
And they walked about in the midst of the flames, singing hymns to God and blessing the Lord. Then Azariah (Abednego) stood and offered this prayer; in the midst of the fire he opened his mouth and said:
"Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers, and worthy of praise:
and thy name is glorified for ever.
For thou art just in all that thou hast done to us,
and all thy works are true and thy ways right,
and all thy judgments are truth.
Thou hast executed true judgments in all that thou hast brought upon us
and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our fathers,
for in truth and justice thou hast brought all this upon us because of our sins.
For we have sinfully and lawlessly departed from thee,
and have sinned in all things and have not obeyed thy commandments;
we have not observed them or done them,
as thou hast commanded us that it might go well with us.
So all that thou hast brought upon us,
and all that thou hast done to us,
thou hast done in true judgment.
Thou hast given us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful rebels,
and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world.
And now we cannot open our mouths;
shame and disgrace have befallen thy servants and worshippers.
For thy name's sake do not give us up utterly,.....
Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted,.....
And now with all our heart we follow thee,
we fear thee and seek thy face.
Do not put us to shame,
but deal with us in thy forbearance and in thy abundant mercy.
Deliver us in accordance with thy marvelous works,
and give glory to thy name, O Lord!....
Let them know that thou art the Lord, the only God, glorious over the whole world."
Now the king's servants who threw them in did not cease feeding the furnace fires with naphtha, pitch, tow, and brush. And the flame streamed out above the furnace forty-nine cubits, and it broke through and burned those of the Chaldeans whom it caught about the furnace. But the angel of the Lord came down into the furnace to be with Azariah (Abednego) and his companions, and drove the fiery flame out of the furnace, and made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind, so that the fire did not touch them at all or hurt or trouble them.
Then the three, as with one mouth, praised and glorified and blessed God in the furnace, saying:
Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers,
and to be praised and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is thy glorious, holy name
and to be highly praised and exalted above all forever;
Blessed art thou in the temple of thy holy glory
and to be extolled and glorified above all forever.
Blessed art thou, who sittest upon cherubim and lookest upon the deeps,
and to be praised and exalted above all forever.
Blessed art thou upon the throne of thy kingdom
and to be extolled and glorified above all forever.
Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven
and to be sung and glorified for ever.
"Bless the Lord, all works of the Lord,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, you heavens,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, you angels of the Lord,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, all waters above the heaven,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, all powers,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, sun and moon,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, stars of heaven,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, all rain and dew,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, all winds,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, fire and heat,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, winter cold and summer heat,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, dews and snows,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, nights and days,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, light and darkness,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, ice and cold,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, frosts and snows,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, lightnings and clouds,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Let the earth bless the Lord;
let it sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, mountains and hills,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, all things that grow on the earth,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, you springs,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, seas and rivers,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, you whales and all creatures that move in the waters,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, all birds of the air,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, all beasts and cattle,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, you sons of men,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, O Israel,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, you priests of the Lord,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, you servants of the Lord,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the righteous,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, youwho are holy and humble in heart,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
Bless the Lord, Hanniah, Azariah, and Mishael,
sing praise to him and exalt him above all forever.
for he has rescued us from Hades and saved us from the hand of death,
and delivered us from the midst of the burning fiery furnace;
from the midst of the fire he has delivered us.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his mercy endures for ever.
Bless him, all who worship the Lord, the God of gods,
sing praise to him and give thanks to him,
for his mercy endures for ever."
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He said to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?" They answered the king, "True, O king." He answered, "But I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods."
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their mantles were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set at nought the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way." Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Excerpts from The Book of Daniel, and from The Song of the Three Young Men