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Daniel 3

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1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits, and its breadth six cubits; he set· it ·up in the vale of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2 And Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather·​·together the princes, the dukes, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all with·​·dominion in the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set·​·up.

3 Then the princes, the dukes, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all with·​·dominion in the provinces, were gathered·​·together to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set·​·up; and they rose·​·up in front·​·of the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set·​·up.

4 And one·​·proclaiming called with force, To you they say, O peoples, nations, and tongues,

5 At the time that you hear the voice of the horn, pipe, lute, sabbeka*, psaltery, symphonia, and all kinds of singing·​·psalms, you shall fall·​·down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set·​·up;

6 and whoever does not fall·​·down and worship shall in the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

7 Because of this at the time, when all the people heard the voice of the horn, the pipe, lute, the sabbeka, psaltery, and all kinds of singing·​·psalms, all peoples, nations and tongues fell·​·down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set·​·up.

8 Because·​·of this at the time men of the Chaldeans came·​·near, and accused* those who were Jews.

9 They answered and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ages!

10 Thou, O king, hast set a decree, that every man who shall hear the voice of the horn, pipe, lute, sabbeka, psaltery, symphonia, and all kinds of singing·​·psalms,, shall fall·​·down and worship the golden image,

11 and whoever does not fall·​·down and worship, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12 There·​·are men of the Jews whom thou hast appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thy decree; they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set·​·up

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, trembling and in fury, said to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

14 Nebuchadnezzar answered, and said to them, Is it with·​·intent, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you·​·are not serving my gods, nor worshiping the image of gold which I have raised·​·up?

15 Now if you·​·be ready, at the time you hear the voice of the horn, pipe, lute, sabbeka*, psaltery, symphonia, and all kinds of singing·​·psalms, you will fall·​·down and worship the image which I have made; but if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God who shall deliver you from my hands?

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we will not return an answer to thee hurriedly concerning this matter.

17 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 thy hand, O king.

18 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.

19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar filled with fury, and the image of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; and he answered, and said to heat the furnace one seven* times above what it was seen to be heated.

20 And to the mighty, the men of the force who were in his forces, he said to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

21 Then these men were bound in their mantles, their tunics, and their turbans, and their clothing, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22 Therefore because the word of the king was·​·urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took·​·up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell·​·down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded, and rose·​·up vexed. He answered and said to his chancellors, Did not we cast three men into the midst of the fire bound? They answered and said to the king, It is certain, O king.

25 He answered and said, Behold, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and there·​·is no hurt on them; and the appearance of the fourth is·​·like a son of the gods.

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came·​·near to the gate of the burning fiery furnace. He answered and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most·​·High God, come·​·out, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came·​·out from the midst of the fire.

27 And the princes, dukes, and governors, and chancellors of the king, being gathered·​·together, saw these men, on whose bodies the fire did not have·​·dominion, nor was a hair of their head singed*, neither were their mantles changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted on Him, and they have changed the word of the king, and given their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God.

29 And from me a decree is set, That every people, nation, and tongue, who say any fault against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made·​·like a dunghill; because there·​·is not any other God who is·​·able to rescue as this One.

30 Then the king made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to prosper in the province of Babylon.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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Scriptural Confirmations # 37

  
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37. 9. From the Old Testament

God hath revealed what shall come to pass in the latter days (Daniel 2:28).

(The consummation of the church from its first foundation to its end is described by the image seen by Nebuchadnezzar, in like manner as the four ages by the ancients; the first, which was before the flood, by gold; the second, after the flood, by silver; the third, which was the Israelitish up to that time, by brass; and the fourth, which was the Christian, by iron mixed with clay (Daniel 2:32-33).

By "gold" is signified celestial good; by "silver" spiritual truth; by "brass" natural good; by "iron" natural truth; and by "iron mixed with clay" truth falsified, because it does not cleave together; by the seed of man the truth of the Word, which is also said of the feet of iron (Daniel 2:34-43).)

(A stone which was not [made] by hands, which smote and ground up the image, and which became a great rock, signifies the Lord, who in the Word is meant by "a stone" and by "the rock" which filled all the earth, whose kingdom shall stand for ages of ages (Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45).)

The fourth, seen in the furnace of fire, is said to be like the Son of man. It is not said man, because the Son of man signifies the Lord as to the Word; and this is also called an angel, whom God sent (Daniel 3:25, 28).

The "Son of man" when said of another, and a "prophet," signify Him as the truth of the church from the Word.

The consummation is also described by the tree growing to the end of the earth seen by Nebuchadnezzar, in a dream; and the coming of the Lord, by the Watcher and the Holy One who descended and commanded to hew down the tree utterly; and that they left the stump of the roots in the earth in a band of iron and of brass, signifies the Word by which the church revived; this also happened in the time of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:10-13, 17-31). The consummation of the whole, or the destruction of all things of the church, is described by the feast of Belshazzar, in which with magnates and concubines he drank the wine out of vessels of gold and silver from the temple of Jerusalem, and praised the gods of gold, of silver, etc., by which is signified the profanation of the holy things of the church, wherefore it was written on the wall that his kingdom was finished, and he was slain on that night (Daniel 5:1 to end).

(The consummation of the church is described by the four beasts out of the sea; also what the first was, what the second, third, and fourth, which was terrible because it broke in pieces all things of good and truth. What they signify may be seen in Apocalypse Revealed574. The complete consummation is meant by the slaying of the beast and the destruction of the body. That then the Lord will come and will reign unto ages of ages is evident from verses 13-14, 22, 27. His church is meant by the holy people, because they are in Divine truths from the Lord (Daniel 7:1 to end).

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.