<p class="poetry">At that timep> <p class="poetry">tribute will be brought to the <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies,p> <p class="poetry">by a people that are tall and smooth-skinned,p> <p class="poetry">a people that are feared far and wide,p> <p class="poetry">a nation strong and victorious,p> <p class="poetry">whose land rivers divide.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">The tribute<n id="2" /> will be brought to the place where the <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion.<n id="3" />p>

But since the king&#8217;s command was so urgent, and the furnace was so excessively hot, the men who escorted<n id="1" /> Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were killed<n id="2" /> by the leaping flames.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled and quickly got up. He said to his ministers, &#8220;Wasn&#8217;t it three men that we tied up and threw<n id="1" /> into<n id="2" /> the fire?&#8221; They replied to the king, &#8220;For sure, O king.&#8221;

He answered, &#8220;But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like that of a god!&#8221;<n id="1" />

Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically<n id="1" /> unharmed by the fire.<n id="2" /> The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged. Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them!p>

&#8220;There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord. For I am a great king,&#8221;<n id="1" /> says the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all, &#8220;and my name is awesome among the nations.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">He said, &#8220;See, I am going to make<n id="1" /> a covenant before all your people. I will do wonders such as have not been done<n id="2" /> in all the earth, nor in any nation. All the people among whom you live will see the work of the <sc>Lordsc>, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you.<n id="3" />p>

Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music<b>,b> you must bow down and pay homage to the statue that I had made. If you don&#8217;t pay homage to it, you will immediately be thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. Now, who is that god who can rescue you from my power?&#8221;<n id="1" />