Daniel 3:18

Faith Courage and strength Faithfulness and loyalty Obedience

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

¹⁷ If the God whom we serve exists, then He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king.

But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.”

¹⁹ At this, Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual,

²⁰ and he commanded some mighty men of valor in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing fiery furnace.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.”
KJV: But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
WEB: But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”
ASV: But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
DARBY: But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image that thou hast set up.
BLB: But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that to your gods we are not serving, and to the image of gold that you have set up we will not give homage.”

ÅB: Men hvis ikke, da skal du vite, konge, at vi ikke vil dyrke dine guder eller tilbe det gullbilde du har stilt opp.
OTB: Men selv om han ikke gjør det, skal du vite, konge, at vi ikke vil tjene dine guder eller tilbe gullbildet du har satt opp."
B1930: Men hvis ikke, da skal du vite, konge, at vi ikke vil dyrke dine guder eller tilbede det gullbillede du har stilt op.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Acts 5:29–32
But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.
Read in context
Matthew 10:39
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Read in context
Revelation 2:10–11
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Read in context
Matthew 10:32–33
Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven.
Read in context
Luke 12:3–9
What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
Read in context
Revelation 12:11
They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
Read in context
Acts 4:10–13
then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
Read in context
Joshua 24:15
But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”
Read in context