Dan 3:19-30, 6:12-23 | ESV | STEP | Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with 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 usually heated .

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was ^afilled with fury, and the expression of his face ^bwas changed against ^cShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army ^dto bind ^eShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were ^fbound in their cloaks, their tunics, ^{▼▼The meaning of the Aramaic words rendered cloaks and tunics is uncertain; also verse 27} their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s order was ^hurgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up ⁱShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell ^jbound into the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was ^kastonished and rose up ^lin haste. He declared to his ^mcounselors, “Did we not cast three men ⁿbound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, ^owalking in the midst of the fire, and they ^pare not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like ^qa son of the gods.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, ^r“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the ^sMost High God, come out, and come here!” Then ^tShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the ^usatraps, the prefects, the governors, and ^vthe king’s counselors gathered together and saw that ^wthe fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their ^xcloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of ^yShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who ^zhas sent his angel and ^aadelivered his servants, who ^abtrusted in him, and set aside ^{▼▼Aramaic and changed} the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than ^adserve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore ^aeI make a decree: Any ^afpeople, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of ^agShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ^ahshall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted ^aiShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in ^ajthe province of Babylon.

Daniel 6:12-23

12 Then they ^akcame near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign ^alan injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of ^amthe Medes and Persians, ^anwhich cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, ^ao“Daniel, who is one ^apof the exiles ^aqfrom Judah, ^arpays no attention to you, O king, or ^asthe injunction you have signed, but makes his petition ^atthree times a day.”

14 Then ^authe king, when he heard these words, ^avwas much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no ^awinjunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared ^{▼▼Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20} to Daniel, “May ^ayyour God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 ^azAnd a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, ^baand the king sealed it ^bbwith his own signet and with the signet of his ^bclords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; ^bdno diversions were brought to him, and ^besleep fled from him.

19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of ^bfthe living God, ^bghas your God, whom you serve continually, ^bhbeen able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, ^bi“O king, live forever! 22 My God ^bjsent his angel ^bkand shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless ^blbefore him; ^bmand also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and ^bnno kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.