King Nebuchadnezzar's Gold Statue
1 King Nebuchadnezzar ordered a gold statue to be built 27 meters high and nearly 3 meters wide. He had it set up in Dura Valley near the city of Babylon, 2 and he commanded his governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, and his other officials to come from everywhere in his kingdom to the dedication of the statue. 3 So all of them came and stood in front of it.
4 Then an official stood up and announced:
People of every nation and race, now listen to the king's command! 5 Trumpets, flutes, harps, and all other kinds of musical instruments will soon start playing. When you hear the music, you must bow down and worship the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Anyone who refuses will at once be thrown into a flaming furnace.
7 As soon as the people heard the music, they bowed down and worshiped the gold statue that the king had set up.
8 Some Babylonians used this as a chance to accuse the Jews to King Nebuchadnezzar. 9 They said, “Your Majesty, we hope you live forever! 10 You commanded everyone to bow down and worship the gold statue when the music played. 11 And you said that anyone who did not bow down and worship it would be thrown into a flaming furnace. 12 Sir, you appointed three men to high positions in Babylon Province, but they have disobeyed you. Those Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refuse to worship your gods and the statue you have set up.”
13 King Nebuchadnezzar was furious. So he sent for the three young men and said, 14 “I hear that you refuse to worship my gods and the gold statue I have set up. 15 Now I am going to give you one more chance. If you bow down and worship the statue when you hear the music, everything will be all right. But if you don't, you will at once be thrown into a flaming furnace. No god can save you from me.”
16 The three men replied, “Your Majesty, we don't need to defend ourselves. 17 The God we worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace. 18 But even if he doesn't, we still won't worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up.”
19 Nebuchadnezzar's face twisted with anger at the three men. And he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20 Next, he commanded some of his strongest soldiers to tie up the men and throw them into the flaming furnace. 21-23 The king wanted it done at that very moment. So the soldiers tied up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and threw them into the flaming furnace with all of their clothes still on, including their turbans. The fire was so hot that flames leaped out and killed the soldiers.
24 Suddenly the king jumped up and shouted, “Weren't only three men tied up and thrown into the fire?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” his officers answered.
25 “But I see four men walking around in the fire,” the king replied. “None of them is tied up or harmed, and the fourth one looks like a god.”
26 Nebuchadnezzar went closer to the flaming furnace and said to the three young men, “You servants of the Most High God, come out at once!”
They came out, 27 and the king's high officials, governors, and advisors all crowded around them. The men were not burned, their hair wasn't scorched, and their clothes didn't even smell like smoke. 28 King Nebuchadnezzar said:
Praise their God for sending an angel to rescue his servants! They trusted their God and refused to obey my commands. Yes, they chose to die rather than to worship or serve any god except their own. 29 And I won't allow people of any nation or race to say anything against their God. Anyone who does will be chopped up and their houses will be torn down, because no other god has such great power to save.
30 After this happened, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in Babylon Province.
ǃHuniǀuri ība ǀgoreǀîs mîmās
1 Gao-aob Nebukadnesari ge ǃhuniǀuri-īb, ǃnonadisi meterga ǀgapi tsî ǃnona meterga ǂhababa kuru kai tsî ǁîba Babilonǀkharib ǃnâ Duraǂgāb ai ge mâi kai. 2 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge gao-aob Nebukadnesara gaoǀgôagu, gowoniagu, marisâu-aogu, ǀgoraǃgâ-aogu tsî ǁnâuǃgâ-aogu tsî hoa ǀgapiǂaitani-aogu hoa ǀkharigu diga ge mîmā, î gu gao-aob ge kurumâi kai īb di khaihes ǃaroma hoatsama ǀhao. 3 O gu ge hoaraga gaoǀgôagu, gowoniagu, marisâu-aogu, ǀgoraǃgâ-aogu, ǁnâuǃgâ-aogu tsî ǀkharib di ǂamkhoegu tsîga, gao-aob ge kurumâi kai īb di khaihes ǃaroma ǀhao tsî īb aiǃâ sī ge mâ. 4 Ob ge ǂanǂanaoba ge ǃhao: “Hoa ǁaeso, ǃhaoso tsî gowagu khoedo, 5 xâiǁnâs, ǂnunib, siters, lirs, harps tsî nau ǀkhōxūn di ǀōba du ga ǁnâu, o du ge gao-aob Nebukadnesari ge kurumâi, ǃhuniǀuri īb aiǃâ ǃhonǁgoa tsî ǁîba nî ǀgoreǀî.Lirs 6 ǃHonǁgoa tsî ga ǀgoreǀî tama i-i hoa-i ge ǁnā ǁaeb ǂûb ai ǂhubi ra ǀaes hâǃnâ ǃnā-oms ǃnâ nî aoǂgāhe.” 7 ǁNā-amagan ge hoa ǁaedi, ǃhaodi tsî gowagu khoena, ǀkhōxūn ǀōban ra ǁnâu hîa gao-aob Nebukadnesari ge mâi ǃhuniǀuri īb aiǃâ ǃhonǁgoa tsî ǁîba ge ǀgoreǀî.
Danieli horesagu ge ra ǀhapiǂgā-amhe
8 ǁNā ǁaeb ais ge ǀnî Babiloniaǁîgu ge Jodeǁîga sī a ǀanaǃgâsa. 9 ǁÎgu ge gao-aob Nebukadnesara ǃoa ge mî: “Ats gao-aotsa ǀamose ûi re. 10 Sats ge mîmā-e ge māǂui, mâ khoe-i hoa-i ǀkhōxūn di ǀōba i kara ǁnâu, o ǃhuniǀuri īb aiǃâ ǃhonǁgoa tsî ǁîba nî ǀgoreǀîsa, 11 tsî i ǃhonǁgoa tsî ga ǁîba ǀgoreǀî tama i khoe-i hoa-e, ǂhubi ra ǀaes hâǃnâ ǃnā-oms ǃnâ nî aoǂgāhesa. 12 Xawe gu ge nēpa ǀnî Jodeǁîgu, Babilons di ǀkharisi ǂgaeǂgui-aosets ge mâigu, Sadraxi, Mesaxi tsî Abednegob tsîga hâ, sa mîmāsa ǁnâuǀnam ǂgao tamaga. ǁÎgu ge sa eloba ǃoaba tama tsî sats ge mâi ǃhuniǀuri ība ǀgoreǀî tama hâ.”
13 Ob ge Nebukadnesara kaise ǁaixa tsî ge mîmā, î gu Sadraxi, Mesaxi tsî Abednegob tsîga ǁîba ǃoa ǀkhī-ūhe. O gu ge ǁîga gao-aob aiǃâ ge hā-ūhe. 14 Ob ge gao-aoba ǁîga ǃoa ge mî: “Ama-e, sago ti eloba ǃoaba ǂgao tama tsî ǃhuniǀuri īb hîa ta ge mâiba ǀgoreǀî ǂgao tamasa? 15 Xâiǁnâs, ǂnunib, siters, harps, lirs tsî nau ǀkhōxūn di ǀōba go ga ǁnâu, o go ga ǃhonǁgoa tsî ǃhuniǀuri ība ǀgoreǀîsa māsenxa, o i ge a ǃgâi. Xawe ǁnāsa go ga dī tama i, o go ge ǂhubi ra ǀaes hâǃnâ ǃnā-oms ǃnâ nî aoǂgāhe. Mâ eloba kha sago nî huiǂui ǁkhā?”
16 O gu ge Sadraxi, Mesaxi tsî Abednegob tsîga gao-aoba ge ǃeream: “Sige ge nē ǃkhais ǃnâ aitsama nî ǃereambasense i tama hâ. 17 ǁNā Elob hîa ge ra ǃoabab ge ǂhubi ra ǀaes hâǃnâ ǃnā-omsa xu a huiǂui ge ǁkhā, tsîb ge sa ǃomǁaeba xu nî huiǂui ge. 18 Tsî ǁnāsab ga dī tama i, xawes tsînats ge nî ǂan gao-aotse, sa eloba ge ǃoaba tide tsî sats ge mâi ǃhuniǀuri ība ge ǀgoreǀî tidesa.”
Danieli horesagu ge ǁōb ǃoa ra ǀgoraǃgâhe
19 Ob ge Nebukadnesara Sadraxi, Mesaxi tsî Abednego hâga kaise ge ǁaixaǂam, tsîb ge ge mîmā, îs ǂhubi ra ǀaes di ǃnā-omsa ǁnaetisases ra ǀgams xa hû ǃnāde ǃnāsase ǀgamǀgamhe. 20 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge ǁîb toroǂnubis ǃnâ hâ ǀgaisa aoga ge mîmā, î gu Sadraxi, Mesaxi tsî Abednegob tsîga ǃgae tsî ǂhubi ra ǀaes hâǃnâ ǃnā-oms ǃnâ aoǂgā. 21 ǁÎgu ge ana gu ge hâ i saran tsî ǀgapa gu ge hâ i ǃkhai hân hoan ǀkha gu hâse, ǃgaehe tsî ǂhubi ra ǀaes hâǃnâ ǃnā-oms ǃnâ ge aoǂgāhe. 22 Gao-aob ge ǁkhōǁkhōsase mîmā hâ i xui-aos ge ǀaes hâǃnâ ǃnā-omsa kaise ge ǀgamsa i tsî gu ge Sadraxi, Mesaxi tsî Abednegob hâga ge aoǂgā khoega, ǀaes ǁhabugu xa ge ǂhubiǃanhe. 23 Xawe Sadraxi, Mesaxi tsî Abednegob tsîgu ge ǃgaesase, ǀaes ǁhabugu ǁaegub ǃnâ ge ǁnāǁgôa.
24 Gao-aob ge ǃhuri hâse ǃhaese urikhâi tsî ǀapemā-aogu âba ge dî: “ǃNona khoega ge ǃgaehe hâse ǀaes ǃnâ aoǂgā tama?”
O gu ge ǁîga “Ā, ǁnāti ge ge go dī, gao-aotse” ti ge ǃeream.
25 Ob ge gao-aoba ge mî: “Tita ge haka khoega, xoresase tsî ǂkhôa-i xare-i ǁîgu ai ǀkhaise, ǀaes ǃnâ ra ǃgûmase ra mû, tsî hakaǁîb ge ǀhomǃgā-i khami ra mûsen.”
ǃNona khoegu ge ǃnora kaihe tsî ra ǀgapiǀgapihe
26 Tsîb ge Nebukadnesara ǂhubi ra ǀaes hâǃnâ ǃnā-oms di dao-ams tawa sī tsî ge ǂgai: “Sadraxi, Mesaxi tsî Abednegob tsîgo, Hoan xa ǀGapi Elob ǃgāgo ǂoaxa, î nēpa hā re.” O gu ge ǁîga ǀaesa xu ge ǂoaxa. 27 Hoaraga gaoǀgôagu, gowoniagu, marisâu-aogu, ǀgoraǃgâ-aogu tsî ǁnâuǃgâ-aogu tsî hoa ǀgapiǂaitani-aogu ge nē khoegu ǂnamipe gu ge ǀhao, o ǀaes nē khoegu di sorob ai ǂkhôa i xare-e dī tama ǃkhaisa ge mû. ǁÎgu danaǀûn ge ge ǀīhe tama hâ i, saran âgu ge ge ǂhubi tama hâ i tsî ǃkhâ-i tsîn ge ǁîgu ai ge ham tama hâ i.
28 Ob ge gao-aoba ge mî: “Sadraxi, Mesaxi tsî Abednegob tsîgu di Eloba, ab koahe re. ǁÎb ge ǀhomǃgāba sî tsî ǁîb di ǃgāgu, ǁîb ai ra ǂgomaiǂnûiga go huiǂui. ǁÎgu ge gao-aota mîmāsa ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ tsî ǁîgu ûiba ǃaorosasib ǃnâ go mâi, ǀnî elo-i xare-e tama i tsî gu ǁîgu Elob ǀguiba nî ǀgoreǀîse.
29 “ǁNā-amaga ta ge mîmā-e ra māǂui, mâ ǁaes, ǃhaos tsî gowab di khoe-i hoa-i, Sadraxi, Mesaxi tsî Abednegob di Elob xa ga ǃgôaoǃnâse ǃhoa-i ge ǃâdi ǃnâ nî ǁhāǃāhe, tsîs ge ǁî-i di omsa nî hîkākāhe. Nēti a huiǂui ǁkhā elo-i xare-i kom a ǀkhaio.”
30 Tsîb ge gao-aoba Sadraxi, Mesaxi tsî Abednegob tsîga Babilons ǀkharib ǃnâ ǀgapi ǃharodi ǃnâ ge mâi.
