Oshitelekwafano shoshingoldo shaNebukadnesar
1 Ohamba Nebukadnesar okwa ningifa oshitelekwafano shoshingoldo. Ofika yasho eemeta omilongo hamano, nounene washo eemeta hamano, ndele ye okwe shi dika molufilu laDura, momukunda waBabilon. 2 Opo nee ohamba Nebukadnesar oya tuma ovatumwa, va ka shive omalenga novakulunhu vovakwaita novapangeli voilongo noovene vomikunda novapukululi novadiinini voiyandjwa yoshilongo novatokoli novayakuli aveshe vamwe vomoilongo, okuya keyapulo loshitelekwafano eshi sha dikwa kohamba Nebukadnesar. 3 Opo omalenga novakulunhu vovakwaita novapangeli voilongo novapukululi novadiinini voiyandjwa yoshilongo novatokoli novayakuli aveshe vamwe vomoilongo ova shakavaena keyapulo loshitelekwafano sha dikwa kohamba Nebukadnesar, ndele va kala ofika koshipala shoshitelekwafano sha dikwa kuNebukadnesar. 4 Ndele omwiingidi okwa ingida pombada ta ti: “Onye oiwana nomaludi nomalaka, tamu shiivifilwa: 5 ngeenge nye tamu udu ondaka yomanghuma noyeenyalilo noyouyaayaa noyoushandje noyouxumbafeta noyoumbulumbubwa nondaka youxumba ve lili nove lili, opo nee nye omu nokulinyongamena poshi, ndele tamu ilikana oshitelekwafano shoshingoldo eshi sha dikwa kohamba Nebukadnesar. 6 Ndele ou ite linyongamene poshi ndele ita ilikana, opo tuu ta ka ekelwa mediko lomundilo.” 7 Opo nee oiwana aishe nomaludi nomalaka eshi ya uda ondaka yomanghuma noyeenyalilo noyouyaayaa noyoushandje noyouxumbafeta noyoumbulumbubwa nondaka youxumba ve lili nove lili, opo nee oiwana aishe nomaludi nomalaka oye linyongamena poshi ndele tai ilikana oshitelekwafano shoshingoldo, osho sha dikwa kohamba Nebukadnesar. 8 Opo tuu opo pe uya ovalumenhu vamwe Ovakaldea okupopya ko Ovajuda. 9 Ovo va lombwela ohamba Nebukadnesar, tava ti: “Tatekulu ohamba nai kale alushe nomwenyo! 10 Ove ohamba wa yandja ondaka nokutya, keshe omunhu ta udu ondaka yomanghuma noyeenyalilo noyouyaayaa noyoushandje noyouxumbafeta noyoumbulumbubwa noyouxumba ve lili nove lili, e nokulinyongamena poshi nokwiilikana oshitelekwafano oshingoldo, 11 ndele keshe ou ta anye okulinyongamena poshi nokwiilikana, oye na ekelwe mediko lomundilo. 12 Ndele oku na ovalumenhu Ovajuda ava wa lenga va kale ovakulunhu voshilongo shaBabilon, Sadrak, Mesak naAbednego. Ovalumenhu ava kave na ko na sha noshipango shoye, ohamba. Oikalunga yoye itave i fimaneke noshitelekwafano oshingoldo, we shi dika, itave shi ilikana nokulinyongamena.” 13 Opo Nebukadnesar okwa handuka nomehandu la xwama okwa yandja ondaka, ve uye, ava Sadrak, Mesak naAbednego. Opo nee ovalumenhu ova etwa koshipala shohamba. 14 Ndele Nebukadnesar okwa popya kuvo ta ti: “Sadrak, Mesak naAbednego, eshi itamu fimaneke oikalunga yange, nye itamu ilikana oshitelekwafano oshingoldo eshi nda dika, omwe shi ningila owina? 15 Paife eshi, ngeenge tamu udu ondaka yomanghuma noyeenyalilo noyouyaayaa noyoushandja noyouxumbafeta noyoumbulumbubwa nondaka youxumba ve lili nove lili, kaleni mwe lilongekidila okulinyongamena poshi nokwiilikana oshitelekwafano eshi nde shi ninga, opo nawa. Ndelenee ngeenge itamu ilikana, opo tuu opo tamu ekelwa mediko lomundilo. Ndele Kalunga ou te mu xupifa momake ange, olyelye?” 16 Sadrak, Mesak naAbednego ova nyamukula ndele tava lombwele ohamba tava ti: “Nebukadnesar, kape nomhumbwe tu ku nyamukule moshinima eshi nando ondjovo imwe. 17 Ngaashi Kalunga ketu ou hatu mu longele, ta dulu oku tu xupifa. Oye te ke tu xupifa mo mediko lomundilo nomomake oye, ohamba, 18 ndelenee, ngeenge hasho, kala u shi shii, ohamba, fye itatu longele oikalunga yoye, noshitelekwafano oshingoldo eshi wa dika, fye itatu shi ilikana.”
19 Opo nee Nebukadnesar okwa handuka unene noshipala shaye sha didivalela Sadrak, Mesak naAbednego. Oye a yandja elombwelo ndele ta ti, ediko nali hanyekwe li kale la hanya oupyu u dule luheyali oupyu wonale. 20 Ndele ye okwa lombwela ovalumenhu vamwe ovanaenghono vomovakwaita vaye, va ka mange Sadrak, Mesak naAbednego, va ekelwe mediko lomundilo. 21 Opo nee ovalumenhu ava va mangwa, ova li va djala oikutu ile neembaikifa nomambale noikutu yavo imwe, ndele tava ekelwa mediko lomundilo. 22 Molwaashi ondjovo yohamba oya li idjuu nediko ola pupyalekwa neenghono, omalaka omutemo womundilo okwa dipaa ovalumenhu venya, va ekela mo Sadrak, Mesak naAbednego. 23 Ndelenee ovalumenhu ava vatatu Sadrak, Mesak naAbednego, ova wila mo mediko lomundilo va mangwa.
24 Opo nee ohamba Nebukadnesar oya haluka noya yambuka, ya kala ofika. Ndele tai lombwele omalenga ayo, ndele tai ti: “Ongahelipi, inatu ekela momundilo ovalumenhu vatatu, va mangwa?” Ovo va nyamukula ohamba, tava ti: “Oshili, ohamba!” 25 Ndele ye okwa nyamukula, ta ti: “Taleni, ame ondi wete mo ovalumenhu vane, tave linyenge momundilo, ndele vo kave na nande oshiponga, omutine okwa fa omona waKalunga.” 26 Opo Nebukadnesar okwa ehena poshivelo shediko lomundilo, ndele ta ti: “Sadrak, Mesak naAbednego, onye ovapiya vaKalunga wOkombadambada, djeni mo, ileni oku! Opo nee Sadrak, Mesak naAbednego ova dja mo mediko lomundilo.” 27 Opo nee omalenga novakulunhu vovakwaita novapangeli voilongo novapukululi vohamba ova ongala, ndele va mona omundilo eshi wa nyengwa okuxwika omalutu ovalumenhu ava, noinau vava eexwiki dokomitwe davo, ndele inau lungwinifa omalwakani avo; navo vene inava nyika nande omuvavu.
28 Opo nee Nebukadnesar a popya, ta ti: “Kalunga kaSadrak, kaMesak nokaAbednego na hambelelwe, ou a tuma omweengeli waye ndele a xupifa ovapiya vaye, ve mu lineekela, vo va tauluka oshipango shohamba, ndelenee vo ove liyandja omalutu avo vaha fimaneke ile vaha ilikane kalunga kamwe, ndelenee Kalunga kavo aeke. 29 Onghee hano keshe oshiwana noludi nelaka tali sheke Kalunga kaSadrak, kaMesak nokaAbednego, oye na timbaulwe oinhimbu, neumbo laye tali ka ninga oshuumbo. Osheshi kape na Kalunga kamwe e shii okuxupifa ngaashi ou.” 30 Opo nee ohamba oya lenga Sadrak, Mesak naAbednego omalenga manene oshilongo shaBabilon.
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.
