Dànyǐlǐshū 3

1 Ní bù Jiǎní sǎ wáng zào le yī gè jīn xiàng , gāo liù shí zhǒu , kuān liù zhǒu , lì zaì Bābǐlún shĕng dù lā píngyuán .

2 Ní bù Jiǎní sǎ wáng chāi rén jiāng zǒng dū , qīn chāi , xúnfǔ , niè sī , fān sī , móu shì , fǎ guān , hé gè shĕng de guān yuán dōu zhào le lái , wèi Níbùjiǎnísǎ wáng suǒ lì de xiàng xíng kāi guāng zhī lǐ .

3 Yúshì zǒng dū , qīn chāi , xúnfǔ , niè sī , fān sī , móu shì , fǎ guān , hé gè shĕng de guān yuán dōu jùjí le lái , yào wèi Níbùjiǎnísǎ wáng suǒ lì de xiàng xíng kāi guāng zhī lǐ , jiù zhàn zaì Níbùjiǎnísǎ suǒ lì de xiàng qián .

4 Nàshi zhuàn líng de dàshēng hūjiào shuō , gè fāng , gè guó , gè zú ( yuánwén zuò shé xià tóng ) de rén nǎ , yǒu líng zhuàn yǔ nǐmen ,

5 Nǐmen yī tīngjian jiǎo , dí , pí pa , qín , sè , shēng , hé gèyàng lè qì de shēngyīn , jiù dāng fǔfú jìngbaì Níbùjiǎnísǎ wáng suǒ lì de jīn xiàng .

6 Fán bù fǔfú jìngbaì de , bì lìshí rēng zaì lièhuǒ de yáo zhōng .

7 Yīncǐ gè fāng , gè guó , gè zú de rénmín yī tīngjian jiǎo , dí , pí pa , qín , sè , hé gèyàng lè qì de shēngyīn , jiù dōu fǔfú jìngbaì Níbùjiǎnísǎ wáng suǒ lì de jīn xiàng .

8 Nàshí , yǒu jǐ gè Jiālèdǐ rén jìn qián lái kònggào Yóudà rén .

9 Tāmen duì Níbùjiǎnísǎ wáng shuō , yuàn wáng wàn suì .

10 Wáng a , nǐ céng jiàng zhǐ shuō , fán tīngjian jiǎo , dí , pí pa , qín , sè , shēng , hé gèyàng lè qì shēngyīn de dōu dāng fǔfú jìngbaì jīn xiàng .

11 Fán bú fǔfú jìngbaì de , bì rēng zaì lièhuǒ de yáo zhōng .

12 Xiànzaì yǒu jǐ gè Yóudà rén , jiù shì wáng suǒ paì guǎnlǐ Bābǐlún shĕng shì wù de shā dé lā , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē . wáng a , zhèxie rén bù lǐ nǐ , bú shìfèng nǐde shén , yĕ bù jìngbaì nǐ suǒ lì de jīn xiàng .

13 Dāngshí , Níbùjiǎnísǎ chōng chōng dà nù , fēnfu rén bǎ shā dé lā , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē daì guō lái , tāmen jiù bǎ nàxiē rén daì dào wáng miànqián .

14 Ní bù Jiǎní sǎ wèn tāmen shuō , shā dé là , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē , nǐmen bú shìfèng wǒde shén , yĕ bù jìngbaì wǒ suǒ lì de jīn xiàng , shì gùyì de ma .

15 Nǐmen zaì tīngjian jiǎo , dí , pí pa , qín , sè , shēng , hé gèyàng lè qì de shēngyīn , ruò fǔfú jìngbaì wǒ suǒ zào de xiàng , què hái kĕyǐ . ruò bù jìngbaì , bì lìshí rēng zaì lièhuǒ de yáo zhōng , yǒu hé shén néng jiù nǐmen tuōlí wǒ shǒu ne .

16 Shā dé lā , mǐ shā, Yàbó ní gē duì wáng shuō , Níbùjiǎnísǎ a , zhè jiàn shì wǒmen bù bì huídá nǐ .

17 Jí biàn rúcǐ , wǒmen suǒ shìfèng de shén néng jiāng wǒmen cóng lièhuǒ de yáo zhōng jiù chūlai . wáng a , tā yĕ bì jiù wǒmen tuōlí nǐde shǒu .

18 Jíhuò bù rán , wáng a , nǐ dāng zhīdào wǒmen jué bú shìfèng nǐde shén , yĕ bù jìngbaì nǐ suǒ lì de jīn xiàng .

19 Dāngshí , Níbùjiǎnísǎ nùqì tián xiōng , xiàng shā dé lā , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē biàn le liǎnsè , fēnfu rén bǎ yáo shāo rè , bǐ xún cháng gèngjiā qī beì .

20 Yòu fēnfu tā jūn zhōng de jǐ gè zhuàngshì , jiāng shā dé lā , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē kún qǐlai , rēng zaì lièhuǒ de yáo zhōng .

21 Zhè sān rén chuān zhe kùzi , neì paó , waìyī , hé biéde yīfu , beì kún qǐlai rēng zaì lièhuǒ de yáo zhōng .

22 Yīnwei wáng méng jǐn jí , yáo yòu shén rè , nà tái shā Délā , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē de rén dōu beì huǒyàn shāo sǐ .

23 Shā de là , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē zhè sān gèrén dōu beì kún zhe luō zaì lièhuǒ de yáo zhōng .

24 Nàshí , Níbùjiǎnísǎ wáng jīngqí , jímáng qǐlai , duì móu shì shuō , wǒ kún qǐlai rēng zaì huǒ lǐ de bú shì sān gè tāng ma . tāmen huídá wáng shuō , wáng a , shì .

25 Wáng shuō , kàn nǎ , wǒ jiàn yǒu sì gèrén , bìng méiyǒu kúnbǎng , zaì huǒ zhōng yóuxíng , yĕ méiyǒu shòushāng . nà dì sì gè de xiàngmào hǎoxiàng shén zǐ .

26 Yúshì , Níbùjiǎnísǎ jiù jìn lièhuǒ yáo mén , shuō , zhìgāo shén de púrén shā dé lā , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē chūlai , shang zhèlǐ lái ba . shā dé lā , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē jiù cóng huǒ zhōng chūlai le .

27 Nàxiē zǒng dū , qīn chāi , xúnfǔ , hé wáng de móu shì yītóng jùjí kàn zhè sān gèrén , jiàn huǒ wúlì shāng tāmende shēntǐ , tóufa yĕ méiyǒu shāo jiāo , yīshang yĕ méiyǒu biàn shǎi , bìng méiyǒu huǒ liaó de qì wèi .

28 Ní bù Jiǎní sǎ shuō , shā dé là , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē de shén shì yīngdāng chēngsòng de . tā chāiqiǎn shǐzhĕ jiù hù yǐkào tāde púrén , tāmen bú zūn wáng méng , shĕ qù jǐ shēn , zaì tāmen shén yǐwaì bù kĕn shìfèng jìngbaì biè shén .

29 Xiànzaì wǒ jiàng zhǐ , wúlùn hé fāng , hé guó , hé zú de rén , bàngshā dé lā , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē zhī shén de , bì beì líng chí , tāde fángwū bì chéng fèn duī , yīnwei méiyǒu bié shén néng zhèyàng shīxíng zhĕngjiù .

30 Nàshí wáng zaì Bābǐlún shĕng , gāo shēng le shā dé lā , mǐ shā , Yàbó ní gē .

Dànyǐlǐshū 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. (1-7) Shadrach and his companions refuse to worship it. (8-18) They are cast into a furnace, but are miraculously preserved. (19-27) Nebuchadnezzar gives glory to Jehovah. (28-30)

Verses 1-7 In the height of the image, about thirty yards, probably is included a pedestal, and most likely it was only covered with plates of gold, not a solid mass of that precious metal. Pride and bigotry cause men to require their subjects to follow their religion, whether right or wrong, and when worldly interest allures, and punishment overawes, few refuse. This is easy to the careless, the sensual, and the infidel, who are the greatest number; and most will go their ways. There is nothing so bad which the careless world will not be drawn to by a concert of music, or driven to by a fiery furnace. By such methods, false worship has been set up and maintained.

Verses 8-18 True devotion calms the spirit, quiets and softens it, but superstition and devotion to false gods inflame men's passions. The matter is put into a little compass, Turn, or burn. Proud men are still ready to say, as Nebuchadnezzar, Who is the Lord, that I should fear his power? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not hesitate whether they should comply or not. Life or death were not to be considered. Those that would avoid sin, must not parley with temptation when that to which we are allured or affrighted is manifestly evil. Stand not to pause about it, but say, as Christ did, Get thee behind me, Satan. They did not contrive an evasive answer, when a direct answer was expected. Those who make their duty their main care, need not be anxious or fearful concerning the event. The faithful servants of God find him able to control and overrule all the powers armed against them. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst. If He be for us, we need not fear what man can do unto us. God will deliver us, either from death or in death. They must obey God rather than man; they must rather suffer than sin; and must not do evil that good may come. Therefore none of these things moved them. The saving them from sinful compliance, was as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace, as the saving them out of the fiery furnace was in the kingdom of nature. Fear of man and love of the world, especially want of faith, make men yield to temptation, while a firm persuasion of the truth will deliver them from denying Christ, or being ashamed of him. We are to be meek in our replies, but we must be decided that we will obey God rather than man.

Verses 19-27 Let Nebuchadnezzar heat his furnace as hot as he can, a few minutes will finish the torment of those cast into it; but hell-fire tortures, and yet does not kill. Those who worshipped the beast and his image, have no rest, no pause, no moment free from pain, ( revelation 14:10 revelation 14:11 ) . Now was fulfilled in the letter that great promise, ( Isaiah 43:2 ) , When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned. Leaving it to that God who preserved them in the fire, to bring them out, they walked up and down in the midst, supported and encouraged by the presence of the Son of God. Those who suffer for Christ, have his presence in their sufferings, even in the fiery furnace, and in the valley of the shadow of death. Nebuchadnezzar owns them for servants of the most high God; a God able to deliver them out of his hand. It is our God only is the consuming fire, ( Hebrews 12:29 ) . Could we but see into the eternal world, we should behold the persecuted believer safe from the malice of his foes, while they are exposed to the wrath of God, and tormented in unquenchable fires.

Verses 28-30 What God did for these his servants, would help to keep the Jews to their religion while in captivity, and to cure them of idolatry. The miracle brought deep convictions on Nebuchadnezzar. But no abiding change then took place in his conduct. He who preserved these pious Jews in the fiery furnace, is able to uphold us in the hour of temptation, and to keep us from falling into sin.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 3

In this chapter an account is given of a golden image made by Nebuchadnezzar; its size; and where placed, Da 3:1, a summons to all his princes, governors, and officers, to attend the dedication of it, Da 3:2,3, a proclamation commanding men of all nations to fall down and worship it, at hearing the sound of music, Da 3:4-7, an accusation of the Jews to the king, particularly Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, for not worshipping it, Da 3:8-12, the king's sending for them in rage, and threatening to cast them into a fiery furnace if they continued to disobey his will, Da 3:13-15, their answer, which showed an inflexible resolution at all events not to comply with it, Da 3:16-18 the king's order to heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual, and cast them into it, which was executed; the consequence of which was, they that cast them in were destroyed through the vehement heat of the furnace, but the three Jews were unhurt, Da 3:19-23. Nebuchadnezzar's amazement at the sight of four persons, instead of three; and these loose, walking in the midst of the fire without hurt; and one of them like the Son of God, which he observed to his counsellors, Da 3:24,25, upon which he called to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to come out of the furnace, which they did in the presence of his princes, governors, and officers, having received not the least harm in their persons or clothes, Da 3:26,27 and then the king, praising the God of the Jews, published an edict that none should speak against him on pain of death; and restored the three men to their former dignity, Da 3:28-30.