DAN 3:28 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Nevukadnetstsar spoke, “Praise the god of Shadrak, Meyshak, and Avednego. He sent his angel and rescued his servants who had put their trust in him. They took objection to the king’s command at the cost of their own lives, rather than serve or worship any god except their god.

3:28 OSHB variant note: גשמי/הון: (x-qere) ’גֶשְׁמְ/ה֗וֹן’: lemma_1655 n_0.1.1 morph_ANcmsc/Sp3mp id_27Dux גֶשְׁמְ/ה֗וֹן

3:28 OSHB note: Yathir readings in L which we have designated as Qeres when both Dothan and BHS list a Qere.

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the command of the king, and gave up their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their God.

UST Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise the God whom Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worship! He sent one of his angels to rescue these three men who worship him and trust in him. They ignored my command; they insisted that they would worship only their God, and were willing to die instead of worshiping any other god.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent forth his angel and has rescued his servants who trusted in him, ignoring the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than serve or pay homage to any god other than their God!

LSV Nebuchadnezzar has answered and has said, “Blessed [is] the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who has sent His messenger, and has delivered His servants who trusted on Him.” And the word of the king changed, and gave up their bodies that they might not serve nor pay respect to any god except to their own God.

FBV Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and he rescued his servants who trusted in him! They disobeyed my royal command, putting their lives on the line, and refused to worship any other gods except their God.

T4T Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise the God whom Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worship! He sent one of his angels to rescue these three men who worship him and trust in him. They ignored my command; they insisted that they would worship only their God, and were willing to die instead of worshiping any other god.

LEB ¶ Nebuchadnezzar _⌊responded_⌋,[fn] saying, “Blessed be their God, the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel[fn] and rescued his servants who trusted in him, and the command of the king they disobeyed, and they gave their bodies so that they did not serve and did not worship any god except their God.

3:28 Literally “answering”

3:28 Or “messenger”

BBE Nebuchadnezzar made answer and said, Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent his angel and kept his servants safe who had faith in him, and who put the king's word on one side and gave up their bodies to the fire, so that they might not be servants or worshippers of any other god but their God.

Moff Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego! He has sent his angel to save his servants who trusted in him, who frustrated the king’s word and surrendered their bodies to avoid serving or bowing before any god except their own God.

JPS Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said: 'Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent His angel, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

ASV Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

DRA For thou hast executed true judgments in all the things that thou hast brought upon us, and upon Jerusalem the holy city of our fathers: for according to truth and judgment, thou hast brought all these things upon us for our sins.

YLT Nebuchadnezzar hath answered and hath said, 'Blessed [is] the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who hath sent His messenger, and hath delivered His servants who trusted on Him, and the word of the king changed, and gave up their bodies that they might not serve nor do obeisance to any god except to their own God.

Drby Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the [fn]God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and who changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any [fn]god, except their own [fn]God!

3.28 Elohim

RV Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
(Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath/has sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. )

SLT Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, Blessed be their God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent his messenger and delivered for his servants that trusted upon him, and they changed the king’s word, and gave their bodies that they will not serve and prostrate themselves to any god, except to their God.

Wbstr Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

KJB-1769 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
(Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath/has sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. )

KJB-1611 Then Nebuchad-nezzar spake and said; Blessed bee the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his Angel, and deliuered his seruants that trusted in him, and haue changed the Kings word, and yeelded their bodies, that they might not serue nor worship any God, except their owne God.
(Then Nebuchad-nezzar spake and said; Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath/has sent his Angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the Kings word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any God, except their own God.)

Bshps Then spake Nabuchodonozor, and sayde: Blessed be the God of Sidrach, Misach, and Abednego, which hath sent his angel, and deliuered his seruauntes that put their trust in him, and haue altered the kinges commaundement, and ieoparded their bodies, rather then they would serue or worship any God, except their owne God onely.
(Then spake Nabuchodonozor, and said: Blessed be the God of Sidrach, Misach, and Abednego, which hath/has sent his angel, and delivered his servants that put their trust in him, and have altered the kings commandment, and ieoparded their bodies, rather then they would serve or worship any God, except their own God only.)

Gnva Wherefore Nebuchad-nezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who hath sent his Angel, and deliuered his seruants, that put their trust in him, and haue changed the Kings commandement, and yeelded their bodies rather then they would serue or worship any god, saue their owne God.
(Wherefore Nebuchad-nezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who hath/has sent his Angel, and delivered his servants, that put their trust in him, and have changed the Kings commandment, and yielded their bodies rather then they would serve or worship any god, save their own God. )

Cvdl Then spake Nabuchodonosor, and sayde: Blessed be the God of Sidrac, Misac & Abdenago: which hath sent his angel, ad defended his seruautes, that put their trust in him: yt haue altered the kynges commaundement, and ioperde their bodies thervpon: rather then they wolde serue or worshipe eny other god, excepte their owne God only.
(Then spake Nebuchadnezzar, and said: Blessed be the God of Sidrac, Misac and Abdenago: which hath/has sent his angel, and defended his servants, that put their trust in him: it have altered the kings commandment, and ioperde their bodies thervpon: rather then they would serve or worship any other god, except their own God only.)

Wycl For thou hast do trewe domes, bi alle thingis whiche thou brouytist yn on vs, and on Jerusalem, the hooli citee of oure fadris; for in trewthe and in doom thou brouytist yn alle these thingis for oure synnes.
(For thou/you hast do true judgements, by all things which thou/you broughtist in on us, and on Yerusalem, the holy city of our fathers; for in truth and in judgement thou/you broughtist in all these things for our sins.)

Luth Da fing an Nebukadnezar und sprach: Gelobet sei der GOtt Sadrachs, Mesachs und Abed-Negos, der seinen Engel gesandt und seine Knechte errettet hat, die ihm vertrauet und des Königs Gebot nicht gehalten, sondern ihren Leib dargegeben haben, daß sie keinen GOtt ehren noch anbeten wollten ohne allein ihren GOtt.
(So caught at/to Nebukadnezar and spoke: Praised be the/of_the God Sadrachs, Mesachs and Abed-Negos, the/of_the his angel sent and his servant(s) saved/rescued has, the him trusted and the kings commandment/command not held, rather your(pl) body dargegeben have, that they/she/them none God honour(v) still worship wanted without alone your(pl) God.)

ClVg Judicia enim vera fecisti juxta omnia, quæ induxisti super nos, et super civitatem sanctam patrum nostrorum Jerusalem: quia in veritate et in judicio induxisti omnia hæc propter peccata nostra.
(Yudicia because true you_did next_to everything, which induxisti over us, and over the_city holy of_the_fathers of_ours Yerusalem: because in/into/on with_truth and in/into/on judgement induxisti everything these_things because sins our. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–30: God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace

This is the only chapter in the book of Daniel where the author does not refer to Daniel himself. Scholars have debated why this might be. Possibly he was traveling somewhere else in the empire on the king’s business at this time.

The author wrote Daniel 3 in the Aramaic language. These Notes usually follow the Aramaic found in the Masoretic Text (MT). The early Greek translation of Daniel 3 is somewhat different from the Aramaic. The Greek translation includes two stories that are not in the MT. The first is called “The Prayer of Azariah” (3:24–45). The second is called “The Song of the Three Young Men” (3:50–90). These two stories are connected by a short paragraph (3:46–50). Most English versions do not include these two stories. The NJB, however, does include them. As a result the verse numbers in the NJB are different from those of most other English versions.

In some other places the Greek text of Daniel 3 differs from the Aramaic of the Masoretic Text. For example, the Greek text includes a date in 3:1 that is not in the MT. Scholars have different views on why the two texts differ. It is possible that the Greek versions may have translated from a different Aramaic original. The Notes will discuss the differences between the two texts for certain important passages.

Outline: This chapter can be divided into four parts:

1. Setting: Nebuchadnezzar commanded all his officials of Babylon to come and worship the golden image that he had set up. (3:1–7)

2. Problem: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down and worship the image. The king threatened to kill them, but they still refused. (3:8–18)

3. Action: The king ordered his soldiers to throw the three young men into the furnace. (3:19–23)

4. Result/Outcome: God delivered the three young men from the furnace, and Nebuchadnezzar gave honor to God. (3:24–30)

The author gave prominence to Daniel 3:16–18, when the three young men proclaimed that they trusted in God to rescue them. If you have a way in your language to mark this section as important, you should use do that here

Headings:

The Notes interpret Daniel 3:1–30 as a one unit with one heading. However, in some languages it may be helpful to divide this chapter into more than one unit and to give each unit a separate heading. The following are some examples of how English versions divide the chapter into units and the headings they give for each unit:

Some versions have one heading. For example:
1. “The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace” (NIV)
2. “The Fiery Furnace” (REB)
3. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Refuse to Worship an Idol” (GW)

2. Some have two headings:

“The Golden Image” (NRSV, 3:1–18)
- “Nebuchadnezzar’s Gold Statue” (NLT, 3:1–18)
“The Fiery Furnace” (NRSV, 3:19–30)
- “The Blazing Furnace” (NLT, 3:19–30)

3. The GNT has four headings:

“Nebuchadnezzar Commands Everyone to Worship a Gold Statue” (3:1–7)
“Daniel’s Three Friends Are Accused of Disobedience” (3:8–18)
“Daniel’s Three Friends Are Sentenced to Death” (3:19–25)
“The Three Men Are Released and Promoted” (3:26–30)

Special Translation Problems:

Lists: The author liked to use lists. He repeated these lists throughout the chapter. For example:
1. the list of the names of officials (3:2, 3, 27)
2. the list of musical instruments (3:5, 7, 10, 15)
3. the phrase: “peoples, nations, and languages” (3:4, 29)
Repetition: The author also liked to repeat phrases throughout the narrative. Some of these phrases are:
1. “the image that King Nebuchadnezzar set up” (3:1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 12, 14, 18)
2. “hear the sound of the horn” (3:5, 7, 10, 15)
3. “fall down and worship” (3:5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 15)
4. “burning fiery furnace” (3:6, 11, 15, 17, 20, 21, 23, 26)
5. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” (3:12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 20, 22, 26, 28, 29, 30)

Each language uses repetition in its own way. These notes will discuss the significance of the repetitions in Daniel. In some languages, the repetition may not be natural. If that is true in your language, you will have to consider how best to communicate the same meaning.

Paragraph 3:28–30

In this concluding paragraph the king praised God for the miracle that had happened, and he rewarded the three Jewish men.

3:28a

Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

¶ Then King Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Praise^(plur) the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!
¶ Then the king exclaimed, “I praise the God that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worship!

Nebuchadnezzar declared: See the Notes at 3:9. The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as Nebuchadnezzar declared is more literally “Nebuchadnezzar was answering and saying.” The expression indicates that Nebuchadnezzar was about to announce something important. You can say:

Then Nebuchadnezzar said (NIV)

Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed (NET)

Nebuchadnezzar: Refer to the king in the way that is most natural in your own language.

Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: Nebuchadnezzar honored God by calling for him to receive praise. He did not indicate who should praise God. In some languages it may be natural to translate Praise as a verb. It may be necessary to supply a subject. For example:

I praise… (GNT)

Let/May everyone praise…

Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. (NCV)

the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: The king believed in many different gods. He thought he was praising one of them, the God whom Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worshiped. Other ways to translate this include:

the God who is worshiped by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

the God whom Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego serve

3:28b

who has sent His angel and delivered His servants

He sent his angel here in order to rescue these servants of his.
He told his angel to come to these men who serve him and he saved them from the fire.

who has sent His angel: An angel is a messenger and servant of God. In 3:25b the king called this fourth person “a son of the gods.” Here in 3:28b he called him an angel. Nebuchadnezzar believed that there were many gods, and possibly he did not distinguish between angels and gods.Some commentators believe that the fourth person refers to Jesus Christ. Showers (p. 35) cites Leon Wood, A Commentary On Daniel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, l973), 93. See “angel” in KBT.

and delivered His servants: The subject of the verb is God. The king believed that God had sent his angel, and that through this angel God had rescued the three men from the fire. Other ways to translate this in English are:

and saved his servants (GW)

in order to rescue his servants

His servants: In some languages it may be more natural to translate this as a clause with a verb. For example:

who serve…him (GNT)

who worship him

3:28c

who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command

They trusted him and rejected/refused my command.
They refused to obey the order I had made/given. Instead, they trusted their God to save/rescue them.

who trusted in Him: English versions interpret this phrase in two ways:

It connects closely with the following clause. For example:
he has sent his angel to rescue his servants who, putting their trust in him, defied the order of the king (NJB) (BSB, NIV, NJPS, NJB, CEV, NCV)
It connects closely with the previous clause. For example:
who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command (NRSV) (KJV, NRSV, GW, NLT, REB, GNT)

The two interpretations are close in meaning. Interpretation (1) is recommended.

They violated the king’s command: The Aramaic clause that the BSB translates as violated the king’s command is literally, “and have changed the king’s word.” In many languages it is more natural for the king to refer to himself in the first person. For example:

and refused to obey my orders (CEV)

They disobeyed my orders (GNT)

3:28d

and risked their lives

They risked their own lives
They were willing to die,

and risked their lives: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as risked their lives is more literally “gave their bodies.” It indicates that the men were willing to die. They were willing to give their bodies to be burned in the fire. Your translation should avoid implying that the men did actually die in the fire. Other ways to translate this include:

and were willing to give up their lives (NIV)

and were willing to die (NLT)

3:28e

rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

rather than honor or worship a different god than the God of their own people.
but they were not willing to worship any god other than the one God they always worshiped.

rather than serve or worship any god except their own God: The same two Aramaic verbs that the BSB translates as serve and worship are used together in 3:12, 14, and 18. See the Notes at 3:12d-e. You can also say:

so that they would not have to honor and worship (GW)

rather than to obey and worship

The two verbs are synonyms. If it is natural to use only one verb, that is acceptable.

any god except their own God: This phrase implies that the king believed that there was more than one god.

their own God: The phrase their own God means “the God whom they worshiped.” Another way to make this clear is:

other than the one God they always worshiped