The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ The kynge setteth vp a golden Image, whiche he com∣maundeth to be worshypped. Sydrach, Mysach, and Abed∣nago are accused, because they dispysed the kynges commaū¦dement They are brought vnto the kynge and commaunded to worshyp the ymage. They refuse to do it and are put into a burnynge ouen. By belyfe in God they are delyuered from the fyre. Nabuchodonosor confesseth the power of God after the syght of the myracle.

CAPI. III.

NAbuchodonosor the Kynge caused a [unspec A] golden Image to be made: which was lx. cubytes hye / and syxe cubytes thycke. This he made to be set vp in y^• felde of Du∣ra in the lande of Babylon and sent oute to¦gather together the Dukes, Lordes and no¦bles, the iudges and offycers / the debytes and shreues, with all the rulers of the lande that they myght come to the dedycacyon of the Image whiche Nabuchodonosor the Kynge had set vp. So the Dukes / Lordes and nobles / the iudges and offycers / deby∣tes and shreues with all the rulers of the lande gathered them together, and came vn¦to the dedycatynge of the Image, that Na∣buchodonosor the Kynge had set vp.

Nowe when they stode before the Image, which Nabuchodonoror set vp, y^• bedil cried out with al his might: O ye people, kynred∣des and tunges, to you be it sayde: that whē ye heare the noyse of the trompettes / which shalbe blowen / with the harpes / shawmes / Psalteries, Symphonyes and all maner of Musike: ye fall downe and worshipe y^• gol∣den Image, that Nabuchodonosor the king hath set vp. Whose then falleth not downe and boweth hym selfe / shall euen the same houre be caste into an hote burnynge ouen.

Therfore, when al the folcke herde the noise of the trōpettes that were blowen, with the harpes / shawmes / Psalteryes / Sympho∣mes & al kinde of Melody / thē al the people kynreddes & nacions fell downe, & bowed them selues vnto the golden Image / that Nabuchodonosor the kynge had set vp.

Nowe were there certayne men of the Cal∣dees [unspec B] / that went euen then and accused the Iewes / & sayde vnto the kynge Nabucho∣donosor: O king, god saue thy lyfe for euer. Thou beynge kynge hast geuen a cōmaun∣demente / that all men when they heare the noyse of the trompettes, harpes / shawmes / psalteryes / symphonyes and all the other melodyes: shall fall downe and bowe them selues towarde the golden Image: whoso then fell not downe and worshypped not / that he shulde be cast into an hote burnyng ouen. Nowe are there certayne Iewes / whom thou haste set ouer the offyces of the lande of Babylon: namely / Sydrache / Mysache and Abednago. These men (O Kynge) regarde not thy commaundement / yee / they wyll not serue thy goddes / nor bow them selues to the golden Image that thou haste set vp.

Then Nabuchodonosor in a cruell wrathe and displeasure, cōmaunded, that Sidrach Misach and Abednago shulde be broughte vnto hym. So these men were brought be∣fore the kynge. Then Nabuchodonosor spake vnto them / and sayde: what? O Sy∣drach Mysache and Abednago / wyl not ye serue my goddes? nor bowe youre selues to the golden Image, that I haue set vp: wel, be redy hereafter when ye heare the noise of the trompettes blowe wyth the Harpes / shawmes / psalteries, symphonyes & all the other melodyes: that ye fall downe, & wor∣shippe the Image which I haue made. But yf ye worshyppe it not, ye shal be cast imme∣diatly into an hote burnyng ouen. Let se / what God is there, that maye delyuer you oute of my handes? Sidrach, Misach and Abednago answered the kynge, and sayde: O Nabuchodonosor we ought not to cōsent vnto the in this matter / for why? oure God whom we serue / is able to kepe vs from the hote burninge ouen (O Kynge) and can ryght well delyuer vs out of thy handes.

And though he wyll not / yet shalte thou knowe (O Kynge) that we wyll not serue [unspec C] thy goddes, nor do reuerence to the Image / which thou haste set vp. Then was Nabu∣chodonosor full of indignacyon, so that the countenaūce of his face chaunged vpon Si∣drach, Misach, and Abednago. Therfore he charged and commaūded, y^t the ouen shuld be made seuē tymes hoter, then it wâs wōte to be: & spake vnto the strongest worthyes that were in his host, for to bynde Sidrach, Misach and Abednago, & to cast them into the hote burnynge ouen.

So these men were bounde in theyr cotes hosen / shues wyth theyr other garmentes / and caste into the hote burnynge ouen: for the kynges commaundemēt was so strayte, and the ouen was excedynge hote. As for the men that put in Sidrach / Misach and Abednago / the flamme of the fyre destroyed them. And these thre men Sidrach Misach and Abednago fell downe in the hote bur∣nynge ouen, beinge fast bounde. Then Na∣buchodonosor the king marueled and stode vp in all hast: he spake vnto hys councell and sayde: dyd not ye caste these thre men bounde into the fyre? They answered / and saide vnto the kynge: Yee / O kynge. He an∣swered and sayde: lo for all that / yet do I se foure men goinge low••e in the myddest of the fyre / and nothynge corrupte: and the fourth is ☞ lyke an aungel to loke vpon. [unspec D] Upon this went Nabuchodonosor vnto the mouth of the hote burnynge ouen: he spake also and sayde: O Sidrache / Misache and Abednago / ye seruauntes of the hye God: go forth, and come hither. And so Sidrach, Misache and Abednago wente oute of the fyre. Then the dukes Lordes, and nobles / and the kynges councel came together to se these men, ‡ vpon whom the fyre had no ma¦ner of power in theyr bodyes: In so muche that the very heare of theyre head was not burnt, and theyr clothes vnchaunged: Yee / there was no smell of fyre felt vpon them.

Then spake Nabuchodonosor, and sayd: Blessed be the God of Sidrach, Misach & Abednago: which hath sent hys Angell / and defended his seruauntes, that put their trust in him: that altered the kynges com∣maundemente, and ieoperde theyr bodyes thervpon: rather then they wolde serue or worshype any other God, except theyr owne God only. Therfore I wyll and com∣maunde, that all people, kynredes and tun∣ges / whiche speake any blasphemy agaynst the God of Sidrach, Misach & Abednago shall dye, and theyr houses shall be praysed: Because, there is no God that maye saue, as this. So the kynge promoted Sydrach, Mysache / and Abdenago / in the lande of Babylon.

Notes

• Daui. ii. g.
• Num. 16. g
• ‡

  Esa. xliii. a
• Psal. 34. a. Dani. vi. d. Actes. xii. f.
• Esai. 44 •• Ose. xiii. ••.