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Bible in Basic English

Daniel 3:18

But if not, be certain, O King, that we will not be the servants of your gods, or give worship to the image of gold which you have put up.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abed-Nego;   Coercion;   Conspiracy;   Courage;   Faith;   Furnace;   Indictments;   Meshach;   Mishael;   Persecution;   Rulers;   Zeal, Religious;   Scofield Reference Index - Miracles;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   Home;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Seven;   Stability;   Steadfastness;   Steadfastness-Instability;   Stories for Children;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Babylon;   Boldness, Holy;   Idolatry;   Missionaries, All Christians Should Be as;   Persecution;   Steadfastness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abednego;   Furnaces;   Image;   Punishments;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Courage;   Government;   Miracles;   War;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Meshach;   Shadrach;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Daniel, Book of;   Emperor Worship;   God;   Image, Nebuchadnezzar's;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Abednego ;   Furnace;   Meshach ;   Shadrach ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Sackbut;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Abednego;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Worship;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Azariah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”
Hebrew Names Version
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.
King James Version
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
English Standard Version
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
New American Standard Bible
"But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods nor worship the golden statue that you have set up."
New Century Version
But even if God does not save us, we want you, O king, to know this: We will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up."
Amplified Bible
"But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!"
Geneva Bible (1587)
But if not, bee it knowen to thee, O King, that wee will not serue thy gods, nor worship the golden image, which thou hast set vp.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
Berean Standard Bible
But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up."
Contemporary English Version
But even if he doesn't, we still won't worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up."
Complete Jewish Bible
But even if he doesn't, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will neither serve your gods nor worship the gold statue which you have set up."
Darby Translation
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image that thou hast set up.
Easy-to-Read Version
But even if God does not save us, we want you to know, King, that we refuse to serve your gods. We will not worship the gold idol you have set up."
George Lamsa Translation
Then the king shall know that we will not serve your god nor worship the golden image which you have set up.
Good News Translation
But even if he doesn't, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up."
Lexham English Bible
And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, and the statue of gold that you have set up we will not worship."
Literal Translation
And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And though he wil not, yet shalt thou knowe (o kynge) that we will not serue thy goddes, ner do reuerece to the ymage, which thou hast set vp.
American Standard Version
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.'
King James Version (1611)
But if not, bee it knowen vnto thee, O king, that we will not serue thy gods, nor worship thy golden image, which thou hast set vp.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And though he will not, yet shalt thou knowe O king, that we will not serue thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set vp.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the image which thou hast set up.
English Revised Version
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
World English Bible
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
That if he nyle, be it knowun to thee, thou kyng, that we onouren not thi goddis, and we worschipen not the goldun ymage, which thou hast reisid.
Update Bible Version
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.
Webster's Bible Translation
But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
New English Translation
But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don't serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected."
New King James Version
But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
New Living Translation
But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up."
New Life Bible
But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the object of gold that you have set up."
New Revised Standard
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, if not, be it known to thee, O king, - that, thy god, will we not serve, and, the image of gold which thou hast set up, will we not adore.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But if he will not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not worship thy gods, nor adore the golden statue which thou hast set up.
Revised Standard Version
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."
Young's Literal Translation
And lo -- not! be it known to thee, O king, that thy gods we are not serving, and to the golden image thou hast raised up we do no obeisance.'

Contextual Overview

8 At that time certain Chaldaeans came near and made a statement against the Jews. 9 They made answer and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O King, have life for ever. 10 You, O King, have given an order that every man, when the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all sorts of instruments, comes to his ears, is to go down on his face in worship before the image of gold: 11 And anyone not falling down and worshipping is to be put into a burning and flaming fire. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have put over the business of the land of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men have not given attention to you, O King: they are not servants of your gods or worshippers of the gold image which you have put up. 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his wrath and passion gave orders for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to be sent for. Then they made these men come in before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar made answer and said to them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you will not be servants of my god or give worship to the image of gold which I have put up? 15 Now if you are ready, on hearing the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all sorts of instruments, to go down on your faces in worship before the image which I have made, it is well: but if you will not give worship, that same hour you will be put into a burning and flaming fire; and what god is there who will be able to take you out of my hands? 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answering Nebuchadnezzar the king, said, There is no need for us to give you an answer to this question. 17 If our God, whose servants we are, is able to keep us safe from the burning and flaming fire, and from your hands, O King, he will keep us safe.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

be it: Job 13:15, Proverbs 28:1, Isaiah 51:12, Isaiah 51:13, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 10:32, Matthew 10:33, Matthew 10:39, Matthew 16:2, Luke 12:3-9, Acts 4:10-13, Acts 4:19, Acts 5:29-32, Revelation 2:10, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 12:11

that: Exodus 20:3-5, Leviticus 19:4

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 21:11 - did as Jezebel 1 Chronicles 21:4 - Wherefore Proverbs 3:25 - Be Daniel 3:25 - the Son of God Daniel 5:18 - O thou Habakkuk 2:19 - that Acts 13:38 - it

Cross-References

Genesis 3:14
And the Lord God said to the snake, Because you have done this you are cursed more than all cattle and every beast of the field; you will go flat on the earth, and dust will be your food all the days of your life:
Genesis 3:15
And there will be war between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed: by him will your head be crushed and by you his foot will be wounded.
Joshua 23:13
Then you may be certain that the Lord your God will not go on driving these nations out from before you; but they will become a danger and a cause of sin to you, a whip for your sides and thorns in your eyes, till you are cut off from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.
Job 1:21
With nothing I came out of my mother's body, and with nothing I will go back there; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; let the Lord's name be praised.
Job 5:5
Their produce is taken by him who has no food, and their grain goes to the poor, and he who is in need of water gets it from their spring.
Job 31:40
Then in place of grain let thorns come up, and in place of barley evil-smelling plants.
Psalms 90:3
You send man back to his dust; and say, Go back, you children of men.
Psalms 104:2
You are clothed with light as with a robe; stretching out the heavens like a curtain:
Proverbs 22:5
Thorns and nets are in the way of the twisted: he who keeps watch over his soul will be far from them.
Proverbs 24:31
And it was all full of thorns, and covered with waste plants, and its stone wall was broken down.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But if not,.... If our God does not think fit to exert his power, and deliver us, which we are well assured he is able to do; if it is not his will, we are content, we are resigned unto it:

be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, be it as it will, whether we are delivered or not; we are not sure of the one, but we are at a point as to the other:

nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up; come life, come death, we are ready; we had rather die than sin: they were all of one mind, and agreed in this matter; a noble instance of spiritual fortitude and courage!

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But if not - That is, “if he should “not” deliver us; if it should “not” occur that he would protect us, and save us from that heated oven: whatever may be the result in regard to us, our determination is settled.”

Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods ... - This answer is firm and noble. It showed that their minds were made up, and that it was with them a matter of “principle” not to worship false gods. The state of mind which is denoted by this verse is that of a determination to do their duty, whatever might be the consequences. The attention was fixed on what was “right,” not on what would be the result. The sole question which was asked was, what “ought” to be done in the case; and they had no concern about what would follow. True religion is a determined purpose to do right, and not to do wrong, whatever may be the consequences in either case. It matters not what follows - wealth or poverty; honor or dishonor; good report or evil report; life or death; the mind is firmly fixed on doing right, and not on doing wrong. This is “the religion of principle;” and when we consider the circumstances of those who made this reply; when we remember their comparative youth, and the few opportunities which they had for instruction in the nature of religion, and that they were captives in a distant land, and that they stood before the most absolute monarch of the earth, with no powerful friends to support them, and with the most horrid kind of death threatening them, we may well admire the grace of that God who could so amply furnish them for such a trial, and love that religion which enabled them to take a stand so noble and so bold.


 
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