14. Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar spoke and said to them, “Is it true, Shaḏraḵ, Mĕyshaḵ, and Aḇĕḏ-Neg̅o, that you do not serve my elahin, and you do not do obeisance to the gold image which I have set up?
15. “Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the zither, the lyre, the harp, the pipes, and all kinds of instruments, and you fall down and do obeisance to the image which I have made, good! But if you do not do obeisance, you are immediately thrown into the midst of a burning furnace of fire. And who is the elah who does deliver you from my hands?”
16. Shaḏraḵ, Mĕyshaḵ, and Aḇĕḏ-Neg̅o answered and said to the sovereign, “O Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17. “For if so, our Elah whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning furnace of fire and from your hand, O sovereign – He does deliver!
18. “But if not, let it be known to you, O sovereign, that we do not serve your elahin, nor do we do obeisance to the gold image which you have set up.”
19. Then Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar was filled with wrath, and the expression on his face changed toward Shaḏraḵ, Mĕyshaḵ, and Aḇĕḏ-Neg̅o. He responded and gave orders that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usual to heat it.