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.
Parallel translations
- WEB But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.
- BSB 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.”
- NKJV 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.”
- NASB 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.”
- NLT 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.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
"But if not," they will still refuse to serve the king's gods. Their loyalty does not depend on being rescued.
Overview
This is the heart of their faith: obedience whether or not God delivers them in this life. They will not bow even if it means death, trusting God's will above their own survival. Their words model a worship that loves God for who he is, not merely for what he gives, and anticipate the martyr's courage seen throughout church history.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Acts 5:29–32Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
- Matt 10:39He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
- Rev 2:10–11Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
- Matt 10:32–33Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
- Luke 12:3–9Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
- Acts 4:10–13Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
- Josh 24:15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
- Isa 51:12–13I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
- Prov 28:1The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
- Rev 12:11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
- Dan 3:28Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 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.
- Job 13:15Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
- Lev 19:4Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.
- Exod 20:3–5Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
- Acts 4:19But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
- Matt 10:28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
- Matt 16:2He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Daniel sees the stone cut without hands that shatters the kingdoms, and 'one like a son of man' given everlasting dominion — titles and visions Jesus claims as his own.
How Daniel 3:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.