Shadrach, Meshach and ToBedWeGo

From my upcoming book:  Kings and Things:  Stories of the Old Testament

I have a young friend who wanted to tell

A bible story to us

She closed her eyes and took a big breath

And slowly told it thus

There once were three men from Israel

Who’d been taken from their places

To live in a strange and far off land

Where no one knew their faces

My friend begin to say their names

Shadrach and his friend Meshach

But when it came time to name the third

Her memory got quite slack

The third one’s name is … ummm…let’s see

I’m certain that I know

It’s right here on my little tongue

Oh yes, ToBedWeGo

I made a face she couldn’t see

And giggled soft and low

Cause I knew the name to be

For sure, Abendago

But names like that are hard to say

So it’s alright you see

My friend took one more great big breath

And continued to tell me

It seems the King was quite a grouch

And made some silly law

That everyone should bow down low

And treat him with great awe

But these three guys decided not

To worship that old King

They would only bow to God

And to no other thing

The King got mad and yelled out loud

Throw them in the fire

I’ll teach them not to disobey

So turn the flames up higher

When the King stared at the three

He thought that he would croak

For there they were not even burnt

Or even smelled of smoke

I love the way she told that tale

How her little face did glow

And how she said their names aloud

Espcially ToBedWeGo