The Prayer of Azariah

1 Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah walked around in the flames, singing praises to the Lord God. 2Then Azariah stood still and prayed out loud:

3You, Lord God of our ancestors,

are worthy to be praised,

and your name

should be honored forever.

4Everything you do is right;

your decisions bring justice.

5You were right to punish us

and to destroy holy Jerusalem,

the city of our ancestors.

Our people have sinned;

6we have broken all your laws

and turned away from you.

7We have disobeyed,

even though your commands

were for our own good.

8You were right to punish us

9and to let us be conquered

by our hateful enemies.

They refuse to obey your Law,

and the most evil king on earth

is their ruler.

10They insult us, your servants.

We are a disgrace

and have no excuse.

But we worship and obey you.

11Please, Lord, for the sake

of your reputation,

keep your agreement with us,

and someday set us free.

12You loved Abraham;

Isaac obeyed you,

and you chose Jacob.

For their sakes, don't take

your mercy from us.

13You promised to give them

more descendants

than there are stars in the sky

or grains of sand on a beach.

14But we sinned,

and so we have become

the smallest nation.

We are ashamed

15because we have no rulers,

no prophets, no leaders.

We have no incense, no altar,

and no sacrifices to please you

or to ask for your mercy.

16But if we are humble

and truly sorry for our sins,

17you will accept us

as if we had offered

a thousand rams and bulls

and ten thousand fat lambs.

You never disappoint those

who trust you, Lord.

We want to be your followers,

so please answer our prayer.

18We promise with all our hearts

to worship and obey you

and to continue praying.

19So please be patient with us

and show us your mercy.

20Work a miracle and rescue us,

so that you, Lord,

will be honored.

21We, your servants, pray

that those who have harmed us

will be disgraced;

crush their mighty power

so they will fail.

22Show them that you alone

are the glorious Lord God,

the Ruler of all the earth.

An Angel Comes into the Fire

23 After the king's servants threw Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the furnace, the servants kept tossing in oil, tar, dried flax plants, and small pieces of firewood. 24The flames blazed up 22 meters above the furnace, 25and they also shot out from the furnace and burned the Babylonians who were standing nearby. 26 But one of the Lord's angels came down into the furnace to protect Azariah and his two friends. The angel forced the flames out of the furnace, 27so that the inside of the furnace felt as if a cool breeze were blowing. The fire didn't touch the three men at all, and it caused them no pain or trouble.

The Song of the Three Hebrews

28Then Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah praised God together in the furnace, and they sang:

29You, Lord God of our ancestors,

are always worthy

to be praised.

30Your glorious and holy name

will always deserve

the greatest honor.

31So let songs of praise

be sung in your holy temple

for all time.

* 32There, from your throne

above the winged creatures,

33you watch everything on earth

and rule the world

with glory and majesty.

We pray that your praises

will be sung forever.

34And age after age

in the starry skies,

songs will be sung

to honor you.

Sing Praises to the Lord

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah continued to sing:

35All of creation

should sing praises

to the Lord forever.

* 36 Everything in the heavens

and the water above the sky

* 37should sing praises

to the Lord forever.

* 38The angels and the rulers

in the heavens

39should sing praises

to the Lord forever.

* 40The sun, the moon,

41and the stars

should sing praises

to the Lord forever.

* 42The wind and the rain

43and the dew,

* 44as well as the freezing snow,

* 45and the fiery heat

46should sing praises

to the Lord forever.

* 47The dark of night

and the light of day

48should sing praises

to the Lord forever.

* 49The frost and snow,

* 50the icy cold,

51and the thunderstorms

should sing praises

to the Lord forever.

52Everything on this earth

should sing praises

to the Lord forever.

* 53The mountains and hills

54and all trees and plants

should sing praises

to the Lord forever.

* 55The springs and rivers,

* 56together with the oceans

57and every sea creature,

whether large or small,

should sing praises

to the Lord forever.

* 58Each bird in the sky,

59and every animal,

wild or tame,

should sing praises

to the Lord forever.

60Every human should sing praises

to the Lord forever,

* 61especially his priests

62and his chosen people.

* 63We humans should be humble

* 64and obey the Lord

65with all our heart and soul,

and we should sing praises

to him forever.

66The three of us--

Hananiah, Azariah,

and Mishael--

should sing praises

to the Lord forever,

because if he hadn't rescued us,

we would have died

in a flaming furnace

and gone down

to the world of the dead.

67So praise the Lord

for his goodness,

and praise him for his mercy,

because it will never end.

68Everyone who worships the Lord,

the Supreme God,

should sing his praises

and thank him for his mercy,

because it will never end.