Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Call to Praise the Lord for His Righteousness.

A Psalm.

The King’s Golden Image

3 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an ^(A)image of gold, the height of which was sixty ^[a]cubits and its width six ^[b]cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the ^(B)province of Babylon. ² Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the ^(C)satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ³ Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁴ Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you ^[c]the command is given, ^(D)O peoples, nations and men of every ^[d]language, ⁵ that at the moment you ^(E)hear the sound of the horn, flute, ^[e]lyre, ^[f]trigon, ^[g]psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. ⁶ But whoever does not fall down and worship shall ^[h]immediately be ^(F)cast into the midst of a ^(G)furnace of blazing fire.” ⁷ Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, ^[i]lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every ^[j]language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Worship of the Image Refused

⁸ For this reason at that time certain ^(H)Chaldeans came forward and ^[k](I)brought charges against the Jews. ⁹ They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “^(J)O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, have ^(K)made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, ^[l]lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to ^(L)fall down and worship the golden image. ¹¹ But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have ^(M)appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar in ^(N)rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve ^(O)my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready, ^(P)at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, ^[m]lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will ^[n]immediately be ^(Q)cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and ^(R)what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

^16 (S)Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. ^17 [o]If it be so, our ^(T)God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; ^[p]and ^(U)He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ^18 (V)But even if He does not, ^(W)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.”

Babylon Is Fallen

18 After these things I saw another ^(A)angel ^(B)coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was ^(C)illumined with his glory. ² And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “^[a](D)Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She ^(E)has become a dwelling place of demons and a ^[b]prison of every ^(F)unclean spirit, and a ^[c]prison of every unclean and hateful bird. ³ For all the nations ^[d]have drunk of the ^(G)wine of the ^[e]passion of her immorality, and ^(H)the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the ^(I)merchants of the earth have become rich by the ^[f]wealth of her ^[g](J)sensuality.”

⁴ I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “^(K)Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; ⁵ for her sins have ^[h](L)piled up as high as heaven, and God has ^(M)remembered her iniquities. ^6 (N)Pay her back even as she has paid, and ^[i]give back to her double according to her deeds; in the ^(O)cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. ^7 (P)To the degree that she glorified herself and ^(Q)lived ^[j]sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘^(R)I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ ⁸ For this reason ^(S)in one day her plagues will come, ^[k]pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be ^(T)burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her ^(U)is strong.

Lament for Babylon

⁹ “And ^(V)the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and ^(W)lived ^[l]sensuously with her, will ^(X)weep and lament over her when they ^(Y)see the smoke of her burning, ^10 (Z)standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘^(AA)Woe, woe, ^(AB)the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in ^(AC)one hour your judgment has come.’

¹⁹ And they threw ^(A)dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘^(B)Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea ^(C)became rich by her ^[a]wealth, for in ^(D)one hour she has been laid ^(E)waste!’ ^20 (F)Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you ^[b]saints and ^(G)apostles and prophets, because ^(H)God has ^[c]pronounced judgment for you against her.”