Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 98
Praise the King
A psalm.
1 Sing a new song to the Lord,(A)
for He has performed wonders;
His right hand and holy arm
have won Him victory.(B)
2 The Lord has made His victory known;
He has revealed His righteousness
in the sight of the nations.(C)
3 He has remembered His love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth
have seen our God’s victory.(D)
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage,(A) and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary, 20 and he commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 So these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings,[a] and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Since the king’s command was so urgent[b](B) and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames[c] killed those men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego up. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.
Delivered from the Fire
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm.(C) He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?”
“Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king.
25 He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed;(D) and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”[d](E)
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God—come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.(F) 27 When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect(G) on[e] the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent His angel[f](H) and rescued His servants who trusted in Him.(I) They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.(J) 29 Therefore I issue a decree(K) that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump.(L) For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.” 30 Then the king rewarded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.(M)
The Finality of Babylon’s Fall
21 Then a mighty angel(A) picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying:
In this way, Babylon the great city
will be thrown down violently(B)
and never be found again.(C)
22 The sound of harpists, musicians,
flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again;(D)
no craftsman of any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the sound of a mill
will never be heard in you again;
23 the light of a lamp
will never shine in you again;
and the voice of a groom and bride
will never be heard in you again.(E)
All this will happen
because your merchants
were the nobility of the earth,
because all the nations were deceived
by your sorcery,[a]
24 and the blood of prophets and saints,
and of all those slaughtered on earth,
was found in you.[b](F)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.