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 a ^(A)statue of gold, the height of which was ^[a]sixty cubits, and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the ^(B)province of Babylon. ² Nebuchadnezzar the king also sent word to assemble the ^(C)satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the chief treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the administrators of the provinces to come to the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ³ Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the chief treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the administrators of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁴ Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you ^[b]the command is given, you ^(D)peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[c]languages, ⁵ that at the moment you ^(E)hear the sound of the horn, flute, ^[d]lyre, ^[e]trigon, ^[f]psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. ⁶ But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be ^(F)thrown into the middle of a ^(G)furnace of blazing fire.” ⁷ Therefore as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, ^[g]lyre, trigon, psaltery, ^[h]bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, all the peoples, nations, and populations of all ^[i]languages fell down and worshiped the golden statue 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 ^[j](I)brought charges against the Jews. ⁹ They began to speak and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “^(J)O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, have ^(K)made a decree that every person who hears the sound of the horn, flute, ^[k]lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, is to ^(L)fall down and worship the golden statue. ¹¹ But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into the middle 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, nor do they worship the golden statue 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 began speaking and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you do not serve ^(O)my gods, nor worship the golden statue that I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready, ^(P)at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, ^[l]lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will ^[m]immediately be ^(Q)thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and ^(R)what god is there who can rescue you from my hands?”

^16 (S)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we are not in need of an answer to give you concerning this matter. ¹⁷ If it be so, our ^(T)God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire; ^[n]and ^(U)He will rescue us from 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 nor worship the golden statue 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)illuminated from 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 have fallen because of the ^(G)wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and ^(H)the kings of the earth have committed acts of sexual immorality with her, and the ^(I)merchants of the earth have become rich from the ^[d]excessive wealth of her ^[e](J)luxury.”

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 any of her plagues; ⁵ for her sins have ^[f](L)piled up as high as heaven, and God has ^(M)remembered her offenses. ^6 (N)Pay her back even as she has paid, and ^[g]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 extent that she glorified herself and ^(Q)lived luxuriously, to the same extent 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, ^[h]plague and mourning and famine, and she will be ^(T)burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her ^(U)is strong.

Grief over Babylon

⁹ “And ^(V)the kings of the earth, who committed acts of sexual immorality and ^(W)lived luxuriously with her, will ^(X)weep and mourn 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 from her prosperity, for in ^(D)one hour she has been laid ^(E)waste!’ ^20 (F)Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you ^[a]saints and ^(G)apostles and prophets, because ^(H)God has ^[b]pronounced judgment for you against her.”