Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Call to Praise the Lord for His Righteousness.

A Psalm.

Daniel’s Friends Protected

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with ^(A)wrath, and his facial expression was changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He answered ^[a]by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. ²⁰ And he ordered certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in order to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. ²¹ Then these men were tied up in their ^(B)trousers, their ^[b]coats, their caps, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire. ²² For this reason, because the king’s ^[c]command was ^(C)harsh and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. ²³ But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ^(D)fell into the middle of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

²⁴ Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up quickly; he said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the middle of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Absolutely, O king.” ²⁵ He responded, “Look! I see four men untied and ^(E)walking about in the middle of the fire ^[d]unharmed, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the ^(F)gods!” ²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the ^(G)Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego ^(H)came out of the middle of the fire. ²⁷ The ^(I)satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the ^(J)fire had no ^[e]effect on ^[f]the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their heads singed, nor were their ^[g](K)trousers ^[h]damaged, nor had even the smell of fire touched them.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the ^(L)God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has ^(M)sent His angel and rescued His servants who put their ^(N)trust in Him, ^[i]violating the king’s command, and surrendered their bodies ^(O)rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore I ^(P)make a decree that any people, nation, or population of any language that speaks anything offensive against the God of ^(Q)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their ^(R)houses made a rubbish heap, because there is ^(S)no other god who is able to save in this way.” ³⁰ Then the king ^(T)made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego prosperous in the province of Babylon.

²¹ Then ^[a]a ^(A)strong angel ^(B)picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, ^(C)the great city, be thrown down with violence, and ^(D)will never be found again. ²² And ^(E)the sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; and no craftsman of any craft will ever be found in you again; and the ^(F)sound of a mill will never be heard in you again; ²³ and the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the ^(G)voice of the groom and bride will never be heard in you again; for your ^(H)merchants were the powerful people of the earth, because all the nations were deceived ^(I)by your witchcraft. ²⁴ And in her was found the ^(J)blood of prophets and of ^[b]saints, and of ^(K)all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”