Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

63 A Psalm of David, in his being in the wilderness of Judah. O God, Thou [art] my God, earnestly do I seek Thee, Thirsted for Thee hath my soul, Longed for Thee hath my flesh, In a land dry and weary, without waters.

² So in the sanctuary I have seen Thee, To behold Thy strength and Thine honour.

³ Because better [is] Thy kindness than life, My lips do praise Thee.

⁴ So I bless Thee in my life, in Thy name I lift up my hands.

⁵ As [with] milk and fatness is my soul satisfied, And [with] singing lips doth my mouth praise.

⁶ If I have remembered Thee on my couch, In the watches -- I meditate on Thee.

⁷ For Thou hast been a help to me, And in the shadow of Thy wings I sing.

⁸ Cleaved hath my soul after Thee, On me hath Thy right hand taken hold.

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar hath been full of fury, and the expression of his face hath been changed concerning Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; he answered and said to heat the furnace seven times above that which it is seen to be heated;

²⁰ and to certain mighty men who [are] in his force he hath said to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, to cast into the burning fiery furnace.

²¹ Then these men have been bound in their coats, their tunics, and their turbans, and their clothing, and have been cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

²² Therefore, because that the word of the king is urgent, and the furnace heated exceedingly, those men who have taken up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego -- killed them hath the spark of the fire.

²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, have fallen down in the midst of the burning fiery furnace -- bound.

²⁴ Then Nebuchadnezzar the king hath been astonished, and hath risen in haste; he hath answered and said to his counsellors, `Have we not cast three men into the midst of the fire -- bound?' They have answered and are saying to the king, `Certainly, O king.'

²⁵ He answered and hath said, `Lo, I am seeing four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the appearance of the fourth [is] like to a son of the gods.'

²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar hath drawn near to the gate of the burning fiery furnace; he hath answered and said, `Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of God Most High come forth, yea, come;' then come forth do Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, from the midst of the fire;

²⁷ and gathered together, the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, and the counsellors of the king, are seeing these men, that the fire hath no power over their bodies, and the hair of their head hath not been singed, and their coats have not changed, and the smell of fire hath not passed on them.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar hath answered and hath said, `Blessed [is] the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who hath sent His messenger, and hath delivered His servants who trusted on Him, and the word of the king changed, and gave up their bodies that they might not serve nor do obeisance to any god except to their own God.

²⁹ And by me a decree is made, that any people, nation, and language, that doth speak erroneously concerning the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, pieces he is made, and its house is made a dunghill, because that there is no other god who is able thus to deliver.'

³⁰ Then the king hath caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, to prosper in the province of Babylon.

⁸ `And to the messenger of the assembly of the Smyrneans write: These things saith the First and the Last, who did become dead and did live;

⁹ I have known thy works, and tribulation, and poverty -- yet thou art rich -- and the evil-speaking of those saying themselves to be Jews, and are not, but [are] a synagogue of the Adversary.

¹⁰ `Be not afraid of the things that thou art about to suffer; lo, the devil is about to cast of you to prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days; become thou faithful unto death, and I will give to thee the crown of the life.

¹¹ He who is having an ear -- let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies: He who is overcoming may not be injured of the second death.