Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 98[a]
Praise of the Lord, King and Judge
1 A psalm.
Sing to the Lord a new song,[b]
for he has accomplished marvelous deeds.
His right hand and his holy arm
have made him victorious.
2 The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has manifested his righteousness for all the nations to see.[c]
3 He has remembered his kindness[d] and his fidelity
to the house of Israel.
The farthest ends of the earth have witnessed
the salvation of our God.
4 Sing joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
raise your voices in songs of praise.
5 Sing praise to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and melodious singing.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully to the King, the Lord.[e]
7 [f]Let the sea resound and everything in it,
the world[g] and all its inhabitants.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands
and the mountains shout for joy.
9 Let them sing before the Lord, who is coming,
coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice
and the nations with fairness.[h]
19 This reply so infuriated Nebuchadnezzar against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his countenance became distorted. He ordered that the furnace was to be heated seven times more than customary, 20 and he commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and hurl them into the fiery furnace.
21 The three young men were then bound while still wearing their cloaks, their trousers, their head coverings, and their other garments and thrown into the fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s command was so urgent and the heat of the furnace was so intense, the raging flames killed the men who were carrying Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 However, the three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell, bound, into the fiery furnace.
Two Inspired Additions of Prayer Texts
24 The Prayer of Azariah.[a] They walked amidst the flames, all the while singing hymns to God and blessing the Lord. 25 Azariah then stood up, surrounded by flames, and said this prayer:
26 “Blessed are you and deserving of all praise,
O Lord, the God of our fathers,
and glorious is your name forever.
27 For you have shown justice in all you have done for us;
all your deeds are true, all your ways are right,
and all your judgments are correct.
28 You have made proper judgments
in all that you have brought upon us
and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors.
By a judgment, you have done all this
because of our sins.
29 “For we have sinned and broken your law
in our rebellion against you;
we have fallen short in every way.
30 We have neglected to obey your commandments
and have failed to do what you commanded for our own good.
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying:
“This is how
the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.
22 The sound of harpists and minstrels,
flute players and trumpeters,
will never be heard in you again.
Craftsmen of every trade
never will be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard in you again.
23 The light from a lamp
will never be seen in you again.
The voices of a bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
Since your merchants were the world’s great men,
all the nations were led astray by your enticements.
24 In you[a] was found the blood of the Prophets,
of the saints,
and of all who have been slain on the earth.”
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