Azariah’s Prayer in the Furnace
About This Entry
In addition to a hymn of praise recited by Daniel’s three friends Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael upon surviving the ordeal of the fiery furnace, the Greek translator of Daniel added a prayer for divine assistance recited by Azariah while in the furnace. The prayer contains both penitential and communal elements: The petitioner acknowledges the justice of God’s punishment of Israel, who can plead no merit. He therefore appeals to the merits of the patriarchs and God’s promises to them. He points to Israel’s desperate condition and pleads that they not be further put to shame but be delivered and their persecutors punished.
1They walked around in the midst of the flames, singing hymns to God and blessing the Lord. 2Then Azariah stood still in the fire and prayed aloud:
3“Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors, and worthy of praise;
and glorious is your name forever!
4For you are just in all you have done;
all your works are true and your ways right,
and all your judgments are true.
5You have executed true judgments in all you have brought upon us
and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors;
by a true judgment you have brought all this upon us because of our sins.
6For we have sinned and broken your law in turning away from you;
in all matters we have sinned grievously.
7We have not obeyed your commandments,
we have not kept them or done what you have commanded us for our own good.
8So all that you have brought upon us,
and all that you have done to us,
you have done by a true judgment.
9You have handed us over to our enemies, lawless and hateful rebels,
and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world.
10And now we cannot open our mouths;
we, your servants who worship you, have become a shame and a reproach.
11For your name’s sake do not give us up for ever,
and do not annul your covenant.
12Do not withdraw your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham your beloved
and for the sake of your servant Isaac
and Israel your holy one,
13to whom you promised
to multiply their descendants like the stars of heaven
and like the sand on the shore of the sea.
14For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any other nation,
and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins.
15In our day we have no ruler, or prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense,
no place to make an offering before you and to find mercy.
16Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted,
17as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls,
or with tens of thousands of fat lambs;
such may our sacrifice be in your sight today,
and may we unreservedly follow you,
for no shame will come to those who trust in you.
18And now with all our heart we follow you;
we fear you and seek your presence.
19Do not put us to shame,
but deal with us in your patience
and in your abundant mercy.
20Deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.
21Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame;
let them be disgraced and deprived of all power,
and let their strength be broken.
22Let them know that you alone are the Lord God,
glorious over the whole world.”
Translation from the New Revised Standard Version.
We’re sorry. The Posen Library’s licensing agreements prevent this text from being printed or downloaded.
Credits
New Revised Standard Version Bible copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.
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