Chapter 1

¹And they walked in the midst of the flame, praising God and blessing the Lord. ²Then Azarias standing up prayed in this manner, and opening his mouth in the midst of the fire, he said: ³Blessed art thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and thy name is worthy of praise, and glorious for ever: ⁴For thou art just in all that thou hast done to us, and all thy works are true, and thy ways right, and all thy judgments true. ⁵For thou hast executed true judgments in all the things that thou hast brought upon us, and upon Jerusalem the holy city of our fathers: for according to truth and judgment, thou hast brought all these things upon us for our sins. ⁶For we have sinned, and committed iniquity, departing from thee: and we have trespassed in all things: ⁷And we have not hearkened to thy commandments, nor have we observed nor done as thou hadst commanded us, that it might go well with us. ⁸Wherefore all that thou hast brought upon us, and every thing that thou hast done to us, thou hast done in true judgment: ⁹And thou hast delivered us into the hands of our enemies that are unjust, and most wicked, and prevaricators, and to a king unjust, and most wicked beyond all that axe upon the earth. ¹⁰And now we cannot open our mouths: we are become a shame and reproach to thy servants, and to them that worship thee. ¹¹Deliver us not up for ever, we beseech thee, for thy name's sake, and abolish not thy covenant. ¹²And take not away thy mercy from us for the sake of Abraham thy beloved, and Isaac thy servant, and Israel thy holy one: ¹³To whom thou hast spoken, promising that thou wouldst multiply their seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is on the sea shore. ¹⁴For we, O Lord, are diminished more than any nation, and are brought low in all the earth this day for our sins. ¹⁵Neither is there at this time prince, or leader, or prophet, or holocaust, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, or place of firstfruits before thee, ¹⁶That we may find thy mercy: nevertheless in a contrite heart and humble spirit let us be accepted. ¹⁷As in holocausts of rams, and bullocks, and as in thousands of fat lambs: so let our sacrifice be made in thy sight this day, that it may please thee: for there is no confusion to them that trust in thee. ¹⁸And now we follow thee with all our heart, and we fear thee, and seek thy face. ¹⁹Put us not to confusion, but deal. with us according to thy meekness, and according to the multitude of thy mercies. ²⁰And deliver us according to thy wonderful works, and give glory to thy name, O Lord: ²¹And let all them be confounded that shew evils to thy servants, let them be confounded in all thy might, and let their strength be broken. ²²And let them know that thou art the Lord, the only God, and glorious over all the world. ²³Now the king's servants that had cast them in, ceased not to heat the furnace with brimstone, and tow, and pitch, and dry sticks, ²⁴And the flame mounted up above the furnace nine and forty cubits: ²⁵And it broke forth, and burnt such of the Chaldeans as it found near the furnace. ²⁶But the angel of the Lord went down with Azarias and his companions into the furnace: and he drove the flame of the fire out of the furnace, ²⁷And made the midst of the furnace like the blowing of a wind bringing dew, and the fire touched them not at all, nor troubled them, nor did them any harm. ²⁸Then these three as with one mouth praised, and glorified, and blessed God in the furnace, saying: ²⁹Blessed art thou, O Lord the God of our fathers: and worthy to be praised, and glorified, and exalted above all for ever: and blessed is the holy name of thy glory: and worthy to be praised, and exalted above all in all ages. ³⁰Blessed art thou in the holy temple of thy glory: and exceedingly to be praised, and exceeding glorious for ever. ³¹Blessed art thou on the throne of thy kingdom, and exceedingly to be praised, and exalted above all for ever. ³²Blessed art thou, that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon the cherubims: and worthy to be praised and exalted above all for ever. ³³Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven: and worthy of praise, and glorious for ever. ³⁴All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ³⁵O ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ³⁶O ye heavens, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ³⁷O all ye waters that are above the heavens, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all for ever. ³⁸O all ye powers of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ³⁹O ye sun and moon, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁴⁰O ye stars of heaven, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁴¹O every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁴²O all ye spirits of God, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁴³O ye fire and heat, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁴⁴O ye cold and heat, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁴⁵O ye dews and hoar frosts, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁴⁶O ye frost and cold, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁴⁷O ye ice and snow, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁴⁸O ye nights and days, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁴⁹O ye light and darkness, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁵⁰O ye lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁵¹O let the earth bless the Lord: let it praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁵²O ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁵³O all ye things that spring up in the earth, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁵⁴O ye fountains, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁵⁵O ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁵⁶O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁵⁷O all ye fowls of the air, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁵⁸O all ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁵⁹O ye sons of men, bless the Lord., praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁶⁰O let Israel bless the Lord: let them praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁶¹O ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁶²O ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁶³O ye spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁶⁴O ye holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. ⁶⁵O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. For he hath delivered us from hell, and saved us out of the hand of death, and delivered us out of the midst of the burning flame, and saved us out of the midst of the fire. ⁶⁶O give thanks to the Lord, because he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever and ever. ⁶⁷O all ye religious, bless the Lord the God of gods: praise him and give him thanks, because his mercy endureth for ever and ever.