The Prayer of Azariah
1
2 Then Azarias stood up, and prayed on this manner; and opening his mouth in the midst of the fire said,
3 Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers: thy name is worthy to be praised and glorified for evermore:
4 For thou art righteous in all the things that thou hast done to us: yea, true are all thy works, thy
ways are right, and all thy judgments truth.
5 In all the things that thou hast brought upon us, and upon the holy city of our fathers, even Jerusalem,
thou hast executed true judgment: for according to truth and judgment didst thou bring all these things
upon us because of our sins.
7 In all things have we trespassed, and not obeyed thy commandments, nor kept them, neither done as thou
hast commanded us, that it might go well with us.
8 Wherefore all that thou hast brought upon us, and every thing that thou hast done to us, thou hast done
in true judgment.
9 And thou didst deliver us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful forsakers of God, and to an
unjust king, and the most wicked in all the world.
10 And now we cannot open our mouths, we are become a shame and reproach to thy servants; and to them that
worship thee.
12 And cause not thy mercy to depart from us, for thy beloved Abraham’s sake, for thy servant Issac’s sake,
and for thy holy Israel’s sake;
13 To whom thou hast spoken and promised, that thou wouldest multiply their seed as the stars of heaven,
and as the sand that lieth upon the seashore.
14 For we, O Lord, are become less than any nation, and be kept under this day in all the world because
of our sins.
15 Neither is there at this time prince, or prophet, or leader, or burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation,
or incense, or place to sacrifice before thee, and to find mercy.
17 Like as in the burnt offerings of rams and bullocks, and like as in ten thousands of fat lambs: so let
our sacrifice be in thy sight this day, and grant that we may wholly go after thee: for they shall not
be confounded that put their trust in thee.
19 Put us not to shame: but deal with us after thy lovingkindness, and according to the multitude of thy
mercies.
20 Deliver us also according to thy marvellous works, and give glory to thy name, O Lord: and let all them
that do thy servants hurt be ashamed;
23 And the king’s servants, that put them in, ceased not to make the oven hot with rosin, pitch, tow, and
small wood;
26 But the angel of the Lord came down into the oven together with Azarias and his fellows, and smote the
flame of the fire out of the oven;
27 And made the midst of the furnace as it had been a moist whistling wind, so that the fire touched them
not at all, neither hurt nor troubled them.
28 Then the three, as out of one mouth, praised, glorified, and blessed, God in the furnace, saying,
31 Blessed art thou in the temple of thine holy glory: and to be praised and glorified above all for ever.
32 Blessed art thou that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon the cherubims: and to be praised and exalted
above all for ever.
33 Blessed art thou on the glorious throne of thy kingdom: and to be praised and glorified above all for
ever.
38 O all ye waters that be above the heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
54 O all ye things that grow in the earth, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
57 O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
64 O ye spirits and souls of the righteous, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.