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The Adoration of the Golden Statue
King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden statue made, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, which he set up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar then summoned the satraps, magistrates, governors, counsellors, treasurers, judges, lawyers, and all the provincial authorities to assemble and attend the dedication of the statue set up by King Nebuchadnezzar. Satraps, magistrates, governors, counsellors, treasurers, judges, lawyers and all the provincial authorities then assembled for the dedication of the statue set up by King Nebuchadnezzar and stood in front of the statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. A herald then loudly proclaimed: ‘Peoples, nations, languages! Thus are you commanded: the moment you hear the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, zither, harp, bagpipe and every other kind of instrument, you will prostrate yourselves and worship the golden statue set up by King Nebuchadnezzar. Anyone who does not prostrate himself and worship will immediately be thrown into the burning fiery furnace.’ And so, the instant all the peoples heard the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, zither, harp, bagpipe and all the other instruments, all the peoples, nations and languages prostrated themselves and worshipped the statue set up by King Nebuchadnezzar. The denunciation and condemnation of the Jews Some Chaldaeans then came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘May Your Majesty live for ever! You have issued a decree, Your Majesty, to the effect that everyone on hearing the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, zither, harp, bagpipe and every other kind of instrument is to prostrate himself and worship the golden statue; and that anyone who does not prostrate himself and worship is to be thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Now, there are certain Jews to whom you have entrusted the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego; these men have ignored your command, Your Majesty; they do not serve your gods, and refuse to worship the golden statue you have set up.’ Shaking with fury, Nebuchadnezzar sent for Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. The men were immediately brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar addressed them, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, is it true that you do not serve my gods, and that you refuse to worship the golden statue I have set up? When you hear the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, zither, harp, bagpipe and every other kind of instrument, are you prepared to prostrate yourselves and worship the statue I have made? If you refuse to worship it, you will be thrown forthwith into the burning fiery furnace; then which of the gods could save you from my power?’ Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Your question needs no answer from us: if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, Your Majesty, he will save us; and even if he does not, then you must know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have set up.’ This infuriated King Nebuchadnezzar; his expression was changed now as he looked at Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. He gave orders for the furnace to be made seven times hotter than usual and commanded certain stalwarts from his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego and throw them into the burning fiery furnace. They were then bound in their cloaks, trousers, headgear and other garments, and thrown into the burning fiery furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the heat of the furnace was so fierce, that the men carrying Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were burnt to death by the flames from the fire; the three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego fell, bound, into the burning fiery furnace. The song of Azariah in the furnace And they walked in the heart of the flames, praising God and blessing the Lord. Azariah stood in the heart of the fire, praying aloud thus: May you be blessed and revered, Lord, God of our ancestors, may your name be held glorious for ever. For you are upright in all that you have done for us, all your deeds are true, all your ways right, all your judgements true. True is the sentence you have given in all that you have brought down on us and on Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors, for you have treated us rightly and truly, as our sins deserve. Yes, we have sinned and committed a crime by deserting you, yes, we have greatly sinned; we have not listened to your commandments, we have not observed them, we have not done what you commanded us to do for our own good. Yes, all that you have brought down on us, all that you have done to us, you have been fully justified in doing. You have handed us over to our enemies, to a lawless people, the worst of the godless, to an unjust king, the worst in the whole world; today we have no right to open our mouths, shame and dishonour are the lot of those who serve and worship you. Do not abandon us for ever, for the sake of your name; do not repudiate your covenant, do not withdraw your favour from us, for the sake of Abraham, your friend, of Isaac, your servant, and of Israel, your holy one, to whom you promised to make their descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as the grains of sand on the seashore. Lord, we have become the least of all nations, we are put to shame today throughout the world, because of our sins. We now have no leader, no prophet, no prince, no burnt offering, no sacrifice, no oblation, no incense, no place where we can make offerings to you and win your favour. But may the contrite soul, the humbled spirit, be as acceptable to you as burnt offerings of rams and bullocks, as thousands of fat lambs: such let our sacrifice be to you today, and may it please you that we follow you whole-heartedly, since those who trust in you will not be shamed. And now we put our whole heart into following you, into fearing you and seeking your face once more. Do not abandon us to shame but treat us in accordance with your gentleness, in accordance with the greatness of your mercy. Rescue us in accordance with your wonderful deeds and win fresh glory for your name, O Lord. Confusion seize all who ill-treat your servants: may they be covered with shame, deprived of all their power, and may their strength be broken. Let them learn that you alone are God and Lord, glorious over the whole world. All this time, the king’s servants, who had thrown them into the furnace, had been stoking it with crude oil, pitch, tow and brushwood until the flames rose forty-nine cubits above the furnace and, leaping out, burnt those Chaldaeans to death who were standing round it. But the angel of the Lord came down into the furnace beside Azariah and his companions; he drove the flames of the fire outwards from the furnace and, in the heart of the furnace, wafted a coolness to them as of the breeze and dew, so that the fire did not touch them at all and caused them no pain or distress. The song of the three young men (Canticle of Daniel)
May you be blessed, Lord, God of our ancestors, be praised and extolled for ever. Blessed be your glorious and holy name, praised and extolled for ever. May you be blessed in the Temple of your sacred glory, exalted and glorified above all for ever: blessed on the throne of your kingdom, exalted above all, glorified for ever: blessed are you who fathom the abyss, enthroned on the winged creatures, praised and exalted above all for ever: blessed in the expanse of the heavens, exalted and glorified for ever. V) Bless the Lord, all the Lord’s creation:
V) Bless the Lord, angels of the Lord,
V) Bless the Lord, heavens,
V) Bless the Lord, all the waters above the heavens,
V) Bless the Lord, powers of the Lord,
V) Bless the Lord, sun and moon,
V) Bless the Lord, stars of heaven,
V) Bless the Lord, all rain and dew,
V) Bless the Lord, every wind,
V) Bless the Lord, fire and heat,
V) Bless the Lord, cold and warmth,
V) Bless the Lord, dew and snow-storm,
V) Bless the Lord, frost and cold,
V) Bless the Lord, ice and snow,
V) Bless the Lord, nights and days,
V) Bless the Lord, light and darkness,
V) Bless the Lord, lightning and cloud,
V) Let the earth bless the Lord:
V) Bless the Lord, mountains and hills,
V) Bless the Lord, every plant that grows,
V) Bless the Lord, springs of water,
V) Bless the Lord, seas and rivers,
V) Bless the Lord, whales, and everything that moves in
the waters,
V) Bless the Lord, every kind of bird,
V) Bless the Lord, all animals wild and tame,
V) Bless the Lord, all the human race:
V) Bless the Lord, O Israel,
V) Bless the Lord, priests,
V) Bless the Lord, his servants,
V) Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the upright,
V) Bless the Lord, faithful, humble-hearted people,
V) Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael, bless the Lord,
For he has rescued us from the Underworld, he has saved us from the hand of Death, he has snatched us from the burning fiery furnace, he has drawn us from the heart of the flame! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his love is everlasting. Bless the Lord, the God of gods, all who fear him, give praise and thanks to him, for his love is everlasting! The king acknowledges the miracle King Nebuchadnezzar sprang to his feet in amazement. He said to his advisers, ‘Did we not have these three men thrown bound into the fire?’ They answered the king, ‘Certainly, Your Majesty’. ‘But’, he went on, ‘I can see four men walking free in the heart of the fire and quite unharmed! And the fourth looks like a child of the gods!’ Nebuchadnezzar approached the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, servants of God Most High, come out, come here!’ And from the heart of the fire out came Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. The satraps, magistrates, governors, and advisers of the king crowded round the three men to examine them: the fire had had no effect on their bodies: not a hair of their heads had been singed, their cloaks were not scorched, no smell of burning hung about them. Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego: he has sent his angel to rescue his servants who, putting their trust in him, defied the order of the king, and preferred to forfeit their bodies rather than serve or worship any god but their God. I therefore decree as follows, “Peoples, nations, and languages! Let any of you speak disrespectfully of the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, and I shall have him torn limb from limb and his house turned into a dunghill; for there is no other god who can save like this.”’ The king then showered favours on Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon. Canticle of Zechariah Blessed be the lord, the God of Isreal; he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his holy prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. You my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most
High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Canticle of Mary - (Magnificat) My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Isreal for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever. Selected Psalms PSALM 22
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The words of my groaning do nothing to save me. 2 My God, I call by day but you do not answer, at night, but I find no respite. 3 Yet you, the Holy One, who make your home in the praises of Israel, 4 in you our ancestors put their trust, they trusted and you set them free. 5 To you they called for help and were delivered; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But
I am a worm, less than human, scorn of mankind, contempt of the people;
7 all who see me jeer
at me, they sneer and wag their heads, 8
’He trusted himself to Yahweh, let Yahweh set
him free! Let him deliver him, as he took such delight in him.’
12 Many bulls are encircling me, wild bulls of Bashan closing in on me. 13 Lions ravening and roaring open their jaws at me. 14 My strength is trickling away, my bones are all disjointed, my heart has turned to wax, melting inside me.15 My mouth is dry as earthenware, my tongue sticks to my jaw. You lay me down in the dust of death. 16 A pack of dogs surrounds me, a gang of villains closing in on me as if to hack off my hands and my feet. 17 I can count every one of my bones, while they look on and gloat; 18 they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. 19 Yahweh, do not hold aloof! My strength, come quickly to my help, 20 rescue my soul from the sword, the one life I have from the grasp of the dog! 21 Save me from the lion’s mouth, my poor life from the wild bulls’ horns! 22 I shall proclaim your name to my brothers, praise you in full assembly: 23 ’You who fear Yahweh, praise him! All the race of Jacob, honour him! Revere him, all the race of Israel!’ 24 For he has not despised nor disregarded the poverty of the poor, has not turned away his face, but has listened to the cry for help. 25 Of you is my praise in the thronged assembly, I will perform my vows before all who fear him. 26 The poor will eat and be filled, those who seek Yahweh will praise him, ‘May your heart live for ever.’ 27 The whole wide world will
remember and return to Yahweh, all the families of nations bow down before
PSALM 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God, in your faithful love, in your great tenderness wipe away my offences; 2 wash me clean from my guilt, purify me from my sin. 3 For I am well aware of my offences, my sin is constantly in mind. 4 Against you, you alone, I have sinned, I have done what you see to be wrong, that you may show your saving justice when you pass sentence, and your victory may appear when you give judgement, 5 remember, I was born guilty, a sinner from the moment of conception. 6 But you delight in sincerity of heart, and in secret you teach me wisdom. 7 Purify me with hyssop till I am clean, wash me till I am whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness, and the bones you have crushed will dance. 9 Turn away your face from my sins, and wipe away all my guilt. 10 God, create in me a clean heart, renew within me a resolute spirit, 11 do not thrust me away from your presence, do not take away from me your spirit of holiness. 12 Give me back the joy of your salvation, sustain in me a generous spirit. 13 I shall teach the wicked your paths, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodshed, God, God of my salvation, and my tongue will acclaim your saving justice. 15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will speak out your praise. 16 Sacrifice gives you no pleasure, burnt offering you do not desire. 17 Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a broken, contrite heart you never scorn. 18 In your graciousness do good to Zion, rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then you will delight in upright sacrifices, - burnt offerings and whole oblations - and young bulls will be offered on your altar. PSALM 136
Alleluia! V) 1 Give
thanks to Yahweh for he is good,
V) 2 Give
thanks to the God of gods,
V) 3
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
V) 4
He alone works wonders,
V) 5 In
wisdom he made the heavens,
V) 6
He set the earth firm on the waters,
V) 7
He made the great lights,
V) 8 The
sun to rule the day,
V) 9
Moon and stars to rule the night,
V) 10
He struck down the first-born of Egypt,
V) 11
He brought Israel out from among them,
V) 12
With mighty hand and outstretched arm,
V) 13
He split the Sea of Reeds in two,
V) 14
Let Israel pass through the middle,
V) 15
And drowned Pharaoh and all his army,
V) 16 He
led his people through the desert,
V) 17
He struck down mighty kings,
V) 18
Slaughtered famous kings,
V) 19
Sihon king of the Amorites,
V) 20
And Og king of Bashan,
V) 21
He gave their land as a birthright,
V) 22
A birthright to his servant Israel,
V) 23
He kept us in mind when we were humbled,
V) 24
And rescued us from our enemies,
V) 25
He provides food for all living creatures,
V) 26 Give
thanks to the God of heaven,
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