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From: Daniel 3:25, 34-43 (NAB)
Daniel 3:2, 11-20 (RSVCE and New Vulgate)
Prayers of the Young Men in the Fiery Furnace
[11] “For thy name’s sake do not give us up utterly,
and do not break thy covenant,
[12] and do not withdraw thy mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham thy beloved
and for the sake of Isaac thy servant
and Israel thy holy one,
[13] to whom thou didst promise
to make their descendants as many as the stars of heaven
and as the sand on the shore of the sea.
[14] For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any nation,
and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins.
[15] And at this time there is no prince, or prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense,
no place to make an offering before thee or to find mercy.
[16] Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted,
as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls,
and with tens of thousands of fat lambs;
[17] such may our sacrifice be in thy sight this day,
and may we wholly follow thee,
for there will be no shame for those who trust in thee.
[18] And now with all our heart we follow thee,
we fear thee and seek thy face.
[19] Do not put us to shame,
but deal with us in thy forbearance
and in thy abundant mercy.
[20] Deliver us in accordance with thy marvellous works,
and give glory, to thy name, O Lord!”
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Commentary:
3:1-68. As we have said, this section comes from the Greek versions and the
New Vulgate translates it from Theodotion’s version; it contains two pieces in
verse; the first is a penitential piece, attributed to Azariah only (3:3-22); the se-
cond is a canticle of thanksgiving (3:29-68) sung by the three young men. Each
piece is introduced by a prose description of the scene in the furnace (3:1-2;
23-28). The whole episode bears out the truth of what God told Israel in Isaiah
43:2: “When you walk through fire you shall not be burned.”
3:3-22. As is conventional in penitential psalms, this begins by proclaiming that
God is just in all his dealings, even when he punishes his people (vv. 3-5; cf. Ps.
32). Then it accepts that the people’s sins justify all that has befallen them (even
giving them over to the most wicked king in all the earth, vv. 6-10: perhaps a re-
ference to Antiochus IV). Finally, it asks for God to take action on the grounds
of the Covenant made with their ancestors (vv. 11-13) and the fact that the peo-
ple have been brought so low and do repent their sins (vv. 14-48); God’s good-
ness and mercy must now be revealed; his very honor requires that he rescue
them (vv. 19-22).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.