Apocrypha
Prayer of Azariah
Addition to Daniel
1 chapter · read and listen
Reading note
An apocryphal or pseudepigraphal text — outside the canon of the Western churches, yet widely circulated among ancient Jews and Christians. Published here from a public-domain translation, edited for continuous reading.
Chapters
Dossier
What the three young men said inside the furnace: Azariah's prayer asking forgiveness for the people, and the song of the three calling on all creation, item by item, to praise.
Where this text comes from
Greek, probably 2nd or 1st century BC. It is one of the three Greek additions to the book of Daniel, inserted between verses 23 and 24 of chapter 3 in the Septuagint. It does not exist in the Hebrew and Aramaic text.
Why it is not in the Bible
Here the answer depends on the Bible: for Catholics and Orthodox this text is canonical — part of Daniel chapter 3. In Protestant Bibles, which follow the Hebrew text, it is apocryphal and stands outside the book.
What you will find
- The Song of the Three Young Men entered the liturgy of the hours and is still prayed today.
- The list of all that must praise — sun, moon, dew, ice, whales, birds — is one of the longest enumerations in the Greek Bible.
- Azariah's prayer is penitential: he takes on the guilt of the people before asking for deliverance.
- A narrative passage explains that the angel came down and drove back the flame, a detail absent from the Hebrew text.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Prayer of Azariah in the Catholic Bible?
- Yes. It is part of Daniel chapter 3 in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. It does not appear in Protestant ones, which follow the Hebrew text, where it is absent.
- Why is this passage not in my Bible?
- Because the Greek additions to Daniel exist only in the Septuagint. Bibles based on the Hebrew text carry them separately, among the apocrypha, or not at all.