24. They walked about in the flames, singing to God and blessing the Lord.
25. Azariah stood up in the midst of the fire and prayed aloud:
26. “Blessed are you, and praiseworthy,O Lord, the God of our ancestors,and glorious forever is your name.
27. For you are just in all you have done;all your deeds are faultless, all your ways right,and all your judgments proper.
28. You have executed proper judgmentsin all that you have brought upon usand upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors.By a proper judgment you have done all thisbecause of our sins;
29. For we have sinned and transgressedby departing from you,and we have done every kind of evil.
30. Your commandments we have not heeded or observed,nor have we done as you ordered us for our good.
31. Therefore all you have brought upon us,all you have done to us,you have done by a proper judgment.
32. You have handed us over to our enemies,lawless and hateful rebels;to an unjust king, the worst in all the world.
33. Now we cannot open our mouths;shame and reproach have come upon us,your servants, who revere you.
34. For your name’s sake, do not deliver us up forever,or make void your covenant.
35. Do not take away your mercy from us,for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,