The Revised Standard Version (RSV), Ethiopian Bible, and original Authorized King James Version (KJV) all include The Prayer of Azariah, but this book isn’t found in most other versions of the Bible.
Going by different names in various versions, The Prayer of Azariah also goes by Song of the Three Young Men or The Song of the Three Holy Children.
In The Prayer of Azariah, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (better known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) are thrown into an inferno after refusing to bow to the king’s statue.
The intent is their execution, but God protects them. Much to the king’s astonishment, they walk around in the furnace, unharmed.
As they do, they sing (or pray). This book records their words. First, we read Azariah’s confident prayer, followed by a bold refrain from all three. Amazed, the king calls them to come out of the furnace, and then he too affirms God.
The Prayer of Azariah is an Apocrypha book and not included in all versions of the Bible.
The Revised Standard Version (RSV), Common English Bible (CEB), Wycliffe Bible (WYC), Ethiopian Bible, and the original Authorized King James Version (KJV) all include The Prayer of Azariah. However, The Prayer of Azariah was removed from the KJV almost two centuries after it was first published.
The New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible (NABRE), and Douay-Rheims (DRA) also include this text, but list it as part of Daniel, specifically as part of Daniel 3.
The Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures, which was widely used in Jesus’s day, also contains this text, but include it as part of Daniel.
For more information, see why “Christians Should Consider the Entire Bible.”
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
