Additions to Daniel (Prayer of Azariah, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon)

Additions to Daniel (Prayer of Azariah, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon)

(Inserted between Daniel 3:23–24 in the Greek Septuagint)

They walked in the midst of the fire,

praising YHWH with one voice.

Then Azariah stood still in the flame,

and opened his heart in prayer:

“Blessed are You, O YHWH,

God of our ancestors,

just in all You have done.

We have sinned.

We turned away from Your path.

We walked in arrogance

and forgot Your wisdom.

You delivered us into exile,

not to destroy us,

but to awaken us.

We have no temple,

no altar,

no offering—

only this heart

and this flame.

So receive us, O Eternal One,

as a sacrifice of trust.

Let our lives burn like incense before You.

Do not forsake Your covenant.

Do not forget Your mercy.

Deliver us for the sake of Your name,

and let the nations know

that You are the Only One who saves.”

Then, with one voice,

they sang within the fire:

“Bless YHWH, all works of the Creator—

praise and exalt Him forever!

Bless Him, sun and moon,

stars of heaven,

winds and clouds,

fire and frost.

Bless Him, mountains and rivers,

beasts and birds,

priests and servants,

souls of the righteous.

Let every breath

praise the One who made all things!”

(Placed before Daniel 1 in many ancient manuscripts)

There was a woman in Babylon named Susanna,

beautiful and faithful,

a daughter of Israel.

Two elders, respected judges,

looked upon her with lust.

But she refused them.

They conspired to lie:

“She was with a man,” they said.

“She must be stoned.”

Susanna lifted her voice:

“O Eternal Judge,

You see all things.

You know the truth.

Do not let me die for a lie.”

Then YHWH stirred up the spirit of Daniel,

a young man, wise beyond his years.

He shouted:

“This trial is unjust!

Separate the accusers!”

So the elders were questioned—

and their testimonies did not agree.

Their lie was exposed,

and they were condemned by their own words.

Susanna was spared.

Justice prevailed.

The people praised YHWH,

who sees what is hidden

and defends the innocent.

(Placed at the end of Daniel in Greek Bibles)

The Babylonians worshiped a statue called Bel.

Every day, they laid food before it.

They said,

“Bel eats and drinks each night—he is a living god!”

But Daniel laughed:

“Bel is not alive.

He is stone and bronze.”

So the king challenged him:

“Prove it. Seal the temple. If the food is gone, Bel lives.”

Daniel scattered ashes on the floor.

That night, the priests entered through a hidden door.

In the morning, the food was gone—

but footprints filled the ashes.

The lie was exposed.

The priests were removed,

and Daniel said,

“Only YHWH lives. Not your idols.”

Another god was worshiped—a great serpent.

The king said,

“You cannot deny this beast lives.”

Daniel replied:

“Give me permission, and I will slay it—without sword.”

He fed the creature a mixture of pitch, fat, and hair.

The dragon ate—then burst apart.

The people rioted:

“You have destroyed our gods!”

They threw Daniel into a lions’ den.

But YHWH shut the mouths of the lions.

And Daniel was unharmed for seven days.

A prophet named Habakkuk was led by the Spirit

to bring Daniel food.

YHWH preserved His servant.

Then the king repented

and declared the glory of the God of Daniel.

These three additions to Daniel—The Prayer of Azariah, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon—serve one unified purpose:

To remind the faithful:

Even in exile, under pressure, or surrounded by lies—

Truth still burns.

Justice still speaks.

And YHWH still reigns.

The Additions to Daniel consist of three rich, ancient writings included in the Greek Septuagint but not in the Hebrew Masoretic text. Preserved in Catholic and Orthodox traditions, these additions:

expand Daniel’s story,

defend the innocent,

and expose the futility of idols.

Together, they echo the heart of Daniel’s message:

Faithfulness in exile leads to divine vindication, and YHWH—not the gods of Babylon—is the Living One.

Each story, poem, or prayer adds something sacred to the restored narrative of covenant trust and courage.

(Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three)

“We have no altar… only this heart and this flame.”

Azariah prays not to escape the fire—but to be received in it.

The fiery furnace becomes a place of repentance, trust, and praise.

The Song of the Three lifts the voices of creation, showing that even flames can sing.

(Susanna)

“Do not let me die for a lie.”

Susanna is falsely accused by powerful elders, condemned by public deception.

Young Daniel, filled with the Set-Apart Spirit, confronts injustice with wisdom, calm, and courage.

The people repent—and justice is restored.

(Bel and the Dragon)

“Your gods cannot speak, cannot walk, cannot save.”

Daniel exposes the fraud behind Bel and the futility of worshipping a living dragon.

In both cases, the idol is destroyed or revealed as false.

Daniel is persecuted but preserved—miraculously sustained in the lions’ den.

Together, these three additions form a sacred trilogy of survival:

In the furnace — trust burns brighter than fire.

In the courtroom — truth is stronger than status.

In the temple and den — faith unmasks false gods and endures through trial.

“Even in Babylon,

even under threat,

even in darkness—

YHWH still sees.

YHWH still speaks.

And YHWH still saves.”

These additions belong in any restored Bible—not as extra stories, but as vital echoes of covenant faith, meant to strengthen the exiles of every generation.