Then Azarias standing up prayed in this manner, and opening his mouth in the midst of the fire, he said:34 Deliver us not up for ever, we beseech thee, for thy name’s sake, and abolish not thy covenant.35 And take not away thy mercy from us for the sake of Abraham thy beloved, and Isaac thy servant, and Israel thy holy one:36 To whom thou hast spoken, promising that thou wouldst multiply their seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is on the sea shore.37 For we, O Lord, are diminished more than any nation, and are brought low in all the earth this day for our sins.38 Neither is there at this time prince, or leader, or prophet, or holocaust, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, or place of firstfruits before thee,39 That we may find thy mercy: nevertheless in a contrite heart and humble spirit let us be accepted.40 As in holocausts of rams, and bullocks, and as in thousands of fat lambs: so let our sacrifice be made in thy sight this day, that it may please thee: for there is no confusion to them that trust in thee.41 And now we follow thee with all our heart, and we fear thee, and seek thy face.42 Put us not to confusion, but deal. with us according to thy meekness, and according to the multitude of thy mercies.43 And deliver us according to thy wonderful works, and give glory to thy name, O Lord:
If, then, neither Moses, nor Elias, nor Ezekiel, who had all many celestial visions, did see God; but if what they did see were similitudes of the splendour of the Lord, and prophecies of things to come; it is manifest that the Father is indeed invisible, of whom also the Lord said, "No man hath seen God at any time." But His Word, as He Himself willed it, and for the benefit of those who beheld, did show the Father's brightness, and explained His purposes (as also the Lord said: "The only-begotten God, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared [Him];" and He does Himself also interpret the Word of the Father as being rich and great); not in one figure, nor in one character, did He appear to those seeing Him, but according to the reasons and effects aimed at in His dispensations, as it is written in Daniel. For at one time He was seen with those who were around Ananias, Azarias, Misael, as present with them in the furnace of fire, in the burning, and preserving them from [the effects of] fire: "And the appearance of the fourth," it is said, "was like to the Son of God." At another time [He is represented as] "a stone cut out of the mountain without hands," and as smiting all temporal kingdoms, and as blowing them away (ventilans ea), and as Himself filling all the earth. Then, too, is this same individual beheld as the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, and drawing near to the Ancient of Days, and receiving from Him all power and glory, and a kingdom. "His dominion," it is said, "is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom shall not perish."
Responsorial Psalm — Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9
Ps 24:4-5
Let all them be confounded that act unjust things without cause. Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths.5 Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art God my Saviour; and on thee have I waited all the day long.6 Remember, O Lord, thy bowels of compassion; and thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world.7 The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not remember. According to thy mercy remember thou me: for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.8 The Lord is sweet and righteous: therefore he will give a law to sinners in the way.9 He will guide the mild in judgment: he will teach the meek his ways.
Now the ways of the Lord are, we may say, certain courses taken in a good life, guided by Christ, who says, "I am the way, and the truth and the life." The way, then, is the surpassing power of God, for Christ is our way, and a good way, too, is he, a way that has opened the kingdom of heaven to believers. Moreover, the ways of the Lord are straight, as it is written: "Make your ways known to me, O Lord." Chastity is a way, faith is a way, abstinence is a way. There is, indeed, a way of virtue, and there is a way of wickedness; for it is written, "And see if there is any way of wickedness in me."
Then came Peter unto him and said: Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?22 Jesus saith to him: I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times.†23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a king, who would take an account of his servants.24 And when he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents.†25 And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.26 But that servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.27 And the lord of that servant being moved with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt.†28 But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow servants that owed him an hundred pence: and laying hold of him, throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest.29 And his fellow servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he paid the debt.31 Now his fellow servants seeing what was done, were very much grieved, and they came and told their lord all that was done.32 Then his lord called him; and said to him: Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest me:33 Shouldst not thou then have had compassion also on thy fellow servant, even as I had compassion on thee?34 And his lord being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid all the debt.†35 So also shall my heavenly Father do to you, if you forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.
Or, because the number six seems to denote toil and labour, and the number seven repose, He says that forgiveness should be given to all brethren who live in this world, and sin in the things of this world. But if any commit transgressions beyond these things, he shall then have no further forgiveness.
The Son of God, as He is wisdom, righteousness, and truth (vid. 1 Cor. 1:30.), so is He a kingdom; not indeed any of those which are beneath, but all those which are above, reigning over those in whose senses reigns justice and the other virtues; these are made of heaven because they bear the image of the heavenly. This kingdom of heaven then, i. e. the Son of God, when He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, was then like to a king, in uniting man to himself.
The King takes account of our, whole life then, when we must all be presented before the judgment-seat of Christ. (2 Cor. 5:10.) We mean not this so as that any should think that the business itself must needs require a long time. For God, when He will scrutinize the minds of all, will by some undescribable power cause every thing that every man has done to pass speedily before the mind of each. He says, And when he began to take account, because the beginning of the judgment is that it begin from the house of God. (1 Pet. 4:17.) At His beginning to take account there is brought unto Him one who owes Him many talents; one, that is, who had wrought great evils; one on whom much had been enjoined, and had yet brought no gain; who perhaps had destroyed as many men as he owed talents; one who was therefore become a debtor of many talents, because he had followed the woman sitting upon a talent of lead, whose name is Iniquity. (Zech. 5:7.)
He therefore, as I suppose, took him by the throat, because he had come forth from the king; for he would not have so handled his fellow servant, if he had not gone forth from the king.
Observe the exactness of Scripture; the servant who owed many talents fell down, and worshipped the king; he who owed the hundred denarii falling down, did not worship, but besought his fellow servant, saying, Have patience. But the ungrateful servant did not even respect the very words which had saved himself, for it follows, but he would not.
He seeks to instruct us, that we should be ready to shew clemency to those who have done us harm, especially if they offer amends, and plead to have forgiveness.
About CSB. A personal translation of the New Testament, rendered directly from the public-domain Greek in a literary style — not a scholarly critical edition, and not for liturgical or doctrinal authority. It is one reader's work, offered for enjoyment; where it matters, weigh it against an established translation. (Placeholder text — final wording to come.)