PRAYER OF MANASSES
(Rahlfs Ode 12)
1 O Lord Almighty,
God of our fathers,
of Abraam and Isaak and Iakob
and of their righteous offspring,
2 you who made the sky and the earth
together with all their order,
you who shackled the sea by the word of
your ordinance,
3 you who shut up the deep
and sealed it with your awesome and
notable name,
4 at whom all things shudder
and tremble from before your power,
5 because the magnificence of your glory
cannot be borne,
and the wrath of your threat against sinners
cannot be withstood;
6 both immeasurable and inscrutable is the
mercy of your promise,
7 because you are Lord Most High,
compassionate, slow to anger and
abounding in mercy
and repenting at ills of human beings.
8 So you, O Lord God of the righteous,
you did not appoint repentance for
righteous ones,
for Abraam and Isaak and Iakob, who had
not sinned against you,
but you appointed repentance for me, the
sinner,
9 because I sinned beyond the number of the
sand of the sea.
My acts of lawlessness multiplied, O Lord,
they multiplied,
and I am not worthy to gaze at and see the
height of the sky,
due to the multitude of my injustices.
10 Bent down I am by many a fetter of iron,
for me to say, “No,” over my sins.
And I find no relief,
because I provoked your anger
and did what was evil before you,
having set up abominations
and having multipied objects of wrath.
11 And now I bend my heart’s knee,
begging for kindness from you.
12 I have sinned, O Lord; I have sinned,
and my lawless acts I know.
13 I plead, begging you;
relieve me, O Lord; relieve me!
Do not destroy me together with my acts of
lawlessness
nor be angry forever and retain evil for
me
nor condemn me in the deepest places of
the earth,
because you, O Lord, are the God of those
who repent,
14 and in me show your goodness,
because, though unworthy, you will save
me
according to your abundant mercy,
15 and I will praise you always throughout the
days of my life,
because all the host of the heavens will sing
a hymn to you,
and yours is the glory forever. Amen.