And deliver the sons of the needy,
And completely crush the oppressor!

May he live as long as the sun,
While the moon shines from age to age.
May he descend like rain on the meadow,
Like rain-drops that water the earth.
In his days may justice flourish,
And prosperity without measure,
Till the moon shall cease to shine.
May he rule from sea to sea,

From the river to the ends of the earth.
May his foes bow down before him,

And his enemies lick the dust.

May the kings of Tarshish and the isles bring gifts,

The kings of Sheba and Seba pay tribute.

May all kings pay him homage,

And all the nations serve him.

For he saves the needy who cry,
The afflicted and him with no helper.
He pities the poor and the weak,

And saves the life of the destitute.

From extortion and violence he saves them,
For their blood in his sight is precious.

Long may he live;

And may gold of Sheba be given him.
May prayer be made constantly for him,
And daily may he be blessed!

May the land have abundance of grain,

On the hilltops may its fruit flourish like Lebanon; And may the men of the city

Blossom as wild vegetation.

May his renown endure forever,

May his fame flourish as long as the sun.

May all nations ask a like blessing,
And all races of earth call him happy!

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
He who alone performs wonders,
Blessed be his glorious name forever,

Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.

297. A PETITION FOR The Renewal OF GOD'S FAVOR

Thou hast favored thy land, O Lord,

Thou hast brought back the captives of Jacob,

Thou hast pardoned the guilt of thy people,

Thou hast forgiven all their sin,

Thou hast withdrawn all thy wrath,

And turned away the heat of thine anger.

Restore us, O God, our Savior,

Put away thy displeasure toward us.
Wilt thou forever be angry,

Prolonging thy wrath to all ages?
Wilt thou not restore us to life,

That thy people may rejoice in thee?
Show us thy love, O Lord,

And grant us thy salvation.

I would hear what the Lord will speak,
For he will speak peace to his people,
And to those who truly love him.

He will surely save those who revere him,
That glory may dwell in our land.

Love and truth meet together,

Peace and righteousness kiss each other.
Truth springs up from the earth,

And righteousness looks down from heaven.
The Lord shall give what is good,

And our land shall yield its increase.
Righteousness goes before him,

And peace shall follow in his footsteps.

298. A PILGRIM'S PRAYER FOR THE PROSPERITY OF JERUSALEM

I was glad when they said to me:
'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'
I am glad when our feet are standing
Within your gates, O Jerusalem.

O Jerusalem, built up anew,
As a city that is compact together,
To which the tribes go as pilgrims,
Even the tribes of the Lord,

As the law has prescribed for Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the Lord;
For there stand the thrones of justice,
The thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,

And that those who love you may prosper.
May peace be within your walls,

And prosperity within your palaces.

For the sake of my brothers and friends,

I now say: 'Peace be within you.'

For the sake of the house of the Lord

I pray for your well-being.

299. A PLEA FOR COMPLETE FORGIVENESS AND

RESTORATION

Have mercy upon me, O God,

According to thy loving-kindness,

According to the multitude of thy tender mercies,

Blot out all my transgressions,

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,

And cleanse me from my sin.
For well do I know my misdeeds,
And my sin is always before me.
Against thee, thee only have I sinned,
And done what is wrong in thy sight;
Therefore thou art right when thou speakest,
And just when thou pronouncest thy judgment.

Verily I was born in iniquity,

And in sin did my mother conceive me.
Yet thou desirest truth in the heart,

In my inner soul thou wouldst teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me with hyssop that I may be clean,
Wash me whiter than snow.

Fill me with joy and gladness,

That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins,

And blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence,
Withdraw not thy holy spirit from me.
Give me back the glad sense of thy help,
And with a willing spirit sustain me.

Then I will teach sinners thy ways,
And wrong-doers shall turn unto thee.

Save me from bloodshed, O God,

That my tongue may sing of thy righteousness.

O Lord, open thou my lips,

That my mouth may declare thy praise!

For thou takest no pleasure in sacrifice,

No delight in gifts of burnt-offering.
The sacrifices pleasing to thee
Are a broken and contrite spirit.

300. A PRAYER THAT GOD MAY BE GRACIOUS

ΤΟ ΜΑΝ

O Lord, thou hast been our abode throughout all gen

erations,

Before the mountains were made,

Or the earth and the world were born,
From eternity to eternity thou art God.

Thou turnest man back to dust,
And sayest, 'Return, O sons of men.'
For a thousand years in thy sight
Are as yesterday when it is past,
And as a watch in the night.

Thou sweepest them away as in sleep,
Or as grass which grows up in the morning;
In the morning it thrives and sprouts,
In the evening it fades and withers.

For under thine anger we perish,

By the heat of thy wrath we are troubled.
Thou hast set our sins before thee,
Our secrets in the light of thy presence.

For our days are spent under thy wrath,
And we end our years as a sigh.

Our years are threescore and ten,

Or, by reason of strength, perhaps fourscore;
Yet their duration is but labor and sorrow,
For it is soon gone, and we fly away.

Who knows the power of thine anger,
Who stands in awe of thy wrath?
So teach us to number our days,
That we may acquire a wise mind.

Return, O Lord; how long?

And relent concerning thy servants.