THE PRAYER OF MANASSES

1 O Lord Almighty, *which art in heaven*,

Thou God of our fathers,

Of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob,

And of their righteous seed;

2 Thou who hast made the heaven and the earth,

With all the array thereof:

3 Who hast bound the sea by the word of thy command;

4 Who hast shut up the Deep, and sealed it

With thy terrible and glorious Name;

5 Whom all things do dread; yea, they tremble before thy power:

For the majesty of thy glory cannot be borne,

And the anger of thy threatening against sinners is unendurable:

6 Infinite and unsearchable is thy merciful promise;

7 For thou art the Lord Most High, of great compassion,

long-suffering and abundant in mercy, and repentest thee for the evils of men.

*Thou, O Lord, according to thy great goodness hast promised repentance and forgiveness to them that have sinned against thee; and in the multitude of thy mercies hast appointed repentance unto sinners, that they may be saved.*

8 Thou, therefore, O Lord, that art the God of the righteous, hast not appointed repentance unto the righteous, unto Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob, which have not sinned against thee:

But thou hast appointed repentance unto me that am a sinner;

For the sins I have sinned are more in number than the sands of the sea.

9 For my transgressions were multiplied, O Lord:

My transgressions were multiplied,

And I am not worthy to behold and see the height of heaven by reason of the multitude of mine iniquities.

*And now, O Lord, I am justly punished and deservedly afflicted;

For lo! I am in captivity,*

10 Bowed down with many an iron chain,

So that I cannot lift up mine head by reason of my sins,

Neither have I any respite:

Because I provoked thy wrath, and did that which was evil in thy sight.

*I did not do thy will, neither kept I thy commandments:*

I set up abominations, and multiplied detestable things.

11 And now I bow the knee of mine heart, beseeching thee of thy gracious goodness.

12 I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned,

And I acknowledge mine iniquities.

13 But, I humbly beseech thee,

Forgive me, O Lord, forgive me,

And destroy me not with mine iniquities.

Neither, in thy continual anger against me,

Lay up evil in store for me:

Nor pass thou sentence against me,

When I am in the lowest parts of the earth.

For thou, O Lord, art the God of them that repent;

14 And in me thou wilt show forth *all* thy goodness:

For thou wilt save me, unworthy that I am,

According to thy great mercy.

15 And I will praise thee for ever all the days of my life:

For all the host of heaven doth sing thy praise,

And thine is the glory for ever and ever. Amen.