II
LORD, we beseech Thee, do as Thou art, in accordance with the greatness of Thy power,2 Thou Who (of old) didst forgive our fathers, what time they rebelled against Thy word.3 Though Thou wast angry with them, to destroy them,4 yet, through Thy love of them and for Thy Covenant’s sake, Thou didst spare them, in that Moses won clearance of their sin.
So now, we beseech Thee, to the end that Thy great power may be known, and the abundance of Thy mercies also, unto all generations for ever, let Thine anger and Thy wrath be turned away from Thy people Israel, and, besides their sins, remind Thyself also of Thy peculiar favors8 which Thou hast (alway) wrought for us in the sight of the nations, because Thou hast claimed us as Thine own.7
[Vouchsafe, we beseech Thee, to tu]rn us again unto Thee with all our heart and soul,8 and so to plant Thy teaching* in our hearts9 that we depart not from it to right or left, Thou having cured us of madness and blindness and bewilderment of heart.10
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*Heb. Torah.
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Behold, when (of old) we were sold by our wrong doings,11 even amid our transgressions didst Thou call us12 and didst rescue us from (further) sinning against Thee. (Moreover, Thou didst vouchsafe unto us to know the mysteries of Thy Tru]th13 and to understand the evidences (of Thee), in that Thou didst [gre]at……………………………………………………………
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III
Behold, all the nations were deemed as naught before Thee, as emptiness and nothingness in Thy presence,14 but us-since we owned ourselves Thine alone,15 and since Thou hadst created us unto Thy glory16-us didst Thou treat as Thy children17 in the sight of the nations, calling Israel, ‘My son, My firstborn’.18 And though Thou didst chastise us, as a man might chastise his son,19 yet didst Thou grant us increase throughout the years of our generations. Thou didst not [abandon us neither suffer] hunger or thirst, plague or sword (to consume us] but didst ever fulfill Thy Covenant (with us).
(So too,) because Thou hadst chosen us for Thine own2O [out of all the peoples of] the earth, therefore although, when Thine anger was kindled, Thou didst pour on us Thy wrath and Thy fiery rage, and cause to cleave unto us21 [all] Thy [plagues and str]okes which Moses had prescribed22 and (likewise) Thy servants the prophets whom Thou didst send to (procla]im unto us the evil which was to befall us in latter times23
–when [our priests (?)] and kings [brake faith with Thee] by taking to wife the daughters of [the heathen],24 thereby [ ] and acting corrupfly25-[yet didst Thou not abjure] Thy Covenant, neither [reject us, to wipe out] the seed of Israel
(Nay,) Thou dost ever deal justly with them that cl[ing unto Thee],26 and dost[ ]
(So too,) because Thou didst love Israel above all peoples, and didst choose the tribe of Judali, [Thou didst set] Thy dwelling [in Zion], [and] a resting-place [for Thy glory] in Jerusa[lem],27 [the city which Thou hadst chos]en out of all the earth, that Thy [name] ‘night abide§ there for ever; and Thou didst also fulfill Thy covenant with David that he should be shepherd, leader o’er Thy people,28 and that (his offspring) should sit alway in Thy presence on the throne of Israel.29 And all the nations beheld Thy glory, ensconced as Thou wast in holiness amid Thy people Israel, and to Thy great name, and brought their tribute of silver and gold and precious stones
together with all the choice things of their lands, to do honor unto Thy people, and unto Zion, Thy holy city, and unto Thy glorious House.80 Nor was adversary there nor misfortune,31
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§ Heb. ‘be’.
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but only peace and blessing; men ate and filled themselves and waxed fat82 [ ]
V
(So too,) though they had forsaken that fount of living waters83 [which Thou hadst opened for them for] their [hall]owing, and though they practiced idolatry84 in their land, and their soil was destroyed by their foemen, when, in Thy fiery passion, Thy fury and hot anger [were poured] out, so that it was turned to a wasteland, where no man came nor went,85 yet, despite all of this, Thou didst not reject the seed of Jacob, neither contemn Israel, to make an end of them,86 and abjure Thy Covenant with them. Nay, Thou alone art a living God; and there is none beside Thee. Therefore, remembering the Covenant
by which Thou hadst brought us forth in the sight of the nations,37 Thou didst not then abandon us among those nations, but in all [the] lands whither Thou didst thrust them38 Thou didst still show kindness to Thy people Israel, that they might be minded to return unto Thee and to hearken to Thy voice,39 even to all which Thou hadst commanded through Thy servant Moses, For Thou didst shed Thy holy spirit40 upon us, (so) bringing to us Thy blessings, that we might take thought on Thee when trouble befell us, and murmur our prayers (to Thee) whenso Thy chastisement pressed sore.41 (And troubles indeed have we encountered, [pla]gued and tortured by the fury of oppressors!)42
Moreover, although we, for our part, ‘drove God hard with our wrongdoings, and, with our sins, laid hard service on our Rock’,45 yet, when Thou didst lay service upon us, Thou didst so for our advantage, guiding in the way we should walk.44 [And] though we paid no heed to [Thy word],
[yet didst Thou ]
VI
and, ever true to Thyself, * * [Thou didst ca]st away from us all our transgressions,45 and purge us of our sin.
It is Thou, 0 LORD, (not us), that hast dealt rightly,46 for all these things hast Thou done.47
[Howbeit, now, this day, when our hearts are bowed down,48 have we not paid the price of our own and our fathers’ wrongdoing -the price of our perfidy and of our contrariness?49 For we have not spurned Thy trials, neither have our souls demurred # 50 against Thy strokes, abjuring our Covenant with Thee through all the distress of our souls. (Thou Who hast sent our enemies against us hast Thyself also given us courage!)
Therefore, we beseech Thee, 0 LORD, to the end that we may bear the tale of Thy power to all generations for ever, even as throughout all time Thou hast wrought peculiar favors, so now let Thine anger and Thy wrath be turned away from us,
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** Heb. ‘for Thy sake’.
# Heb. ‘felt revulsion’.
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and look Thou on our woe and our trouble and our stress,51 and grant unto Thy people Isra[el in all] the lands, near and far,52 whither [Thou hast thrust them],
yea, unto everyone that is inscribed in the Book of Life, 53 that they may succeed in serving Thee and giving thanks # to [Thy holy name]. [Deliver them also] from all their needs54 [ ]. [But bring Thou Thy retribution on dissemblers(?)] who are causing [Thy people(?)] to stumble55 [ ]
[Blessed be He who ], Who hath delivered us from all distress.
AMEN, [AMEN]
# Or, ‘praise’.