15. Petition
Petition The prayer of Noah:Genesis 9:25-27 Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants may he be to his brethren, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.
God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.
Abraham’s prayer for Ishmael:Genesis 17:18 Oh, that Ishmael might live before Thee.
Lot’s prayer during his escape from Sodom.[1] : Genesis 19:19-20
[1] This prayer is addressed, probably not to Jehovah, but to one of the two angels, from whom, inGenesis 19:19-20, Jehovah is expressly distinguished.
Behold now, Thy servant hath found favor in Thy sight, and Thou hast magnified Thy loving kindness which Thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me and I die. Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. Oh, let me escape thither, and my soul shall live.
Prayer of Abraham’s servant,that he might be guided to the right wife for Isaac:Genesis 24:12-14;Genesis 24:42-44
O Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, I pray Thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the well of water and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; and, let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, “Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink”; and she shall say, “Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also”: let the same be she that Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that Thou hast showed kindness unto my master.
Jacob’s prayer,on his return,for deliverance from Esau:Genesis 32:9-12.
O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Jehovah, who didst say unto me, “Return to thy country and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good.” I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children. And Thou didst say, “I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.”
Jacob’s prayer for a blessing:Genesis 32:26 I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.
Moses’prayer for the presence of God with himself and the people:Exodus 33:13-16
If I have found favor in Thy sight, show me now Thy ways, that I may know Thee, so that I may indeed find favor in Thy sight; and consider that this nation is Thy people. ... If Thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence. For wherein now shall it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight, I and Thy people? Is it not in that Thou goest with us?
Moses’prayer for a vision of the Divine glory:Exodus 33:18 I pray Thee, show me Thy glory. The priestly blessing:Numbers 6:24-26 Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee.
Jehovah make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee.
Jehovah lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Prayer when the ark set forward:Numbers 10:35 Rise up, O Jehovah, And let Thine enemies be scattered; And let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.
Prayer when the ark rested:Numbers 10:36 Return, O Jehovah, Unto the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel.
Moses’prayer regarding the rebels:Numbers 16:15 Respect not Thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.
Moses’ prayer for a successor:Numbers 27:16-17
Let Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in; that the congregation of Jehovah be not as sheep which have no shepherd.
Prayer offered by the elders of the nearest city in the case of an untraced murder:Deuteronomy 21:7-8 Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. Forgive, O Jehovah, thy people Israel, whom Thou hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of Thy people Israel.
Moses’prayer that he might be permitted to set foot upon the promised land:Deuteronomy 3:24-25
O Lord Jehovah, Thou hast begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy strong hand; for what God is there in heaven or in earth that can do according to Thy works, and according to Thy mighty acts? I pray Thee, let me go over and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill- country, and Lebanon.
Prayer to be offered,after the triennial tithe has been given to the Levite,the sojourner,the fatherless and the widow:Deuteronomy 26:13-15
I have put away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them to the Levite, to the sojourner, to the fatherless and to the widow, according to all Thy commandment which Thou hast commanded me. I have not transgressed any of Thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them. I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I put away thereof, whilst unclean, nor given thereof for the dead. I have hearkened to the voice of Jehovah my God: I have done according to all that Thou hast commanded me.
Look down from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Thy people Israel, and the ground which Thou hast given us, as Thou sparest unto our fathers —a land flowing with milk and honey.
Joshua’s prayer at the battle of Gibeon:Joshua 10:12 Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.
Manoah’s prayer for guidance regarding the child to be born to him:Judges 13:8
Oh Lord, I pray Thee, let the man of God whom Thou didst send, come again unto us and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.
Samson’s dying prayer:Judges 16:28
O Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
Saul’s prayer that the guilty man be discovered by the lot.[1]:1 Samuel 14:41
[1] This prayer is preserved in the Greek version, but not in the Hebrew, which, with a necessary change in the text, simply reads, “Give Thummim.”
O Lord, God of Israel, wherefore is it that Thou hast not answered Thy servant this day? Is the sin in me, or in Jonathan my son? O Lord, God of Israel, give Urim. But if thus Thou say, “It is in my people Israel”; give, I pray Thee, Thummim.[2] [2] The Urim and the Thummim were a mode of casting lots.
David’s prayer,when Saul is in pursuit of him:1 Samuel 23:10-12
O Jehovah, God of Israel, Thy servant hath surely heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. Will Saul come down, as Thy servant hath heard? O Jehovah, God of Israel, I beseech Thee, tell Thy servant. . . . Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?
David’s prayer,when he learns of Ahithophel’s share in the conspiracy against him:2 Samuel 15:31 O Jehovah, I pray Thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
Solomon’s prayer for wisdom:1 Kings 3:7-9
O Jehovah, my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And Thy servant is in the midst of Thy people which
Thou hast chosen, a great people that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this great people of Thine?
Prayer composed for the dedication of the temple of Solomon:1 Kings 8:23-53;2 Chronicles 6:14-40
O Jehovah, God of Israel, there is no God like Thee in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keepest covenant and loving kindness with Thy servants that walk before Thee with all their heart; who hast kept with Thy servant David my father that which Thou didst promise him. Yea, Thou speakest with Thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with Thine hand, as it is this day. Now therefore, O Jehovah, God of Israel, keep with Thy servant David my father that which Thou hast promised him, saying, “There shall not fail thee a man in My sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only thy children take heed to their way to walk before Me as thou hast walked before Me.” Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Thy word, I pray Thee, be verified, which Thou spakest unto Thy servant David my father. But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have built! Yet have Thou respect unto the prayer of Thy servant, and to his supplication, O Jehovah my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which Thy servant prayeth before Thee this day, that Thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which Thou hast said, “My name shall be there”—to hearken unto the prayer which Thy servant shall pray toward this place. And hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy servant, and of Thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place; yea, hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place; and, when Thou hearest, forgive.
If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and he come and swear before Thine altar in this house; then hear Thou in heaven, and do, and judge Thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head, and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. When Thy people Israel are smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against Thee if they turn again to Thee, and confess Thy name and pray, and make supplication unto Thee in this house: then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy people Israel and bring them again unto the land which Thou gavest unto their fathers. When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against Thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess Thy name, and turn from their sin, when Thou dost afflict them: then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy servants, and of Thy people Israel, when Thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk, and send rain upon Thy land which Thou hast given to Thy people for an inheritance.
If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be: what prayer and supplication so ever be made by any man, or by all Thy people Israel, who shall know every man the plague of his own heart and spread forth his hands toward this house: then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knowest—for Thou, even Thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men—that they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the land which Thou gavest unto their fathers.
Moreover, concerning the alien that is not of Thy people Israel, but comes from a far country for Thy name’s sake—for they shall hear of Thy great name, and of Thy mighty hand, and of Thine outstretched arm—when he shall come and pray toward this house, hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that the alien calleth to Thee for: that all the peoples of the earth may know Thy name to fear Thee, as doth Thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Thy name.
If Thy people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatsoever way Thou shalt send them, and they pray unto Jehovah toward the city which Thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Thy name: then hear Thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication and maintain their cause.
If they sin against Thee—for there is no man that sinneth not—and Thou be angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive unto the land of the enemy, far or near; yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication unto Thee in the land of them that carried them captive, saying, “We have sinned, we have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly”; if they return to Thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray unto Thee toward their land, which Thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which Thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for Thy name: then hear Thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and maintain their cause, and forgive Thy people who have sinned against Thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against Thee, and give them compassion before those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them—for they are Thy people and Thine inheritance, which Thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron—that Thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of Thy servant, and unto the supplication of Thy people Israel, to hearken unto them whensoever they cry unto Thee. For Thou didst separate them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be Thine inheritance, as thou spakest by Moses Thy servant, when Thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord Jehovah.
Benediction at the consecration of the temple:1 Kings 8:56-60
Blessed be Jehovah, that hath given rest unto His people Israel according to all that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His good promise which He promised by Moses His servant. Jehovah our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; let Him not leave us, nor forsake us, that He may incline our hearts unto Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, and His statutes and His judgments which He commanded our fathers. And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before Jehovah, be nigh unto Jehovah our God day and night, that He maintain the cause of His servant, and the cause of His people Israel, as each day shall require; that all the peoples of the earth may know that Jehovah is God, and none else.
Prayer of the Baal priests on Mount Carmel:1 Kings 18:26 O Baal, hear us.
Elijah’s prayer on Mount Carmel:1 Kings 18:36-37
O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word. Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may know that Thou, Jehovah, art God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again.
Elijah’s prayer for death:1 Kings 19:4 It is enough. Now, O Jehovah, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
Elisha’s prayer regarding the Aramean army which invaded Israel:2 Kings 6:18 Smite this people, I pray Thee, with blindness.
Hezekiah’s prayer,terrified by the taunts of the Assyrians,and their threatened assault upon Jerusalem:2 Kings 19:15-19;Isaiah 37:16-20
O Jehovah, God of Israel, that sittest above the cherubim, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: Thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline Thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open Thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, wherewith he hath sent him to defy the living God. Of a truth, Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone— therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Jehovah, our God, save Thou us, I beseech Thee, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know, that Thou, Jehovah, art God alone.
Hezekiah’s prayer,when he receives the announcement of his impending death:2 Kings 20:3;Isaiah 38:3
Remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech Thee, how I have walked before Thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight.
Prayer of Jabez:1 Chronicles 4:10
Oh, that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that Thy hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it be not to my sorrow.
Prayer of Asa before the battle with Zerah:2 Chronicles 14:11
O Jehovah, there is none besides Thee to help, between the mighty and him that hath no strength. Help us, O Jehovah our God, for we rely on Thee, and in Thy name are we come against this multitude. O Jehovah, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee.
Jehoshaphat’s prayer before battle with the combined forces of Moab, Ammon and the Meunim:2 Chronicles 20:6-12
O Jehovah, God of our fathers, are not Thou God in heaven? and art not Thou ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? and in Thy hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand Thee. Didst not Thou, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Thy people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham Thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and have built Thee a sanctuary therein for Thy name, saying, “If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence or famine, we will stand before this house and before Thee—for Thy name is in this house—and cry unto Thee in our affliction, and Thou wilt hear and serve.” And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom Thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them and destroyed them not: behold how they reward us, in that they come to cast us out of Thy possession, which Thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, will not thou judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon Thee. The dying prayer of Zechariah,son of Jehoiada,slain by the command of king Joash:2 Chronicles 24:22 Jehovah look upon it, and require it.
Nehemiah’s prayer,when he learns of the evil plight of his countrymen,and of Jerusalem:Nehemiah 1:5-11
I beseech Thee, O Jehovah, God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and loving kindness with them that love Him, and keep His commandments; let Thine ear now be attentive, and Thine eyes open, that Thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of Thy servant, which I pray before Thee at this time day and night, for the children of Israel Thy servants, while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against Thee. Yea, I and my father’s house have sinned: we have dealt very corruptly against Thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes nor the ordinances, which Thou didst command Thy servant Moses. Remember, I beseech Thee, the word that Thou didst command Thy servant Moses, saying, “If ye trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples: but if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them from thence and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there.”
Now these are Thy servants and Thy people whom Thou hast redeemed by Thy great power, and by Thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech Thee, let now Thine ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant, and to the prayer of Thy servants, who delight to fear Thy name; and prosper, I pray Thee, Thy servant, this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. (Artaxerxes I, King of Persia, whose cup-bearer he was.)
Nehemiah’s prayer,on hearing how Sanballat and Tobiah derided the efforts of the Jews to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem:Nehemiah 4:4-5
Hear, O our God, for we are despised; and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity; and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before Thee; for they have provoked Thee to anger before the builders.
Nehemiah’s prayer, after describing his generous conduct as governor of Judah:Nehemiah 5:19 Remember unto me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.
Nehemiah’s prayer when he learns of the intrigues against him:Nehemiah 6:9 Now (O God) strengthen Thou my hands.
Nehemiah’s prayer concerning the intriguers:Nehemiah 6:14
Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets that would have put me in fear.
Nehemiah’s prayer,after describing his zeal for religious reform:Nehemiah 13:14
Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the observances thereof.
Nehemiah’s prayer,after describing his zeal for the observance of the Sabbath day:Nehemiah 13:22 Remember unto me, O my God, this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Thy loving kindness.
Nehemiah’s prayer concerning those who have defiled the priesthood by intermarriage with foreign women:Nehemiah 13:29
Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.
Nehemiah’s prayer, after his reorganization of the clergy:Nehemiah 13:31 Remember me, O my God, for good.
Job’s prayer for a speedy death:Job 6:8-9 Oh, that I might have my request, And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!
Even that it would please God to crush me, That He would let loose his hand, and cut me off.
Job’s prayer for a respite from his sufferings,before he dies:Job 7:16-21 Let me alone; for my days are vanity.
What is man, that Thou shouldest magnify him, And that Thou shouldest set Thine heart upon him,[1] And that Thou shouldest visit him every morning, And try him every moment?
How long wilt Thou refuse to look away from me, And to let me alone, till I swallow down my spittle? [2] If I have sinned, what do I unto Thee, O Thou watcher of men?
Why hast Thou set me as a mark for Thee, So that I am become a burden unto Thee? And why dost Thou not pardon my transgression, And take away mine iniquity? For now shall I lie down in the dust; And Thou shalt seek me diligently, but I shall not be.
[1]These questions, suggested byPsalms 8:5, are asked by Job in bitter irony.
[2] That is, for a moment.
Job’s prayer to be hidden in Sheol:Job 14:13 Oh, that Thou wouldest hide me in Sheol. That Thou wouldest keep me in secret till Thy wrath be past. That Thou wouldest appoint me a set time and remember me. The prayer of Agur:Proverbs 30:7-9 Two things have I asked of Thee:
Deny me then not before I die.
Remove far from me falsehood and lies, Give me neither poverty nor riches.
Feed me with the food that is needful for me;
Lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, “Who is Jehovah?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And use profanely the name of God.
Isaiah’s response to the Divine call:Isaiah 6:8 Here am I; send me.
Prayer for the confirmation of peace:Isaiah 26:8-9;Isaiah 26:12-13 In the path of Thy judgments, O Jehovah, have we waited for Thee: to Thy name, even to Thy memorial name, is the desire of our soul. With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me do I seek Thee earnestly. Jehovah, Thou wilt ordain peace for us; for Thou hast also wrought all our works for us. O Jehovah our God, other lords besides Thee have had dominion over us; but by Thee only will we celebrate Thy name.
Prayer for help,perhaps shortly before Sennach-erib’s invasion:Isaiah 33:2 O Jehovah, be gracious unto us;
We have waited for Thee. Be Thou our arm every morning, Our salvation also in the time of trouble.
Prayer for the interposition of God in national affairs:Isaiah 63:15-19;Isaiah 63:12 Look down from heaven, and behold, From Thy holy and glorious habitation. Where is Thy zeal and Thy strength, And the yearning of Thy heart?
Restrain not Thy pity, For Thou art our Father.
Though Abraham knoweth us not, And Israel acknowledge us not, Thou, O Jehovah, art our Father; Our Redeemer is Thy name from of old.
O Jehovah, why dost Thou make us to err from Thy ways, And hardenest our heart from Thy fear?
Turn again for the sake of Thy servants, For the sake of the tribes of Thine inheritance. Our adversaries have trodden down Thy sanctuary.[1] We are become as they over whom Thou never barest rule, As they that were not called by Thy name.
[1] The first clause ofIsaiah 63:18, the meaning of which is very uncertain, has been omitted.
Oh that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, and come down, That the mountains might quake at Thy presence, As fire kindleth the brushwood, As water, which fire makes to boil, To make Thy name known to Thine adversaries, That the nations might tremble before Thee, Whilst Thou didst terrible things, which we looked not for, And which from of old men have not heard. No ear hath perceived, Nor eye hath seen, A God besides Thee, Who worketh for him that waiteth for Him.
Thou meetest those that work righteousness, And remember Thy ways.
Behold, Thou wast wroth, and we sinned.[2] And we are all become as one that is unclean, And all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment; And we all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away. And there is none that calleth upon Thy name, That stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee; For Thou hast hid Thy face from us, And consumed us by means of our iniquities.
[2] The last clause ofIsaiah 63:5is obscure and has been omitted. But now, O Jehovah, Thou art our Father, We are the clay, and Thou our potter. And we all are the work of Thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O Jehovah, Nor remember iniquity for ever.
Behold, look, we beseech Thee, We are all Thy people.
Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
Our holy and our beautiful house Where our fathers praised Thee, Is burned up with fire; And all our pleasant places are laid waste.
Wilt Thou refrain Thyself for these things, O Jehovah?
Wilt Thou hold Thy peace, and afflict us very sore?
Prayer of Judah“in the time of their trouble.”:Jeremiah 2:27 Arise, and save us.
Prayer that Jehovah would punish the heathen,for their treatment of His people:Jeremiah 10:23-25
O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Jehovah, correct me, but in measure; not in Thine anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing. Pour out Thy fury upon the nations that know Thee not, and upon the families that call not upon Thy name: for they have devoured Jacob, yea, they have devoured him, and consumed him, and laid waste his habitation.
Jeremiah,persecuted,commits his cause to God:Jeremiah 11:20;Jeremiah 20:12:Jeremiah 12:1-3
O Jehovah of hosts, who judgest righteously, who triest the heart and the mind, I shall see Thy vengeance upon them; for unto Thee have I committed my cause.
Jeremiah,in his perplexity,prays for vengeance upon his persecutors:Jeremiah 12:1-3
Righteous art Thou, O Jehovah; how could I contend with Thee? Yet there are questions of justice that I would speak of with Thee. Why doth the way of the wicked prosper? Why are all they at ease that deal very treacherously? Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root; they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit; Thou art near in their mouth and far from their heart. But Thou, O Jehovah, knowest me, Thou seest me and triest my heart toward Thee. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
Prayer of Jeremiah for the people,perhaps in time of drought:Jeremiah 14:7-9
Though our iniquities testify against us, act Thou, O Jehovah, for Thy name’s sake; for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against Thee.
O Thou hope of Israel, the Savior thereof in the time of trouble, why shouldest Thou be as a sojourner in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest Thou be as a man affrighted, as a mighty man that cannot save?
Yet Thou, O Jehovah, art in the midst of us, and we are called by Thy name; leave us not.
Prayer for forgiveness and mercy upon sinful Judah:Jeremiah 14:19-22
Hast Thou utterly rejected Judah? hath Thy soul loathed Zion? Why hast Thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and behold! dismay.
We acknowledge, O Jehovah, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against Thee. Do not abhor us, for Thy name’s sake; do not disgrace the throne of Thy glory: remember, break not Thy covenant with us. Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? Art not Thou He, O Jehovah our God? Therefore we will wait for Thee; for Thou hast made all these things.
Jeremiah’s prayer for his own deliverance and for the punishment of his persecutors:Jeremiah 17:14-18 Heal me, O Jehovah, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for Thou art my praise.
Behold! they say unto me, “Where is the word of Jehovah? let it come now.” As for me, I have not desired the woeful day—Thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was before Thy face. Be not a terror unto me: Thou art my refuge in the day of evil. Let them be put to shame that persecute me, but let not me be put to shame: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed. Bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
Jeremiah’s prayer for the punishment of his persecutors:Jeremiah 18:19-23
Give heed to me, O Jehovah, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember how I stood before Thee to speak good for them, to turn away Thy wrath from them. Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and give them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives become childless and widows; let their men be slain of death, and their young men smitten of the sword in battle. Let a cry be heard from their houses, when Thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them; for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet. Yet, Jehovah, Thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me; forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from Thy sight, but let them be overthrown before Thee. Deal Thou thus with them in the time of Thine anger.
Prayer from the siege of Jerusalem:Lamentations 1:20-22 Behold, O Jehovah; for I am in distress, My heart is troubled. My heart is turned within me, For I have grievously rebelled, Without, the sword bereaveth,
Within, death.
Hear how I sigh:
There is none to comfort me.
All mine enemies have heard of my trouble, They are glad at what Thou hast done.
Thou hast brought on the day that Thou didst proclaim, Because of my sins.
Let all their wickedness come before Thee, May they be like unto me. As Thou hast done unto me, Do also unto them. For my sighs are many, And my heart is faint. The prayer of Jerusalem, oppressed and enslaved.
Remember, O Jehovah, what is come upon us;
Behold, and see our reproach.
* * * * * Thou, O Jehovah, abidest for ever, Thy throne is from generation to generation, Why dost Thou forget us for ever, And forsake us so long time?
Turn us unto Thee, O Jehovah, and we shall be turned;
Renew our days as of old. Or hast Thou rejected us utterly? Is Thine anger against us so very sore?
Another prayer of sorrowful Jerusalem:Lamentations 3:59-66 O Jehovah, Thou hast seen my wrong;
Judge Thou my cause.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, And all their devices against me.
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, And all their devices against me, The lips of those that rose up against me, And their devices against me all the day.
Behold Thou their sitting down, and their rising up:
I am their taunt-song.
Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O Jehovah, According to the work of their hands.
Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, Thy curse upon them.
Thou wilt pursue them in anger and destroy them From under Thy heavens.
Hosea’s prayer for the infertility of his sinful people:Hosea 9:14 Give them, O Jehovah—what wilt Thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
Prayer of the priests who expect the speedy coming of the great day of Jehovah:Joel 1:19-20
O Jehovah, to Thee do I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. Yea, the beasts of the field pant unto Thee; for the water-brooks are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Another prayer of the priests,for mercy:Joel 2:17
Spare Thy people, O Jehovah, and give not Thy heritage to reproach, that the heathen mock them not. Why should they say among the peoples, “Where is their God?”
Prayer of the foreign sailors,before they throw Jonah overboard:Jonah 1:14
We beseech Thee, O Jehovah, we beseech Thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for Thou, O Jehovah, hast done as it pleased Thee.
Jonah’s prayer for death, when the Ninevites repent and are saved:Jonah 4:2-3
I pray Thee, O Jehovah, was not this what I said, when I was yet in mine own country? That was why I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that Thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in love, and repentest Thee of the evil. Therefore now, O Jehovah, take, I beseech Thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.