Prayer of Manasseh 1

CHAPTER 1

¹Lord God Almighty of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of their just seed,

²which madest heaven and earth, with all the adorning of those [or them] ,

³which hast marked the sea by the word of thy commandment, which hast enclosed altogether the depth, or the deepness, of waters, and hast marked them to thy fearedful and praiseable name,

⁴which all men dread, and tremble of the cheer of thy virtue,

⁵and the wrath of thy menacing [or thy threatening] on sinners is unsuffer-able, either may not be sustained .

⁶Soothly the mercy of thy promise is full-great and unsearchable, either may not be comprehended by man’s wit ;

⁷for thou art the Lord most high over all earth; thou art patient, or long-abiding, and much merciful, and doing penance, or repenting, on the malices of men. Truly, Lord, by thy goodness thou hast promised penance of forgiveness of sins, that is, forgiving sins for repenting of men ;

⁸and thou, Lord, that art God of just men, hast not set penance to just men, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to them that sinned not against thee.

⁹But (thou settest penance unto me, that am a sinner ), for I have sinned more than the number is of the gravel of the sea;

¹⁰my wickednesses be multiplied. I am bowed with much bond of iron, and no breathing is to me; for I have stirred thy wrathfulness, and I have done evil before thee, and I have set abominations, and I have multiplied offensions.

¹¹And now, I bow the knees of mine heart, and beseech goodness of thee, Lord.

¹²I have sinned, Lord; I have sinned, and I acknowledge my wicked-ness.

¹³I ask, and I pray thee, Lord; forgive thou to me, forgive thou to me; lose thou me not altogether with my wickednesses, neither reserve thou evils to me without end.

¹⁴For, Lord, by thy great mercy thou shalt save me, most unworthy wretch , and I shall praise thee ever in all the days of my life; for all the virtue, that is, all those orders of angels , of heavens praiseth thee, and to thee is glory into worlds of worlds. Amen.