DANIEL'S PRAYER FOR MERCY

(See Daniel 9)

Lavámini, mundi estóte, auférte malum cogitatiónum vestrárum ab óculis meis; quiéscite ágere pervérse, díscite benefácere: quærite iudícium, subveníte opprésso, iudicáte pupíllo, deféndite víduam. Et veníte et iudício contendámus, dicit Dóminus. Si fúerint peccáta vestra ut cóccinum, quasi nix dealbabúntur; et si fúerint rubra quasi vermículus, velut lana erunt.

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Take your wrong-doing out of my sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow. Come now, let us talk this over, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

(Isaiah 1:16-18)

5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting,
with my garments and my mantle rent,
and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God,
6 saying: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to thee, my God,
for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads,
and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.
7 From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt;
and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests
have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands,
to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as at this day.
8 But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God,
to leave us a remnant,
and to give us a secure hold* within his holy place,
that our God may brighten our eyes
and grant us a little reviving in our bondage.
9 For we are bondmen;
yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage,
but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia,
to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God,
to repair its ruins,
and to give us protection* in Judea and Jerusalem.

(Ezra 9:5-9)