Prayer Verses

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. {wept...: Heb. wept a great weeping}

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned {certain} days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

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 desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

I likewise, {and} my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury.

Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth {part} of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.

Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.

And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, {was} the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer: and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren, and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, {there was} great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. {many...: Heb. sackcloth and ashes were laid under many}

Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew {it} unto Esther, and to declare {it} unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.