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1O Lord Almighty,
God of our fathers,
of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
and of their righteous posterity;
2thou who hast made heaven and earth
with all their order;
3who hast shackled the sea by thy word of command,
who hast confined the deep
and sealed it with thy terrible and glorious name;
4at whom all things shudder,
and tremble before thy power,
5for thy glorious splendour cannot be borne,
and the wrath of thy threat to sinners is irresistible;
6yet immeasurable and unsearchable is thy promised mercy,
7for thou art the Lord Most High,
of great compassion, long-suffering, and very merciful,
and repentest over the evils of men.
Thou, O Lord, according to thy great goodness
hast promised repentance and forgiveness
to those who have sinned against thee;
and in the multitude of thy mercies
thou hast appointed repentance for sinners,
that they may be saved.
8Therefore thou, O Lord, God of the righteous,
hast not appointed repentance for the righteous,
for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, who did not sin against thee,
but thou hast appointed repentance for me, who am a sinner.
9For the sins I have committed are more in number than the sand of the sea;
my transgressions are multiplied, O Lord, they are multiplied!
I am unworthy to look up and see the height of heaven
because of the multitude of my iniquities.
10I am weighted down with many an iron fetter,
so that I am rejected because of my sins,
and I have no relief;
for I have provoked thy wrath
and have done what is evil in thy sight,
setting up abominations and multiplying offences.
11And now I bend the knee of my heart,
beseeching thee for thy kindness.
12I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned,
and I know my transgressions.
13I earnestly beseech thee,
forgive me, O Lord, forgive me!
Do not destroy me with my transgressions!
Do not be angry with me for ever or lay up evil for me;
do not condemn me to the depths of the earth.
For thou, O Lord, art the God of those who repent,
14and in me thou wilt manifest thy goodness;
for, unworthy as I am, thou wilt save me in thy great mercy,
15and I will praise thee continually all the days of my life.
For all the host of heaven sings thy praise,
and thine is the glory for ever. Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1957 and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.