The prayer that Moses the prophet of the LORD prayed when the people, the house of Israel, sinned in the wilderness. He raised his voice and thus he said: O LORD, the dwelling of whose presence is in heaven, you have been for us a helper in every generation.

When it was manifest in your presence that your people were going to sin, you established repentance; before ever the mountains were lifted up and the earth and the world’s inhabitants created, and fromthisage to the ageto come,you are God.

You will return a son of man todeath because of his sin; and[yet]you have said, “Repent, O sons of men.”

For a thousand years in your eyesare considered in your presencelike a yesterday, for it will pass; andlikea watch in the night.

And if they do not repent, death will come upon them, they will be as those who are sleeping; and in the age to come, they will disappear likecrumbling grass.

Their deeds are like grass thatin the morning will spring up and multiply; in the evening it fades and dries up from the heat.

For we have been destroyed by yourharshness,and by your anger¹ we have been terrified.

footnotes: ¹ alternate Targum: rage

You have set our sins in front of you,the iniquities ofour youthbefore the light of your face.

For all our dayshave been removed from your presence in your anger; we have completedthe days of our lives like a vapor of the mouth in winter.

The days of our years in this ageare seventy years,quickly passing;²and if [one is]in strength, eighty years; but most of them are toil and deceit for the guilty,for they pass in haste and fly away to the morning.³

footnotes: ² Translation uncertain. ³ alternate Targum: dust.

Who is he who knowshow to turn back the force of your harshness?– except the righteous, **who fear you,**appease your anger.

Who **is right to teach us to number our days,**except the prophet, whose heartpours forth wisdom?

Turn, O LORD – how longwill you afflict us? – andturn from the harm that you commanded to do to your servants.⁴

footnotes: ⁴ alternate Targum: people.

Satisfy us with your goodness in the age that is likened to amorning, and we will rejoice and be glad in all our days.

Gladden us like the days that you afflicted us,likethe years that we saw harm.

Let the worksof your miraclesappear to your servants, and let your splendor be upon their sons.

And may the pleasantnessof the Garden of Eden be upon usfrom the presence of the LORD our God, and the works of our hands will be established by him.⁵

footnotes: ⁵ some manuscripts conclude: and may the works of our hands flourish; he has firmly set the words of Torah upon us.