This prayer was composed by Rabbi Joel ben Isaac Halevi.

One King will rule [all] the nations, He [God] will raise my banner,¹ He will cause those appointed to tax me to seek my peace, and my oppressors to deal righteously. I will make it known to him when I say, “Where is God Who made me?” I say, “My deeds are in honor of the King.”

footnotes: ¹ Of redemption.

The King will call to judgement His people Israel [on Rosh Hashana], therefore, I hasten to flee [from evil] [and seek] the Presence of the Almighty. I and my young men will fast, and plead with supplications, and thus will I go into the King.

The King is greater than all gods, He is the possessor of heaven and earth, around those who fear Him, the angel of Adonoy encamps; Angels of mercy! Please entreat Him Who appeared in the [burning] bush, and also you angels who serve in the Presence of the King.

O King! Leave out nothing that You have promised: to repair the breaches of the house,² to remove the stones from Your vineyard³ and to erect a fence around it; strengthen the advocate and silence the accuser, so that he does no damage, for the adversary is not worthy of the King’s loss.

footnotes: ² The House of Israel. ³ Remove the sins, the stumbling blocks from Israel.

O King! see what is good in Your eyes— forgive our iniquities, rebuke the seducer [Satan] let destruction and ruin come upon him; let him withdraw disgraced before [Your] great terror and awe; let the evil decree against him be final from the King’s will.

The King and His command approaches on the day when judgment is recorded, He judges the peoples, the righteous, the sinner and the guilty; and now let the King’s scribes be called, those who cause drought and make rain, and let them inscribe for the Jews whatever You desire in the King’s Name.

O King! Put to shame the sun’s brilliance,⁴ and let the worshippers of Nebo be disgraced, let man despise his idols of silver and his idols of gold; for they will see with their eyes His [God’s] return to Zion, and be uplifted doors to eternity so that the King may enter.

footnotes: ⁴ So that men will not worship it.

The wise King Who scatters the wicked and also the empty-headed, and turns the wheel upon them⁵ and rebukes them— cast out the scorner [Satan], and let strife depart, that he not open his mouth [against us]; [and say to him]: “That he is forbidden to enter the King’s gate.

footnotes: ⁵ He punishes them.

If it pleases the King let there go forth a royal edict from Him based on the following: “I will guard the feet of my children, and will not put them in stockades⁶ on the day set for judging who shall prosper and who shall fail,” for so has the King ordained.

footnotes: ⁶ To torture them.

The King sits on the throne of judgment, small and great, He reviews as one, and discerns who is truly penitent and who returns like a dog;⁷ He will avenge the offended [Israel] from the offender [its oppressors] in the seventh month [Tishrei] when the heart of the King is benevolent.

footnotes: ⁷ He who returns to his sin as a dog who returns to his vomit.

The King of all the earth, the Almighty Who answers me in the day of my distress, and Who was with me every time I was encircled by enemy camps, may He continue forever to surround me with glad songs of rescue, when I find favor in the eyes of the King.

O King! Grant superior honor to Your servants [Israel], let their lives be precious in Your eyes for they are children of the Almighty’s kings,⁸ and see how the whole of Israel every man and woman come before the King [in judgment].

footnotes: ⁸ שֶׁהֵם נִקְרָאִים בְּנֵי מְלָכִים—sons of kings.

O King! His servants seek His Presence with fasting and affliction [saying], “The nations have been warned, whoever touches them [Israel] touches the apple of His eye;” and behold Esau oppresses them, say to him, “Perverse one, why do you transgress the King’s command?”

Awesome King! How long will You imprison the children of Zorach and Peretz, the twins of Tamar?⁹ Restore their kingdom and uproot Amalek as it is said [in Your Torah, see Deut 25:19]; for she has not kept the word [command] of the King.

footnotes: ⁹ The sons of Judah from where the royal House of David were descended and from whence the Messiah will come.

O King! May His princes and servants surround Him in His Palace [the Holy Temple], let them dwell in Bashan and Gilead, let them dwell alone [in security]; lead Your people with Your scepter, take us out into abundance, You my Master, the King.

O King! The eyes of all Israel are upon You, to gather my multitude, may they yet dwell in the gates of Jerusalem, my aged women and men; and then, together they will serve You my Priests and my deputy Priests, and Adonoy will be King.

O King! The magnificence of the House of Adonoy, my eyes long to behold, and the whole people together will magnify Your Name; then will our mouths be filled with laughter, and all will joyfully sing: “[God] will be King in Jeshurun.”

O King! [How long] will my enemies exult? How long will they prevail? They have grown and prospered and destroyed the Holy Temple; behold they say: “Our hands are mighty,” and I have not been called to come to the King.

O King! Rise in Your [lit. His] anger to destroy as You promised those who eat the flesh of swine, [and] the [other] abominated animals and mice; let Him trumpet and shout, He will prevail over His enemies, for this is the promise of the King.

O Great King, remove from us the heart of stone, whiten our sins like snow and wool, that we may cling to You like the red to the white;¹⁰ grant the king [Moshiach] Your justice and Your righteousness to the king’s son[s].¹¹ (בְּנֵי מְלָכִים).

footnotes: ¹⁰ The yolk of the egg to the albumen. ¹¹ The Children of Israel are called the sons of kings

O King Who faithfully judges the poor, You see that the pride of our spirit is broken¹² even this day. A broken and humbled heart You, God, will not despise; [therefore] deposit our works¹³ in the treasury of the King.

footnotes: ¹² We are no longer haughty or arrogant. ¹³ Our repentance and good deeds.

O King grant Your righteousness to Israel, for he is a tender youth, cling to him, as a man clings to his wife; do not despise him, but turn to the prayer of the destitute, and to all the servants of the King who are at the gate of the King.

O King, I have come to beseech Him, to inscribe me for a good life, from the abundance of His House, to be filled, let all nations gather in the Name of God, and let them go up every year to bow in worship to the King.

Almighty! King! Who sits on the throne of mercy, governs with kindness forgives the iniquities of His people. He removes their sins one by one, increasing forgiveness to sinners, and pardon to transgressors. Acting righteously with all who are of flesh and spirit; not according to their wickedness does He repay them. Almighty! You instructed us to recite the thirteen Divine attributes; remember unto us this day the covenant of thirteen Divine attributes, as You made them known to the humble Moses of old, as it is written, “And Adonoy descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the Name, Adonoy.

Congregation and Chazzan:

And Adonoy passed before him [Moses], and proclaimed:

Adonoy, Adonoy, Almighty, Merciful, Gracious, Slow to Anger, and Abundant in Kindness, and Truth. Keeper of kindness for thousands of generations, Endurer of iniquity, and transgression, and sin; and Acquitter of those who repent. “And pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your inheritance.”

Pardon us our Father, for we have sinned, forgive us our King, for we have transgressed. “For You, my Master, are good and forgiving, and abounding in kindness to all who call upon You.”

Do not enter into judgment with us, for no living soul will be justified before You. Even in His holy ones, He does not trust, and the heavens are not innocent in His eyes. Even more, since man is but a worm and the son of man a maggot. Behold we are guilty in Your Presence, we are not worthy to stand in Your Presence because of this. Who cay say: “My heart is pure, I have cleansed it from sin.”

As a father has compassion on his children so do You have compassion on us, Adonoy. Deliverance is Adonoy’s; upon Your people is Your blessing. Selah! Adonoy of Hosts is with us, a stronghold for us is the God of Jacob. Selah! Adonoy of Hosts! fortunate is the man who trusts in You. Adonoy, deliver us; the King will answer us on the day we call.

“Please pardon the sins of this nation in accordance with the greatness of Your lovingkindness; and as You forgave this people from when it left Egypt until now.” And there it is said:

“And Adonoy said, I have pardoned [them] as you have asked.”

Incline Your ear, my God, and hear, open Your eyes and behold our desolate places, and the city which is called by Your Name; for it is not on account of our righteousness that we let fall our supplication before You, but because of Your great mercy. My Master, hear! My Master, pardon! My Master, listen and take action, do not delay! For Your sake, my God, because Your Name is proclaimed over Your city and over Your people.