This prayer was composed by Rabbi Yoel ben Yitzchak HaLevi.

God! Let Him choose for Himself

the scattered sheep¹

footnotes: ¹ Israel, which is scattered among nations as sheep among the wolves.

and let Him deliver her.

To the sound of her cries

let Him listen and be attentive,

lest she be destroyed

by the sword and arrow.²

footnotes: ² Of the nations.

Oh, why does He allow

the evil one to blaspheme God.

God! I tremble at the uproar,

the tumultous clamor³

footnotes: ³ Of our enemies.

urging me to refute Your Oneness.

They oppress Your inheritance,

why, [God, do you permit them]

to remove me from my belief in You.

so that the vile one can say in his heart

that there is no God.

God! do not remain silent

over our spilt blood,

over our arrayed limbs

that have filled [many] chambers.

Why do You ignore without hearing

that he has villified the armies of God.

God! be our Protector and we shall sing

at the demise of the evil ones

who say: “Do not partake of Your Torah,

and what is the benefit

that you chose the honored God;

it is in vain to worship God.”

God! The nations have come

to tire and exhaust Your inheritance,

with poured graven images

they have made their sign as a sign.

See that they have cut off the sheep

from their habitat,

and they have said:

“We shall inherit for ourselves

the dwelling of God.”

God! Inquire into this

that they⁴ have decided to slaughter

footnotes: ⁴ The nations.

[our] infants and sucklings

who have volunteered for the sword,

and appointed themselves

to be brought as sacrifices

to the altar of God.

God of hosts! please return

and avenge me from the hands of Esau

for he has enticed me

saying: what [hope] is there,

for You have given up on me

and that I have been forgotten by God.

They⁵ rejected any new god

footnotes: ⁵ Israel.

for vain is its worship.

They cleaved to their Creator

and spat at their books of philosophy;

and each of them gave

his spirit and body⁶

footnotes: ⁶ To sanctify God’s holy Name.

and none is left

for they were⁷ taken by God.

footnotes: ⁷ Lit. “he was.”

“God is holy,” they pronounced,

and confessed [the sins] of their souls,

without concealing their sins.

To their mothers they cried out:

“Hurry and bind us,⁸

footnotes: ⁸ So that we will not resist.

for through us God will be honored.”

Let God fight for him⁹

footnotes: ⁹ I.e. the nation of Israel.

just as He gave over His people

to be cut down

like heads of grain stalks.

May she be¹⁰ bound

footnotes: ¹⁰ I.e. the soul of His nation.

to those who sit in a circle¹¹

footnotes: ¹¹ I.e. the Sanhedrin who customarily sit in a semi-circle.

[in the garden of Eden] of God.

God! To those who are pure of heart

my eyes flow [with tears like] water

when I remember that with their feet

they dragged them along the roads.

Hear the voice of those who blaspheme,

those who speak repulsive words;

enough of their sounds, O God.

God! Accept me! And be a strength

to those who come under Your wing

to find protection from the beasts.¹²

footnotes: ¹² לבְאָיִם—lit. lions.

They have run for Your help

to be saved from conspiracy¹³

footnotes: ¹³ Of the nations.

by being together with God.

God! May they fall in their conspiracies,

these planners [of evil].

May their memory be blotted

and lay Your anger upon them.

May [they] very speedily

[receive] their just rewards upon their heads

and let all nations be erased

those [nations] who have forgotten God.

Living God!

May we please fall into Your hands,

but into the hands of the evil

do not deliver Your servants.

Seek the vengeance of the persecuted

the children of Your beloved ones.¹⁴

footnotes: ¹⁴ I.e. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

How dear is Your kindness, O God!

God! You have abandoned us

and we are at fault.

Therefore, my heart trembles

and I sit stunned.

Hurry to help me

from those who rise up [against me].

Save me from bloodiness, God!

God! Let the voice of my speech

and the voice of [Your] flock

come before You

from the ends of the world.

Return us unto You

and release us from oppression.

And let my prayer be

at a time of acceptance to You, Adonoy.

God.

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.

Adonoy knows the thoughts of man

that they are vanity.

Let Your ear hear

and Your eyes see

the prayers of Your people, Israel.

Pardon Your people who sinned to You,

and all their transgressions

which they transgressed unto You.

Grant truth to Jacob,

kindliness to Abraham,

as You have sworn to our fathers

from the days of old.

Adonoy, Adonoy,

Almighty, Compassionate, and Gracious,

Slow to anger

and Abounding in kindness and truth.

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.