This prayer was composed by Rabbi Joel ben Isaac HaLevi.

Our God and God of our fathers!

My eye pours out tears to God

when I cry to You, say, “I am here;”

give ear to my words when I pray,

Answer me God, answer me.

When You weigh my actions on the scale,

[You will see] that in Your commandments,

my share and desire is insignificant,

and if You reward me according to my work

I am afraid, for I am bare [of good deeds].

Banish and consume, sin and rebellion

uncover the flask of healing, [heal my soul]

let [only] my righteousness testify

before my Creator,

tomorrow [Rosh Hashana]

when You come to decide my recompense.

Wash away the stain

and whiten the redness [of sin].

Consider that their origin is dust,

repay them not according to their deeds

for great is the wickedness of man.

The sinful soul, how can it be atoned?

Riches are of no avail, nor great ransom

for You have set as witness [Satan]

who is quick to testify

to our sins, committed inside and outside.

How can one deny [his] guilt

when his own hand lists

his perverse deeds and all his activities,

and how can he say:

“Who knows the count [of my misdeeds]?”

When the plague is engraved on the wall.¹¹

footnotes: ¹¹ When his sins are obvious.

The pure [angels] who accompany you

in every region,

who are alert to guard you

wherever you go;

even [the soul] that lies within man

testifies against rich and poor alike

when it stands before the King.¹²

footnotes: ¹² Each evening the soul returns to Heaven and reports man’s activities.

I tremble, for nothing is hidden from Him,

Who relates to man his every word,

and even his thoughts as he lies on his bed.

He must give an accounting to His Creator.

Before your feet stumble [before death]

[when your] pledge [the soul is returned]

cleanse yourself from all iniquity,

because you will not be saved

by all the wealth you leave behind,

when the Ruler says, “Come, give account.”

You appointed four periods¹³ and set them

footnotes: ¹³ See Mesechet Rosh Hashana 16a.

to judge the remnant of Your inheritance,

and if they have trespassed against You

regard the covenant [with the Patriarchs]

and do not stand in the crossway

to cut them off.

For on the day of Rosh Hashana¹⁴

footnotes: ¹⁴ See Metsudah T’hillim page 165 note 4.

every man’s fate comes

before his Creator,

be he poor or rich, he is judged,

some go up and some go down.

Appoint a just advocate for Your people,

when all mankind come

to be counted with Your rod,

like a flock of sheep passing by

the hand of one who counts them.

Let Your people’s judgement be first.¹⁵

footnotes: ¹⁵ Before the Almighty is angered by the other nations.

Lift their souls from destruction,

assure them of goodness,

and judge each nation by itself,

let there not be an inter-mixture.

Illustrious God,

who can be associated with You?

Ordinarily

no one uses a broken vessel,

but You do not despise

a humble and broken heart;

is anything too miraculous for Adonoy?

Clear away the stumbling block¹⁶

footnotes: ¹⁶ The Evil Inclination.

that the path may become smooth,

“Depart you unclean one!”

call out to the concealed fool,

for the enemy cares not of our hurt;

come let us deal wisely with him,

lest he become too mighty.

Man serves two masters

during the years of his life,

doing the will of his Creator

or serving his [evil] inclination;

but well for him who clings to his Creator

all of his [life] time,

then he is a servant free from his master.¹⁷

footnotes: ¹⁷ The Evil Inclination.

He who prepares his meal before evening,

he who works in this [world]

will be prepared for the future [world];

but he who waits for the Sabbath,¹⁸

footnotes: ¹⁸ When death approaches.

what gain will he have?¹⁹

footnotes: ¹⁹ This is a paraphrase of the saying, “He who prepares before the Sabbath, will have what to eat on the Sabbath.”

That which is crooked

cannot be made straight.²⁰

footnotes: ²⁰ Koheles 1:15.

Therefore, we hasten to pray even before

the Day of Judgement, listen to our prayer;

fasting and whole-hearted repentance

will turn away Your wrath,

but not [like the dog]

which returns to his vomit

to sin again and repent,

for no opportunity will be given him

to repent.

Rise you who sleep in the cave of Machpelah,²¹

footnotes: ²¹ The Patriarchs.

and help me,

I am disgraced, and I have no good deeds,

cry out and pray to God, with me,

and from the strength [of your deeds]

offer a gratuity on my behalf.

Arouse Your mercy

to strengthen those that are powerless,

Exalted One, [do it]

for they were forgotten these many years,

open the gates of tears

for [Your] beautiful plants [Israel],

who come weeping and supplicating [to You].

Almighty One, because of our rebellion,

we are considered strangers,

but now that we return to You

have mercy on us as a father on his sons;

remember that You called us children,

and You are the one Father of us all,

why diminish the Name of our Father?

I have no offering to present to You,

in exchange accept my prayer and plea,

please accept the present

that goes before me,

and let all these people know

that You are Adonoy.

You made known and ordained

repentance even before creation,²²

footnotes: ²² God knew that the world could not exist without repentance.

God considered it a benefit [to man],

and so we hasten to return to You;

cause us to return to You Adonoy

and we shall return.

Your loved ones cry out,

they beseech You with great murmuring,

let their voice be heard in His Dwelling,

from on high;

may His mercy be aroused

in the merit of the three Patriarchs,

may Almighty God grant you mercy.

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.”

The Rock, His work is perfect,

for all His ways are justice.

Almighty of faithfulness, without iniquity,

just and right is He.

For Your judgement they stand today,

for they are all Your servants.

Blow the shofar on the new month,

at the appointed time for our festive day.

For it is a statute for Israel,

a day of judgement of the God of Jacob.

Your righteousness

is like the mighty mountains,

Your judgements like the great deep;

man and beast, You deliver, Adonoy.

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.