This prayer was composed by Rabbenu Gershom [the light of the exile].

My throat has become parched

[from] crying out over injustice,

when I see the evil one

trample that which is holy.

I cried out: Help [us reach]

the hidden¹ day of vengeance.

footnotes: ¹ I.e. for that day is known only to God.

My intestines, therefore, tremble

and my heart melts.²

footnotes: ² ‘My intestines … melts’ i.e. I am consumed by fear.

Master! You have sanctified the land³

footnotes: ³ I.e. the Land of Israel.

with ten [levels of] holiness.

Within her You dwelt

for [so that we may merit] forgiveness.

[The place of] Your majestic power⁴

footnotes: ⁴ I.e. the Temple.

was established by Your Holy Hands.

Foxes trampled there

and [the Temple] was plowed up by plows.

My intestines, therefore, tremble

and my heart melts.

The city of perfect beauty,⁵

footnotes: ⁵ I.e. Jerusalem.

the fortified city,

and the place where sins are forgiven

once a year,⁶

footnotes: ⁶ I.e. Yom Kippur.

You have poured wrath and anger on it

for so many years.

Your anger You poured out,

and You have not yet taken pity

to reestablish it.

My intestines, therefore, tremble

and my heart melts.

The hub of the world,⁵

footnotes: ⁵ I.e. Jerusalem.

You have destroyed and emptied it.

The forest of Lebanon⁷

footnotes: ⁷ ‘לְבָנוֹן‘—a play on the word לָבָן—white, i.e. the place where we were cleansed by our sins—the Temple.

You burned and ignited.

Great One!

The inhabitants You brought down

[and] removed them.

Those [i.e. the nation] that You took,

on the day of anger

You slaughtered [in many ways].

My intestines, therefore, tremble

and my heart melts.

From the delightful land

Your beloved left.

They wander in exile,

they [nevertheless] praise Your Name.

The enemies oppress

to cause pain to Your nation

[by saying:] You are Adonoy’s nation,

[yet] you are exiled from your place.

My intestines, therefore, tremble

and my heart melts.

We shall open our mouths

and we will justify You.⁸

footnotes: ⁸ I.e. We will admit that You have dealt rightly with us.

Our Strength! [Despite] all that befalls us,

You are righteous.

Holy One! Justice is with You

to give us over to the oppressor,

who tramples us with his foot,

grates his teeth and crushes us.

My intestines, therefore, tremble

and my heart melts.

Our fathers corrupted their ways,

and for their sins we were trapped to suffer

for the reason that

we held on to their deeds.⁹

footnotes: ⁹ I.e. we continued in their ways.

[Because] we were filled with rebuke

we became repulsive and despicable,

[so that] many evils and tribulations

were provided [for us] as our punishment.

My intestines, therefore, tremble

and my heart melts.

To return to You, Master,

we have consulted and agreed.

Upon returning

we have been greatly remorseful and contrite.

With Your mercy be gracious to us

for we have been annihilated and finished.

Let our enemies not rejoice,

for despite that we have fallen we shall rise.

My intestines, therefore, tremble

and my heart melts.

Return the captives who have been scattered

due to their great guilt.

And gather them from amongst the nations

with an abundance of love.

Fulfill Your promise

that Your messenger the prophet prophesied.

Establish the kingdom of David

that is fallen and destroyed.

Then my intestines will exult

and my heart will rejoice.

Remember the kindness of our youth¹⁰

footnotes: ¹⁰ I.e. Remember what You did for us when we first became Your nation.

and the covenant with our early generations.

Remember the merit of our forefathers,

[so that] the sons will not be destroyed.

With pride they shall go

with tears [of joy] and with prayers

from north and south

and from the hidden lands.¹¹

footnotes: ¹¹ The lands to which the ten lost tribes were exiled.

Then my intestines will exult

and my heart will rejoice.

Now in our oppression

we have remembered You,

ashamed and humiliated.

We declare: ‘We have sinned.’

‘Forgive us, please,’ we pronounce.

Please convert ‘strict justice’

to ‘lenient justice.’

Bring our righteousness into the light

as bright as the seven days.¹²

footnotes: ¹² Of creation.

Then my intestines will exult

and my heart will rejoice.