⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and ·told him about all of our sins [made confession]. I said, “Lord, you are a great ·God who causes fear and wonder [^Land awesome God]. You ·keep [guard] ·your agreement of love [covenant and loyalty] with all who love you and ·obey [keep; guard] your commands.

⁵ “But we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and ·turned [rebelled] against you, your commands, and your ·laws [judgments]. ⁶ We did not listen to your servants, the prophets, who spoke ·for you [^Lin your name] to our kings, our ·leaders [princes], our ·ancestors [fathers], and all the people of the land.

⁷ “Lord, ·you are good and right [^Lto you is righteousness], but ·we are full of shame [^Lto us is shame of face] today—the people of Judah and Jerusalem, all the people of Israel, those near and far whom you ·scattered [drove away] among many nations because they were ·not loyal [treacherous] to you. ⁸ Lord, ·we are all ashamed [^Lto us is shame of face]. Our kings and ·leaders [princes] and our ·fathers [ancestors] are ·ashamed [shame-faced], because we have ·sinned against [or failed] you.

⁹ “But, Lord our God, you ·show us mercy [have compassion] and forgive us even though we have ·turned [rebelled] against you. ¹⁰ We have not ·obeyed [^Llistened to the voice of] the Lord our God or the ·teachings [instructions; laws] he gave us through his servants, the prophets. ¹¹ All the people of Israel have ·disobeyed [transgressed] your ·teachings [instructions; laws] and have turned away, refusing to ·obey you [^Llisten to your voice]. So you ·brought [poured] on us the curses and ·promises of punishment [oaths] written in the ·Teachings [Instructions; Laws] of Moses [Deut. 28:64–68], the servant of God, because we ·sinned against [failed] you.

¹² “·You said these things would happen to us and our ·leaders [judges], and you made them happen; you brought on us a great disaster. Nothing has ever been done ·on earth [^Lunder all the heavens] like what was done to Jerusalem. ¹³ All this disaster came to us just as it is written in the ·Teachings [Instructions; Laws] of Moses [Deut. 28:15–68]. But we have not ·pleaded [entreated] with the Lord our God. We have not ·stopped [turned from] ·sinning [iniquity]. We have not ·paid attention to [considered; pondered; reflected on] your ·truth [faithfulness]. ¹⁴ The Lord ·was ready to bring [^Lkept watch on and brought] the disaster on us, and he did it because the Lord our God is ·right [righteous] in everything he does. But we still did not ·obey him [^Llisten to his voice].

¹⁵ “Lord our God, ·you used your power and [^Lby your strong hand you] brought us out of Egypt [Ex. 12–15]. Because of that, your name is known even today. But we have sinned and ·have done wrong [acted wickedly]. ¹⁶ Lord, ·you do what is right, but [^Laccording to all your righteousness,] ·please do not be angry with [^Lturn aside your anger and your wrath from] Jerusalem, your city on your holy hill [^CZion, the location of the Temple]. Because of our sins and the ·evil things [iniquity] done by our ·ancestors [fathers], people all around ·insult and make fun of [scorn; reproach] Jerusalem and your people.

¹⁷ “Now, our God, hear the prayers of your servant. Listen to my ·prayer for help [supplication], and for ·your [^Lthe Lord’s] sake ·do good things for [^Lmake your face shine on] your ·holy place [sanctuary] that is in ruins. ¹⁸ My God, ·pay attention [^Lextend/incline your ear] and hear me. Open your eyes and see all ·the terrible things that have happened to us [^Lour desolation/destruction] and the city that is called by your name. We do not ·ask these things [present our supplication] because ·we are good [of our righteousness]; instead, we ask because of your ·mercy [compassion]. ¹⁹ Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, ·hear us [pay attention] and do something! For your sake, don’t ·wait [delay], because your city and your people are called by your name.”