<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> deserves praise,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">for he has heard my plea for mercy!<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">O <sc>Lordsc>, hear my prayer!p> <p class="poetry">Pay attention to my plea for mercy!p>

<p class="poetry">A poor person makes supplications,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">but a rich man answers harshly.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Will it make numerous supplications to you,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">will it speak to you with tender words?<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">I love the <sc>Lordsc>p> <p class="poetry">because he heard my plea for mercy,<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">O Lord, listen to me!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Pay attention to<n id="2" /> my plea for mercy!p>

<p class="poetry">Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,p> <p class="poetry">when I lift my hands<n id="1" /> toward your holy temple!<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">I say to the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;You are my God.&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">O <sc>Lordsc>, pay attention to my plea for mercy!p>

<t /><p class="psasuper">A psalm of David.p> <p class="poetry">O <sc>Lordsc>, hear my prayer!p> <p class="poetry">Pay attention to my plea for help!p> <p class="poetry">Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me!p>

So I turned my attention<n id="1" /> to the Lord God<n id="2" /> to implore him by prayer and requests, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">I jumped to conclusions and said,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I am cut off from your presence!&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;A noise is heard on the hilltops.p> <p class="poetry">It is the sound of the people of Israel crying and pleading to their gods.p> <p class="poetry">Indeed they have followed sinful ways;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">they have forgotten to be true to the <sc>Lordsc> their God.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;So now, our God, accept<n id="1" /> the prayer and requests of your servant, and show favor to<n id="2" /> your devastated sanctuary for your own sake.<n id="3" />

At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to convey it to you, for you are of great value in God&#8217;s sight.<n id="1" /> Therefore consider the message and understand the vision:<n id="2" />p>

Respond to the requests of your servant and your people Israel for this place.<n id="1" /> Hear from your heavenly dwelling place and respond favorably and forgive.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">They will come back shedding tears of contrition.p> <p class="poetry">I will bring them back praying prayers of repentance.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I will lead them besides streams of water,p> <p class="poetry">along smooth paths where they will never stumble.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I will do this because I am Israel&#8217;s father;p> <p class="poetry">Ephraim<n id="3" /> is my firstborn son.&#8217;&#8221;p>

Listen attentively,<n id="1" /> my God, and hear! Open your eyes and look on our desolated ruins<n id="2" /> and the city called by your name.<n id="3" /> For it is not because of our own righteous deeds that we are praying to you,<n id="4" /> but because your compassion is abundant.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;I will pour out on the kingship<n id="1" /> of David and the population of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication so that they will look to me,<n id="2" /> the one they have pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn.<n id="3" />