Then hear thou their prayers, and their supplication, in heaven thy dwellingplace For their deliverance out of captivity: and maintain their cause; plead it, and do them justice, avenge their injuries, and deliver them.
47
but repent in the country of their captivity and pray with changed hearts in their exile, "We've sinned; we've done wrong; we've been most wicked,"
48
and turn back to you heart and soul in the land of the enemy who conquered them, and pray to you toward their homeland, the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you chose, and this Temple I have built to the honor of your Name,
49
isten from your home in heaven to their prayers desperate and devout and do what is best for them.
50
Forgive your people who have sinned against you; forgive their gross rebellions and move their captors to treat them with compassion.
51
They are, after all, your people and your precious inheritance whom you rescued from the heart of that iron-smelting furnace, Egypt!
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.