^3 (A)Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

^3 (A)‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and ^[a]mighty things, which you do not know.’

^16 [a]Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. ^(A)The effective, ^[b]fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man ^(B)with a nature like ours, and ^(C)he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed ^(D)again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

⁴ So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

⁵ And I said: “I pray, ^(A)Lord God of heaven, O great and ^(B)awesome God, ^(C)You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love ^[a]You and observe ^[b]Your commandments, ⁶ please let Your ear be attentive and ^(D)Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and ^(E)confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. ^7 (F)We have acted very corruptly against You, and have ^(G)not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. ⁸ Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ^(H)‘If you ^[c]are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; ^9 (I)but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, ^(J)though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ ^10 (K)Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. ¹¹ O Lord, I pray, please ^(L)let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who ^(M)desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

For I was the king’s ^(N)cupbearer.