^12 (A)I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land.

^9 (A)For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, ^(B)but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection^[a] in Judea and Jerusalem.

⁵⁰ and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and ^(A)grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them

¹¹ O Lord, ^(A)let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Now I was ^(B)cupbearer to the king.

¹¹ The Lord said, “Have I not^[a] set you free for their good? Have I not pleaded for you before the enemy in the time of trouble and in the time of distress?

⁹ For ^(A)if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children ^(B)will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For ^(C)the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, ^(D)if you return to him.”