THE HOLY BIBLE: Douay-Rheims: Prayer of Manasses

1‡ LORD omnipotent God of our fathers, Abraham, & Isaac, and Iacob, and of their iust sede, (2 Par 33:12)2which didst make heauen and earth: with al the ornamentes of them,3which hast bound the sea with the word of thy precept, which hast shut vp the depth, and sealed it with thy terrible and laudable name:4whom al thinges dread, & tremble at the countinance of thy powre,5because the magnificence of thy glorie is importable, & the wrath of thy threatning vpon sinners is intollerable:6but the mercie of thy promise is infinite and vnsearchable:7because thou art our Lord, most high, benigne, long suffering, and very merciful, and penitent vpon the wickednes of men. Thou Lord according to the multitude of thy goodnes hast promised penance, and remission to them that haue sinned to thee, and by the multitude of thy mercies thou hast decreed penance to sinners, vnto saluation.8Thou therfore Lord God of the iust, hast not appointed penance to the iust, Abraham, & Isaac and Iacob, them that haue not sinned to thee, but hast appointed penance for me a sinner:9because I haue sinned aboue the number of the sand of the sea. Myne iniquities Lord be multiplied, mine iniquities be multiplied, and I am not worthie to behold, & looke vpon the height of heauen, for the multitude of mine iniquities.10I am made crooked with manie a band of yron, that I can not lift vp my head, and I haue not respiration: because I haue stirred vp thy wrath, and haue done euil before thee: I haue not done thy wil, and thy commandmentes I haue not kept: I haue set vp abominations, and multiplied offenses.11And now I bowe the knee of my hart, beseeching goodnes of thee.12I haue sinned Lord, I haue sinned, & I acknowlege myne iniquities.13Wherefore I beseech disiring thee, forgeue me Lord, forgeue me: and destroy me not together with myne iniquities, neither reserue thou for euer, being angrie, euils for me, neither damme me into the lowest places of the earth: because thou art Lord, God, I say, of the penitent:14in me thou shalt shew al thy goodnes because thou shalt saue me vnworthie according to thy great mercie,15and I wil prayse thee alwayes al the dayes of my life: because al the power of the heauens prayseth thee, and to thee is glorie for euer and euer. Amen.