Bible Verses About Prayer

Then the cohanim, who were L'vi'im, stood up and blessed the people; [ADONAI] heard their voice, and their prayer came up to the holy place where he lives, heaven.

Because of this, Hizkiyahu the king and Yesha'yahu the prophet, the son of Amotz, prayed and cried out to heaven.

Then, when he was in distress, he began to appease the anger of ADONAI, abjectly humbling himself before the God of his ancestors.

At the evening offering, with my cloak and tunic torn, I got up from afflicting myself, fell on my knees, spread out my hands to ADONAI my God,

and said, "My God, I am ashamed. I blush to lift my face to you, my God! For our sins tower over our heads; our guilt reaches up to heaven.

ADONAI, God of Isra'el! You are just; yet we have been left a surviving remnant that has escaped, as is the case today. Look, we are before you in our guilt; because of it, no one can stand in your presence."

While 'Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrated before the house of God, a huge crowd of Isra'el's men, women and children gathered around him; and the people were weeping bitterly.

On hearing this answer, I sat down and wept; I mourned for several days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

I said, "Please, ADONAI! God of heaven! You great and fearsome God, who keeps his covenant and extends grace to those who love him and observe his mitzvot!

Let your ear now be attentive and your eyes be open, so that you will listen to the prayer of your servant, which I am praying before you these days, day and night, for the people of Isra'el your servants - even as I confess the sins of the people of Isra'el that we have committed against you. Yes, I and my father's house have sinned.

We have deeply offended you. We haven't observed the mitzvot, laws or rulings you ordered your servant Moshe.

Remember, please, the word you gave through your servant Moshe, 'If you break faith, I will scatter you among the peoples;

but if you return to me, observe my mitzvot and obey them, then, even if your scattered ones are in the most distant part of heaven, nevertheless, I will collect them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen for bearing my name.'

Our God, listen! We are being treated with contempt. Turn back their jeers on their own heads; give them over to be plundered in a land of exile.

Don't cover their guilt, don't let their sin be wiped out from before you; because they have insulted the builders to their face.

However, we prayed to our God and, because of them, organized a watch against them day and night.

Shaking out the fold in my garment, I said, "May God thus shake every man from his house and from his work who fails to live up to this promise - may he be shaken out like this and made empty." The whole assembly said, "Amen!" and praised ADONAI; and the people did as they had promised.

Those descended from Isra'el separated themselves from all foreigners; then they stood up and confessed their own sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.

"'Now therefore, our God, great, mighty, fearsome God, who keeps both covenant and grace: let not all this suffering seem little to you that has come on us, our kings, our leaders, our cohanim, our prophets, our ancestors, and on all your people, from the times of the kings of Ashur until this very day.

There is no question that you are just in all that has come upon us; for you have treated us fairly. It is we who have acted wickedly.

Our kings, our leaders, our cohanim and ancestors did not keep your Torah, pay attention to your mitzvot or heed the warnings you gave them.

Even when they ruled their own kingdom, even when you prospered them greatly, in the great, rich land you gave them, they did not serve you; nor did they turn from their wicked deeds.

At length, Iyov broke the silence and cursed the day of his [birth].

Iyov said,

"Perish the day I was born and the night that said, 'A man is conceived.'