Bible Verses About Repentance

Since the times of our ancestors, we have been deeply guilty; and because of our sins, we, our kings and our cohanim have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, to exile, to pillage and to disgrace, as is the case today.

Now, for a brief moment, ADONAI our God has shown us the favor of allowing a remnant to escape and giving us a secure foothold in his holy place, in order for God to make things look brighter to us and revive us a little in our slavery.

For we are slaves. Yet our God has not abandoned us in our slavery, but has caused the kings of Persia to extend grace to us, reviving us, so that we can rebuild the house of our God, repair its ruins, and have a wall of defense in Y'hudah and Yerushalayim.

"But now, our God, what are we to say after this? For we have abandoned your mitzvot,

which you gave us through your servants the prophets when they said, 'The land which you are going to in order to take possession of it is a land defiled by the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, because of their disgusting practices, which have filled it with their filth from one end to the other.

Therefore, you are not to give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons; and you are not to promote their peace or prosperity ever. Only in this way will you grow strong, enjoy the good things of the land and leave it as a lasting inheritance to your children.'

Now, after all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and our deep guilt - and even so, you, our God, have punished us less than our sins deserve and have given us a surviving remnant -

are we to break your mitzvot again by making marriages with the peoples who have these disgusting practices? Won't you become so angry with us that you would destroy us completely, so that there would be no surviving remnant and no one who escapes?

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."

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.'

If you will set your heart right, if you will spread out your hands toward him,

if you will put your iniquity at a distance and not let unrighteousness remain in your tents,

then when you lift up your face, there will be no defect; you will be firm and free from fear.

If you return to Shaddai, you will be built up. If you drive wickedness far from your tents,

He prays to God and is accepted by him, so that he sees [God's] face with joy, and [God] repays the man for his righteousness.

He declares before everyone, 'I sinned; I perverted what was right, and it gained me nothing.

[God] redeemed me from going into the pit, and now my life sees light.'

"For has anyone said to God, 'I have been chastised without having offended;

teach me what I have failed to see; and if I have done wrong, I will do it no more'?

He sounds a warning in their ears and orders them to repent of their evil.

therefore I detest [myself] and repent in dust and ashes."

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to ADONAI; all the clans of the nations will worship in your presence.

turn from evil, and do good; seek peace, go after it!

ADONAI is near those with broken hearts; he saves those whose spirit is crushed.

My sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God, you won't spurn a broken, chastened heart.