1 Deeply upset in my heart, I sighed and wept and began to pray with sighs:
2 “You are just, Lord, and all your deeds are just; mercy and truth mark all your ways. You judge the world.
3 “Now, Lord, remember me and look upon me. Don’t punish me for my sins and the mistakes I made in ignorance, nor for those of my ancestors. They sinned against you,
4 and I disregarded your commandments. So you have handed us over to plunder, captivity, and death. We have become a parable and the object of chatter and scorn among all the nations to which you have scattered us.
5 You are right in your many judgments, holding me responsible for my sins; for we didn’t observe your commandments, and we haven’t behaved faithfully toward you.