17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,^{1 p}make your face to shine upon ^qyour sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 ^rO my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see ^sour desolations, and ^tthe city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.

23 ^eAt the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, ^fand I have come to tell it to you, for ^gyou are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word ^hand understand the vision.

Nehemiah’s Prayer

4 As soon as I heard these words I ⁱsat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the ^jGod of heaven.