The Great Shema* Deuteronmony 6:4

 

Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the Lord is one!

 

II Samuel 22: A Thanksgiving Prayer/Psalm by David (the following except from the Bible is a hybrid translation)

¹And David spoke the words of this song to the LORD in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

   ²He said,
         "Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
      ³⁾My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
         My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;
         My savior, You save me from violence.
      ⁴"I call upon Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised,
         And I am saved from my enemies.
      ⁵"For the waves of death encompassed me;
         The torrents of destruction overwhelmed me;
      ⁶The cords of Sheol surrounded me;
         The snares of death confronted me.
      ⁷"In my distress I called upon the Yahweh,
         Yes, I cried to my God;
         And from His temple He heard my voice,
         And my cry for help came into His ears.

¹⁴"Yahweh thundered from heaven,
         And the Most High uttered His voice.
      ¹⁵"And He sent out arrows, and scattered them,
         Lightning, and routed them.
      ¹⁶"Then the channels of the sea appeared,
         The foundations of the world were laid bare
         By the rebuke of Yahweh,
         At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
      ¹⁷"He sent from on high, He took me;
         He drew me out of many waters.
      ¹⁸"He delivered me from my strong enemy,
         From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
      ¹⁹"They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
         But the LORD was my support.
      ²⁰"He also brought me forth into a broad place;
         He rescued me, because He delighted in me.
      ²¹"The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
         According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
      ²²"For I have kept the ways of Yahweh,
         And have not acted wickedly against my God.
      ²³"For all His ordinances were before me,
         And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.
      ²⁴"I was also blameless toward Him,
         And I kept myself from my iniquity.
      ²⁵"Therefore Yahweh has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
         According to my cleanness before His eyes.
      ²⁸"And You save an afflicted people;
         But Your eyes are on the proud whom You abase.
      ²⁹"For You are my lamp, O Yahweh;
         And Yahweh illumines my darkness.
      ³⁰"For by You I can run upon a troop;
         By my God I can leap over a wall.
      ³¹"As for God, His way is blameless;
         The word of the LORD is tested;
         He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
      ³²"For who is God, besides the LORD?
         And who is a rock, besides our God?
      ³³"God is my strong fortress;
         And He sets the blameless in His way.
      ³⁴"He makes my feet like hinds' feet,
         And sets me on my high places.
         A people whom I have not known serve me.
      ⁴⁷" Yahweh lives, and blessed be my rock;
         And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
      ⁴⁹Who also brings me out from my enemies;
         You even lift me above those who rise up against me;
         You rescue me from the violent man.
      ⁵⁰"Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Yahweh, among the nations,
         And I will sing praises to Your name.
      ⁵¹"He is a tower of deliverance to His king,
         And shows lovingkindness to His anointed,
         To David and his descendants forever."

 

 

1 Kings 8:22-52: Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem

 

   ²²Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

   ²³He said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,

   ²⁴who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have promised him; indeed, You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand as it is this day.

   ²⁵"Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, 'You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.'

   ²⁶"Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Your word, I pray, be confirmed which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.

   ²⁷"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!

   ²⁸"Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today;

   ²⁹that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward ^(J)the place of which You have said, 'My name shall be there,' to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place.

   ³⁰"Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and forgive.

   ³¹"If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house,

   ³²then hear in heaven and act and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

   ³³"When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house,

   ³⁴then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

   ³⁵"When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them,

   ³⁶then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk And send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.

   ³⁷"If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is,

   ³⁸whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his hands toward this house;

   ³⁹then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men,

   ⁴⁰that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You have given to our fathers.

   ⁴¹"Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your name's sake

   ⁴²(for they will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house,

   ⁴³hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.

   ⁴⁴"When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and they pray to the LORD toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name,

   ⁴⁵then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

   ⁴⁶"When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near;

   ⁴⁷if they take thought in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, 'We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly';

   ⁴⁸if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name;

   ⁴⁹then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause,

   ⁵⁰and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them

   ⁵¹for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace),

   ⁵²that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You.

 

 

Psalm 23, the Shepherd’s Psalm.

 

A Psalm of David.

         ¹The LORD is my shepherd,
         I shall not want.
      ²He makes me lie down in green pastures;
         He leads me beside quiet waters.
      ³He restores my soul;
         He guides me in the paths of righteousness
         For His name's sake.
      ⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
         I fear no evil, for You are with me;
         Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
      ⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
         You have anointed my head with oil;
         My cup overflows.
      ⁶Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
         And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (NASB)

 

 

Psalm 67  The Nations Exhorted to Praise God.

   

         ¹God be gracious to us and bless us,
         And cause His face to shine upon us-- Selah.
      ²That Your way may be known on the earth,
         Your salvation among all nations.
      ³Let the peoples praise You, O God;
         Let all the peoples praise You.
      ⁴Let the nations be glad and sing for joy;
         For You will judge the peoples with uprightness
         And guide the nations on the earth. Selah.
      ⁵Let the peoples praise You, O God;
         Let all the peoples praise You.
      ⁶The earth has yielded its produce;
         God, our God, blesses us.
      ⁷God blesses us,
         That all the ends of the earth may fear Him.

 

 

I Chronicles 4:9-10: The Prayer of Jabez

 

Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “O, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep [me] from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. NKJV

 

 

 

 

 

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

     on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

    as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from evil.

For thy is the kingdom,

     and the power, and the glory forever.

Amen.

 

Our Father who reigns in heaven,

Holy [sanctified] is your name.

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

     on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our debts,

    as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from evil.

For yours is the kingdom,

     and the power, and the glory forever.

Amen.

 

 

John 17: Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

   ¹Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,

   ²even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.

   ³"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

   ⁴"I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.

   ⁵"Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

   ⁶"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

   ⁷"Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You;

   ⁸for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

   ⁹"I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;

   ¹⁰and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.

   ¹¹"I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.

   ¹²"While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

The Disciples in the World

   ¹³"But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.

   ¹⁴"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

   ¹⁵"I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.

   ¹⁶"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

   ¹⁷"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

   ¹⁸"As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

   ¹⁹"For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

   ²⁰"I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;

   ²¹that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Their Future Glory

   ²²"The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;

   ²³I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

   ²⁴"Father, I desire that ⁾they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

   ²⁵"O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;

   ²⁶and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

 

 

 

Hail Mary (Roman Catholic Rosary Prayer)

 

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen

 

Act of Contrition (Roman Catholic)

O my God, I am heartfully sorry for having offended thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishment, but most of all because I have offended Thee my God, Who is all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more, and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.

 

The Jesus Prayer: (Eastern Orthodox)

 

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

 

Hymn [Prayer] to the Theotokos: (Eastern Orthodox)

 

It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, without defilement you gave birth to God the Word. True Theotokos we magnify you!

 

 

 

 

      I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee.  I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. 

There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.     Bahá’u’lláh

 

     Blessed is the spot, and the house, and the place, and the city, and the heart, and the mountain, and the refuge, and the cave, and the valley, and the land, and the sea, and the island, and the meadow where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified.   Bahá’u’lláh

 

     Thou kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock. Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same household.   In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered together at the Table of Bounty; all are illumined though the light of Thy Providence.

      O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided for all, dost shelter all, conferrest life upon all. Thou has endowed each and all with talents and faculties, and all are submerged in the Ocean of Thy Mercy.

      O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all live together in perfect harmony.

     O God! Raise aloft the banner of oneness of mankind.

     O God! Establish the Most Great Peace.

     Cement Thou, O God, the hearts together.

     O Thou kind Faith, God! Gladden our hearts through the fragrance of Thy Love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word, and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence.

     Thou art the Mighty and Powerful, Thou art the Forgiving and Thou art the One who overlooketh the shortcomings of all mankind.    Abbu’l-Baha’

 

 

Ganesh Aarti  - English

 

 

 

 

Sutta Nipata

Buddha's Discourse on Good Will

May all beings be filled with joy and peace.

May all beings everywhere,

The strong and the weak,

The great and the small,

The mean and the powerful,

The short and the long,

the subtle and the gross:

 

May all beings everywhere,

Seen and unseen,

Dwelling far off or nearby,

Being or waiting to become:

May all be filled with lasting joy.

 

Let no one deceive another,

Let no one anywhere despise another,

Let no one out of anger or resentment

Wish suffering on anyone at all.

 

Just as a mother with her own life

Protects her child, her only child, from harm,

So within yourself let grow

A boundless love for all creatures.

 

Let your love flow outward through the universe,

To its height, its depth, its broad extent,

A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.

 

Then as you stand or walk,

Sit or lie down,

As long as you are awake,

Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;

Your life will bring heaven to earth.

 

Buddhist Prayers. Translated by Sogyal Rinpoche. By the power and the truth of this practice, may all beings have happiness, and the causes of happiness, ...
www.angelfire.com/md/elanmichaels/buddhistprayers.html

 

 

Although the people living

across the ocean

surrounding us, I believe,

are all our brothers and sisters,

why are there constant troubles in

this world?

Why do winds and waves rise in the

ocean surrounding us?

I only earnestly wish that the wind will

soon puff away all the clouds which are

hanging over the tops of the mountains.

 

 

 

 

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.