Prayers in the Catholic Bible

The Lord's Prayer

The Our Father Prayer

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.
Amen.

 

 

Mary & the Angel GabrielThe Magnificat

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones
but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

~ Luke 1:46-55 ~

 

Prayer of Daniel

Blessed be the Name of God forever and ever,
for His are wisdom and power.
He controls the times and seasons;
He sets up kings and removes them.
He bestows wisdom on the wise
and knowledge on the discerning.
He reveals things deep and secret,
knows what lies in the darkness
and with Him dwells the light.

~ Daniel 2: 20-22 ~

 

Judith

Prayer of Judith

Let the musical instruments sound forth;
offer a song to my God with tambourines,
chant to the Lord to the accompaniment of cymbals.
Sing to Him a new refrain;
praise and exalt His Name.
I will sing a new hymn to my God.
O Lord, how majestic and glorious You are,
awesome in Your power and unable to be surpassed.
Let all Your creatures serve You,
for You spoke and they came into existence.
When You sent forth Your Spirit, they were created;
no one is able to resist Your Word.
Shaken to their foundations
are the mountains as well as the seas,
and the rocks melt before Your glance like wax.
Yet to those who fear You
You show endless mercy.

~ Judith 16:1, 13-14 ~

 

Queen Esther

Queen Esther’s Prayer

“My Lord, our King, You alone are our God.
Please help me, for I am alone and I have no one else
but You to turn to; my life is in danger.
As a child I was always told by the people of the land
of my forefathers that You, O Lord, chose Israel
from among all peoples and designated our fathers
from among all their ancestors as a perpetual heritage,
and that all of Your promises to them were fulfilled.
Now, however, we have sinned in Your sight
by worshiping the gods of our enemies,
and You have delivered us into their hands
because You are just, O Lord …
Do not forget us, O Lord.
Be present to us in the time of our distress and grant me courage,
O King of gods and Ruler of every earthly power …
Save us by Your power, and come to my aid,
for I am alone and have no one but You on whom to depend, O Lord.”

~ Esther C: 14-25, 14:4-9 ~

 

Prayer of Azariah

Blessed are You and worthy of praise,
O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Your name will be glorious forever.
For You have shown justice in everything You have done;
All Your deeds are beyond reproach, all Your paths are straight, and all Your judgments are correct.
We confess that we have sinned and broken Your laws by departing from Your path,
and there is no kind of evil that we have not perpetrated.
To preserve the honor of Your Name do not deliver us up forever or deprive us of Your Covenant.
Do not deprive us of Your mercy, for the sake of Abraham,
Your beloved, Isaac Your servant, and Jacob Your holy one,
to whom You promised to make their off-spring as numerous
as the stars of the heavens or the sand on the seashore.
For we have suffered, O Lord, more than any other nation,
and we are subjugated everywhere in the world today as the result of our sinfulness.
In our time we have no prince, prophet, or leader, no holocaust, sacrifice, sacred offering,
or incense, no place to offer first fruits, to see Your favor.
But, with a repentant heart and in a spirit of humility let us be welcomed.
As though we were offering holocausts of rams and bulls or thousands of healthy lambs,
so regard our sacrifice in Your presence this day as we follow You unquestioningly,
for those who trust in You cannot be made to feel ashamed.
From this moment we will follow You with our whole heart;
we will fear You and pray to You.

~ Daniel 3:26, 27, 29, 34-41 ~

 

Samuel Dedicated by Hannah at the Temple

Prayer of Hannah

My heart sings praise to the Lord, my strength is exalted because of my God.
I have disposed of my enemies; my victory is the cause of my joy.
There is no one to equal the Lord in holiness; there is no Rock
to match our God. Never again dare to speak boastfully or allow an
arrogant thought to escape your lips.
For the Lord our God knows all things, and He judges deeds accordingly.
The weapons of the mighty have been destroyed,
while those who are weak grow stronger with each passing day.
Those who did not lack for food now seek work that will afford them bread,
while those who were hungry now eat their fill.
The wife who was barren now brings forth seven sons,
while the mother of many has become unfruitful.
The Lord is the source of both death and life;
He casts down to the netherworld and He raises up again.
The Lord permits some to be poor, others to be rich;
He humbles, but He also exalts.
The Lord raises those who are needy from the dust of the earth;
from the refuse heap He lifts up the poor,
to associate them with those of noble birth
and give them a glorious throne as their heritage ….
For the earth’s foundations are the Lord’s and He has established the world upon them.
He will guard the life journey of those who are His faithful servants,but He will allow
the wicked to perish in the darkness. For not by power does one prevail;
those who oppose the Will of the Lord shall be abandoned. The Most High in heaven
shows forth His power; the Lord judges the earth in its entirety,
May He now deign to give strength to His king and exalt the power of His anointed.

~ 1 Samuel 2: 1-10 ~

 

King David

Prayer of David

O Lord, God of Israel, may You be blessed throughout eternity.
You, O Lord, possess grandeur and power to an infinite degree,
as well as majesty, splendor, and glory.
Everything in heaven and on earth is under Your dominion.
You, O Lord, have complete sovereignty; You are exalted as King of all.
Riches and honor derive from You,
and You have dominion over all that exists.
You are the source of power and might;
grandeur and strength can be granted to anyone at Your discretion.
Therefore, our God, we give thanks to You,
and we offer praise to the majesty of Your Name.

~ 1 Chronicles 29: 10-13 ~

 

Prophet HabakkukPrayer of Habakkuk

O Lord, Your renown has not been hidden from me,
and I feared, O Lord, the actions You might decide upon.
In the course of the years restore that renown;
over a period of time make it known once again;
in Your wrath do not neglect to show Your compassion.
You have come forth to save Your people, to rescue Your anointed one.
Decay afflicts my bones, and my legs tremble beneath the weight of my body.
I will look forward to the day of distress that will come upon those who attack us.
For even though the fig tree fails to blossom and no fruit is on the vines,
though the olive tree brings forth no leaves and the vineyards produce no nourishment,
though the flocks escape from the fold and no herd can be found in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord and exult in God my Savior.
The Lord my God is the source of my strength;
He makes my feet as swift as those of the deer
and enables me to ascend the heights.

~ Habakkuk 3:2, 13a, 16b-19 ~

 

Prophet JeremiahPrayer of Jeremiah

Let my eyes flow with tears day and night, without ceasing,
over the immense destruction that has overwhelmed
the virgin daughter of my people bestowing an incurable wound.
If I walk out into the field,
I behold those who have been slain by the sword.
If I enter the city, I see those who are consumed by hunger.
Even prophets and priests search for food in a land they no longer know.
Have You forsaken Judah completely? Is Zion now loathsome in Your sight?
Why have You dealt us a blow that is not able to be healed?
We wait for a time of peace, but to no avail;
we pray for a period of healing, yet terror comes instead.
We confess, O Lord, our wickedness
and the guilt incurred by our ancestors;
we admit that we have sinned against You.
For Your Name’s sake do not turn aside from us;
do not allow the throne of Your glory to incur disgrace;
remember Your Covenant with us and do not forsake it.

~ Jeremiah 14: 17-21 ~

 

ZechariaThe Canticle of Zechariah

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.
He has raised up a horn for our salvation
within the house of David his servant,
even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:
salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
to show mercy to our fathers
and to be mindful of his holy covenant
and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
and to grant us that rescued from the hand of enemies,
without fear we might worship him
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God
by which the daybreak from on high will visit us
to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

~ Luke 1:68-79 ~

 

Prayer of Hezekiah

On one occasion I said: At the midpoint of my life I must depart.
I shall be carried to the gates of the netherworld for my remaining years.
I said: I shall behold the Lord no longer in the land of the living.
No longer shall I encounter other humans among those who inhabit the earth.
My dwelling, like the tent of a shepherd, has been struck down and carried away from my sight.
You have brought my life to an end, like a weaver who cuts away the final thread.
Day and night You allow me to be in torment; my cries resound until the break of dawn.
Like a lion You mangle all my bones; day and night You allow me to be in torment.
Like a swallow I emit shrill cries; I moan in the manner of a dove.
My eyes grow weak as I gaze toward heaven. O Lord, I am in a difficult situation, be my salvation.
What am I to say? What can I tell Him? He has so determined it.
I shall to continue to endure through all my years despite my bitterness of soul.
Those people live who are protected by the Lord; You are the source of the life of my spirit.
You have granted me health and life; thus has my bitterness
been transformed into a peaceful outlook.
You preserved my life from the pit of destruction when You chose to forgive all my sins.
For just as the netherworld does not give You thanks, nor does death praise You,
so neither do those who descend into the pit expect Your mercy.
It is the living who give You thanks,as I do today.Fathers make known to their sons
Your faithfulness, O God. The Lord is our Savior; accompanied by stringed instruments
we shall sing in the house of the Lord all the days of our life.

~ Isaiah 38: 10-20 ~

 

Jonah (2)Prayer of Jonah

In my distress I cried out to the Lord, and He answered my prayer.
From the midst of the netherworld I begged for help, and You heard my voice.
For You hurled me into the deep, into the midst of the sea,
and the flood waters enveloped me;
beneath all Your breakers and Your billows I was submerged.
Then I said: “I have been exiled from Your sight.
Never again will I gaze upon Your holy Temple.”
The waters swirled around me, endangering my life;
I was enveloped by the abyss as seaweed clung to my body.
Down I descended to the base of the mountains;
the gates of the netherworld were closing behind me forever.
But You rescued my life from the pit, O Lord, my God.
When my soul grew faint within me, I remembered the Lord.
You heard my prayer in Your sacred Temple.
Those who worship worthless idols renounce the source of their mercy.
But I, with jubilant praise, will offer sacrifice to You.
The vows that I have made I will keep, for deliverance is from the Lord.

~ Jonah 2: 3-10 ~

 

Prophet IsaiahPrayer of Isaiah for God’s Judgment

We have been blessed with a strong city;
the Lord has established walls and ramparts to protect us.
Throw Open the gates to allow entrance to a nation that is just
whose word is worthy of trust.
You grant peace to a nation of firm purpose;
peace is its reward for its trust in You.
Have trust in the Lord forever,
for He will be our Rock forever.

The just travel along a smooth road;
the path of the just You have made level.
For the path You wish us to follow and Your judgments,
O Lord, we look to You.
Your Name and Your title are our souls’ desire.
My soul yearns for Your presence during the night;
yes, my innermost spirit keeps vigil for You.
When the earth encounters the dawn of Your judgment,
those who dwell there will comprehend the meaning of justice.
O Lord, You are the source of our peace,
for You have accomplished everything we have done.

~ Isaiah 26: 104, 7-9, 12 ~

 

Isaiah_Michelangelo

Prayer of Isaiah for Trust in God

O Lord, have pity on us who wait for You;
be our strength each morning
and our salvation in difficult situations.
At a roaring sound people will flee;
when You rise in Your majesty, nations disperse.
People gather up spoil the way caterpillars are gathered up;
they seize upon it like an onrush of locusts.
Exalt the Lord Who is enthroned on high;
He fills Zion with justice and a sense of righteousness.
That which causes Zion to endure,
the riches that preserve her, are wisdom and knowledge;
her treasure is the fear of the Lord….
The highways have been left desolate;
travelers have abandoned the paths.
Covenants are broken and their provisions ignored –
yet no one gives it a thought.
The country is desolate in mourning,
Lebanon cringes with shame ….
Now I will rise up, says the Lord;
now is the time for Me to be exalted, to be lifted up.

~ Isaiah 33: 2-10 ~

 

Isaiah (2)Prayer of Isaiah in Thanksgiving

I offer You thanks, O Lord;
although I have aroused Your anger,
that anger has abated, and You have offered me Your consolation.
God is truly my Savior; I am confident and without fear.
The Lord is the source of my strength and my courage;
He has been my Savior.
Joyfully you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation,
and on that day you will say:
Offer thanks to the Lord and glorify His Name;
among all nations proclaim His deeds,
show forth how exalted is His Name.
Sing praise to the lord for His glorious deeds;
let these be acclaimed throughout all the earth.
Shout with joy, O city of Zion,
for triumphant in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel.

~ Isaiah 12: 1-6 ~

 

JobPrayer of Job

Would that my words were written down
and that they were inscribed for a permanent record,
cut in a rock forever with an iron chisel and with lead.
But it is enough for me to know that my Savior lives,
and that upon the earth He will at last stand triumphant,
Whom I myself shall behold:
my own eyes, not those of another, shall gaze upon Him,
and in my mortal body I shall see God;
my being is consumed with longing to its innermost depths.
O Lord, I know that there is nothing beyond Your power,
and that no plan of Yours can fail to be fulfilled.
I have dealt with great things far beyond my understanding,
things too marvelous for me even to comprehend.
I had heard of You from the reports of others,
but now my own eyes have beheld You.
Therefore, forgive me for what I have previously said,
for which I repent in dust and ashes.

~ Job 19: 23-26, 42: 2-6 ~

 

prayer-of-moses-after-the-israelites-go-through-the-black-sea-1861.jpg!BlogPrayer of Moses

I will offer praise to the Lord,
for He has been triumphant and shown forth His glory;
horse and chariot He has hurled into the sea.
The Lord is the source of my strength and my courage;
He has been my Savior.
The Lord is my God, and I offer Him praise;
He is the God of my father, and I sing of His marvelous deeds.
The Lord has proved Himself a warrior; Lord is His Name.
The chariots and the army of Pharaoh He cast into the sea.
At a breath of Your anger the waters cascaded:
The waters ceased to flow and converged together,
forming a barrier in the midst of the sea.
The enemy had boasted: “We will relentlessly pursue them,
and when we overtake them, we will divide the spoils and be satiated with them;
we will draw our swords and gather up their plunder.”
But when You caused the wind to blow, the sea swept over them;
they sank like lead in the swirling waters.
Who can compare to You among the gods, O Lord?
Who can begin to comprehend how magnificent is Your holiness?
O worker of wonders, Whose renown is incomparable,
when You stretched out Your right hand, the earth consumed our enemies.
You showed Your mercy by leading the people You had redeemed;
You proved Your strength by guiding them to Your holy dwelling.
Then You brought them in and gave them the mountain of Your inheritance as their dwelling –
the place that You chose for Your throne, O Lord, the sanctuary established by Your hands.
The Lord shall rule forever and ever.

~ Exodus 15: 1-4a, 8-13, 17-18 ~

 

Book-of-Wisdom-SirachPrayer of Sirach

Come to our assistance, O Lord of the universe,
and let all the nations be in dread of You.
Raise Your hand against the pagans
so that they may come to recognize Your power.
You have previously used us to show them Your holiness;
now use them to reveal to us Your glory.
Thus they will come to know, as we already know,
that there is no other God but You.
Offer new signs and work new wonders;
exhibit the splendor of Your right hand and arm.
Gather together all the tribes of Jacob
so that they may inherit the land as in former times.
Show mercy to the people who bear Your Name,
Israel, whom You designated as Your firstborn.
Have pity on Your holy city,
Jerusalem, where You dwell.
Let Zion be filled with Your majesty,
Your Temple with Your glory.

~ Sirach 36 1-5, 10-13 ~

 

SolomonPrayer of Solomon

O Lord, God of Israel, there exists no god who is Your equal
in heaven above or on earth below.
You remain faithful to Your Covenant of kindness with Your servants
who follow You with their complete heart.
Is it truly possible
that God has chosen to dwell among human beings on earth?
If the highest heavens are unable to contain You,
how can this temple possibly do so? …
Regard with mercy the prayer and petition of Your servant,
O Lord, my god, and pay heed to my plea of supplication
with which I, Your servant, approach You today.
May Your eyes continue to watch day and night over this temple,
the place where You have decreed that honor shall be paid to You.
I implore You to heed the prayer that I, Your servant, offer here today.
I beg You to look with favor on the prayer of Your servant
and on the petition of Your people ….
Please listen to them whenever they call upon You,
for You have designated them among all the peoples of the earth
for Your special inheritance.

~ 1 Kings 8-23, 27-29, 52-53 ~

 

Wise Old Man.Prayer of the Sage for Wisdom

O God of my fathers, Lord of mercy,
You have created all things by Your mere Word,
and in Your wisdom You designated man
to have dominion over the creatures of Your handiwork,
to rule the world in holiness and justice,
and to render justice with unquestioned integrity.
Grand me Wisdom, the attendant at Your throne,
and do not reject me from those numbered among Your children.
For I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid,
someone who is weak and granted but a short term of life,
and who is also lacking in the ability to render fair judgment
and to comprehend laws.
Indeed, even if some should achieve perfection among
the human race,
but Wisdom, who derives from You, is not with them,
they shall be regarded as persons of no esteem.
In Your presence is Wisdom who knows Your works
and was there when You created the world,
who comprehends what is pleasing to You
and what is in conformity with Your commands.
send Wisdom forth from Your holy heavens,
and from Your throne of glory entrust me to her guidance,
so that she may be with me and work with me,
in order that I may know what is Your Will in my regard.
Wisdom knows and comprehends all things,
and she will guide me carefully in my actions
and safeguard me by her power.

~ Wisdom 9: 1-6, 9-11 ~

 

Wise old manPrayer of the Sage for Trust in God’s Word

O Lord, You nourished Your people with the food of Angels
and provided them with an unending supply of bread from heaven
that they had not toiled for,
endowed with every possible delight and pleasing to every taste.
For this gift of Yours revealed the depth
of Your feelings toward Your children,
and, sating the desire of those who received it,
was adapted to the preferred taste of each person,
so that it is not the various kinds of foods that nourish humans,
but that it is Your Word that preserves those who believe You.
For Your judgments are magnificent, almost beyond description.

~ Wisdom 16: 20-21, 26; 17:1a ~

 

3 men in the furnaceDoxological Prayer of the Three Young Men

Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our ancestors,
worthy of praise and glory forever.
Blessed is Your holy and glorious Name,
worthy of praise and glory forever.
Blessed are You in the Temple of Your holy glory,
worthy of praise and glory forever.
Blessed are You on the throne of Your kingdom,
worthy of praise and glory forever.
Blessed are You Who behold the depths
from Your throne upon the Cherubim,
worthy of praise and glory forever.
Blessed are You in the firmament of heaven,
worthy of praise and glory forever.
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord;
praise and exalt Him forever.

~ Daniel 3: 52-57

 

ProphetPrayer of an Unknown Prophet

Do not forget, O Lord, what misfortune has overtaken us;
look upon us and realize our disgrace.
The lands of our inheritance have been turned over to strangers,
our homes to foreigners.
We have become orphans, without fathers;
our mothers are now widowed.
We are forced to purchase the water we drink,
we must buy our own wood.
The yokes of those who drive us strangle our necks;
we are exhausted but allowed no time to rest …..
Our ancestors, who sinned, have now all died,
but we continue to bear their guilt.
There is no longer joy in our hearts;
where we once danced, now we mourn.
Our heads are no longer adorned with garlands;
wretchedness has befallen us, for we have sinned.
Our hearts are sick about this situation;
the mere thought of it causes our eyes to grow dim.
You, O Lord, will reign forever;
Your throne stands invincible from age to age.
Why, then, have You forgotten us
and abandoned us for so long a time?
Lead us back to You, O Lord, so that we may be restored
to Your friendship;
give us once again such days as we formerly experienced.

~ Lamentations 5: 1-7, 15-17, 19-21 ~

 

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