1281 verses about Prayer

they invoked the Almighty Lord, and ceaselessly implored with tears their merciful God and Father, Ruler of all, Lord of every power,

Their litany so earnest went up to heaven.

But the Jews, having escaped the hour which had been fixed, praised their holy God, and again prayed him who is easily reconciled to display the power of his powerful hand to the overweening Gentiles.

The Jews, breathless with momentary suspense, stretched forth their hands, and prayed the Greatest God, in mournful strains, again to help them speedily.

Nevertheless, when they reflected upon the succour before granted them from heaven, they prostrated themselves with one accord; removed even the sucking children from the breasts, and

sent up an exceeding great cry entreating the Lord of all power to reveal himself, and have mercy upon those who now lay at the gates of hades.

And Eleazar, an illustrious priest of the country, who had attained to length of days, and whose life had been adorned with virtue, caused the presbyters who were about him to cease to cry out to the holy God, and prayed thus:

When the three friends in the land of Babylon of their own will exposed their lives to the fire rather than serve vain things, you did send a dewy coolness through the fiery furnace, and bring the fire upon all their adversaries.

When Jonah was pining away in the belly of the sea-bred monster, you did look upon him, O Father, and recover him to the sight of his own.

If our life has during our exile been stained with iniquity, deliver us from the hand of the enemy, and destroy us, O Lord, by the death which you prefer.

You, who are All-powerful and Almighty, O Eternal One, behold! have mercy upon us who are being withdrawn from life, like traitors, by the unreasoning insolence of lawless men.

The whole band of infants and their parents with tears beseech you.

Let it be shewn to all the nations that you are with us, O Lord, and have not turned your face away from us; but as you said that you would not forget them even in the land of their enemies, so do you fulfil this saying, O Lord.

Now, at the time that Eleazar had ended his prayer, the king came along to the hippodrome, with the wild beasts, and with his tumultuous power.

When the Jews saw this, they uttered a loud cry to heaven, so that the adjacent valleys resounded, and caused an irrepressible lamentation throughout the army.

These they registered as sacred upon a pillar, when they had dedicated the place of their festivity to be one of prayer. They departed unharmed, free, abundant in joy, preserved by the king’s command, by land, by sea, and by river, each to his own home.

Ask, and you⌃ shall receive: pray for few days to you, that they may be shortened: the kingdom is already prepared for you: watch.

The number of your children, whom you long for, is fulfilled: beseech the power of the Lord, that your people, which have been called from the beginning, may be hallowed.

And my spirit was sore moved, so that I began to speak words full of fear to the Most High, and said,

Then answered I and said, I beseech you, O Lord, wherefore is the power of understanding given to me?

Then answered I and said, if I have found favor in your sight, and if it be possible, and if I be meet therefore,

Then I prayed, and said, May I live, think you, until that time? or who shall be in those days?

To show you such tokens I have leave; and if you will pray again, and weep as now, and fast seven days, you shall hear yet greater things than these.

And so I fasted seven days, mourning and weeping, like as Uriel the angel commanded me.

and my soul recovered the spirit of understanding, and I began to speak words before the Most High again,

Then said I, Lord, I beseech you, if I have found favor in your sight, show your servant by whom you visit your creature.

I answered then and said, O Lord that bear rule, If I have found favor in your sight,

If therefore you will pray yet again, and fast seven days more, I shall yet tell you greater things than these.

And in the eighth night was my heart vexed within me again, and I began to speak before the Most High.

But as touching them for whom my prayer was made, what shall I say? for who is there of those who are alive that has not sinned, and who of the sons of men that has not transgressed your covenant?

And I answered and said, if I have found favor in your sight, show further to me your servant whether in the day of judgment the just will be able to intercede for the ungodly or to entreat the Most High for them,

And I answered and said, How do we now find that first Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom, and Moses for the fathers that sinned in the wilderness:

If therefore now, when corruption is grown up, and unrighteousness increased, the righteous have prayed for the ungodly, wherefore shall it not be so then also?

He answered me, and said, This present world is not the end; the full glory remains not therein: therefore have they who were able prayed for the weak.

O Lord, that are over us, suffer your servant, that we may pray before you, and give us seed to our heart, and culture to our understanding, that there may come fruit of it, whereby every one shall live that is corrupt, who bears the likeness of a man.

therefore will I begin to pray before you for myself and for them: for I see the falls of us that dwell in the land;

hear, O Lord, the prayer of your servant, and give ear to the petition of your handiwork;

I answered then and said, if I have found favor, let me speak before you.

Be not angry with us, but spare your people, and have mercy upon your inheritance; for you have mercy upon your own creation.

and pray to the Most High continually, then will I come and talk with you.

and my mouth was opened, and I began to speak before the Lord Most High, and said,

And every hour and every day these thirty years did I make my prayer to the Most High day and night.

Where is Uriel the angel, who came to me at the first? for he has caused me to fall into this great trance, and my end is turned into corruption, and my prayer to rebuke.

Then said I, Speak on, my Lord; only forsake me not, lest I die frustrate of my hope.

Therefore will I now beseech the Most High, that he will strengthen me to the end.

And I said, O Lord that bear rule, if I have found favor in your sight, and if I am justified with you above many others, and if my prayer indeed be come up before your face;

strengthen me then, and show me your servant the interpretation and plain meaning of this fearful vision, that you may perfectly comfort my soul.

As for me, I have not forsaken you, neither am I departed from you: but am come into this place, to pray for the desolation of Sion, and that I might seek mercy for the low estate of your sanctuary.

And there came much people to him, whereof some were glad, some were sorry, some of them were bound, and other some brought of those who were offered: then through great fear I awaked, and prayed to the Most High, and said,

You have showed your servant these wonders from the beginning, and have counted me worthy that you should receive my prayer:

Then said I, O Lord that bear rule, show me this: wherefore I have seen the man coming up from the midst of the sea.

Then answered I and said, I will speak before you, O Lord.

Let no man therefore come to me now, nor seek after me these forty days.

As for me, I spoke in the day, and by night I held not my tongue.

And the priests, with the women and children, having supplicated God to throw his shield over the holy, despised place,

And Apollonius fell half dead upon the court which is open to all nations, and extended his hands to heaven, and implored the Hebrews, with tears, to pray for him, and propitiate the heavenly army.

Onias the high priest, induced by these words, although for other reasons anxious that king Seleucus should not suppose that Apollonius was slain by human device and not by Divine punishment, prayed for him;

And he being at length burned down to the bones, and about to expire, raised his eyes Godward, and said,

But he said, Even if you take away the organ of speech, yet God hears the silent.

And I call upon the God of my fathers to be merciful to my race.

But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,

“When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward.

But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.

Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him.

Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

Give us today our daily bread.

Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’

“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.

For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.

Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent?

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

When he came into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking him,

They came to him, and woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord! We are dying!”

Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.”

But when they deliver you up, don’t be anxious how or what you will say, for it will be given you in that hour what you will say.

After he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. When evening had come, he was there alone.

But when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!”

But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

When they came to the multitude, a man came to him, kneeling down to him, and saying,

But this kind doesn’t go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.

Then little children were brought to him, that he should lay his hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking a certain thing of him.

The multitude rebuked them, telling them that they should be quiet, but they cried out even more, “Lord, have mercy on us, you son of David!”

Jesus stood still, and called them, and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

They told him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.”

He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ Isaiah 56:7 but you have made it a den of robbers!” Jeremiah 7:11

Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, if you have faith, and don’t doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you told this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it would be done.

All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath,

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.”

He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled.

Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me.”

He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”

He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour?

Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”