Library/Deuterocanon
Prayer of Manasseh
A short, almost perfect penitential psalm put in Manasseh’s mouth. Chronicles says he prayed; this is the prayer someone wrote for that gap.
- Status
- Orthodox canon (not Catholic)
- Date
- 2nd century BCE – 1st century CE
- Languages
- Greek / Syriac
- Setting
- The wicked king’s repentance in exile
What it contains
- Invocation
- Confession
- Petition
Why it sits outside most canons
Brief, extra-canonical in the West; used liturgically in the East.
Themes
- Repentance
- Mercy
- Kingship
Passages
Pr Man 1:13–14
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge my transgressions. I earnestly implore you: forgive me, O Lord, forgive me.