Bible (KJV) Apocrypha/Deuterocanon: Prayer of Manasses

The Prayer of Manasses is a powerful meditation on repentance and divine mercy, attributed to the penitent king of Judah who reigned during one of the darkest periods of Israel's history. Manasseh, whose name became synonymous with idolatry and cruelty in biblical tradition, is said to have composed this prayer during his captivity in Babylon, a brutal reckoning that transformed a tyrant into a suppliant begging for grace. Though not found in the standard Protestant canon, this brief but intense prayer has circulated for centuries as a testament to the possibility of radical transformation. Its vivid imagery of chains falling away, of sins washed white as snow, and of the sinner crying out beneath the weight of transgressions has made it a staple of Lenten devotion and penitential literature. The prayer acknowledges the fullness of human failing while asserting an unwavering belief in God's willingness to forgive. This deuterocanonical text, included in the King James Version among the Apocrypha, offers readers a window into early Jewish and Christian spirituality. It speaks to anyone who has ever felt the crushing weight of their own mistakes and dared to hope for redemption.