A Repentant's Lament Poem by Yehoshua Shim'onai

Hear my cry, O Great I AM,
hear my heart wailing
after You;
I need Your mercy and
kindness upon my soul
and Your understanding
and forgiveness for
my spirit,
For I am weary all day long
and I am weakening
this whole night;
My flesh is eaten away
and my bones, they fail!

For in my heart I kept
evil things
and I have sinned in
my deepest thoughts;
For my eyes desired to see
uncleanliness
and my flesh panted
for unholiness,
Though You are righteous
and hating sin,
though You are grieved
by evil
and with unrighteousness
You are disgusted.

And with Your judgement,
You have chastised me;
with Your anger upon me
I am punished,
So that a spirit oppresses
me
and darkness inflicts
sickness on me
That I may be injured and
crippled,
as a sheep's leg is
fractured.

Have You hidden Your face
from me, O God?
Have You turned Your ear
from me?
Have You left me alone,
afflicted,
and deserted me,
being injured?

But You are my Shepherd,
Dear Lord,
and Your eye is upon me;
I am crippled as a sheep
for You do not want me
to stray.

So unto you, O Great I AM,
I confess my sins;
unto You, O God,
I admit my guilt,
For sin stumbles me
and guilt breaks
my heart!

Truly, O God, You are holy
and You oppose sin;
You hate evil, O Lord,
for You are righteous;
But have mercy on my soul,
O Great I AM,
and show Your
loving-kindness;
Forgive me, my Righteousness,
from my iniquities
and heal me, my Healer,
from my sickness!