ETHIOPIAN JEWISH PRAYERS - (From Earth Culture Roots)

ETHIOPIAN JEWISH PRAYERS

A couple of notes:
Names of the Divinity: the Ge`ez terms for God are "Amlak" and "Egzi'abher" (lit. "Lord of the Land"); Ethiopian Jews also use the terms "Adonay" and "Elohe" (both of Hebrew/Aramaic origin). In translating into English.

 

Blessed be God ("yetbarak")

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
Who created great things and wonders,
marvellous, the only holy One;
and blessed and sanctified be the name of His glory,
holy and blessed forever.
And the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth,
May it be, may it be, one is His name.
Holy holy holy Lord of hosts
Your glory fills the whole world.

 

 

You alone are God ("anta Amlak bahetiteka")

You alone are God,
You were from of old,
And You will be until eternity, always, first and last,
Now and always for ever and ever.
As for You, You are the same, and Your epoch will not come to an end;
As for You, You are the same, and Your kingdom will not be abolished,
And Your power is invincible,
And Your strength is untiring,
And Your magnificence will not be humbled,
And the splendour of Your name will not be dispelled,
And the praise of Your exalted fame will not be diminished,
And Your light will not be darkened,
And Your decree will not be abrogated,
The pillar of Your word will not be overthrown,
And Your wisdom will not fall into error,
And Your counsel will not be concealed.
You alone are God, God of all;
You alone are God, Lord of all;
You alone are God, King of all;
You alone are God, Creator of all;
You alone are God, Conqueror of all;
You alone are God, Omnipotent;
You alone are God, Slayer of all;
You alone are God, Destroyer of all;
You alone are God, Saviour of all;
You alone are God, Life of all;
You alone are God, Sustainer of all;
You alone are God, Protector of all;
You alone are God, Restorer of all;
You alone are God, Raiser of all;
You alone are God, Supporter of all;
You alone are God, Helper of all;
You alone are God, A righteous God over all creation.

 

 

Holy Lord of hosts ("qeddus")

"And after this, in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon His throne, holy and exalted, and His glory truly filled the Temple.
Surafel [Seraphim] standing round, and Mika'el standing round,
and Gabri'el standing round, and Rafa'el standing round,
thousands and thousands of angels on His right,
thousands and thousands standing on His left,
and each of them had six wings,
with two they covered their faces,
and with two they covered their feet,
and with two they flew.
And they were saying to each other:

Holy is the Lord of Hosts [Tsaba`ot],
Holy is the Lord Who dwells on high,
Who inhabits the highest heights,
Your abode, eternal Lord, halleluya,
and eternal King, halleluya.
Fire on His right hand, amen, halleluya,
Fire on His left hand, amen, halleluya,
Fire before Him, amen, halleluya,
Fire behind Him, amen, halleluya,
Light before His face, amen, halleluya,
Around His high throne, amen, halleluya,
Supporters of the throne, amen, halleluya.

 

 

Remember me O Lord ("tazakarani Egzi'o")

Remember me, O Lord, as formerly,
As Enoch and as Noah and as Shem,
And as Abraham and as Isaac and as Jacob,
And as Moses and Aaron and Your righteous ones;
And do not be forgetful towards me,Your servant Abba Ta'ameno,
all the days of my life,
Of what I have spoken and how I have walked in all my way,
That is not hidden like baboons in caves,
And like hyraxes among the rocks,
And like frogs in brooks of water,
Since I am perturbed in the night, and since I am agitated in the day.
Adonay my reliance, by day be for me a shepherd,
And by night be for me a protector;
Strengthen my steps in Your way, that my foot may not stumble;
You, O Lord, guard me and protect me,
From this generation for ever.
Incline Your ear and hear my voice.
I will praise Your mercy,
That delivers those who put their trust in You
From those who rise up against Your right hand.
Protect me like the pupil of the eye,
And conceal me in the shadow of Your wings,
From the face of sinners who humiliate me.
You are my refuge from this my affliction that has come upon me;
And my joy, because You delivered me from those who persecuted me.
May Your mercy, O Lord, be upon me, Your servant Abba Ta'ameno,
As I call on Your name.
Say to my soul, I am your helper.
I have no other that I trust in besides You;
I have put myself under the protection of Your name, Adonay.

 

 

Prayer for purification and understanding

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
You Who create the lightning-flashes and make strong the thunder,
Remove from the seduction of my flesh the offence that brings down to Sheol;
And create for me a pure heart, for me Your servant Abba Ta'ameno,
Who abhors arrogance and who will not commit more sin,
And who will completely cease from habitual transgression.
Hear me, O Lord my God, and do not disregard my request;
Wash me and purify me, O Lord, from my sin and from my iniquity,
And from all my defilement.
And do not remove Your holy spirit, my God,
That gives understanding of good and evil;
Lest I go in apprehension, like all my fathers,
And lest my heart be broken in the desire of my soul,
And in the behaviour of all my soul and my flesh and my thought.
And do not disregard, O Lord, one who has called on Your name,
Since I love Your law.
O Lord, be gracious to me in Your righteousness; and I will go in Your straight way;
Do not cause me to deviate, neither to right nor left, from the way of Your name;
Show me, O Lord, Your light, that shines out from Your Orit [Torah],
That always gives light to Your faithful people,
To those who have faith and put their trust in You.
O Lord God of Israel, deliver me from error and blindness,
And from every teaching of sin that intoxicates;
And rescue me from a seductive tongue that ensnares people,
And binds in an abundance of words and sweetening of lips.
O Lord, Lord, You teach goodness, wisdom and understanding;
Do not slay me by drought and thirst,
While I am seeking out Your commandments;
And in my desire, make me understand Your law,
That I should know every utterance of Your mouth,
That is sweeter than honey or sugar.

 

 

Hymn of praise to Adonay the Creator

You Adonay alone are God, Creator of all creation;
Who bring new things, Who reveal all wonders;
You made the lights and You created the darkness,
and all the spiritual worlds of the heavens,
the sun and moon and stars,
day and night, morning and evening, noon and midnight,
and the heavens, the months and the years; and all the seasons,
winter and summer, seedtime and harvest,
dew and mist, and clouds and rain,
thunder and lightning, hail and fog,
cold and snow and dust,
frost and oppressive heat,
light and dark, fire and flame,
waters and deep seas, and deep abysses, [?] waters,
wells of water, and all rivers of water,
the streams of the earth,
and from the mountains and hills,
upper and lower, ascents and descents,
and all inner recesses and caverns of the earth and caves,
and [?] of stone, and rocks, and ravines in the wilderness;
and outlying regions and plains and lands;
and all that grows on the earth,
grass and verdure and trees,
and all that [?]is distinct, man and animals and beasts,
and all flesh in which is the spirit of life;
and that moves on the land , and that moves in the water,
and that flies on wing under the sky,
and these, the whole world, in which is the spirit of life;
these things are manifest in their activities and according to their order;
hidden things and revealed things;
You Adonay alone made them,
and You alone Adonay created them,
You Adonay, and all is in accordance with You;
very great is Your handiwork, O Lord, and You made all in Your wisdom;
very great and wondrous and perfect is Your kingdom.
What heart can completely meditate on all the greatness of Your kingdom?
What tongue can completely tell all the greatness of Your glory?
What eye can completely observe all that You have made in Your wisdom?
And all carnal creation is unable to completely meditate on all the greatness of Your kingdom;
in admiration of the greatness of Your kingdom,
in admiration of the greatness of Your glory and Your might,
[?] and telling all the working of Your wisdom and observing it.
Moreover with new praise they will praise You and bless You,
and continually for ever and ever they will bless You.

 

 

From the rising of the sun (dawn prayer) ("emmesraqa tsahay")

From the rising of the sun until its setting,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
From the south to the north,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
From the north to the south,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
From one side to the other,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
From dawn until evening,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
From night until day,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
From noon until noon,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
Who created heaven in His wisdom,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
Who made firm the earth without a support,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
Who suspended the sky like an arch without a pillar,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
The sun to rule the day,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
The sun and the moon and the stars to rule the night,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
Who set in place the mountains and the hills,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay;
And made Adam in His own image,
Praised and glorified be the name of Adonay.

New Moon prayers

At the time of the New Moon, may the Lord's name be blessed,
And at the time of the New Moon, may the Lord's name be praised.
This is the offering to the Lord for each month.
And You made the moon [rise] at its proper time,
The sun also knows [the time of] its setting.
Both the sun and the moon were established by Your decree,
The sun and the moon that You created by one word.
The righteous will rejoice in God Who helped,
And shout with to the God of Ya`qob.
Raise a hymn and beat the drum,
A pleasant hymn with the one-stringed fiddle.
Blo