53 Bible Verses About Ash Wednesday

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.

He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.

I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.

I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.

He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;

For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth?

O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.

And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;

I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.

When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.

And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it.

O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.

If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.

For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?

We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.

So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.

Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:

And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

Go, enquire of the Lord for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do after all that is written in this book.

My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.

Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord.

That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.

And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:

But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?

And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,

And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.

If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.

Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:

And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?

Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.

And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God,

Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.

If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.

O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.