O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do. The short, broken ejaculations and repetitions show the intense fervour of his supplications.

Defer not. He implies that the 70 years are now all but complete.

For thine own sake - often repeated, as being the strongest plea ().

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