'If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near — The prayer now addresses the ultimate catastrophe: captivity. 'If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin' (כִּי־יֶחֱטְאוּ־לָךְ כִּי אֵין אָדָם אֲשֶׁר־לֹא יֶחֱטָא) acknowledges universal human sinfulness. God's anger ('you are angry with them,' וְכַעַסְתָּ בָם) leads to military defeat and captivity ('give them to an enemy,' וּנְתַתָּם לִפְנֵי־אוֹיֵב). The captivity is 'to a land far or near' (וַהִשְׁבוּ בְאֶרֶץ־הָאוֹיֵב רְחוֹקָה אוֹ־קְרוֹבָה), acknowledging that exile could be temporary (nearby) or permanent (distant). This verse addresses historical reality: defeated nations faced captivity. The prayer, composed perhaps after the Exile, provides theological framework for understanding and responding to the worst national calamity.

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