Unetaneh Tokef is one of the most stirring and evocative Jewish prayers and is recited on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Attributed to Rabbi Amnon of Mainz, Germany, approximately one thousand years ago, it has become one of the highlights of the repetition of the Musaf.

It tells of the dread the angels experience before G‑d, who inscribes our fate on Rosh Hashanah and seals it on Yom Kippur. Yet, the text concludes, through repentance, prayer, and charity, the harshest of decrees can be averted. (More on the fascinating story behind this prayer)

Let us proclaim the mighty holiness of this day, for it is awe-inspiring and fearsome. Thereon Your Kingship is exalted, Your throne is established with lovingkindness, and You are seated on it in truth. It is true that You are the judge, the one who presents evidence, the knower and the witness, who records and seals, who counts and reckons, and You remember all things that are forgotten. You open the Book of Remembrance and it reads itself; every man’s signature is in it. The great shofar is sounded, and a still, soft voice is heard; the angels tremble, fear and dread seize them, and they exclaim: the Day of Judgment is here! The heavenly hosts are to stand in judgment, for [even] they will not be found meritorious in Your eyes in judgment. All created beings pass before You, [one by one,] like a flock of sheep. As a shepherd examines his flock, making his sheep pass under his staff, so do You cause to pass [before You] every living soul, and You count, reckon and are mindful of [them], and You allocate the fixed portion for the needs of all Your creatures, and inscribe the verdict of their judgment.

On Rosh Hashanah they are inscribed, and on the fast day of Yom Kippur they are sealed: How many shall pass away and how many shall be born; who shall live and who shall die; who shall live out his allotted time and who shall depart before his time; who [shall perish] by water and who by fire; who by the sword and who by a wild beast; who by hunger and who by thirst; who by earthquake and who by pestilence; who by strangulation and who by lapidation; who shall be at rest and who shall wander; who shall be tranquil and who shall be harassed; who shall enjoy well-being and who shall suffer tribulation; who shall be poor and who shall be rich; who shall be humbled and who shall be exalted.

But Repentance, Prayer and Charity
avert the severity of the decree.

For as is Your Name so is Your praise. You are slow to anger and easy to pacify, for You do not desire the death of the one deserving death, but that he return from his path and live. And [even] until the day of his death You wait for him; if he will but repent, You will welcome him at once. Truly, You are their Creator and You know their evil inclination, for they are but flesh and blood. Man’s origin is dust and his end is unto dust. He earns his bread at the risk of his life. He is likened to a broken potsherd, to withering grass, to a fading flower, to a passing shadow, to a vanishing cloud, to a blowing wind, to dust that scatters and to a fleeting dream.

But You are the King, the living and eternal God.

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There is no limit to Your years and no end to the length of Your days; it is not possible to estimate [the countless angelic hosts of] Your glorious Chariot, nor can one explain Your inscrutable Name. Your Name befits You and You befit Your Name, and You have called our name by Your Name.