Eleven Nun verses — a collection for a prayer for protection

A collection of eleven verses that begin and end with the Hebrew letter Nun appears in segulah literature, including in connection with prayers for the well-being of a mother and her child. Read calmly, with intention and a request for mercy. The Hebrew text on this site uses ‘Hashem’ in place of the four-letter divine name.

The verses in order

When a person has a lesion of tzaraat, they shall be brought to the priest. (Leviticus 13:9)

We will cross armed before Hashem into the land of Canaan, while our inherited possession remains with us beyond the Jordan. (Numbers 32:32)

Hashem your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; listen to him. (Deuteronomy 18:15)

A river’s streams gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High. (Psalms 46:5)

Before their ancestors he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. (Psalms 78:12)

You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. (Psalms 77:21)

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. (Proverbs 7:17)

The human spirit is Hashem’s lamp, searching every innermost chamber. (Proverbs 20:27)

Your lips drip nectar, bride; honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like Lebanon’s fragrance. (Song of Songs 4:11)

Depart from Babylon, leave the land of the Chaldeans, and be like he-goats leading a flock. (Jeremiah 50:8)

They were armed with bows and could use either hand to sling stones or shoot arrows; they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin. (1 Chronicles 12:2)

Reading with intention

These verses come from different places in the Hebrew Bible; reading them together is a prayer custom and does not change each verse’s meaning in context. There is no need to add intentions unfamiliar to the reader.

Reading these verses is a spiritual practice, not a promise of a medical outcome or a substitute for the medical monitoring needed during pregnancy.

For the tradition of this collection: Raphael HaMalakh, letter Mem, entry ‘Pregnant woman.’ Text of Jeremiah 50:8; 1 Chronicles 12:2.