THE BOOK OF HOURS

Rising from sleep, we fall down before You, O Good One, / and we sing the angelic hymn to You, O Mighty One: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

Glory: You have raised me from my bed and from sleep, O Lord! / Enlighten my mind and my heart, / and open my lips, / that I may sing Your praises, Holy Trinity: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

And now: The Judge will come suddenly, / and the deeds of each person will be revealed. / But in fear we will cry out at midnight: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

Lord, have mercy. (12)

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Having awakened from sleep, I give thanks to You, Holy Trinity, that through Your great goodness and long-suffering, You, O God, have not been angry with me, lazy and sinful as I am, nor have You destroyed me for my transgressions, but have shown me Your customary love for mankind, and have raised me up from my slumber so that I might turn to You early in the morning and glorify Your power. And now enlighten the eyes of my mind, open my lips, that I may learn Your word, understand Your commandments, do Your will, sing praises to You from my heart, and extol Your all-holy name, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

Another Prayer

Glory to You, O King, Almighty God! By Your divine and merciful providence, You have deemed me, a sinner and unworthy one, worthy to rise from sleep and enter Your holy temple. Accept, O Lord, the voice of my prayer, as You accept the voice of Your holy and incorporeal Powers, and be pleased that praise may be offered to You from my defiled lips with a pure heart and a humble spirit, so that I too may become a partaker with the wise virgins, with the radiant lamp of my soul, and glorify You—the Word of God, glorified in the Father and the Spirit. Amen

DAILY MIDNIGHT VIGIL

Priest: Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, who dwells everywhere and fills all things, Treasure of all good things and Giver of life, come and dwell within us, and cleanse us from every defilement, and save, O Good One, our souls.

The Holy Trinity

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer to the Holy Trinity

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; O Lord, cleanse us of our sins; O Master, forgive our transgressions; O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for the sake of Your name.

Lord, have mercy. (3)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. ¹

Lord, have mercy. (12)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

Come, let us worship our King, God.

Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ, our King and God.

Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ Himself, our King and God.

Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions; wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You alone have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight—so that You may be justified in Your words and prevail when You are put on trial. For behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother bore me in sin. For behold, You have loved truth; You have revealed to me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. You will sprinkle me with hyssop—and I will be cleansed; You will wash me—and I will be whiter than snow; You will let me hear joy and gladness—and my humbled bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your mighty Spirit. I will teach the lawless Your ways, and the wicked will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, O God of my salvation; then my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You will open my lips, and my lips will proclaim Your praise. For if You had desired sacrifices, I would have offered them—but You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Bless Zion, O Lord, in Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be rebuilt—then You will accept with favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offerings; then they will lay young bulls upon Your altar.

Kathisma 17. Psalm 118
Stanza 1

Blessed are those who are blameless in their ways, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who meditate on His testimonies; with all their heart they seek Him. For those who do no wrong walk in His ways. You have commanded that Your precepts be kept faithfully. Oh, that my ways might be directed toward keeping Your commands! Then I would not be put to shame when I look upon all Your commandments. I will praise You with an upright heart when I learn Your righteous judgments. I will keep Your commandments; do not forsake me to the end. How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your words. With all my heart I have sought You; do not cast me away from Your commandments. I have hidden Your words in my heart, so that I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your commandments. With my mouth I have proclaimed all the judgments of Your lips. I have found delight in the path of Your testimonies, as in all riches. I will meditate on Your commandments and understand Your ways. I will ponder Your precepts; I will not forget Your words. Reward Your servant; revive me, and I will keep Your words. Open my eyes, and I will understand the wonders of Your law. I am a sojourner on earth; do not hide Your commandments from me. My soul longs to seek Your judgments at all times. You have rebuked the proud; those who turn aside from Your commandments are cursed. Take away from me reproach and contempt, for I have sought Your testimonies. For behold, princes have taken their seats and slandered me, but Your servant meditates on Your precepts. For Your testimonies are my delight, and Your precepts are my counselors. My soul has sunk to the ground; revive me according to Your word. I have declared my ways, and You have heard me; teach me Your commandments. Make me understand the way of Your commandments, and I will meditate on Your wonders. My soul has slumbered from idleness; strengthen me with Your words. Remove the way of falsehood from me, and have mercy on me through Your law. I have chosen the way of truth and have not forgotten Your judgments. I have clung to Your testimonies; O Lord, do not put me to shame! I have run the course of Your commandments when You enlarged my heart. Set me, O Lord, on the path of Your commandments, and I will seek it continually. Give me understanding, and I will search out Your law and keep it with all my heart. Lead me in the path of Your commandments, for I have set my heart on it. Turn my heart toward Your testimonies, and not toward greed. Turn my eyes away from seeing vanity; revive me in Your way. Establish Your word in Your servant, along with Your fear. Remove the reproach I fear, for Your judgments are good. Behold, I have desired Your commandments; revive me in Your righteousness. And may Your mercy come upon me, O Lord, and Your salvation according to Your word. Then I will answer those who revile me with Your word, for I trust in Your words. Do not take the word of truth from my mouth forever, for I have put my trust in Your judgments. I will keep Your law always, forever and ever. I have walked in the open, for I have sought Your commandments; I have spoken of Your testimonies before kings and have not been ashamed; I have practiced Your commandments, which I have loved dearly; I have lifted up my hands to Your commandments, which I have loved, and have meditated on Your precepts. Remember Your words to Your servant, with which You have given me hope. This has comforted me in my humiliation, for Your word has revived me. The arrogant have transgressed the law to the utmost, but I have not strayed from Your law. I have remembered Your judgments from of old, O Lord, and have been comforted. Grief has overtaken me because of the sinners who forsake Your law. Your precepts have been like songs to me in my sojourning. I remembered Your name at night, O Lord, and kept Your law. This has happened to me because I have sought Your precepts. You are my portion, O Lord; I have said, “I will strive to keep Your law.” I prayed before You with all my heart; have mercy on me according to Your word. I meditated on Your ways and turned my feet toward Your testimonies. I prepared myself and was not dismayed, so that I might keep Your commandments. The snares of sinners have entangled me—yet I have not forgotten Your law. At midnight I rose to praise You for Your righteous judgments. I am a companion to all who fear You and keep Your commandments. The earth is full of Your steadfast love, O Lord; teach me Your decrees. You have dealt graciously with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word. Teach me goodness, integrity, and knowledge, for I have put my trust in Your commandments. Before I humbled myself, I sinned; therefore, I have kept Your word. You are good, O Lord; in Your goodness, teach me Your commandments. The iniquity of the proud has multiplied against me, yet I will search out Your commandments with all my heart. Their hearts have grown thick as milk, but I have delved deeply into Your law. It is good for me that You have humbled me, so that I may learn Your commandments. The law from Your lips is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3) O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

Stanza 2

Your hands have formed me and fashioned me; give me understanding, and I will learn Your commandments. Those who fear You will see me and rejoice, for I have put my trust in Your words. I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are righteous, and You have humbled me in truth. May Your mercy be my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant. May Your compassion come to me, and I will live, for Your law is my delight. May the proud be put to shame, for they have wrongfully committed iniquity against me; but I will meditate on Your commandments. May those who fear You and know Your testimonies turn to me. May my heart be blameless in Your commands, so that I may not be put to shame. My soul faints for Your salvation, and I have put my hope in Your word. My eyes have grown weary waiting for Your word; I say, “When will You comfort me?” For I have become like a wineskin in the frost, yet I have not forgotten Your commands. How many days must Your servant endure this? When will You bring judgment against those who persecute me? The lawbreakers have taught me their arguments, but not according to Your law, O Lord. All Your commandments are true; they have persecuted me unjustly—help me. They have nearly destroyed me on earth, yet I have not forsaken Your commandments. Revive me by Your mercy, and I will keep the testimonies of Your lips. Your word, O Lord, endures forever in heaven. Your truth endures from generation to generation: You founded the earth, and it remains. By Your command the day endures, for all things serve You. For if Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my humiliation. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life.

Middle of the Kathisma

I am Yours; save me, for I have sought Your commandments. Sinners lie in wait for me to destroy me, but I have understood Your testimonies. I have seen the limit of all achievement—Your commandment is exceedingly broad. How I love Your law, O Lord; it is my delight all day long. Through Your commandment You have made me wiser than my enemies, for it is mine forever. I have come to understand better than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my delight. I have come to understand better than the elders, for I have sought Your commandments. I have kept my feet from every evil path, that I might keep Your words. I have not turned aside from Your judgments, for You have given me Your law. How sweet are Your words to my throat, sweeter than honey to my lips. From Your commandments I have gained understanding; therefore I have hated every path of unrighteousness. Your law is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn and resolved to keep Your righteous judgments. I have been brought low to the very end, O Lord; revive me according to Your word. Accept, O Lord, the freewill offerings of my lips, and teach me Your judgments. My soul is continually in Your hands, and I have not forgotten Your law. Sinners have set a trap for me, but I have not strayed from Your commandments. I have inherited Your testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart. I have set my heart on keeping Your commands forever, for the sake of the reward. I hate those who break the law, but I love Your law. You are my helper and my defender; I have put my trust in Your words. Depart from me, you who do evil, and I will meditate on the commandments of my God. Uphold me according to Your word, and I will live; do not put me to shame in my hope. Help me, and I will be saved; I will meditate on Your precepts always. You have regarded all who stray from Your commandments as nothing, for their thoughts are unrighteous. I have counted all the sinners of the earth as evildoers; therefore I have loved Your testimonies. Bind my flesh with fear of You, for I am afraid of Your judgments. I have established justice and righteousness; do not deliver me to those who oppress me. Receive Your servant for Your sake, so that the proud may not slander me. My eyes have grown weary waiting for Your salvation and the word of Your truth. Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy, and teach me Your commandments. I am Your servant; enlighten me, and I will know Your testimonies. It is time for the Lord to act: they have destroyed Your law; therefore I have loved Your commandments more than gold and topaz; therefore I have followed all Your commandments and hated every path of unrighteousness. Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul has sought to understand them. The revelation of Your words enlightens and instructs the simple. I opened my mouth and drew in the Spirit, for I longed for Your commandments.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3) O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

Article 3

Look upon me and have mercy on me, according to the judgment of those who love Your name. Guide my steps according to Your word, and let no iniquity take hold of me. Deliver me from the slander of men, and I will keep Your commandments. Let the light of Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your precepts. My eyes have poured out streams of tears, for I have not kept Your law. You are righteous, O Lord, and Your judgments are just. You have commanded what is right—Your testimonies—and what is true—firmly. My zeal for You has consumed me, for my enemies have forgotten Your words. Your word has been thoroughly purified by fire, and Your servant loves it. Though I am very young and despised, I have not forgotten Your commands. Your righteousness is everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth. Sorrow and trouble have overtaken me; Your commandments are my delight. Your testimonies are everlasting righteousness; give me understanding, and I will live. I have cried out with all my heart; hear me, O Lord; I seek Your commandments. I have called upon You; save me, and I will keep Your testimonies. I rose early, before dawn, and cried out—I have put my hope in Your words. My eyes were open before dawn, that I might meditate on Your words. Hear my voice, O Lord; by Your mercy, revive me according to Your judgment. Those who persecute me without cause have drawn near, but they have strayed from Your law. You are near, O Lord, and all Your ways are true. From the beginning I have known from Your testimonies that You have established them forever. Look upon my affliction and deliver me, for I have not forgotten Your law. Judge my cause and deliver me; revive me according to Your word. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they have not sought Your precepts. Great is Your compassion, O Lord; revive me according to Your justice. Many are those who drive me out and oppress me—yet I have not strayed from Your testimonies. I have seen the foolish and have been dismayed, for they have not kept Your words. See, O Lord, that I have loved Your commandments; revive me according to Your mercy. The beginning of Your words is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever. The rulers have persecuted me without cause, but my heart fears Your words. I rejoice in Your words as one who finds great spoil. I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love Your law. Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous judgments. Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing can make them stumble. I have waited for Your salvation, O Lord, and I have loved Your commandments. My soul has kept Your testimonies and has loved them dearly. I have kept Your commandments and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before You, O Lord. May my prayer come before Your face, O Lord—instruct me according to Your word. May my supplication rise before Your face, O Lord—deliver me according to Your word. My mouth will pour forth a song when You teach me Your precepts. My tongue will speak Your words, for all Your commandments are true. May Your hand be my salvation, for I have chosen Your commandments. I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight. My soul will live and praise You, and Your judgments will help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek out Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3)

The Creed

1 I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. 2 And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, born of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, through whom all things were made. 3 Who for us humans and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. 4 Who was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered, and was buried. 5 And rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures. 6 And ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 7 And will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. 8 And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who is worshiped and glorified together with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets. 9 In the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. 10 I acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. 11 I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, 12 and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

Troparia, Tone 8

Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight, / and blessed is the servant whom He finds watching, / but, on the contrary, unworthy / is the one whom He finds careless. / Watch, then, my soul, / do not be overcome by sleep, / lest you be delivered to death / and shut out of the Kingdom, / but rise up, crying out: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

Glory: Thinking of that dreadful day, my soul, / stay awake, kindling your shining lamp with oil, / for you do not know when the voice will overtake you, / proclaiming: “Behold, [your] Bridegroom!” / Take heed, then, my soul, / lest you fall asleep and be left outside the hall, / knocking like the five virgins, / but remain patiently awake, / so that you may meet Christ with abundant oil, / and He will grant you the divine hall of His glory.

And now: We pray to You, O Virgin Mother of God, the impregnable wall / and saving stronghold: / thwart the plans of our enemies, / turn the sorrow of Your people into joy, / protect Your city, strengthen the devout Christians, / pray for peace in the world, / for You, O Mother of God, are our hope.

[On feast days, the troparion of the feast is read instead of these troparia.]2

Lord, have mercy. (40)

And the prayer: Christ God, who at all times and in every hour receives worship and glory in heaven and on earth, long-suffering, most merciful, most compassionate, who loves the righteous and has mercy on sinners, calling all to salvation with the promise of future blessings! You Yourself, O Lord, accept our prayers at this hour and direct our lives toward Your commandments: sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our intentions, cleanse our thoughts, and deliver us from every sorrow, misfortune, and torment. Protect us with Your holy angels, so that, guarded and guided by their host, we may attain unity in faith and an understanding of Your ineffable glory, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparably greater glory of the Seraphim, / we magnify You, the Virgin who gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: O God, have mercy on us and bless us; let the light of Your face shine upon us, and have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

If it is a fast day and “Alleluia” is sung at Matins instead of “God is the Lord,” the priest recites the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian with bows, dividing it into three parts:

O Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

O God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: followed by one deep bow.

If, however, “Alleluia” is not sung, then the prayer of St. Ephrem with bows is omitted, and only the prayer “Lord God, Almighty Father” is recited:

Prayer of St. Mardarius

Lord God, Almighty Father, Lord, Only-Begotten Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit! One Godhead, one Power, have mercy on me, a sinner, and save me, Your unworthy servant, in ways known to You, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer of Saint Basil the Great ³

O Lord Almighty, God of the incorporeal Powers and of all flesh, who dwells in the heights of heaven and looks down upon the valleys of the earth, who tests both hearts and inner feelings and clearly knows the secrets of men, the beginningless and eternal Light, in Whom there is no change nor even a shadow of variation! You Yourself, O immortal King, accept our prayers, which we, boldly trusting in Your many mercies, now [at night] offer to You from our impure lips, and forgive us our sins—in deed, word, and in thought, whether committed by us knowingly or in ignorance, and purify us from every defilement of flesh and spirit, [making us temples of Your Holy Spirit]. And grant that we may pass through the entire night of our present life with watchful hearts and sober minds, awaiting the coming of the bright day of the manifestation of Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, when He, the Judge of all, will come to earth in glory to reward each person according to his deeds; may He find us not fallen or slothful, but watchful and uplifted, fulfilling His commandments, and ready to enter with Him into the joy and divine palace of His glory, where there is unceasing rejoicing and inexpressible delight as we contemplate the unspeakable beauty of Your face. For You are the true Light, enlightening and sanctifying all things, and all creation sings Your praises forever and ever. Amen.

The priest, raising his hands,
recites the prayer of the same saint:

We bless You, Most High God and Lord of mercy, who always works great and incomprehensible deeds among us—glorious and awesome deeds beyond number—and who has granted us sleep for the repose of our weakness and for rest from the labors of our weary flesh. We thank You, for You have not destroyed us because of our iniquities, but have shown Your love for mankind, as You always do, and have roused us, who lie in the insensibility of sleep, to glorify Your might. Therefore, we beseech Your boundless goodness: enlighten the eyes of our minds and rouse our minds from the heavy sleep of carelessness. Open our mouths and fill them with praise to You, so that we may sing unshakably, [praise] and glorify You, the God glorified in all and by all, the Father without beginning, together with Your only-begotten Son and Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Come, let us worship our King, our God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ, our King and God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ Himself, our King and God.

And three bows, and psalms:

Psalm 120

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. May your foot not slip, and may He who keeps you not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord will keep you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; the Lord will keep your soul; the Lord will guard your coming in and your going out from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 133

Behold, bless the Lord now, all you servants of the Lord, who stand in the temple of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Lift up your hands toward the holy places at night and bless the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth.

Glory, and now: The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

Troparia, Tone 2

Remember, O Lord, in Your goodness, Your servants / and forgive all their sins committed in life: / for no one is without sin except You. / You can grant rest even to those who have departed.

With the deepest wisdom, You govern all with love / and grant what is beneficial to all, / O One Creator; grant rest, O Lord, to the souls of Your servants, / for they have placed their hope in You, / the Creator, the Provider, and our God.

Glory: With the saints, grant rest, / Christ, to the souls of Your servants, / where there is neither pain, nor sorrow, nor groaning, / but eternal life.

And now: We, all generations, call You blessed, O Virgin Mother of God, / for our boundless God, Christ, / was pleased to dwell within You. / Blessed are we, too, having You as our protection, / for You intercede for us day and night, / and the scepers of the kingdom are strengthened by Your prayers. / Therefore, as we sing, we cry out to You: / “Rejoice, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You!”⁴

Lord, have mercy. (12)

And the prayer: Remember, O Lord, our fathers and brothers who have fallen asleep in hope of the resurrection and eternal life, and all who have departed in piety and faith, and forgive them every sin, whether voluntary or involuntary, committed by them in word, deed, or thought. And grant them a place of light, a place of joy, a place of rest, from which all suffering, sorrow, and groaning have departed, where the radiant sight of Your face brings joy to all Your saints from of old. Grant them and us Your Kingdom, and a share in Your ineffable and eternal blessings, and the joy of Your endless and blessed life. For You are life, and resurrection, and rest for Your departed servants, Christ our God, and to You we send up glory, together with Your Father without beginning and Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Most Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ our God! Bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, that through Your intercession He may save our souls.

Prayer of Saint John

My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit; Holy Trinity, glory to You!

Priest: Glory to You, Christ God, our hope, glory to You.

Choir: Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

The priest recites the Small Dismissal:

Christ, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, our venerable and God-bearing Fathers, and all the saints, will have mercy on us and save us, as the Good and Lover of mankind.

Choir: Amen.

Rite of Forgiveness

The priest, bowing to the congregation, says: Bless me, holy fathers, brothers, and sisters, and forgive me, a sinner, for everything in which I have sinned today in deed, word, thought, and all my feelings.

And we respond: May God forgive you and have mercy on you, holy father.

[In monasteries, the brothers bow, asking the abbot for forgiveness and saying:

Bless me, holy father, and forgive me for everything in which I have sinned today—in deed, word, thought, and all my feelings—and pray for me, a sinner.]

The priest responds: “May God, by His grace, forgive and have mercy on us all.”

And he recites the following ektenia:

Let us pray for peace throughout the world.

The choir responds to each petition: “Lord, have mercy.”

For the devout and Orthodox Christians.

For our Most Holy Patriarch (name), and for our Most Reverend Metropolitan (or: Archbishop, or: Bishop) (name), and for all our brethren in Christ.

In monasteries: For our venerable abbot (name) and the brethren of this holy monastery.

For our God-protected country, its authorities, and all its people.

For those who hate us and those who love us.

For those who show us mercy and serve us.

For those who have commanded us, the unworthy, to pray for them.

For the deliverance of the captives.

For our fathers and brothers who have fallen away.

For those sailing the seas.

For those who lie infirm.

Let us also pray for an abundance of the earth’s fruits.

And for every Orthodox Christian soul.

Let us honor the memory of the pious kings.

Orthodox bishops.

The founders of this holy church (or: this holy monastery).

Our parents and all our forefathers and brothers who have departed this life, both here and everywhere, who are Orthodox.

Let us also pray for ourselves:

Choir: Lord, have mercy. (3)

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

We: Amen. 5

Notes

1 If you are reciting the Morning Prayers together with Matins, then after the “Our Father,” recite the troparia to the Most Holy Trinity, the prayer “Having Arisen from Sleep,” and prayers 1 through 4, followed by the entire sequence of Matins, including prayers 5 and 6; after the concluding prayer of the second part of the Midnight Office, “Remember, O Lord,” recite prayers 7 through 10, followed by “O Glorious Ever-Virgin” and the conclusion of the Midnight Office.

2 For example, September 9, December 26, January 7, Lazarus Saturday, and the day after Easter, but not on feasts in honor of the saints.

3 It should be noted that, according to the Church’s regulations, the following two prayers are read from the day after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 22) until Palm Sunday.

4 On feast days, the kontakion of the feast is recited instead of these troparia; in this case, the concluding prayer for the departed is omitted.

5 According to the rule of the Holy Mountain of Athos, after the prayer “Remember, O Lord,” penitential troparia are sung:

Penitential Troparia, Tone 6

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, / for, finding no excuse for ourselves, / we sinners offer this prayer to You, our Master: / “Have mercy on us!”

Glory: O Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in You; / do not be greatly angered against us / and do not remember our iniquities; / but look upon us now, O Merciful One, / and deliver us from our enemies. / For You are our God, and we are Your people; / we are all the work of Your hands / and we call upon Your name.

And now: Open to us the gates of mercy, / O Blessed Mother of God, / so that, trusting in You, we may not be put to shame, / but may be delivered from our troubles through Your prayers, / for You are the salvation of the Christian race.

Next, the litany “Have mercy on us, O God:” (see p.22 ) “We also pray for the preservation of our city:”

Lord, have mercy. (40)

Priest: Hear us, O God:

Next: Glory, and now: and the dismissal.

SATURDAY MIDNIGHT VIGIL I

Priest: Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Heavenly King: The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12) Glory, and now: Come, let us worship: (3)

Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the abundance of Your lovingkindness, blot out my iniquity; wash me completely from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against You alone have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight—so that You may be justified in Your words and prevail when You are put on trial. For behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother bore me in sin. For behold, You have loved truth; You have revealed to me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. You will sprinkle me with hyssop—and I will be cleansed; You will wash me—and I will be whiter than snow; You will let me hear joy and gladness—and my humbled bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your mighty Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the ungodly will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, O God of my salvation; then my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You will open my lips, and my lips will proclaim Your praise. For if You had desired sacrifices, I would have offered them—but You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Bless Zion, O Lord, in Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be rebuilt—then You will accept with favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offerings; then they will lay young bulls upon Your altar.

Kathisma 9. Psalm 64

A song is fitting for You, O God, in Zion, and vows will be fulfilled to You in Jerusalem. Hear my prayer: all flesh will come to You. The words of the wicked have overwhelmed us, but You will be appeased by our iniquities. Blessed is the one You have chosen and brought near; he shall dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the good things of Your house; Your temple is holy, wonderful in righteousness. Hear us, O God, our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of those far out at sea, who establishes the mountains by Your strength, girded with might, who shakes the depths of the sea—who can stand before the roar of its waves? The nations will be thrown into confusion, and those who dwell at the ends of the earth will be terrified by Your signs; You will fill the dawn and the evening with joy! You have visited the earth and watered it; You have multiplied its riches; the river of God is filled with waters; You have prepared food for them—for such is Your provision. Water its furrows; multiply its produce; under Your showers it will rejoice and flourish. You will bless the crown of the year with Your goodness, and Your plains will be filled with abundance. The beautiful places of the wilderness will flourish, and the hills will be girded with joy. The rams among the sheep will be clothed with wool, and the valleys will yield abundant wheat—they will shout for joy and sing!

Psalm 65

Shout to the Lord, all the earth; sing praises to His name; ascribe glory to His praise! Say to God: “How awesome are Your works!” Because of the greatness of Your power, Your enemies will flatter You. Let all the earth bow down to You and sing to You; let them sing to Your name, O Most High! Come and see the works of God—how awesome He is in His counsel, surpassing the sons of men: He turns the sea into dry land; they will cross the river on foot—there we will rejoice in Him, who reigns in His might over the ages. His eyes are upon the nations—let not the wicked be exalted in their own eyes! Bless our God, O nations, and let the voice of praise to Him be heard—He has preserved my life and has not let my feet slip. For You have tested us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined; You have brought us into the net; You have laid sorrows upon our shoulders; You have set men over our heads; we have gone through fire and water, and You have brought us out to a place of joy. I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill to You my vows, which my lips have uttered and my mouth has spoken in my distress. I will offer You rich burnt offerings with incense and rams; I will bring You bulls and goats. Come, listen, and I will tell you, all you who fear God, how much He has done for my soul! I called out to Him with my lips and exalted Him with my tongue. If I had cherished wickedness in my heart—may the Lord not hear me! Yet God has heard me; He has heeded the voice of my supplication. Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer nor withheld His mercy from me.

Psalm 66

O God, be gracious to us and bless us; let Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us, so that on earth they may know Your ways, and among all nations—Your salvation. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations rejoice and be glad, for You will judge the peoples with righteousness and guide the nations on earth. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. The earth has yielded its fruit: bless us, O God, our God. May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear Him.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3) O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

Psalm 67

May God arise, and may His enemies be scattered; may those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke vanishes, so may they vanish; as wax melts before the fire—so may the sinners perish before God. But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; let them exult in joy! Sing to God, sing praises to His name; prepare the way for Him who rises in the west—the Lord is His name—and rejoice before Him. Let them be confounded before Him, the Father of the fatherless and the Judge of the widows: God is in His holy place. God settles the lonely in a home, bringing out the bound with courage, just as He does those who insult others and dwell in tombs. O God, when You went out before Your people, when You passed through the wilderness, the earth trembled and the heavens melted at the presence of the God of Sinai, at the presence of the God of Israel. You will lavishly bestow rain, O God, upon Your inheritance—and though it grew weak, You strengthened it. Your animals dwell there—You have prepared this in Your goodness for the poor, O God. The Lord will give the messengers a word of great power—He, the King of hosts of the Beloved—so that for the sake of the beauty of the house they may divide the spoils. If you rest in the midst of your inheritance, it is like the wings of a dove silvered, and her back gleams with gold. When the God of Heaven scatters kings across this land, they will be like snow on Selmon. The mountain of God is a bountiful mountain, a fruitful mountain, a bountiful mountain! Why do you, O fruitful mountains, question the mountain on which God has chosen to dwell? For here the Lord will dwell forever! God’s chariots are beyond number; thousands of those who do good; the Lord is among them on Sinai in the sanctuary. You have ascended to the heights, taken captives, received gifts from among the people—even from the rebellious—to dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord God, blessed be the Lord day by day; may God, our Savior, grant us success. Our God is a God of salvation, and the gates of death belong to the Lord, to the Lord. But God will crush the heads of His enemies, the shaggy heads of those who walk in their sins. The Lord has said: “I will bring you back from Bashan; I will bring you back from the depths of the sea, so that your foot may be dipped in blood, and the tongues of your dogs in the blood of His enemies.” Your processions have been revealed to my eyes, O God—the processions of my God, the King who is in the sanctuary. The princes went ahead, alongside the singers, in the midst of the maidens with their tambourines: “Bless God, the Lord, in the assemblies, from the springs of Israel.” There was Benjamin the youngest, full of joy; the princes of Judah—their leaders; the princes of Zebulun; the princes of Naphtali. Command, O God, by Your power; establish, O God, what You have done for us! For the sake of Your temple in Jerusalem, kings will bring You gifts. Threaten the beasts in the reeds, the herd of bulls among the heifers of the nations—lest they enslave those who have been tested like silver. Scatter the tribes that seek war. Messengers will come from Egypt; Ethiopia will be the first to stretch out its hand to God. Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing to the Lord, who has ascended to the highest heavens in the east; behold, He will let His voice resound with a mighty sound. Give glory to God; His splendor and His power are upon Israel—upon the clouds. God is awesome among His saints; the God of Israel Himself will give strength and power to His people. Blessed be God.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3) Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

Psalm 68

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my soul. I have been cast into deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into the depths of the sea, and the storm has overwhelmed me. I am weary of crying out; my voice is hoarse; my eyes grow dim waiting for my God. Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head; my enemies, who drive me out unjustly, have grown strong; for what I did not take, I have made restitution. O God, You know my folly, and my sins are not hidden from You. May those who hope in You, O Lord, O Lord of hosts, not be put to shame because of me, and may those who seek You, O God of Israel, not be disgraced because of me! For Your sake I have endured reproach; shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers and an alien to my mother’s sons, for zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who revile You have fallen upon me. I have clothed my soul with fasting—and this has become a reproach to me; I have put on sackcloth as a garment—and I have become a byword to them. Those who sit at the city gate speak against me, and those who drink wine sing about me; but I lift up my prayer to You, O God. In the time of Your favor, O God, because of Your abundant mercy, hear me in the truth of Your salvation. Save me from the mire, lest I sink; deliver me from those who hate me and from the deep waters; let not the storm on the waters overwhelm me, nor the deep swallow me up, nor the pit close its mouth over me. Hear me, O Lord, for Your mercy is good; look upon me in Your great compassion. Do not turn Your face away from Your servant, for I am in distress; hear me quickly, listen to my soul, and redeem it; deliver me for the sake of my enemies. For You know my reproach, my shame, and my disgrace; all who oppress me are before You. My soul has endured reproach and suffering; I waited for one who would show compassion, but there was none, and for comforters—but I found none; they gave me gall to eat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. May their feast become a snare for them, a retribution, and a trap; may their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and may their backs be bent forever. Pour out Your wrath upon them, and may the fury of Your anger overtake them. Let their courtyard be desolate, and let no one dwell in their tents; for those whom You have struck down, they have persecuted, and they have added to the pain of my wounds. Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not enter into Your righteousness; let them be blotted out of the book of life, and let them not be recorded among the righteous. I am poor and suffering; may Your salvation, O God, sustain me. I will praise the name of my God with a song; I will exalt Him with thanksgiving, and this will be more pleasing to God than a young bull with horns and hooves just breaking through. May the poor see this and rejoice; seek God, and your souls will live. For the Lord has heard the poor and has not despised His captives. Let the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that moves within it, praise Him. For God will save Zion, and the cities of Judah will be rebuilt; people will settle there and inherit it, and the descendants of His servants will possess it, and those who love His name will dwell in it.

Psalm 69

O God, come to my aid; O Lord, make haste to help me. May those who seek my life be put to shame and disgrace; may those who wish me harm be turned back and put to shame; may those who say to me, “It is well, it is well,” be turned back in shame. May all who seek You, O God, rejoice and be glad in You, and may those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let the Lord be exalted.” But I am poor and needy; O God, help me. You are my helper and my deliverer—O Lord, do not delay!

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3)

The Creed

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

Troparia, Tone 2

Uncreated Nature, Creator of all, / open our lips, that we may proclaim Your praise, crying out: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

Glory: Imitating the heavenly powers, we who are earthly / offer a song of victory to You, O Good One: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

And now: You have raised me from my bed and from sleep, O Lord! / Enlighten my mind and my heart, / and open my lips, / that I may sing Your praises, Holy Trinity: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!” 1

Lord, have mercy. (40)

And the prayer: Christ God, who at all times and in every hour receives worship and glory in heaven and on earth, long-suffering, most merciful, loving the righteous and showing mercy to sinners, calling all to salvation with the promise of future blessings! You Yourself, O Lord, accept our prayers at this hour and direct our lives toward Your commandments: sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our intentions, cleanse our thoughts, and deliver us from every sorrow, misfortune, and suffering. Protect us with Your holy angels, so that, guarded and guided by their host, we may attain unity in faith and an understanding of Your ineffable glory, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparably greater glory of the Seraphim, / we magnify You, the Virgin who gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: O God, have mercy on us and bless us; let the light of Your face shine upon us, and have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

Prayer of Saint Mardarius

O God, Almighty Father, Lord, Only-Begotten Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit! One Godhead, one Power, have mercy on me, a sinner, and save me, Your unworthy servant, in ways known to You, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer of Saint Eustratius ²

I magnify and exalt You, O Lord, for You have looked upon my humility and have not delivered me into the hands of my enemies, but have saved my soul from calamity. And now, O Lord, may Your hand cover me and may Your mercy come upon me, for my soul is in turmoil and suffers as it departs from this wretched and corrupt body of mine, fearing that the enemy’s evil scheme might somehow encounter it and cast it down into darkness because of the sins I have committed in this life, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Be merciful to me, O Lord, and may my soul not behold the gloomy and dark gaze of the evil demons, but may Your radiant and luminous Angels receive it. Give glory to Your holy name, and by Your power lift me up to Your divine judgment seat. When I am judged, may the hand of the prince of this world not take hold of me to drag me, a sinner, into the depths of hell, but stand before me and be my Savior and Defender. For even these bodily sufferings are a joy to Your servants. Have mercy, O Lord, on my soul, defiled by the passions of this life, and accept it, purified by repentance and confession, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Come, let us worship our King, our God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ, our King and God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ Himself, our King and God.

And three bows.

Psalm 120

Psalm 133

Glory, and now: The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

Troparia, Tone 2

Remember, O Lord, in Your goodness, Your servants / and forgive all their sins committed in life: / for no one is without sin but You alone, / who are able to grant rest to those who have departed.

With the deepest wisdom, You govern all with love for humanity / and grant what is beneficial to all, / O One Creator; grant rest, O Lord, to the souls of Your servants, / for they have placed their hope in You, / the Creator, the Provider, and our God.

Glory: Grant rest, O Christ, with the saints, / to the souls of Your servants, / where there is neither pain, nor sorrow, nor groaning, / but eternal life.

And now: We, all generations, call You blessed, / O Virgin Mother of God, / for our boundless God, Christ, / was pleased to dwell within You. / Blessed are we, too, having You as our protection, / for You intercede for us day and night, / and the scepers of the kingdom are strengthened by Your prayers. / Therefore, singing, we cry out to You: / “Rejoice, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You!”

Lord, have mercy. (12)

And the prayer: Remember, O Lord, our fathers and brothers who have fallen asleep in hope of the resurrection and eternal life, and all who have departed in piety and faith, and forgive them every sin, whether voluntary or involuntary, committed by them in word, deed, or thought. And grant them a place of light, a place of joy, a place of rest, from which all torment, sorrow, and groaning have departed, where the radiant sight of Your face brings joy to all Your saints from of old. Grant them and us Your Kingdom, and a share in Your ineffable and eternal blessings, and the joy of Your endless and blessed life. For You are life, and resurrection, and rest for Your departed servants, Christ our God, and to You we send up glory, together with Your Father without beginning and Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Most Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ our God! Bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, that through Your intercession He may save our souls.

Prayer of Saint John

My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit; Holy Trinity, glory to You!

Priest: Glory to You, Christ God, our hope, glory to You.

Choir: Glory; and now, O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

The priest recites the Small Dismissal: May Christ, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, our venerable and God-bearing Fathers, and all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as the Good and Lover of Mankind.

Choir: Amen.

After the dismissal, the priest recites the rite of forgiveness (see the end of the Daily Midnight Office).

Notes

1 On feast days, read the troparion of the feast instead of these troparia.

2 The Book of Hours notes: “to be read in the cells”

SUNDAY MIDNIGHT VIGIL I

Priest: Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions; wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You alone have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight—so that You may be justified in Your words and prevail when You are judged. For behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother bore me in sin. For behold, You have loved truth; You have revealed to me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. You will sprinkle me with hyssop—and I will be cleansed; You will wash me—and I will be whiter than snow; You will let me hear joy and gladness—and my humbled bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your mighty Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the ungodly will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, O God of my salvation; then my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You will open my lips, and my lips will proclaim Your praise. For if You had desired sacrifices, I would have offered them—but You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Bless Zion, O Lord, in Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be rebuilt—then You will accept with favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering, and the burnt offerings; then they will place young bulls upon Your altar.

And we begin the canon to the Life-Giving Trinity of the current tone of the Octoechos. Upon its conclusion, we sing the refrains of the Venerable Gregory of Sinai, in the tone of the week¹ .

1. It is truly fitting / to glorify You, God the Word, / Whom the Cherubim tremble before and fear, / and the heavenly Powers praise. / Let us glorify with awe Christ, / the Giver of Life, / who rose from the tomb on the third day!

2. Let us all sing in a manner befitting God / with songs inspired by God / to the Father, and the Son, and the Divine Spirit, / the power of the Three Persons, the one kingdom and dominion.

3. Whom all who are born on earth extol, / and the heavenly hosts glorify, / to Whom all the faithful bow down— / the One Being in Three Persons.

4. O Lord, Ruler of the Cherubim, / and incomparable God, Ruler of the Seraphim, / the Indivisible Trinity in Unity, / true divine sovereignty, we magnify You.

5. To the Father without beginning and to God, / I worship the Word, co-eternal with the Spirit; / a single, indivisible, united Being, / let us honor the Triune Unity with hymns.

6. With Your radiant flashes of lightning, / enlighten me, Creator of all, / my Triune God, / and make me a dwelling place for Your inaccessible glory— / bright, radiant, and unchanging.

7. Let us glorify with awe Christ, the Giver of Life, / who was incarnate in an ineffable manner from the Virgin, / before whom the Cherubim tremble and fear, / and whom the angelic hosts praise.

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

And we continue by reading the “Ipakoi” of the current tone:

Tone 1

The thief’s repentance gained paradise, / while the weeping of the myrrh-bearers proclaimed joy, / that You have risen, Christ God, / bestower of great mercy upon the world.

Tone 2

After Your Passion, / the women, coming to the tomb / to anoint Your body with myrrh, O Christ God, / saw the angels in the tomb and were amazed, / for they heard from them the news that the Lord has risen, / bestowing great mercy upon the world.

Tone 3

Striking them with his appearance, yet soothing them with his words, / the radiant Angel proclaimed to the myrrh-bearers: / “Why do you seek the Living One in the tomb? / He has risen, having emptied the tombs; / know the Unchanging One who has transformed corruption. / Say to God: How awesome are Your deeds, / for You have saved the human race!”

Tone 4

The circumstances of Your wondrous Resurrection / were proclaimed by the Myrrh-Bearers as they rushed to the Apostles, / that You have risen, Christ, as God, / bestowing great mercy upon the world.

Tone 5

Amazed in mind by the angelic apparition / and enlightened in soul through the divine Resurrection, / the myrrh-bearing women proclaimed to the Apostles: / “Proclaim among the nations the Resurrection of the Lord, / who works wonders on your behalf / and bestows great mercy upon us!”

Tone 6

By Your voluntary and life-giving death, O Christ, / having shattered the gates of hell as God, / You opened for us the ancient paradise / and, having risen from the dead, / delivered our lives from corruption.

Tone 7

You who took on our likeness / and endured the Cross in the flesh! / Save me by Your Resurrection, Christ our God, / as the Lover of mankind.

Tone 8

The Myrrh-Bearers, having come to the tomb of the Giver of Life, / sought the immortal Lord among the dead / and, having received the joy of the good news from the Angel, / proclaimed to the apostles that the Lord had risen, / bestowing great mercy upon the world.

Lord, have mercy. (40) Glory, and now:

We magnify You, who, with the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparably greater glory of the Seraphim, / gave birth as a virgin to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: O God, have mercy on us and bless us; let the light of Your face shine upon us, and have mercy on us.

And we say: Amen.

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity, composed by Mark the Monk

The Almighty and Life-Giving Holy Trinity and the Source of light, all creation—that which is in this world and beyond it—which, through Your sole goodness, You brought forth from nothingness and continue to sustain and preserve, and who, in addition to Your other ineffable blessings upon the human race, have granted us repentance even unto death because of the weakness of the flesh! Do not forsake us, the wretched, to die in our evil deeds, and may we not become a laughingstock to the prince of evil, the envious one, and the destroyer; for You, O Merciful One, see how strong are his schemes and enmity against us, and what our passions, weaknesses, and negligence are. But bestow upon us Your inexhaustible blessings, we pray, every day and every hour, as we provoke Your wrath by violating Your holy and life-giving commandments. Therefore, forgive and pardon all our sins—those committed throughout our past lives and up to this very hour, whether in deeds, words, or thoughts. Grant us, then, to complete the remainder of our lives in repentance, contrition, and observance of Your holy commandments. If, however, we have sinned in many ways, beguiled by pleasures, or have spent our time seduced by vile, useless, and harmful desires; if, driven by anger and senseless rage, we have insulted any of our brothers, or because of our tongue have been ensnared in inescapable, unjust, and strong nets; if, through any or all of our senses, willingly or unwillingly, knowingly or unknowingly, in a fit of passion or deliberately, we have foolishly stumbled; if we have defiled our conscience with evil and vain thoughts; or if we have sinned in any other way, driven by a propensity and habit for evil, forgive us and remit all our sins, O All-Generous, Most Blessed, and Most Merciful One, and grant us in the future the vigor and strength to do Your will—which is good, pleasing, and perfect—so that, having been transformed from the dark and gloomy evils of the night by light-filled repentance, and living righteously as in the light of day, we, the unworthy, may appear purified before Your love for mankind, singing Your praises and glorifying You forever. Amen.

Priest: Glory to You, Christ our God, our hope; glory to You.

Choir: Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

The priest recites the Small Dismissal: Christ, who rose from the dead, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, our venerable and God-bearing fathers, and all the saints, will have mercy on us and save us, as the Good and Lover of Mankind.

After the dismissal, the priest recites the rite of forgiveness (see the end of the Daily Midnight Office).

Notes

1 The number and order of these doxologies vary across different editions: in modern Greek books there are 4 doxologies: 1 [alternative text: It is truly worthy / to sing of the pre-divine Trinity: / the Father without beginning and Creator of all, / the Son co-eternal, begotten of the Father before all ages without change, / and the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father before all ages.], 2, 3, 8; in modern Slavonic editions, there are 7 doxologies: 2, 3, 1B [beginning with the words: “Whom all sing of:”], 4, 5, 6, 2B [another version of the text: “Whom the Cherubim tremble before and fear / and the angelic hosts glorify, / Christ, the Giver of Life, who was incarnated in an ineffable manner from the Virgin, / let us glorify Him with awe!”]; In old-print (pre-Nikonian) books, there are 8 doxologies: 1, 4, 5, 3, 6, 2, 7, 8; in addition to those listed, there are other minor textual variations. In light of this, we present our consolidated version of the text.

MATINS I

The Priest, beginning the censing at the altar: Blessed be our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Reader: Amen.

And if it is Great Lent, we begin the Trisagion, without bows:

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12) Glory, and now: Come, let us worship: (3)

If it is not Great Lent: Come, let us worship: (3)

Psalm 19

May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you; may He send you help from His sanctuary and sustain you from Zion. May He remember all your offerings and make your burnt offerings rich. May the Lord grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans. We will rejoice in your salvation and be exalted in the name of the Lord, our God. May the Lord grant all your requests! Now I know that the Lord has saved His anointed one; He will hear him from His holy heaven; salvation is in the power of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God. They have stumbled and fallen, but we have risen and stood upright. O Lord, save the king and hear us on the day we call upon You.

Psalm 20

O Lord, the king will rejoice in Your strength; he will be exceedingly glad in Your salvation. You have granted him the desire of his heart, and You have not withheld what his lips have asked. For You have met him with the favor of Your goodness; You have set a crown of precious stones upon his head. He asked You for life, and You have granted him longevity forever and ever. Great is his glory in Your salvation; You will clothe him with glory and splendor, for You will bestow blessings upon him forever and ever, and You will fill him with joy in Your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he will not be shaken. May Your hand overtake all Your enemies; may Your right hand find all who hate You. For You will make them like a fiery furnace at the time of Your appearing; the Lord will confound them in His wrath, and fire will consume them. You will cut off their offspring from the earth and their descendants from among the sons of men. For they have devised evil against You; they have conceived plans they cannot carry out. For You will turn them back; You will direct the remnant of Your arrows against their faces. Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength! We will sing and praise Your might.

Glory, and now: The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

And the troparia:

Save, O Lord, Your people / and bless Your inheritance, / granting the faithful victory over foreign nations / and preserving Your people through Your Cross.

Glory: Having been raised upon the Cross of Your own free will, / grant Your mercies to the new people who bear Your name, O Christ God; / gladden Your faithful people with Your power, / granting them victory over their enemies, /—that they may have help from You, / the weapon of peace, the invincible sign of victory.

And now: O mighty and unashamed Protection, / do not pr e , O Good One, look upon our prayers, O All-Glorious Mother of God, / strengthen the Orthodox people, / save Your faithful people and grant them victory from heaven, / for You have given birth to God, O uniquely blessed One.

Priest: Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy; we pray to You, hear us and have mercy.

And we respond to each petition: Lord, have mercy. (3)

We also pray for our Most Holy Patriarch (name), and for our Most Reverend Metropolitan (or: Archbishop, or: Bishop) (name), and for all our brotherhood in Christ.

We also pray for our God-protected country, Russia, for all its people and authorities, that we may lead a peaceful and tranquil life in all piety and purity.

We also pray for the entire brotherhood and for all Christians.

Acclamation: For You are a merciful and loving God, and to You we send up glory—to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit—now and ever and to the ages of ages.

And we say: Amen. Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

The priest, making the sign of the cross with the censer before the altar: Glory be to the Holy, Consubstantial, Life-giving, and Indivisible Trinity, always: now and ever, and to the ages of ages.

Reader: Amen.

And we begin the Sixth Psalm, listening in complete silence and with deep devotion; while the brother who is reading recites with reverence and the fear of God:

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. (3)

Lord, You will open my lips, and my lips will proclaim Your praise. (2)

Psalm 3

O Lord, why have those who oppress me multiplied? Many rise up against me; many say to my soul, “There is no salvation for him in his God.” But You, O Lord, are my defender, my glory; You lift up my head. With my voice I cried out to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain. I fell asleep and slept; I awoke, for the Lord will protect me. I will not fear the multitudes of people attacking me on every side. Arise, O Lord, save me, my God, for You have struck down all who oppose me in vain; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation comes from the Lord, and Your blessing is upon Your people. I fell asleep and slept; I awoke, for the Lord protects me.

Psalm 37

O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor discipline me in Your anger. For Your arrows have pierced me, and You have laid Your hand upon me. There is no healing for my flesh from Your wrath, no peace for my bones from my sins; for my iniquities have risen above my head—like a heavy burden they weigh upon me. My wounds stink and fester because of my folly; I am afflicted and crushed to the very end; all day long I walk about, groaning. For my loins are filled with scorn, and there is no healing for my flesh. I am crushed and humbled beyond measure; I cry out from the groaning of my heart. O Lord, all my desire is before You, and my groaning is not hidden from You. My heart is troubled; my strength has forsaken me, and the light of my eyes—even that is no longer with me. My friends and my neighbors have drawn near and stood against me; my close friends have stood at a distance; those who seek my life have gathered together; those who seek my harm have spoken empty words and devised schemes all day long. But I was like a deaf man who does not hear, and like a mute who does not open his lips; I became like a man who does not hear and has no rebuke on his lips. For I have trusted in You, O Lord; You will hear, O Lord, my God. For I have said: ‘Let not my enemies rejoice over me!’ For when my feet were slipping, they boasted over me. For I am ready for blows, and my suffering is ever before me. For I will confess my iniquity and take care of my sin. But my enemies are alive; they have become stronger than I, and those who hate me without cause have multiplied. Those who repay me evil for good have slandered me, for I have sought to do good. Do not forsake me, O Lord, my God; do not turn away from me; come to my aid, O Lord, my Savior! Do not forsake me, O Lord, my God; do not turn away from me; come to my aid, O Lord, my Savior!

Psalm 62

O God, my God, I seek You from the dawn; my soul thirsts for You. How often has my body longed for You in a desolate, impassable, and waterless land? Oh, that I might appear before You in Your sanctuary, to behold Your power and Your glory! For Your steadfast love is better than life; my lips will praise You. Thus I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. May my soul be filled with fat and oil, and may my lips praise You with songs of joy. I remember You on my bed; in the morning I meditate on You, for You have become my help, and under the shadow of Your wings I rejoice. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my soul in vain will go down to the depths of the earth; they will be delivered over to the power of the sword and become prey to the foxes. But the king will rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him will be exalted, for the mouths of those who speak falsehood have been silenced. In the morning I meditated on You, for You have become my helper, and under the shelter of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3) O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

Psalm 87

O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out to You by day and by night—may my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my plea. For my soul is filled with evil, and my life draws near to Sheol; I have been counted among those who go down to the pit; I have become like a helpless man, free among the dead—like the slain who sleep in the grave, whom You no longer remember, and who are cast off by Your hand. They have cast me into the deepest pit, into darkness and the shadow of death; Your wrath has settled upon me, and You have brought all Your waves upon me. You have removed my friends from me; they have regarded me as an abomination to themselves; I was betrayed and could not escape. My eyes have grown weary from poverty; I have cried out to You, O Lord, all day long; I have stretched out my hands to You. Will You work wonders for the dead? Or will their physicians raise them up, so that they may praise You? Will anyone in the grave proclaim Your mercy, or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction? Will they perceive Your wonders in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion? Yet I have called out to You, O Lord, and my prayer will reach You early in the morning. Why, O Lord, do You cast my soul away and turn Your face from me? I am poor and in distress from my youth; though I was exalted, I have been humbled and have grown weak. Your wrath has passed over me; Your terrors have overwhelmed me; they surround me like water all day long; they have all come upon me together. You have taken away my friend, my neighbor, and my acquaintances because of my suffering. O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out to You by day and by night; may my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my supplication.

Psalm 102

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His benefits: He forgives all your iniquities, heals all your diseases, redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, and satisfies you with good things—so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord shows mercy and justice to all who are oppressed. He revealed His ways to Moses, His purposes to the children of Israel. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; He will not always be angry, nor will He harbor His wrath forever. He has not dealt with us according to our iniquities, nor has He repaid us according to our sins; for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is the Lord’s mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our iniquities from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Man is like grass; his days are like a flower of the field—it withers, for the breath within him ceases—and he is no more, and he no longer remembers his place. But the Lord’s mercy endures from everlasting to everlasting toward those who fear Him, and His righteousness toward the children’s children of those who keep His covenant and remember His commandments to do them. The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, all His angels, mighty in strength, who carry out His word as soon as they hear the sound of His words. Bless the Lord, all His hosts, His servants who carry out His will. Bless the Lord, all His works, in every place of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul! In every place of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Psalm 142

O Lord, hear my prayer; give ear to my supplication in Your truth; hear me in Your righteousness, and do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no one living can be justified before You. For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has brought my life down to the dust; he has placed me in darkness, like those who have been dead from of old. My spirit is faint within me; my heart is troubled within me. I have recalled the days of old; I have meditated on all Your works; I have pondered the works of Your hands. I have stretched out my hands to You; my soul is like parched land before You. Hear me quickly, O Lord, for my spirit is faint: do not turn Your face away from me, and let me not be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear of Your mercy early in the morning, for I trust in You; show me, O Lord, the way I should go, for to You I have lifted up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, for to You I have fled. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your good Spirit will lead me into the land of righteousness. For the sake of Your name, O Lord, You will revive me; by Your righteousness You will bring my soul out of sorrow; and by Your mercy You will destroy my enemies and cut off all who oppress my soul, for I am Your servant. Hear me, O Lord, in Your righteousness, and do not enter into judgment with Your servant. Hear me, O Lord, in Your righteousness, and do not enter into judgment with Your servant. Your good Spirit will lead me into the land of righteousness.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3)

Then the Great Litany, and we sing “God is the Lord:” in the tone of the day’s troparion:

God is the Lord, and He has appeared to us; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. (4)

Stichos 1: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever.

Verse 2: They surrounded and besieged me, but I stood against them in the name of the Lord.

Verse 3: I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.

Verse 4: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Psalm 117:27a, 26a, 1, 11, 17, 22–23

Then the troparion of the feast is sung twice; “Glory,” and “Now”: the Theotokos in the same tone. 1

During Great Lent, from Monday through Friday, we sing “Alleluia” three times in the tone of the week, with the following verses:

Stichos 1: From night until dawn my spirit longs for You, O God, for the light of Your commandments is upon the earth.

Stich 2: Learn righteousness, you who dwell on earth.

Stanza 3: Zeal will overtake the uninstructed people.

Verse 4: Add afflictions to them, O Lord; add afflictions to the proud of the earth.

Isaiah 26:9, 11b, 15

And we sing the troparia of the seventh tone. Let it be known what is said at the end of all the troparia of the eight tones:

For the first troparion, say this:

On Monday: Through the intercession of Your incorporeal ones, have mercy on us.

On Tuesday: Through the prayers of Your Forerunner, have mercy on us.

On Wednesday and Friday: By the power of Your Cross, preserve us, O Lord.

On Thursday: Through the prayers of Your holy Apostles and Saint Nicholas, have mercy on us.

And for the other two tritony prayers, say as written at the end of each.

Tone 1

Through material images of incorporeal powers / we are raised to spiritual and immaterial knowledge, / and as we receive, with the thrice-holy hymn, / the radiance of the One who exists in the three Persons of the Godhead, / like the Cherubim we cry out to the One God: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, our God:”

Glory: Together with all the heavenly hosts, / we cry out to Him who dwells on high, like the Cherubim, / singing the thrice-holy hymn of praise: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, our God; through the prayers of all Your saints, have mercy on us!”

And now: Having risen from sleep, we prostrate ourselves before You, O Good One, / and we proclaim the angelic song to You, O Mighty One: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

Tone 2

Imitating the heavenly powers, we who are earthly / offer a song of victory to You, O Good One: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God:”

Glory: Uncreated Nature, Creator of all, / open our lips, that we may proclaim Your praise, crying out: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of all Your saints, have mercy on us!”

And now: You have raised me from my bed and from sleep, O Lord! / Enlighten my mind and my heart, / and open my lips, / that I may sing Your praises, Holy Trinity: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

Tone 3

Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible, / Unity in three and equally eternal Persons! / To You, as to God, we proclaim the angelic hymn: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God:”

Glory: To the Father without beginning, the Son co-eternal, / the Spirit co-eternal—the one Godhead / let us glorify [boldly] like the Cherubim, [proclaiming]: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of all Your saints, have mercy on us!”

And now: Suddenly the Judge will come, / and the deeds of each will be revealed. / But with fear we will cry out at midnight: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

Tone 4

We mortals dare to offer the song of Your incorporeal ministers, proclaiming: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God:”

Glory: Now, like the hosts of angels in heaven, / and we, people standing in awe on earth, / offer a song of victory to You, O Good One: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of all Your saints, have mercy on us!”

And now: Daring to glorify Your Father without beginning, / and You, Christ our God, / and Your All-Holy Spirit, / we proclaim, like the Cherubim: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

Tone 5

It is the time for singing, and the hour of prayer; / let us earnestly cry out to You, the One God: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God:”

Glory: Daring to depict Your incorporeal hosts, / O Trinity without beginning, / with unworthy lips we cry out to You: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of all Your saints, have mercy on us!”

And now: Having taken up dwelling in the Virgin’s womb, / yet never leaving the bosom of the Father, / together with the angels, accept us, Christ our God, as we cry out to You: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

Tone 6

The Cherubim stand in awe, / the Seraphim marvel with trembling, / offering the thrice-holy hymn with unceasing voices; / with them we, the sinful, also cry out: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God:”

Glory: With incorporeal lips and ceaseless praises, / the six-winged ones sing to You the thrice-holy hymn, our God; / and we, earthly beings, with unworthy lips, / send up praise to You: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of all Your saints, have mercy on us!”

And now: Let us glorify the Triune Unity of the Godhead / in indivisible union, / and let us raise the angelic song: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

Tone 7

The Cherubim sing of Your supreme power, / and the Angels worship Your divine glory— / accept us, too, who are on earth, / as we offer praise to You with unworthy lips: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God:”

Glory: Casting aside sloth as if it were a dream, O soul, / having awakened, show your repentance to the Judge, / and cry out with fear: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of all Your saints, have mercy on us!”

And now: To the Inaccessible Divinity, the Trinity in Unity, / as we offer the thrice-holy praise of the Seraphim, / let us cry out with reverence: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

Tone 8

Lifting our hearts to heaven, / let us imitate the angelic order, / and with reverence fall down before the Incorruptible One, / proclaiming triumphant praise: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God:”

Glory: Daring not to gaze upon You, the Cherubim, / as they fly, lift up with exultation / the thrice-holy songs of the God-inspired voice; / with them we too cry out to You: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of all Your saints, have mercy on us!”

And now: Bowing down under the weight of our many sins, / and not daring to look upon Your majesty, / bowing down in body and soul, / we sing to You with the Angels: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O God, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, have mercy on us!”

If, however, the service is for the repose of the departed, we sing “Alleluia” (3) to the tone of the troparion, with the verses:

Stanza 1: Blessed are those whom You have chosen and brought near, O Lord.

Stanza 2: Their memory endures from generation to generation.

Stanza 3: Their souls shall dwell among the blessed.

Cf. Ps 64:5; 101:13; 24:13

And the troparion for the repose of the soul (2); Glory, and now: The Theotokos.

After the troparia, we read 2 or 3 kathismas according to the rule; after each one—a short ektenia 2with a prayer and sedalnia. Then, if the polyeleos is not sung, we read Psalm 50.

If it is a feast day, then after the two kathismas the Polyeleos is sung—Psalms 134 and 135 (or selected verses from them), with the refrain “Alleluia.” 3

Polyeleos
Psalm 134

Praise the name of the Lord; praise the Lord, you servants, who stand in the temple of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely! For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel as His own possession. For I have come to know that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord willed, He created in the heavens and on earth, in the seas and in all the depths: He raises the clouds from the ends of the earth; He creates lightning with the rain; He brings forth the winds from His storehouses. He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both man and beast; He sent signs and wonders among you, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants. He struck down many nations and slew mighty kings: Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan; and He gave their land as an inheritance to Israel, His people. O Lord, Your name endures forever, and Your memory from generation to generation. For the Lord will judge His people and have compassion on His servants. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands: they have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see, ears but cannot hear; for there is no breath in their mouths. May those who make them—and all who trust in them—be like them! O house of Israel, bless the Lord; O house of Aaron, bless the Lord; O house of Levi, bless the Lord; you who fear the Lord, bless the Lord! Blessed be the Lord from Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem!

Psalm 135

Praise the Lord, for He is good; His mercy endures forever. Praise the God of gods, for His mercy endures forever. Praise the Lord of lords, for His mercy endures forever. The One who has done great wonders, for His mercy endures forever; who has made the heavens with wisdom, for His mercy endures forever; who has established the earth upon the waters, for His mercy endures forever. He alone who created the two great luminaries, for His mercy endures forever: the sun to rule the day, for His mercy endures forever; the moon and the stars to rule the night, for His mercy endures forever. Who struck Egypt with its firstborn, for His mercy endures forever, and who brought Israel out from among them, for His mercy endures forever, with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, for His mercy endures forever. Who divided the Red Sea into two parts, for His mercy endures forever; who led Israel through the midst of it, for His mercy endures forever; and who cast Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, for His mercy endures forever. Who led His people through the wilderness, for His mercy endures forever; who struck down great kings, for His mercy endures forever; and who slew mighty kings, for His mercy endures forever; Sihon, king of the Amorites, for His mercy endures forever; and Og, king of Bashan, for His mercy endures forever; and who gave their land as an inheritance, for His mercy endures forever, as an inheritance to Israel, His servant, for His mercy endures forever. For in our humiliation the Lord remembered us, for His mercy endures forever, and He delivered us from our enemies, for His mercy endures forever. He gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever; glorify the God of heaven, for His mercy endures forever.

[On the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, Meatfare Sunday, and Cheesefare Sunday, after the usual two polyeleos psalms, we add a third:

Psalm 136

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. Alleluia. On the willows in the midst of it, we hung up our harps. Alleluia. For there those who had taken us captive asked us about the words of the songs, and those who had led us away asked us about the music. Alleluia. “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” Hallelujah. How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? Hallelujah. If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill! Alleluia. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem at the very beginning of my joy. Alleluia. Remember, O Lord, the sons of Edom on the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Destroy, destroy it to its very foundations.” Alleluia. Wretched daughter of Babylon, blessed is he who will repay you as you have repaid us. Alleluia. Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against a rock. Alleluia.]

Then, on feast days, a doxology is sung with verses from a selected psalm, and on Sundays, the troparia “for the blameless” are sung, tone 5.

Blessed are You, O Lord, / teach me Your commandments.

The host of angels was amazed, / seeing You, Savior, numbered among the dead, / yet having crushed the power of death, / and raised Adam with You, / and delivered all from Hades.

Blessed are You, O Lord, / teach me Your commandments.

“Why do you mix the myrrh with tears of compassion, / O disciples?” /—The angel, shining in the tomb, called out to the myrrh-bearers, /—“Look into the tomb and know / that the Savior has risen from the tomb!”

Blessed are You, O Lord, / teach me Your commandments.

Early in the morning, / the myrrh-bearers hurried to Your tomb, weeping. / But an angel appeared before them and cried out: / “The time for weeping is over; do not weep, / but go and tell the Apostles of the Resurrection.”

Blessed are You, O Lord, / teach me Your commandments.

The myrrh-bearing women, who came with myrrh / to Your tomb, Savior, were weeping, / while the Angel cried out to them: / “Why do you count the Living among the dead? / For He has risen from the tomb as God.”

Glory, in the Trinity: Let us worship the Father, / and His Son, and the Holy Spirit, / the Holy Trinity in one essence, / crying out with the Seraphim: / “Holy, Holy, Holy are You, O Lord.”

And now, O Mother of God: Having given birth to the Giver of Life, / You, O Virgin, have delivered us from Adam’s sin, / and have granted Eve joy instead of sorrow; / and God and Man, who became incarnate through You, / has led her back to life after her fall.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3)

Deacon: Again and again:

Acclamation: For blessed is Your all-holy Name, and glorified is Your Kingdom, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

Choir: Amen.

The Sedalen of the feast (on “Ipakoi” Sunday of the tone). Next, during Sunday Matins, the “Stepennaya” antiphons of the current tone are sung.

On feast days, we always sing one antiphony of the fourth tone:

From my youth / many passions have fought against me; / but You Yourself defend and save me, / my Savior.

You who hate Zion, / be put to shame before the Lord: / for you will be consumed / like grass by fire.

Glory, and now: Every soul is enlivened by the Holy Spirit / and exalted through purification, / enlightened in the sacred mystery / by the Triune Unity.

Deacon: Let us listen.

Priest: Peace be with you all.

We: And to your spirit.

Deacon: Wisdom. Prokeimenon, tone (such-and-such).

And the prokeimenon is sung in the usual manner.

Sunday Prokeimen
Tone 1

“Now I will arise,” says the Lord, “/ I will reveal salvation in Myself; I will proclaim it clearly.” Verse: The words of the Lord are pure words.

Ps 11:6b, 7a

Tone 2

Awake, O Lord, my God, according to the command You have given; / and the assembly of the nations will surround You. Verse: O Lord, my God! I trust in You; save me.

Ps 7:7b–8a, 2a

Tone 3

Proclaim among the nations that the Lord has reigned, / for He has established the world, and it shall not be moved. Verse: Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Ps 95:10a, 1

Tone 4

Arise, O Lord, help us, / and deliver us for the sake of Your name. Verse: O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us.

Ps 43:27, 2a

Voice 5

Arise, O Lord my God; let Your hand be exalted, / for You reign forever. Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; I will proclaim all Your wonders.

Cf. Ps 9:33a, 37, 2

Tone 6

Lord, display Your power / and come to save us. Verse: Shepherd of Israel, listen; You who lead the sheep of Joseph.

Ps 79:3b, 2a

Tone 7

Arise, O Lord my God; let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor forever. Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; I will proclaim all Your wonders.

Ps 9:33, 2

Tone 8

The Lord will reign forever, / your God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Verse: Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all the days of my life.

Ps 145:10, 1b–2a

Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.

Choir: Lord, have mercy.

Prayer before the reading of the Gospel.

Acclamation: For You are holy, Christ our God, and You rest among the saints, and to You we send up glory, together with Your Father without beginning, and Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

Choir: Amen.

The deacon recites the second prokeimenon:

Let everything that breathes / praise the Lord.

Verse: Praise God in His holy ones; praise Him in the firmament of His power. Ps 150:6, 1

Deacon: That we may be deemed worthy to hear the Holy Gospel, we pray to the Lord God.

Choir: Lord, have mercy. (3)

Deacon: Wisdom! Let us stand in reverence. Let us hear the Holy Gospel.

Priest: Peace be with you all.

Choir: And to your spirit.

Priest: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to (name of the Evangelist).

Choir: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.

Deacon: Let us listen.

Reading of the Gospel.

Sunday Hymn after the Gospel

Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, / let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, / the only sinless One. / We worship Your Cross, O Christ, / and we sing and glorify Your Holy Resurrection, / for You are our God, / we know no other besides You, / we call upon Your name. / Come, all the faithful, / let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ, / for behold, through the Cross / joy has come to the whole world. / Always blessing the Lord, / we sing of His Resurrection, / for He, having endured the crucifixion, / has crushed death by death.

Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the abundance of Your lovingkindness, blot out my iniquity; wash me completely from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against You alone have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight—so that You may be justified in Your words and prevail when You are put on trial. For behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother bore me in sin. For behold, You have loved truth; You have revealed to me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. You will sprinkle me with hyssop—and I will be cleansed; You will wash me—and I will be whiter than snow; You will let me hear joy and gladness—and my humbled bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your mighty Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the ungodly will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, O God of my salvation; then my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You will open my lips, and my lips will proclaim Your praise. For if You had desired sacrifices, I would have offered them—but You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. O Lord, in Your favor, bless Zion, and may the walls of Jerusalem be rebuilt—then You will accept with favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offerings; then they will lay young bulls upon Your altar.

On Sunday

Glory: Through the prayers of the Apostles, / O Merciful One, blot out / the multitude of our sins.

And now: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, / O Merciful One, blot out / the multitude of our sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, / through Your great mercy / and through the abundance of Your goodness, / blot out my iniquity.

Jesus has risen from the tomb, / as He foretold, / granting us eternal life / and great mercy.

On the feasts of the saints

Glory: Through the prayers of (the Apostle, Martyr, Holy One: his name), O Merciful One, blot out the multitude of our sins.

And now: Through the prayers of the Mother of God: and Have mercy on me, O God:

And the stichera of the feast.

[During the week of the Publican and the Pharisee and until the fifth week of Great Lent, after Psalm 50, we sing:

Penitential Troparia

Glory, Tone 8: Open to me the gates of repentance, O Giver of Life, for from dawn my spirit longs for Your holy temple, bearing this defiled temple of the body. But You, being compassionate, purify it with Your gracious mercy.

And now, to the Theotokos: Guide me along the path of salvation, O Mother of God, for I have defiled my soul with shameful sins and have frivolously squandered my whole life. But through Your prayers, deliver me from all impurity.

Also, Tone 6: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, / and blot out my iniquity according to the multitude of Your bounties.

Reflecting on the multitude of grave sins I have committed, / I, wretched as I am, tremble before the dreadful day of judgment. / But, trusting in the mercy of Your kindness, / like David I cry out to You: / “Have mercy on me, O God, / according to Your great mercy!”]

Next, the prayer: Save, O God, Your people; O Lord, have mercy. (12)

Exclamation: Through the mercy, generosity, and love for mankind of Your only-begotten Son, with whom You are blessed, together with Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

Chorus: Amen.

And now we begin the canon. In the 9th song of the canon, we sing:

The Song of the Most Holy Theotokos

My soul magnifies the Lord, / and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.

We magnify You, who, with the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparable glory of the Seraphim, / gave birth as a virgin to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

“With the highest honor:”—we repeat after each verse.

For He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His handmaid; / for from now on all generations will call me blessed.

For the Mighty One has done great things for me, / and holy is His name, / and His mercy extends from generation to generation to those who fear Him.

He has done mighty deeds with His arm; / He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones / and exalted the humble; He has filled the hungry with good things / and sent the rich away empty-handed.

He has come to the aid of Israel, His servant, / remembering His mercy— / as He promised our fathers— / to Abraham and his descendants forever.

Luke 1:46–55

And the 9th ode of the canon. If there is no feast, after the katavasia we sing “It is Truly Meet”:

On Sunday, the deacon proclaims, and the choir repeats three times:

Holy is the Lord our God.

Verse: For holy is the Lord our God.

Verse: Our God is above all people.

And the Sunday Exapostilarion. Then, on feast days, we begin to sing in the appropriate tone:

Psalms of Praise (148–150)

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights. A song is fitting for You, O God. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts. A song is fitting for You, O God.

And further: Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all stars and light. Praise Him, heavens of heavens, and the waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He spoke—and they came into being; He commanded—and they were created. He established them forever and ever; He gave a command—and it will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth: you dragons and all the depths, fire, hail, snow, ice, and stormy winds that carry out His word, mountains and all hills, fruit-bearing trees and all the cedars, wild animals and all livestock, creeping things and winged birds, kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all the rulers of the earth, young men and maidens, the elderly and the young—let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; glory belongs to Him on earth and in heaven. And He will exalt the horn of His people—a song for all His saints, the sons of Israel, the people who draw near to Him.

Sing a new song to the Lord; praise Him in the assembly of the saints. Let Israel rejoice in its Maker, and let the sons of Zion be glad in their King; let them praise His name with dancing; let them play for Him on the tambourine and the harp, for the Lord takes pleasure in His people and exalts the humble to salvation. The saints will be exalted in glory and rejoice on their thrones; praises to God are in their throats, and double-edged swords are in their hands, to execute vengeance among the tribes, judgment among the nations, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with iron shackles.

Here the stichera begin:

in the 6th tone: To execute among them the judgment decreed; / this glory shall be to all His saints.

Stichera

Praise God in His saints, / praise Him in the firmament of His power.

Stichera

in the 4th tone: Praise Him for His might, / praise Him for the multitude of His greatness.

Stichera

Praise Him with the sound of trumpets, / praise Him with the psaltery and the lyre.

Stichera

Praise Him with the timpani and in the choir, / praise Him with strings and the organ.

Stichera

Praise Him with melodious cymbals; praise Him with ringing cymbals. / Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

Stichera

Glory: Sticheron

And now: The Theotokos

On Sundays, we add additional stichera:

Stichera

Verse: Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end.

Ps 9:33

Stichera

Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders.

Psalm 9:2

Glory: Sticheron

And now, O Mother of God, Tone 2: Most blessed are You, O Virgin Mother of God, / for through Him who was incarnate of You, hell is bound, / Adam is restored from it, / the curse is rendered powerless, / Eve is set free, death is put to death, / and we are filled with life. / Therefore, as we sing, we cry out: / “Blessed is Christ God, who has so graciously willed this; glory to You!”

Priest: Glory to You, who have shown us the light.

The Great Doxology

Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your commandments. (3)

Lord, You have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said, “Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” Lord, I have taken refuge in You; teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we will see light. Extend Your mercy to those who know You.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us. (3)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen. Holy and Immortal One, have mercy on us.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.

Troparion of the Feast. Glory, and now: Theotokos.

On Sunday, the troparia
Tone 1, 3, 5, 7

On this day the salvation of the world was accomplished! / Let us sing of Him who rose from the tomb / and is the Prince of our life, / for by destroying death through death, / He has granted us victory and great mercy.

Tone 2, 4, 6, 8

Having risen from the tomb, You have broken the bonds of hell, / You have abolished the sentence of death, O Lord, / delivering all from the snares of the enemy. / And having appeared to Your Apostles, / You sent them forth to preach, / and through them You granted peace to the universe, / O One, Most Merciful.

Special Ektenia: “ ” and the exclamation: “For You are the merciful and philanthropic God, and to You we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.”

Choir: Amen.

Supplicatory Ektenia and the exclamation: For You are the God of mercy, generosity, and love for mankind, and to You we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.

Choir: Amen.

Priest: Peace be with you all.

Choir: And to your spirit.

Deacon: Let us bow our heads before the Lord.

Choir: To You, O Lord.

Prayer of Bowing the Heads and acclamation: For You have mercy on us and save us, our God, and to You we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.

Choir: Amen.

Deacon: Wisdom.

Choir: Bless us.

Priest: Blessed is Christ, our God, always: now and ever and to the ages of ages.

Choir: Amen. Strengthen, O God, the holy Orthodox faith and the Orthodox Christians for ever and ever.

Priest: Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Choir: With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparable glory of the Seraphim, / You who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / true Mother of God—we magnify You.

Priest: Glory to You, Christ God, our hope; glory to You.

Choir: Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

The priest pronounces the dismissal: Christ, who rose from the dead, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, the holy, glorious, and all-praised Apostles, (the saints of this church and this day—their names), the holy and righteous God-parents Joachim and Anna, and all the saints, will have mercy on us and save us, as He is good and loves mankind.

Chorus: Our great lord and father (name), His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and our lord His Eminence (name), Metropolitan (or: Archbishop, or: Bishop—title of the see), our God-protected Russian land, the rector, the monastic community, and the parishioners of this holy church (or: the abbot and the monastic community of this holy monastery), and all Orthodox Christians—O Lord, preserve them for many years to come.

And we begin the first hour.

If, however, it is not a feast day, the psalms of praise are read; we begin as follows:

Praise the Lord from the heavens. A song is fitting for You, O God. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights. A song is fitting for You, O God. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts. A song is fitting for You, O God.

Praise Him, O sun and moon: and so on until the end (see above, p.32 ). If there are no “praise” stichera, instead of “Glory” and “Now”: the following is read:

Glory is due to You, O Lord, our God, and to You we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

Glory to You, who have shown us the light.

Daily Doxology

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, we thank You for Your great glory. Lord, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty, Lord, Only-Begotten Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit! Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. You who take away the sins of the world, accept our prayer; You who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For You alone are Holy; You alone are the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Every day I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever. Lord, You have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: “Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” Lord, I have taken refuge in You; teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we will see light. Extend Your mercy to those who know You. Grant, O Lord, that we may be preserved from sin on this day. Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers, and Your name is to be praised and glorified forever. Amen. May Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we put our hope in You. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your commandments. Blessed are You, O Lord; enlighten me with Your commandments. Blessed are You, O Holy One; enlighten me with Your commandments. Lord, Your mercy endures forever; do not despise the works of Your hands. Praise is due to You, song is due to You, glory is due to You, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

The Litany of Supplication.

Choir: Amen.

Priest: Peace be with you all.

Choir: And to your spirit.

Deacon: Let us bow our heads before the Lord.

Choir: To You, O Lord.

And the Prayer of Bowing the Head.

Stichera at the psalter

Stichera 1

Verse: We have been filled with Your mercy early in the morning, O Lord, and we have rejoiced and been glad. We have rejoiced all our days: for the days in which You humbled us, for the years in which we saw evil. And look upon Your servants and upon Your works, / and show the way to their children.

Ps 89:14–16

Stichera 2

Verse: May the light of the Lord our God shine upon us, and may He establish the work of our hands for us, / and may He establish the work of our hands.

Ps 89:17

Stichera 3

Glory, and now: To the Mother of God.

It is good to praise the Lord and sing to Your name, O Most High; to proclaim Your mercy in the early morning and Your faithfulness throughout the night.

Psalm 91:2–3

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

Troparion of the Feast. Glory, and now: The Theotokos in the same tone. Ektenia: Have mercy on us, O God: and prayer.

Deacon: Wisdom.

Choir: Bless.

Priest: Blessed is Christ, our God, always: now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Choir: Amen. Strengthen, O God, the holy Orthodox faith and the Orthodox Christians for ever and ever.

And we begin the first hour.

If it is a day of fasting and we have sung “Alleluia,” we conclude Matins as follows:

It is good to praise the Lord and to sing to Your name, O Most High; to proclaim Your mercy in the early morning and Your truth throughout the night. (2)

Psalm 91:2–3

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

Standing in the temple of Your glory, / we feel as though we are standing in heaven. / O Mother of God, gate of heaven, / open to us the doors of Your mercy.

Lord, have mercy. (40) Glory, and now:

We magnify You, who, with the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparable glory of the Seraphim, / gave birth as a virgin to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: Blessed is Christ, our God, always: now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. Heavenly King, strengthen Your faithful people, confirm their faith, pacify the nations, bring peace to the world, preserve this holy temple (or: this holy monastery) unharmed, settle our forefathers and brothers who have fallen asleep in the dwellings of the righteous, and accept us in repentance and confession, as the Good and Lover of Mankind.

The priest recites the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian with bows:

O Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

O God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: and one deep bow.

And we begin the first hour.

Notes

1 If there are two troparia, the first is sung twice, followed by: “Glory to the Father,” the second troparion, and “Now”: the “Theotokion” in the same tone as the second troparion.

2 If the Small Ektenia is not prescribed, “Lord, have mercy” is read in its place. (3)

3 According to the liturgical regulations for Sunday Matins, unless it is a major feast day, the Polyeleos is sung from September 22 through December 20 and from January 14 through Great Lent. On all other Sundays, the “Immaculate” is sung—that is, Psalm 118.

FIRST HOUR Y

Come, let us worship our King, our God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ, our King and God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ Himself, our King and God.

And three bows.

Psalm 5

Hear my words, O Lord; understand my cry; listen to the voice of my prayer, my King and my God, for to You I pray, O Lord. Hear my voice early in the morning; early in the morning I will stand before You and watch. For You are a God who does not desire iniquity; the one who does evil shall not dwell with You, nor shall the wicked abide before Your eyes; You hate all who practice iniquity. You will destroy all who speak lies; the Lord detests the bloodthirsty and the treacherous. But I, by the abundance of Your mercy, will enter Your house; I will bow down before Your holy temple in reverence for You. O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness for the sake of my enemies; direct my path before You. For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are vain; their throats are open graves; with their tongues they have deceived. Judge them, O God, that they may be turned back from their schemes; drive them out because of their many iniquities, for they have grieved You, O Lord. May all who hope in You rejoice; may they be glad forever; may You dwell among them, and may those who love Your name boast in You. For You bless the righteous, O Lord; You have shielded us with Your favor as with a weapon.

Psalm 89

O Lord! You have been our refuge from generation to generation. Before the mountains were born or the earth and the world were brought forth—from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. Do not cast man away! And You said, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight, O Lord, are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. Their years will be as grass; they will wither away like the morning dew! In the early morning it will bloom—and pass away; by evening it will wither, become stiff, and dry up. For we have fainted in Your anger and been shaken by Your wrath. You have set our iniquities before You, our days in the light of Your countenance. For all our days are cut short, and we are worn out by Your anger. Our years are like a spider’s web—the days of our years; and their number is seventy years, or eighty for those who are strong—yet most of them are toil and sorrow, for our days are short, and we must learn to be content. Who knows the power of Your wrath, or—out of reverence for You—how to measure Your fury? So show me Your right hand and those whose hearts are established in wisdom. Turn to us, O Lord! How long? Have mercy on Your servants. We were filled with Your mercy early in the morning, O Lord, and we rejoiced and were glad. Let us rejoice all our days: for the days in which You have humbled us, for the years in which we have seen evil. Look upon Your servants and upon Your works, and show their children the way. May the light of the Lord our God shine upon us; establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 100

I will sing of Your mercy and Your judgment, O Lord. I will sing and meditate on the blameless way: when will You come to me? I have walked in the integrity of my heart within my house. I have not allowed the deeds of the lawless to come before my eyes; I have hated those who commit iniquity. A rebellious heart has not clung to me; I have not taken notice of the wicked who shun me. I have cast out the one who slanders his neighbor in secret; with the haughty-eyed and the insatiable-hearted, I have not shared a meal. My eyes were on the faithful of the land, so that they might sit with me; he who walked in the way of integrity served me. He who acted haughtily did not dwell in my house; he who spoke falsehood did not prosper before my eyes. In the mornings I put to death all the sinners of the land, to cut off from the city of the Lord all who committed iniquity.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3) O Lord, have mercy. (3)1

Glory: Troparion of the feast. 2

And now, to the Mother of God: How shall we call You, O Full of Grace:

If it is a fast day, and “Alleluia” is sung, the troparion of the hour is sung three times with the verses (Ps 5:4a, 2, 3b) and three prostrations. 3

Troparion, Tone 6

Hear my voice early in the morning, / my King and my God.

Verse 1: Hear my words, O Lord; understand my cry.

Verse 2: For to You I pray, O Lord.

Priest: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Reader: Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Theotokos

How shall we call You, O Full of Grace? / Heaven? For through You the Sun of Righteousness has shone forth. / Paradise? For You have brought forth the Flower of incorruption. / Virgin? For You remained incorrupt. / The Pure Mother? For You held in Your holy embrace the Son, who is God of all. / Pray to Him for the salvation of our souls.4

Guide my steps according to Your word, and let no iniquity take hold of me. Deliver me from human slander, and I will keep Your commandments. Let the light of Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your precepts.

Psalm 118:133–135

May my mouth be filled with praise to You, O Lord, so that I may sing of Your glory all day long—Your splendor.5

Ps 70:8

The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father:

Priest: For Yours is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

Kontakion of the Feast.

If “Alleluia” was sung, the following kondaks are read:

On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday

Let us sing without ceasing of the most glorious Mother of God and the most holy of the holy angels, / with heart and lips, / confessing Her as the Mother of God, / for truly She gave birth to God incarnate / and prays unceasingly for our souls.

On Wednesday and Friday

Come quickly to our aid, Christ our God, / before we fall into the bondage of our enemies, / who blaspheme against You and threaten us. / By Your Cross, O One who loves mankind, / cast down those who wage war against us, through the prayers of the Mother of God, / so that they may know / how strong is the faith of the Orthodox!

On Saturday

As the first fruits of nature, the universe offers to You, O Lord, the Creator of all creation, the God-bearing martyrs. / Through their prayers and the intercession of the Mother of God, / preserve Your Church—Your people—in deep peace, O Most Merciful One. 6

Lord, have mercy. (40)

Christ God, who at all times and in every hour receives worship and glory in heaven and on earth—long-suffering, most merciful, most compassionate, loving the righteous and showing mercy to sinners, calling all to salvation with the promise of future blessings! O Lord, accept our prayers at this hour and direct our lives toward Your commandments: sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our intentions, cleanse our thoughts, and deliver us from all sorrow, misfortune, and suffering. Protect us with Your holy angels, so that, guarded and guided by their host, we may attain unity in faith and an understanding of Your ineffable glory, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparably greater glory of the Seraphim, / we magnify You, the Virgin who gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: O God, have mercy on us and bless us; let the light of Your face shine upon us, and have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

If it is a fast day and “Alleluia” has been sung, the priest recites the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian with bows:

Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

O God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: and one great bow.

Reader: The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father:

Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12)

Priest: Christ, the True Light, who enlightens and sanctifies every person who comes into the world! Imprint upon us the light of Your face, that we may behold in it the unapproachable light, and direct our steps toward the fulfillment of Your commandments, through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all Your saints. Amen.

And the kontakion to the Mother of God is sung, tone 8: O Commander-in-Chief who defends us / from terrible calamities, / we, Your servants, O Mother of God, / establish for You celebrations of victory in thanksgiving! / But You, possessing invincible power, / deliver us from all dangers, that we may cry out to You: / “Rejoice, Bride who has not known marriage!”

Priest: Glory to You, Christ our God, our hope; glory to You.

Choir: Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless.

The priest pronounces the Small Dismissal. If, however, the service is not a feast day and the Full Dismissal, with the mention of the church’s saints and the day, was not pronounced after Matins, then it is pronounced after the 1st Hour, followed by the singing of the “Many Years.”

End of the First Hour.

Notes

1 During Great Lent, on certain days, the regular kathisma is read here according to the rule.

2 If there are two troparia, both are read; “Glory”: we recite it before the second.

3 The order of performance is as follows: the priest proclaims the troparion and two stiches, and the congregation, responding to him, sings the troparion three times; at the same time, we perform three prostrations.

4 Here, when prescribed, the parimia is read.

5 During Great Lent, these verses are not read but are sung: the first three twice, and the fourth (“May they be filled”) three times.

6 According to the Old Russian (pre-Nikonian) tradition, the following kondaks are read at the 1st hour:

Appear soon:

Glory: Guide of Wisdom, Giver of Understanding, / Teacher of the foolish and Defender of the poor, / strengthen and enlighten my heart, O Lord. / Grant me Your Word, O Word of the Father, / — for behold, I will not restrain my lips from crying out to You: / “O Merciful One, have mercy on me, a sinner!”

And now: The Most Glorious Mother of God :

INTERLUDE OF THE FIRST HOUR1

Priest: Blessed be our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Reader: Amen.2

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12) Glory, and now: Come, let us worship: (3) And three bows.

Psalm 45

God is our refuge and strength, a helper in the troubles that have come upon us so heavily. Therefore, we will not be afraid when the earth is shaken and the mountains are moved in the heart of the seas. Their waters roared and surged; the mountains trembled at His might. The streams of the river gladden the city of God—the Most High has sanctified His dwelling place. God is in its midst, and it shall not be moved; God will help it from the break of dawn. The nations are in turmoil, the kingdoms are brought low; the Most High has uttered His voice—the earth trembles. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge! Come and see the works of God, what wonders He has done on the earth: He puts an end to wars to the ends of the earth; He shatters the bow and breaks the weapons, and burns the shields with fire. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our defender.

Psalm 91

It is good to praise the Lord and to sing to Your name, O Most High; to proclaim Your lovingkindness in the early morning and Your faithfulness throughout the night, with the ten-stringed lyre and a song on the harp. For You have made me glad, O Lord, with Your works, and I will rejoice in the works of Your hands. How majestic are Your works, O Lord; how wondrously deep are Your thoughts! A fool does not understand this, nor does a senseless person comprehend it. When sinners spring up like grass and all who do iniquity appear, only to be destroyed forever and ever, You alone, O Lord, are exalted forever! For behold, O Lord, Your enemies; behold, Your enemies will perish, and all who practice lawlessness will be scattered; but my horn will be exalted like that of a unicorn, and my old age will be in rich oil. My eyes will look upon my enemies, and my ears will hear of the evildoers who rise up against me. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree; they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in a bountiful old age and prosper, to proclaim that the Lord, our God, is righteous, and there is no injustice in Him.

Psalm 92

The Lord has taken his seat on the throne; he is clothed in majesty. The Lord is clothed in strength; he has girded himself with power, for he has established the world, and it shall not be moved. Your throne has been established from of old; you are from everlasting. The rivers, O Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voices; the rivers have lifted up their waves with the roar of many waters. The waves of the sea are mighty; the Lord is mighty on high. Your testimonies are very sure; holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time.

Glory, and now: The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: And three bows.

Troparia, Tone 6

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, / for, finding no excuse for ourselves, / we sinners offer this prayer to You, our Master: / “Have mercy on us!”

Glory: O Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in You; / do not be too angry with us / and do not remember our iniquities; / but look upon us now, O Merciful One, / and deliver us from our enemies. / For You are our God, and we are Your people; / we are all the work of Your hands / and we call upon Your name.

Lord, have mercy. (40) Glory, and now:

We magnify You, who are more glorious than the Cherubim / and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, / who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

And the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian, with deep bows:

Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

O God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: and one great bow.

Prayer of Saint Basil the Great

Eternal God, beginningless and unfading Light, Creator of all creation, source of mercy, abyss of goodness, and unfathomable depth of love for mankind, reveal to us the light of Your face, O Lord! Shine in our hearts, O rational Sun of Righteousness, and fill our souls with Your joy; teach us always to meditate upon and proclaim Your judgments, and to glorify You continually, our Lord and Benefactor. Direct the works of our hands according to Your will, and grant that we may successfully do what is pleasing and acceptable to You, so that through us, the unworthy, Your all-holy Name may be glorified—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in one Godhead and Kingdom—to whom all glory, honor, and worship are due forever and ever. Amen.

And another prayer of his

You who send forth light—and it comes; You who command the sun to rise upon the righteous and the unrighteous, upon the wicked as well as the good; You who bring about the dawn and illuminate the entire universe—enlighten our hearts as well, O Lord of all! Grant that we may please You on this day; preserve us from every sin and every evil deed, delivering us from every arrow that flies by day and from every opposing power—through the intercessions of our Most Pure Lady, the Mother of God, Your incorporeal servants, and the Heavenly Powers, and all the saints who have pleased You from of old. For You have mercy on us and save us, our God, and to You we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages.

Reader: Amen.

Priest: Glory to You, Christ our God, our hope; glory to You.

And we: Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

The priest pronounces the short dismissal.

Notes

1 The Interludes are celebrated in monasteries on non-feast days. They are not held on Sundays, the Twelve Great Feasts, their pre-feast and post-feast days, during Meatfare Week, Cheesefare Week, Great Lent, or during Bright Week and Trinity Week.

2 The 1st Hour is never celebrated in the church, but always in private; the opening prayers are read at the beginning. (Note from an old-print Psalter of 1647.)

THE THIRD HOUR Й

Priest: Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Heavenly King: The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12) Glory be, and now: Come, let us worship: (3)

Psalm 16

Hear, O Lord, my righteous cause; give ear to my plea; accept my prayer—not from deceitful lips. Let judgment come to me from Your presence, and let my eyes see what is right. You have tested my heart, visited me in the night, tested me in the fire—and no iniquity was found in me. So that my lips may not speak of human deeds, for the sake of the words of Your lips I have kept Your ways steadfast. Direct my steps in Your paths, so that my feet may not slip. I have cried out, for You have heard me, O God; incline Your ear to me and hear my words. Show me Your wondrous lovingkindness, O Savior of those who trust in You, against those who oppose Your right hand. Preserve me, O Lord, as the apple of Your eye; under the shadow of Your wings You will hide me from the face of the wicked who oppress me—my enemies have seized my soul; they have shut themselves up in their strongholds, and their mouths speak arrogantly. Those who drive me out have now surrounded me; they have determined to cast their eyes to the ground. They have overtaken me like a lion ready to pounce, and like a young lion lurking in its lair. Arise, O Lord; go before them and overthrow them; deliver my soul from the wicked; take Your sword from the hands of Your enemies. O Lord, set them apart from the few on earth while they still live. Their bellies are filled with Your treasures; they have borne many sons, and have left the rest to their infants. But I will appear before You in righteousness; I will be satisfied when Your glory is revealed to me.

Psalm 24

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. My God, I trust in You—may I never be put to shame, nor may my enemies mock me; for all who wait for You will not be put to shame: let the lawless be put to shame in vain. Reveal Your ways to me, O Lord, and teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God, my Savior, and I have waited for You all day long. Remember Your compassion, O Lord, and Your lovingkindness, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my folly; by Your mercy, remember me for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. The Lord is good and righteous; therefore, He will guide the way of the sinners. He guides the humble in justice; He teaches the humble His ways. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth for those who seek His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, have mercy on my sin, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he has chosen. His soul will dwell among prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The Lord is a stronghold for those who fear Him, and He will reveal His covenant to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for He will deliver my feet from the snare. Look upon me and have mercy on me, for I am lonely and destitute. The sorrows of my heart have multiplied; deliver me from my troubles. Look upon my humility and my weakness, and forgive all my sins. Look upon my enemies—for they have multiplied and hate me with unjust hatred. Preserve my soul and deliver me, that I may not be put to shame, for I trust in You. The upright and sincere have joined me, for I have waited for You, O Lord. Deliver Israel, O God, from all its sorrows!

Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the abundance of Your lovingkindness, blot out my iniquity; wash me completely from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against You alone have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight—so that You may be justified in Your words and prevail when You are put on trial. For behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother bore me in sin. For behold, You have loved truth; You have revealed to me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. You will sprinkle me with hyssop—and I will be cleansed; You will wash me—and I will be whiter than snow; You will let me hear joy and gladness—and my humbled bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your mighty Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the ungodly will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, O God of my salvation; then my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You will open my lips, and my lips will proclaim Your praise. For if You had desired sacrifices, I would have offered them—but You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Bless Zion, O Lord, in Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be rebuilt—then You will accept with favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offerings; then they will lay young bulls upon Your altar.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3) O Lord, have mercy. (3)1

Glory: Troparion of the Feast 2 .

And now, to the Theotokos: O Theotokos, You are the True Vine:

If, however, it is a fast day and “Alleluia” is sung, the troparion of the hour is sung three times with the verses (Ps 50:12, 13) and three prostrations. 3

Troparion, Tone 6

O Lord, You who sent down Your Most Holy Spirit / to Your Apostles at the third hour, / do not take Him away from us, O Good One, / but renew Him within us who pray to You.

Verse 1: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Verse 2: Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Priest: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit!

Reader: Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Theotokos

O Mother of God, You are the true Vine, / who has brought forth for us the Fruit of life; / we beseech You: intercede, O Lady, / with the Apostles and all the saints / for the mercy of our souls.4

Blessed is the Lord God, blessed is the Lord every day; may God, our Savior, grant us success. Our God is a God of salvation.

Ps 67:20–21a

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

Kontakion of the Feast.

If “Alleluia” was sung, the following kondaks are read:

Blessed are You, Christ our God, / who revealed the fishermen as wise, / sending down the Holy Spirit upon them, / and through them caught the whole universe. / Lover of mankind, glory to You!

Glory: Grant swift and sure comfort to Your servants, Jesus, / when our spirits are downcast. / Do not forsake our souls in our sorrows, / do not turn away from our thoughts in our trials, / but always come to our aid. / Draw near to us, draw near, O Omnipresent One, / just as You were always with Your Apostles, / so unite Yourself with those who love You, O Merciful One, / so that, united with You, / we may sing and glorify Your All-Holy Spirit.

And now: Hope, protection, and refuge of Christians, / impregnable wall, gentle haven for the weary— / You, Most Pure Mother of God. / But remember us also, All-Glorious Virgin, / who saves the world through Your ceaseless intercession.

Lord, have mercy. (40)

Christ God, who at all times and in every hour receives worship and glory in heaven and on earth—long-suffering, most merciful, most compassionate, loving the righteous and showing mercy to sinners, calling all to salvation with the promise of future blessings! You Yourself, O Lord, accept our prayers at this hour and direct our lives toward Your commandments: sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our intentions, cleanse our thoughts, and deliver us from every sorrow, misfortune, and torment. Protect us with Your holy angels, so that, guarded and guided by their host, we may attain unity in faith and an understanding of Your ineffable glory, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparably greater glory of the Seraphim, / we magnify You, the Virgin who gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

If it is a fast day and “Alleluia” was sung, the priest recites the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian with bows:

Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

O God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: and one great bow.

Prayer of Saint Mardarius

End of the third hour.

Notes

1 During Great Lent, the regular kathisma is read here according to the rule.

2 If there are two troparia, both are read; “Glory to the Father” is recited before the second.

3 The order of performance is as follows: the priest proclaims the troparion and two stichera, and the congregation, responding to him, sings the troparion three times; during this, three prostrations are performed.

4 Additional readings are inserted here; during Holy Week, the Four Gospels are read.

5 If the Sixth Hour is celebrated immediately afterward, we begin it with “Come, let us worship”; if not, the priest says: “Glory to You, Christ God”; and we respond: “Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy.” (3) “Bless us.” And the Small Dismissal.

INTERLUDE OF THE THIRD HOUR A

Priest: Blessed be our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Reader: Amen.

Psalm 29

I will exalt You, O Lord, for You have upheld me and have not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord, my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me. O Lord, You have brought my soul up from the grave; You have saved me from the fate of those who go down to the pit. Sing to the Lord, O His saints, and proclaim the memory of His holiness. For wrath is in His fury, and life is in His will: weeping may abide for the evening, but joy comes in the morning. Yet I said in my abundance, “I shall never be shaken!” O Lord, according to Your will, grant strength to my beauty; but You turned Your face away, and I was confounded. To You, O Lord, I will cry out, and to my God I will pray: “What profit is there in my blood when I go down to destruction? Will the dust indeed glorify You, or proclaim Your truth?” The Lord heard and had mercy on me; the Lord became my helper. You turned my mourning into joy for me; You tore off my sackcloth and girded me with joy, so that my glory may sing Your praise and I may not be cast down. O Lord, my God, I will praise You forever!

Psalm 31

Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin, and in whose mouth there is no deceit. For I kept silent; my bones wasted away because I cried out all day long, for day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; I became like a man in distress when thorns pierced me. I acknowledged my iniquity and did not hide my sin; I said, “I will confess my iniquity to the Lord”—and You forgave the wickedness of my heart. Therefore, every righteous person will pray to You at the proper time—and then, even when the waters rise, they will not come near him. You are my refuge from the distress that has overtaken me; my joy! Deliver me from those who surround me. “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will direct your eyes toward it.” Do not be like a horse or a mule, which have no understanding; their jaws must be held in with bit and bridle, for they do not obey you. Many are the blows of the sinner, but the one who trusts in the Lord is surrounded by mercy. Rejoice in the Lord, and be glad, you righteous ones, and boast, all you upright in heart.

Psalm 60

Hear, O God, my supplication; give ear to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I have cried out to You in the despondency of my heart; You have lifted me up upon a rock, shown me the way, for You have become my hope, a strong tower against the enemy. I will dwell in Your sanctuary forever; I will take refuge under the shadow of Your wings. For You, O God, have heard my prayers; You have given an inheritance to those who fear Your name. Day by day You will add to the king’s life; his years will extend to generation after generation; he will dwell before God forever—who can comprehend His mercy and truth? Thus I will sing to Your name forever, to fulfill my vows day after day.

Glory, and now: The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father:

Troparia, Tone 4

God of our fathers, / who always deals with us in Your meekness, / do not withdraw Your mercy from us, / but through their intercession / guide our lives in peace.

Glory: Your martyrs, O Lord, / have received imperishable crowns from You, our God, for their deeds, / for, having Your strength, / they overthrew their tormentors / and crushed the feeble insolence of the demons. / Through their prayers, Christ our God, save our souls.

And now: You are an impregnable wall / for us Christians, O Virgin Mother of God, / for by taking refuge in You, we remain invulnerable; / and, though we sin again, we have Your intercession. / Therefore, we cry out to You with gratitude: / “Rejoice, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You!”

Lord, have mercy. (40) Glory, and now:

We magnify You, who are more glorious than the Cherubim / and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, / who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

And the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian, with deep bows:

Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

O God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: and one great bow.

Prayer of St. Basil the Great

O Lord our God, who gave Your peace to mankind and sent down the gift of the All-Holy Spirit to Your disciples and Apostles, and opened their mouths through tongues of fire by Your power! Open also the lips of us sinners, and teach us how and for what we ought to pray. Guide our lives as a helmsman, a peaceful harbor for those tossed by storms, and reveal to us the path we are to follow. Renew us from within with the Righteous Spirit, and strengthen our wavering thoughts with the Sovereign Spirit. So that each day, guided by Your Good Spirit toward what is beneficial, we may be deemed worthy to fulfill Your commandments and always remember Your coming—glorious and appointed to test the deeds of mankind. And strengthen us so that we may not be deceived by the perishable joys of this world, but may strive for the delight of future treasures. For You are blessed and praised in all Your saints forever and ever. Amen.

And we begin the Sixth Hour or perform the dismissal.

THE SIXTH HOUR Й

Come, let us worship our King, our God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ, our King and God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ Himself, our King and God.

And three bows.

Psalm 53

O God, save me by Your name; vindicate me by Your power. O God, hear my prayer; listen to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen up against me, and the mighty have sought my life; they have not set God before them. But behold, God helps me, and the Lord is the defender of my soul. He will turn evil upon my enemies; destroy them by Your truth. I will offer a sacrifice to You with all my heart; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good, for You have delivered me from all my troubles, and my eye has looked upon my enemies.

Psalm 54

Hear, O God, my prayer, and do not despise my supplication; give ear to me and hear me. I am distressed in my sorrow and troubled by the voice of the enemy and by the oppression of the wicked, for they have brought iniquity upon me and have waged war against me in their anger. My heart is troubled within me; the fear of death has overtaken me; dread and trembling have come upon me, and darkness has covered me. And I said, “Who will give me wings like a dove, that I may fly away and find rest?” Behold, I have gone into exile and made my home in the wilderness. I waited for God to save me from my fear and from the storm. O Lord, overwhelm them and confuse their tongues, for I have seen lawlessness and strife in the city. Day and night they prowl around its walls; lawlessness and sorrow are in its midst, along with injustice, and extortion and deceit have not disappeared from its streets. For if an enemy had reviled me, I could have endured it; and if my hater had exalted himself against me, I could have hidden from him. But you, my close friend, my counselor, and my neighbor—whose company made my meals sweet, with whom I walked in harmony in the house of God! May death come upon them, and may they go down alive to the grave, for wickedness is in their dwellings, in their midst. I cried out to God, and the Lord heard me; in the evening, in the morning, and at noon I will declare and proclaim—and He will hear my voice. He will deliver my soul in peace from those who draw near to me, for there were many of them beside me. God will hear and humble them, He who has existed from of old. For there is no ransom for them, since they have not feared God. He has stretched out His hand to repay them—they have defiled His covenant. They have parted from the wrath of His face, and their hearts have drawn near; their words are smoother than oil, yet they are arrows. Cast your cares upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken. But You, O God, will bring them down into the pit of destruction; the bloodthirsty and treacherous will not live out half their days. But I, O Lord, trust in You.

Psalm 90

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the God of heaven. He will say to the Lord, “You are my refuge and my stronghold, my God, in whom I trust.” For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will hide you under His shelter, and you will take refuge under His wings—His truth will surround you like a shield. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day; nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the destruction that strikes at noon. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. For You, O Lord, are my hope! You have made the Most High your refuge. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your tent; for He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways—they will bear you up in their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the asp and the viper; you will trample the lion and the dragon. “For he has trusted in Me, and I will deliver him; I will protect him, for he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I am with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him; I will satisfy him with long life and show him My salvation.”

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3) O Lord, have mercy. (3)1

Glory: Troparion of the feast. 2

And now, Theotokion: We have no boldness because of the multitude of our sins:

But if it is a fast day, and “Alleluia” is sung, the troparion of the hour is sung three times with the verses (Ps 54:2, 17) and three prostrations. 3

Troparion, Tone 2

On the sixth day and at the sixth hour, / You nailed to the Cross / Adam’s audacious sin in Paradise, / and tore up the record of our sins, / Christ our God, and save us.

Verse 1: Hear my prayer, O God, and do not despise my supplication.

Verse 2: I cried out to God, and the Lord heard me.

Priest: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Reader: Now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

The Theotokos

We have no boldness because of our many sins, / but intercede with Him who was born of You, O Virgin Mother of God! / For the Mother’s intercession holds great power before the gracious Lord. / Do not despise the supplications of sinners, All-Pure One, / for He who suffered for us is merciful and has the power to save.⁴

May Your compassion soon meet us, O Lord, for we have become utterly destitute. Help us, O God, our Savior; for the glory of Your name, O Lord, deliver us, and be merciful toward our sins for the sake of Your name.

Ps 78:8b, 9

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

Kontakion of the Feast.

If “Alleluia” was sung, the following kondaks are read:

Tone 2

You have wrought salvation in the midst of the earth, Christ God: / on the Cross You stretched out Your most pure hands, / gathering all the nations who cry out: / “Lord, glory to You!”

Glory: We worship Your most pure image, O Good One, / asking for forgiveness of our sins, Christ our God. / For You willingly chose to ascend the Cross in the flesh, / to deliver those You created from the bondage of the enemy. / Therefore, we cry out to You with gratitude: / “You have filled all things with joy, our Savior, / who came to save the world!”

And now:

On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday

O Fountain of Mercy, / grant us compassion, O Mother of God; / look upon those who have sinned, / manifest Your power as always, / for, trusting in You, we cry out to You: “Rejoice,” / as Gabriel once did, / the commander of the incorporeal hosts.

On Wednesday and Friday

You are most glorified, Virgin Mother of God, / we sing Your praises; / for by the Cross of Your Son, hell has been cast down and death has perished, / we, who were dead, have been raised to life and have been granted life, / we have received paradise, eternal bliss. / Therefore, with gratitude, we glorify Christ, our God, / the Mighty and the One, the All-Merciful.

Lord, have mercy. (40)

Christ God, who at all times and in every hour receives worship and glory in heaven and on earth—long-suffering, most merciful, most compassionate, loving the righteous and showing mercy to sinners, calling all to salvation with the promise of future blessings! You Yourself, O Lord, accept our prayers at this hour and direct our lives toward Your commandments: sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our intentions, cleanse our thoughts, and deliver us from every sorrow, misfortune, and torment. Protect us with Your holy angels, so that, guarded and guided by their host, we may attain unity in faith and an understanding of Your ineffable glory, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparably greater glory of the Seraphim, / we magnify You, the Virgin who gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

If it is a fast day and “Alleluia” was sung, the priest recites the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian with bows:

Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: and one deep bow.

Prayer of Saint Basil the Great

God and Lord of the Powers and Creator of all creation, through the incomparable mercy of Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom You sent for the salvation of our race and who, by His holy Cross, tore up the record of our sins and thereby triumphed over the principalities and powers of darkness! You Yourself, O philanthropic Lord, accept these prayers of thanksgiving and supplication from us sinners, and deliver us from every destructive and dark sin and from all visible and invisible enemies who seek to harm us. Nail our flesh to the fear of You, and do not let our hearts stray toward wicked words or thoughts; but pierce our souls with love for You, so that, always gazing upon You and guided by the light that proceeds from You, as we contemplate You, the inaccessible and eternal Light, may we offer unceasing praise and thanksgiving to You, the Beginningless Father, together with Your Only-Begotten Son and Your All-Holy, Good, and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

If “God the Lord” was sung, we begin the Divine Liturgy or read the Iconic Hymns; if, however, “Alleluia” was sung, we begin the Ninth Hour as follows: “Come, let us worship” (3), followed by the psalms and the rest of the order of the hour.

Notes

1 During Great Lent, the regular kathisma is read according to the rule.

2 If there are two troparia, both are read; “Glory to the Father” is recited before the second.

3 The order of performance is as follows: the priest proclaims the troparion and two verses, and the congregation, responding to him, sings the troparion three times; during this, three prostrations are performed.

4 Additional readings are inserted here: the troparion of the prophecy, the prokimen, the parimias, and during Holy Week—a reading from the Four Gospels.

INTERVAL OF THE SIXTH HOUR

After the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian at the end of the Sixth Hour:

Come, let us worship: (3) And three prostrations.

Psalm 55

Have mercy on me, O God, for a man has trampled me; all day long he has fought against me and pressed me hard. My enemies have trampled me all day long, for many attack me from on high. By day I will not fear, but I will trust in You. O God, my words will be a praise to You; in God I trust, I will not fear: what can flesh do to me? All day long they have despised my words; all their plans against me are for evil. They settle nearby and lie in wait; they watch my every step, for they lie in wait for my soul. You will easily cast them off; in Your wrath You will bring down the nations. O God, I have declared my life to You; You have set my tears before You, just as You promised. May my enemies turn back on the day I call upon You; behold, I have come to know that You are my God. In God I will speak a song of praise; in the Lord I will utter words of praise. I trust in God; I will not be afraid—what can man do to me? I have vows to fulfill to You, O God, with which I will praise You. For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the Lord in the light of the living.

Psalm 56

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for my soul takes refuge in You, and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until the wickedness has passed. I will call upon God Most High, the God who has shown me favor. He sent help from heaven and saved me; He put to shame those who trampled on me. God sent His mercy and His truth and rescued my soul from among the young lions. I lay down in distress: the sons of men—their teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword. Ascend to the heavens, O God, and let Your glory be over all the earth. They have set a snare for my feet and bowed down my soul; they have dug a pit before my face—and they have fallen into it! My heart is ready, O God; my heart is ready; I will sing and make music to my glory. Awake, my glory; awake, harp and lyre. I will awake at daybreak! I will praise You among the nations, O Lord; I will sing of You among the peoples. For Your steadfast love reaches to the heavens, and Your faithfulness to the clouds. Let Your glory rise to the heavens, O God, and let Your glory fill the whole earth!

Psalm 69

God, turn to my aid; O Lord, hasten to help me. May those who seek my life be put to shame and disgrace; may those who wish me harm be turned back and put to shame; may those who say to me, “It’s all right, it’s all right,” be put to shame at once. May all who seek You, O God, rejoice and be glad in You, and may those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let the Lord be exalted.” But I am poor and needy; O God, help me. You are my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!

Glory, and now: The Threefold Holy One. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father:

Troparia, Tone 1

Save, O Lord, Your people / and bless Your inheritance, / granting the faithful victory over foreign nations / and preserving Your people through Your Cross.

Glory: By the sufferings of the saints, / which they endured for Your sake, / be appeased, O Lord, / and heal all our infirmities; / we pray to You, O Lover of mankind.

And now: Through the intercession, O Lord, / of all the saints and the Mother of God, / grant us Your peace / and have mercy on us, O You who alone are Merciful.

Lord, have mercy. (40) Glory, and now:

We magnify You, who are more glorious than the Cherubim / and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, / who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

And the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian, with deep bows:

Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

O God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: and one great bow.

Prayer of St. Basil the Great

God and Lord of the Powers and Creator of all creation, through the incomparable mercy of Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom You sent for the salvation of our race and who, by His holy Cross, tore up the record of our sins and thereby triumphed over the principalities and powers of darkness! You Yourself, O philanthropic Lord, accept these prayers of thanksgiving and supplication from us sinners, and deliver us from every destructive and dark sin and from all visible and invisible enemies who seek to harm us. Nail our flesh to the fear of You, and do not let our hearts stray toward wicked words or thoughts; but pierce our souls with love for You, so that, always gazing upon You and guided by the light that proceeds from You, as we contemplate You, the inaccessible and eternal Light, may we offer unceasing praise and thanksgiving to You, the beginningless Father, together with Your Only-Begotten Son and Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

And we begin the 9th Hour or perform the Dismissal.

VISUAL ARTS E

Outside of Great Lent, at the end of the sixth (or ninth) hour, the following psalms are read:

Bless the Lord, O my soul! Blessed are You, O Lord.

Psalm 102

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me—His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His benefits: He forgives all your iniquities, heals all your diseases, rescues your life from destruction, crowns you with mercy and kindness, and satisfies your desire with good things—your youth will be renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord shows mercy and justice to all who are oppressed. He revealed His ways to Moses, His purposes to the children of Israel. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; He will not always be angry, nor will He harbor His wrath forever. He has not dealt with us according to our iniquities, nor has He repaid us according to our sins; for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is the Lord’s mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our iniquities from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Man is like grass; his days are like the flower of the field—it withers; for the breath in him ceases—and he is no more, and he no longer remembers his place. But the Lord’s mercy endures from everlasting to everlasting toward those who fear Him, and His faithfulness toward the children’s children of those who keep His covenant and remember His commandments to obey them. The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, all His angels, mighty in strength, who carry out His word as soon as they hear the sound of His words. Bless the Lord, all His hosts, His servants who carry out His will. Bless the Lord, all His works, in every place of His dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Blessed are You, O Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit!

Psalm 145

Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation: when his spirit departs, he returns to his earth; on that day all his plans come to nothing. Blessed is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever, who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry; The Lord sets the captives free; the Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord protects the sojourner; He upholds the orphan and the widow, but He brings the way of the wicked to nothing. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion—from generation to generation.

Now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Only-begotten Son and Word of God! / Immortal and having deigned, for our salvation, / to be incarnate of the Holy Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, / who was unchangingly made man and crucified, Christ our God, / who by death has destroyed death, / One of the Holy Trinity, / glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us!

During Great Lent, the psalms are not read, but after the 9th-hour prayer, the Beatitudes are sung in tone 8, with the refrain: “Remember us, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom” after each verse.

Outside of Great Lent, the “Blessed” are read with troparia from the Octoechos or the Menaion according to the rule:

Remember us, O Lord, in Your Kingdom when You come into Your Kingdom.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

at 10: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Troparion

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Troparion

in the 8th tone: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Troparion

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Troparion

for the 6th: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Troparion

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Troparion

for the 4th: Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account.

Troparion

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great. Matthew 5:3–12a

Troparion

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit!

Troparion

Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Troparion

Next, if the Liturgy is not being celebrated, the prokeimenon is chanted, followed by readings from Holy Scripture.

Daily Prokimen
On Monday, Tone 4

You make Your angels spirits, / and Your ministers a flame of fire. Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are greatly exalted.

Ps 103:4, 1

Tuesday, Tone 7

Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord, / and put their trust in Him. Verse: Hear, O God, my voice when I pray to You.

Ps 63:11, 2

Wednesday, Tone 3, Hymn of the Mother of God

My soul magnifies the Lord, / and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Verse: For He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant; henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

Luke 1:46–48

Thursday, Tone 8

Their voice has gone out into all the earth, / and their words to the ends of the universe. Verse: The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the work of His hands.

Ps 18:5, 2

Friday, Tone 7

Exalt the Lord our God, / and worship at His footstool, for it is holy. Verse: The Lord has reigned; let the nations rage!

Psalm 98:5, 1

Saturday, Tone 8

Rejoice in the Lord, / and be glad, you who are righteous. Verse: Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered.

Ps 31:11a, 1

Remember us, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom.

Remember us, O Holy One, when You come into Your Kingdom.

The heavenly choir sings to You and cries out: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts; heaven and earth are full of Your glory!”

Verse: Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces shall not be put to shame.

The heavenly choir sings to You and cries out: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts; heaven and earth are full of Your glory!”

Glory: The choir of holy angels and archangels, together with all the heavenly powers, sings to You and cries out: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts, heaven and earth are full of Your glory!”

And now:

The Creed

1 I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. 2 And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, born of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, through whom all things were made. 3 Who for us humans and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. 4 Who was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered, and was buried. 5 And rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures. 6 And ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 7 And will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. 8 And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who is worshiped and glorified together with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets. 9 In the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. 10 I acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. 11 I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, 12 and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Relieve, forgive, and pardon, O God, our sins—whether voluntary or involuntary, committed in deed or word, knowingly or in ignorance, by night or by day, in mind or in thought—forgive us all, as You are Good and Lover of mankind.

Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

Then, on feast days, the kontakion of the feast is read; if the memory of a saint is also being celebrated, the kontakion for the saint is read first, followed by the “Glory” and the “Now” of the feast. On non-feast days and during fasts, when “Alleluia” is sung, the kontakion of the Transfiguration or of the Church of Christ is read first (on Wednesdays and Fridays—to the Holy Cross), followed by that of the day of the week, the holy church, and the saint of the day, and then:

Glory: Grant rest with the saints:

And “Now”: “The sure protection of Christians”: or the kontakion of the Church of the Mother of God.

Transfiguration, Tone 7

On the mountain You were transfigured, / and, as far as Your disciples could bear, / they beheld Your glory, Christ God, / so that, when they saw You crucified, / they might understand that Your suffering was voluntary / and proclaim to the world / that You are truly the Radiance of the Father.

On Monday, to the Incorporeal Powers, Tone 2

Archistrategos of God, ministers of Divine Glory, / rulers of the angels and guides of mankind, / intercede for us for what is beneficial and for great mercy, / as incorporeal Archistrategos.

On Tuesday, to St. John the Forerunner, Tone 2

Prophet of God and Forerunner of grace, / having found your head on earth as the most holy rose, / we always receive healing, / for once again, as before, / you proclaim repentance to the world.

On Wednesday and Friday, the Holy Cross, Tone 4

Having been raised upon the Cross of Your own free will, / grant Your mercies to the new people who bear Your name, O Christ God; / gladden Your faithful people with Your power, / granting them victory over their enemies, /—that they may have help from You, / the weapon of peace, the invincible sign of victory.

On Thursday, to the Holy Apostles, Tone 2

The steadfast and God-inspired preachers, / the foremost among Your disciples, O Lord, / You have received into the joy of Your blessings and rest; / for You have recognized their labors and death as superior to every sacrifice, / You alone who know what is in the hearts.

On the same day, St. Nicholas, Tone 3

In Myra, O Saint, you appeared as a celebrant of the sacred rites, / for having fulfilled the Gospel of Christ, O Venerable One, / you laid down your soul for your people / and saved the innocent from death; / therefore you were sanctified, / as a great minister of the sacraments of God’s grace.

Or the kontakion of the Church of the Mother of God.

On Saturday

Glory, Tone 8: Grant rest with the saints, O Christ:

And now, Tone 8: Just as the universe offers the first fruits of nature to the Creator of all creation, so too does it offer to You, O Lord, the God-bearing martyrs. / Through their prayers and the intercession of the Mother of God, / preserve Your Church—Your people— / in profound peace, O Most Merciful One.

On all days except Saturday

Glory, Tone 8: With the saints, grant rest, / Christ, to the souls of Your servants, / where there is neither pain, nor sorrow, nor groaning, / but eternal life.

And now, Tone 6: The sure protection of Christians, / The unchanging intercession before the Creator! / Do not despise the prayerful voices of sinners, / but come quickly, O Good One, to our aid, / as we who call upon You with faith cry out: / “Hasten with Your intercession and hasten Your prayer, O Mother of God, / ever protecting those who honor You!”

If it is Great Lent:

Lord, have mercy. (40) Glory, and now:

We magnify You, who are of higher honor than the Cherubim / and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, / who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: O God, have mercy on us and bless us; let the light of Your face shine upon us, and have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

And the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian with 16 bows:

Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

O God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: and one great bow.

If there is no Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, then we begin Vespers: “Come, let us worship” (3) and Psalm 103.

If we are celebrating the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, then after the bows:

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father:

Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12) And the prayer: Most Holy Trinity: (see below).

Priest: Wisdom.

Choir: It is truly fitting / to glorify You, O Mother of God, / eternally blessed and immaculate, / and Mother of our God.

Priest: Most Holy Mother of God, save us!

Choir: We magnify You, who are more glorious than the Cherubim / and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, / who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Priest: Glory to You, Christ our God, our hope; glory to You.

Choir: Glory to You, and now, O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

The priest pronounces the dismissal, in which he commemorates the saints of the day, and we begin the Liturgy.

If it is not Lent, then after the kondaks:

Lord, have mercy. (12)

And the prayer: “ ” Most Holy Trinity, consubstantial Lordship, indivisible Kingdom, Source of all good things! Be gracious also to me, a sinner: strengthen and enlighten my heart, remove from me every defilement, and enlighten my mind, so that I may always glorify, sing, worship, and exclaim: “One Holy One, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father.” Amen.

May the name of the Lord be blessed from now on and forever. (3)

Glory, and now:

Psalm 33

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall ever be on my lips. My soul shall exult in the Lord—let the humble hear and rejoice. Exalt the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me; He delivered me from all my troubles. Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be put to shame. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him; He saved him from all his troubles. The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good—blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, all you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The rich have become poor and are starving, but those who seek the Lord will lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the person who desires to live, who wants to see good days? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it: the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their memory from the earth. The righteous cried out, and the Lord heard them; He delivered them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are contrite in spirit. The righteous have many troubles, but the Lord delivers them from them all. The Lord preserves all their bones; not one of them will be broken. Death is the lot of the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will stumble. The Lord will deliver the souls of His servants, and none who trust in Him will stumble.

After this, the priest: Wisdom.

Choir: It is truly fitting / to glorify You, O Mother of God, / ever-blessed and immaculate, / and Mother of our God.

Priest: Most Holy Mother of God, save us!

Choir: We magnify You, who are more glorious than the Cherubim / and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, / who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Priest: Glory to You, Christ our God, our hope; glory to You.

Choir: Glory; and now, O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

The priest pronounces the dismissal, during which he commemorates the saints of the day.

MEAL PRAYERS

[Prayers Before Breakfast ¹

First of all, we make three bows with prayers of repentance:

God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Luke 18:13

My Creator, O Lord, have mercy on me!

I have sinned beyond count; O Lord, have mercy on me and forgive me, a sinner!

And then the prayer before the meal:

All eyes look to You in hope, and You give them their food in due season; You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing according to Your good pleasure.

Cf. Ps 144:15–16

Glory, and now: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless.

Priest: Christ our God, bless the food and drink of Your servants, for You are holy, now and always, and forever and ever. ²

We: Amen.

At the end of the meal:

We thank You, Christ our God, that You have satisfied us with Your earthly blessings. Do not deprive us of Your heavenly Kingdom, but just as You appeared among Your disciples, O Savior, granting them peace, come also to us and save us.

Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

Priest: God is with us always through His grace and love for mankind, now and ever and to the ages of ages. ³

And we say: Amen.

And again, three final bows with the same prayers as at the beginning.]

Prayers Before Lunch

Three brief penitential prayers with bows. Then:

Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless.

Priest: Christ our God, bless the food and drink of Your servants, for You are holy, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. ²

We say: Amen.

At the conclusion of the meal, we give the dismissal:

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

We respond: Amen.

Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

Priest: Blessed is God, who has mercy on us and nourishes us from His abundant gifts through His grace and love for mankind, always, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. ³

And we say: Amen.

And again, three bows with the same prayers as at the beginning.

[Prayers before non-prescribed meals

Three brief prayers of repentance with bows. Then:

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; O Lord, cleanse us of our sins; O Lord, forgive our transgressions; O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for the sake of Your Name.

Glory, and now: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless.

Priest: Christ our God, bless the food and drink of Your servants, for You are holy, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. ²

And we say: Amen.

At the conclusion of the meal:

It is truly fitting / to glorify You, O Theotokos, / eternally blessed and immaculate, / and Mother of our God. / With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparable glory of the Seraphim, / You who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / true Mother of God—we magnify You.

Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless.

Priest: May God, through His grace and love for mankind, be with us always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. ³

We: Amen.

And again, three bows with the same prayers as at the beginning.]

Notes

¹ The text in square brackets is taken from the edition: Bishop Athanasius (Sakharov), *Prayers at Mealtimes*, Moscow, 1999.

² If there is no priest, the eldest among those present says: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, bless the food and drink of Your servants, for You are holy, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

³ In the absence of a priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

Another Prayer Before a Meal

Most Merciful Lord, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, the eyes of all turn to You in hope, and You give them food in due season; You open the hand of Your mercy and, nourishing all living things, sustain us from the very first days of our lives. You who blessed the bread of the people in the wilderness, bless Yourself all that You have given us to eat, and deliver us from every temptation, for we hope in You and send up glory to You, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

RITE OF THE PANAGIA

[The “Most Pure” prosphora is placed during the Liturgy on a diskos or platter (panagia) in the upper place, behind the altar.] ¹ After the Liturgy has ended, the clergy exit the church in pairs, singing the psalm:

Psalm 144

I will exalt You, my God, my King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever. The Lord is great and most worthy of praise, and His greatness has no end. Generation after generation will praise Your deeds and proclaim Your power. They will speak of the splendor of Your holy place, and tell of Your wonders; they will speak of the power of Your awesome deeds, and proclaim Your greatness; they will recount the multitude of Your kindnesses, and rejoice in Your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; the Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all His works. May all Your works glorify You, O Lord, and may Your saints bless You. They will speak of the glory of Your Kingdom and proclaim Your might, to reveal to the children of men Your might and the splendor of Your Kingdom. Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and Your dominion endures throughout every generation and every age. The Lord is faithful in all His words and holy in all His works. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are cast down. The eyes of all look to You in hope, and You give them their food in due season; You open Your hand and satisfy every living creature according to Your good pleasure. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their prayer and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love Him, but He destroys all sinners. My mouth shall utter praise to the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.

A hieromonk walks ahead, carrying a panagia with prosphora. Upon the conclusion of the psalm, upon entering the refectory, we recite the meal prayer:

Glory, and now, O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless.

The presider blesses the meal: Christ our God, bless the food and drink of Your servants, for You are holy always, now and ever, and to the ages of ages.

And we say: Amen.

[Then the abbot divides the prosphora that has been brought into two parts: the first, set apart in the name of Christ, he places on a dish and breaks into small pieces, which are distributed for the brothers seated at the table to partake of. The other part, set apart in honor of the Mother of God, is placed in the panagiar and set in its designated place.] ¹

After the meal is over, a brother serving at the table recites the verse: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

And we say: Amen.

And rising, we say: Blessed be God, who has had mercy on us and nourished us from our youth, giving food to all flesh! Fill our hearts with joy and gladness, so that, having all that we need, we may be rich in every good work, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, and worship forever. Amen.

Glory to You, O Lord! Glory to You, O Holy One! Glory to You, O King, for You have given us food in joy! Fill us also with the Holy Spirit, that we may be pleasing in Your sight and not be put to shame when You reward each person according to his deeds.

Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless.

And the one who raises the prosphora says:

Bless me, holy fathers; forgive me, a sinner.

And we say: May God forgive you and have mercy on you.

And, raising the prosphora slightly above the icon of the Holy Trinity in the panagiar, the celebrant proclaims: Great is the Name.

The rector then continues: Holy Trinity!

And, carrying the prosphora to the icon of the Mother of God, he makes the sign of the cross over it, saying: Most Holy Mother of God, help us!

And we say: Through her prayers, O God, have mercy on us and save us.

And we say: “We, all generations, call You blessed, O Virgin Mother of God, / for our boundless God, Christ, / was pleased to dwell within You.” / Blessed are we, too, having You as our protection, / for You intercede for us day and night, / and the scepers of the kingdom are strengthened by Your prayers. / Therefore, singing, we cry out to You: / “Rejoice, O Full of Grace, the Lord is with You!”

Then we sing: It is truly fitting / to glorify You, O Mother of God, / eternally blessed and immaculate, / and Mother of our God. / With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparable glory of the Seraphim, / You who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God—we magnify You.

The presider breaks the prosphora and distributes the pieces. After everyone has tasted it, the presider or the officiating priest says:

Through the many prayers of our Most Pure Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary.

And we say: Through her prayers, O God, have mercy on us and save us.

Priest: The Lord is gracious and merciful; He has given food to those who fear Him, and His righteousness endures forever. Ps 110:4b–5a, 3b

Psalm 121

I rejoiced when they said to me, “We will go to the house of the Lord.” Our feet stood within your courts, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem, built as a city whose unity lies in its oneness. For there the tribes went up—the tribes of the Lord—as a testimony to Israel, to glorify the name of the Lord, for there are set up thrones for judgment, thrones in the house of David. Pray, then, for the peace of Jerusalem; and prosperity for those who love you; may there be peace within your walls, and prosperity within your fortresses. For the sake of my brothers and my neighbors, I have spoken of “peace” for you; for the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I have sought your welfare.

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Yours is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

We give thanks to You, Christ our God, that You have filled us with Your earthly blessings. Do not deprive us of Your heavenly Kingdom, but just as You appeared among Your disciples, Savior, granting them peace, come also to us and save us.

On feast days: Glory, and now: the kontakion of the feast.

On non-feast days:

Glory: God of our fathers, / who always deals with us in Your meekness, / do not withdraw Your mercy from us, / but through their intercession / guide our lives in peace.

And now: Through the intercession, O Lord, / of all the saints and the Mother of God, / grant us Your peace / and have mercy on us, O You Who alone are Merciful.

Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us

Priest: Blessed be God, who has mercy on us and nourishes us from His abundant gifts through His grace and love for mankind, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

And we: Amen.

Notes

¹ The details of the service enclosed in square brackets are taken from the publication: Hieroschemamonk Abel. The Gethsemane Skete. Moscow, 1867, p. 35.

THE NINTH HOUR Й

Priest: Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Psalm 83

How lovely are Your dwellings, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. For even the sparrow has found a home, and the turtledove a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will praise You forever and ever. Blessed is the man for whom You are a refuge; he has made ascents in his heart, through the Valley of Weeping, to the place appointed by God—for the Lawgiver will bestow blessings. They will go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be revealed in Zion. O Lord, God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob. Our Defender, O God, look and behold the face of Your anointed one. For one day in Your courts is better than a thousand; I have chosen to be despised in the house of God rather than dwell in the dwellings of sinners, for the Lord loves mercy and truth; God will bestow grace and glory: the Lord will not withhold good things from those who walk in integrity. O Lord, God of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You.

Psalm 84

You have shown favor, O Lord, to Your land; You have restored the captives of Jacob; You have forgiven the iniquities of Your people; You have covered all their sins. You have put an end to all Your wrath; You have held back the fury of Your anger. Restore us, O God of our salvation, and turn Your wrath away from us. Will You be angry with us forever, or will You prolong Your anger from generation to generation? O God, when You turn to us, You will revive us, and Your people will rejoice in You. Show us, O Lord, Your mercy, and grant us Your salvation. I will listen to what the Lord God will say—for He will speak of peace to His people, to His saints, and to those who turn their hearts to Him. Indeed, His salvation is near to those who fear Him, so that He may establish His glory in our land. Mercy and truth have met; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth has sprung up from the earth, and righteousness has looked down from heaven. For the Lord will bestow goodness, and our land will yield its fruit—righteousness will go before Him and set His footsteps on the path.

Psalm 85

Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul, for I am righteous; save Your servant, O my God, who trusts in You. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry out to You all day long. Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You I have lifted up my soul. For You, O Lord, are good, and gentle, and abounding in mercy toward all who call upon You. Hear, O Lord, my prayer, and give ear to the voice of my supplication. On the day of my distress I called to You, and You heard me. There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, nor is there anyone comparable to You in Your works. All the nations You have created will come and worship before You, O Lord, and glorify Your name. For You are great and perform wonders; You are the one and only God. Guide me, O Lord, in Your way, and I will walk in Your truth. May my heart rejoice in the fear of Your name. I will confess to You, O Lord, my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forever, for Your mercy toward me is great, and You have delivered my soul from the deepest hell. O God, lawbreakers have risen up against me, and a band of the mighty has sought my soul, and they have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, my God, are generous and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and faithful; look upon me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your handmaid. Work a sign of good upon me, that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame; for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Work a sign of good upon me, that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3) O Lord, have mercy. (3)1

Glory: Troparion of the feast. 2

And now, to the Theotokos: Born of the Virgin for our sake and having endured the crucifixion:

If it is a fast day and “Alleluia” is sung, the troparion of the hour is sung three times with the verses (Ps 118:169, 170) and three prostrations. 3

Troparion, Tone 8

At the ninth hour, having tasted death in the flesh for our sake, / put to death our carnal thoughts, / Christ God, and save us.

Stichos 1: May my prayer come before Your face, O Lord—enlighten me according to Your word.

Stichos 2: May my supplication rise before Your face, O Lord—deliver me according to Your word.

Priest: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Reader: Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Theotokos

Born of the Virgin for our sake / and having endured the cross, / having destroyed death by death / and revealed the resurrection as God, / do not despise, O Good One, those created by Your hand; / show Your love for mankind, O Merciful One, / accept the Mother of God who gave birth to You, interceding for us, / and save, O our Savior, those who have lost all hope.4

Do not forsake us to the end for the sake of Your name, and do not break Your covenant. Do not take Your mercy away from us for the sake of Abraham, whom You love, for the sake of Isaac, Your servant, and for the sake of Israel, Your holy one.

Dan 3:34,35

The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father:

Priest: For Yours is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

Kontakion of the Feast.

If “Alleluia” was sung, the following kondaks are read:

Tone 8

Seeing the Prince of Life / hung upon the Cross, the thief said: / “If the Crucified One were not God incarnate with us, / the sun would not have hidden its rays / nor would the earth have trembled in fear. / But, O Lord, who endures all things, / remember me in Your Kingdom!”

Glory: Between the two thieves, Your Cross / became the scales of justice, / when one was dragged down to hell by the weight of his blasphemy, / while the other found relief from his sins and attained the knowledge of God; / Christ, our God, glory to You!

And now: Beholding the Lamb, the Shepherd, and the Savior of the world on the Cross, / His Mother said with tears: / “The world rejoices, receiving redemption, / but my heart burns within me when I see Your crucifixion, / which You endure for all, / my Son and my God!”

Lord, have mercy. (40)

Christ God, who at all times and in every hour receives worship and glory in heaven and on earth—long-suffering, most merciful, loving the righteous and showing mercy to sinners, calling all to salvation with the promise of future blessings! You Yourself, O Lord, accept our prayers at this hour and direct our lives toward Your commandments: sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our intentions, cleanse our thoughts, and deliver us from every sorrow, misfortune, and torment. Protect us with Your holy angels, so that, guarded and guided by their host, we may attain unity in faith and an understanding of Your ineffable glory, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparably greater glory of the Seraphim, / we magnify You, the Virgin who gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: O God, have mercy on us and bless us; let the light of Your face shine upon us, and have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

If it is Lent and “Alleluia” was sung, the priest recites the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian with 3 (during Great Lent) or 16 bows:

Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Prayer of Saint Basil the Great

Lord Jesus Christ, our God, You are long-suffering toward our sins and have brought us even to this very hour, when, hanging on the life-giving Tree, You opened the way to paradise for the wise thief and destroyed death through death. Be merciful to us, Your sinful and unworthy servants, for we have sinned and committed iniquity, and we are not worthy to lift up our eyes and look toward the heights of heaven, for we have forsaken the path of Your righteousness and have begun to walk according to the desires of our hearts. But we implore Your boundless goodness: have mercy on us, O Lord, according to the abundance of Your mercy, and save us for the sake of Your holy name, for our days have grown short in this vanity. Deliver us from the hand of the enemy, and forgive us our sins, and put to death our carnal thoughts, so that, having cast off the old man, we may put on the new and live for You, our Lord and Benefactor. And so, following Your commandments, may we reach the place of eternal rest, where all who rejoice dwell. For You are truly the joy and gladness of those who love You, Christ our God, and to You we send up glory, together with Your Father without beginning and Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

And we begin Vespers, or, if it is a fast, the Iconic Hymns5.

Notes

¹ During Great Lent, an ordinary kathisma is sometimes read according to the liturgical order.

² If there are two troparia, both are read; the “Glory” is recited before the second.

³ The order of performance is as follows: the priest proclaims the troparion and two stiches, and the congregation, responding to him, sings the troparion three times; during this, three prostrations are performed.

⁴ Here, when prescribed, the parimia is read.

⁵ Vespers begins with the priest’s exclamation, after which we recite “Come, let us worship” (3); during Great Lent, we begin the Iconic Hymns with the chant “In Your Kingdom.” If there is no subsequent service, the priest says: Glory to You, Christ God; and we respond: Glory, and now: Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us. And the short dismissal.

INTERLUDE OF THE NINTH HOUR

After the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian at the end of the Ninth Hour:

Come, let us worship: (3) And three bows.

Psalm 112

Praise the Lord, O young ones; praise the name of the Lord! May the name of the Lord be blessed from now on and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting, they praise the name of the Lord. The Lord is exalted among all nations; His glory is higher than the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high and looks down from on high, both in heaven and on earth? He lifts the poor from the dust and raises the needy from the ash heap, to seat them with princes, with the princes of His people; He settles the barren woman in her home as a mother, rejoicing over her children.

Psalm 137

I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart, and I will sing to You before the angels, for You have heard every word from my lips. I will bow down toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your mercy and Your faithfulness, for You have exalted Your holy name above all things. On the day I call upon You, hear me quickly; You will increase Your care for me—for my soul—with Your strength. May all the kings of the earth praise You, O Lord, for they have heard all the words of Your lips; and may they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great; for the Lord is exalted, and He looks upon the distant lands, and from afar He knows what is high. When I walk in the midst of trouble, You give me life; You stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand saves me. The Lord will repay for me. O Lord, Your mercy endures forever; do not despise the works of Your hands.

Psalm 139

Save me, O Lord, from the wicked man; deliver me from the unrighteous man: they have devised iniquity in their hearts; all day long they prepare for battle; they have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; the venom of vipers is in their mouths. Preserve me, O Lord, from the hand of the wicked; deliver me from unrighteous men, who have plotted to make my feet stumble. The proud have hidden a net for me; they have stretched out cords and set snares for my feet; they have laid stumbling blocks in my path. I said to the Lord, “You are my God; hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication!” O Lord, O Lord, my strength and my salvation, You have been a shield over my head on the day of battle. Do not deliver me, O Lord, to the sinner against my will. They have plotted against me; do not forsake me, so that they may never be exalted. The work of their lips—their main concern—will cover them; burning coals will fall upon them; You will cast them down in torment, and they will not stand. A man of evil tongue will not prosper on earth; the wicked will be caught in destruction by their own evil. I have come to know that the Lord will execute judgment for the poor and vindicate the cause of the needy. Thus, the righteous will extol Your name, and the upright will dwell in Your presence.

Glory, and now: The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father:

Troparia, Tone 8

You who have enlightened all the earth with the Cross / and called sinners to repentance! / Do not separate me from Your flock, O Good Shepherd, / but revive me, O Lord, who have gone astray, / and count me among Your holy flock, / as the One who is Merciful and Lover of mankind.

Glory: Confessing like the thief, / I cry out to You, O Good One: / “Remember me in Your Kingdom, O Lord!” / And You, who willingly suffered for us, / count me among them.

And now: Come, all of you, let us sing of Him who was crucified for us. / For Mary saw Him on the Cross and cried out: / “Though You are suffering crucifixion, / You are my Son and my God.”

Lord, have mercy. (40) Glory, and now:

We magnify You, who, with the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparable glory of the Seraphim, / gave birth to God the Word as a virgin, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

And the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian, with deep bows:

Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

O God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: and one great bow.

Prayer of St. Basil the Great

Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, our God, long-suffering toward our sins and who has brought us even to this very hour, when, hanging on the life-giving Tree, You revealed to the wise thief the way to enter paradise and, through death, destroyed death. Be merciful to us, Your sinful and unworthy servants, for we have sinned and committed iniquity, and are unworthy to lift up our eyes and look toward the heights of heaven, for we have forsaken the path of Your righteousness and have begun to walk according to the desires of our hearts. But we implore Your boundless goodness: have mercy on us, O Lord, according to the abundance of Your mercy, and save us for the sake of Your holy name, for our days have grown short in this vanity. Deliver us from the hand of the enemy, and forgive us our sins, and put to death our carnal thoughts, so that, having cast off the old man, we may put on the new and live for You, our Lord and Benefactor. And so, following Your commandments, may we attain the place of eternal rest, where all who rejoice dwell. For You are truly the joy and gladness of those who love You, Christ our God, and to You we send up glory, together with Your Father without beginning and Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

And we say: Glory; and now, O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

And we begin the Iconic Hymns or perform the Dismissal.

VESPERS I

At the conclusion of the 9th Hour, the priest pronounces the opening acclamation: 1

Blessed is our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen.

Come, let us worship our King, God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ, our King and God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ Himself, our King and God.2

If Vespers precedes the All-Night Vigil, the censing of the altar takes place with the Royal Doors open.

Then the deacon proclaims: Arise!

Choir: Bless.

Priest (making the sign of the cross with the censer): Glory be to the Holy, Consubstantial, Life-giving, and Indivisible Trinity, always: now and ever and to the ages of ages.

Choir: Amen.

The priest, together with those in the sanctuary, sings: Come, let us worship our King, God. Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ, our King and God. Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ Himself, our King and God. Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Him!

Chorus: Bless the Lord, O my soul! Blessed are You, O Lord. O Lord, my God, You are greatly exalted. Blessed are You, O Lord. You are clothed with glory and splendor. Blessed are You, O Lord. Waters will flow through the mountains; Your works are wonderful, O Lord! You have created all things with wisdom. Glory to You, O Lord, Creator of all!

Then a full incensation of the church is performed while Psalm 103 (or selected verses from it) is sung. If, however, no vigil is being held, the psalm is read in its entirety.³

Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, O my soul!* O Lord, my God, You are greatly exalted;* You are clothed with glory and splendor;* You wrap Yourself in light as in a garment; You spread out the heavens like a tent of skin. You hide Your heavenly palaces in the waters; You appoint the clouds as Your throne; You ride on the wings of the winds; You create Your angels as spirits and Your servants as flames of fire; You have established the earth upon its foundations—it shall never be moved. The deep is like a garment—it covers it; the waters will stand upon the mountains;** they will flee from Your threat, they will be terrified at the sound of Your thunder. They ascend the mountains and descend into the plains, to the place You have appointed for them—You have set a boundary they will not cross, and they will not turn back to cover the earth. You send springs into the ravines; waters flow through the midst of the mountains;** they water all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst; the birds of the air make their homes there; from among the rocks they cry out. You water the mountains from Your heights—the earth is satisfied by the fruit of Your works—You cause grass to grow for the cattle and greenery for the service of people, to bring forth bread from the earth and wine that gladdens the human heart, so that his face may shine with oil, and bread may strengthen the human heart.*** The trees of the plain will be satisfied—the cedars of Lebanon that You have planted—where birds will make their nests, and the stork’s dwelling rises above them. The high mountains are for the deer, and the rock is a refuge for the hares. He created the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its setting.*** You spread out the darkness, and night falls; in it all the beasts of the forest will roam, young lions roaring in hope of catching and finding their food from God. The sun rises, and they gather together and lie down in their lairs—a man goes out to his work and to his labor until evening. How majestic are Your works, O Lord; You have made them all with wisdom;*** the earth is filled with Your creations. This sea is great and vast; there are countless creatures in it, small and large alike.*** Ships sail there, as does that dragon You created to be mocked. All look to You to give them food in due season. When You give it to them, they gather it; when You open Your hand, all are satisfied with good things.**** But if You turn Your face away, they will be dismayed; if You take away their breath, they will perish and return to their dust. Send forth Your Spirit, and they will be created, and You will renew the face of the earth.**** May the Lord be glorified forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works. He looks upon the earth and makes it tremble; He touches the mountains—and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my speech be sweet to Him, and I will rejoice in the Lord.**** May sinners vanish from the earth, and the wicked—may they cease to exist. Bless the Lord, O my soul!**** The sun has set. You have spread out darkness, and night has come. How majestic are Your works, O Lord; You have made them all with wisdom.****

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3)

The Great Ektenia. Verses from the Psalter. ⁴

On Saturday evening, we sing the entire first kathisma. On feasts of the Mother of God and of the great saints, after the Great Ektenia, we sing the first antiphon of the first kathisma. ⁵

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of scoffers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither; and in all that he does, he prospers. Not so the wicked—not so at all—but like chaff that the wind blows away from the face of the earth. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One: “Let us break their bonds apart and cast off their yoke!” He who dwells in heaven will laugh at them; the Lord will mock them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury. But I have been appointed by Him as king over Zion, His holy mountain; I proclaim the Lord’s decree: The Lord said to Me, “You are My Son; today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall rule them with an iron scepter; You shall shatter them like pottery.” And now, you kings, take heed; learn this, all you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with reverence and rejoice before Him with trembling. Accept instruction, lest the Lord be angry and you perish, straying from the path of righteousness, when His wrath flares up suddenly. Blessed are all who hope in Him!

Psalm 3

O Lord, why have those who oppress me multiplied? Many rise up against me; many say to my soul, “There is no salvation for him in his God.” But You, O Lord, are my shield, my glory; You lift up my head. With my voice I cried out to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain. I fell asleep and slept; I awoke, for the Lord will protect me. I will not fear the multitudes of people who surround me and attack me. Arise, O Lord; save me, my God, for You have struck down all who oppose me in vain; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation comes from the Lord, and Your blessing is upon Your people.

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3)

The Small Litany.

Then Psalms 140, 141, 129, and 116 are sung with stichera on “O Lord, I have cried out”; during this time, the deacon performs the full incensation of the church. 6

Lord, I have called upon You; hear me. / Hear me, O Lord.

Lord, I have called upon You; hear me, / give ear to the voice of my supplication, / when I call upon You. / Hear me, O Lord.

May my prayer rise / like incense before Your face, / and the lifting up of my hands / like an evening sacrifice. / Hear me, O Lord.

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth, and a barrier over my lips. Do not let my heart turn to wicked words, to devise excuses for sin with those who practice lawlessness; and I will not join the company of their chosen ones. May the righteous instruct me with kindness and rebuke me; may the oil of the sinner not anoint my head, nor my prayer be according to their desires. Their judges have been swallowed up by the rock; they will hear my words, for they have become sweet. As if the earth’s depths had opened up on the earth, their bones have been scattered in Hades. For to You, O Lord, O Lord, my eyes look; in You I have put my trust; do not take my soul away. Deliver me from the snare they have set for me and from the temptations of those who practice lawlessness. The sinners will fall into their own net; I am alone until I pass through it.

With my voice I cried out to the Lord; with my voice I prayed to the Lord. I poured out my supplication before Him; I made my sorrow known to Him. When my spirit was faint within me—even then You knew my ways; on this path that I walked, they hid a snare for me. I looked to the right and gazed, and no one recognized me; it became impossible for me to flee, and there was no one to stand up for my soul. I cried out to You, O Lord, and said, “You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living.” Hear my prayer, for I am greatly humbled; deliver me from those who persecute me, for they are stronger than I.

Here begin the stichera:

Stichera 10: Bring my soul out of the dungeon, that I may glorify Your name.

Stichera

The righteous will wait for me until You reward me.

Stichera

for the 8th: From the depths I have cried out to You, O Lord, O Lord, hear my voice.

Stichera

May Your ears be attentive to the voice of my prayer.

Stichera

for the 6th: If You were to mark iniquities, O Lord, O Lord, who could stand? For with You is forgiveness.

Stichera

For the sake of Your name I have waited for You, O Lord; my soul has trusted in Your word; my soul has put its hope in the Lord.

Stichera

for the 4th: From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch, let Israel hope in the Lord.

Stichera

For with the Lord is mercy, and with Him is great deliverance; and He will deliver Israel from all its iniquities.

Stichera

for the 2nd tone: Praise the Lord, all nations; extol Him, all peoples.

Stichera

For His mercy is established upon us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Stichera

Glory: Sticheron

And now: Theotokos

The entrance with the censer takes place.

Evening Hymn to the Son of God

O joyful light of holy glory / of the immortal Heavenly Father, / holy and blessed—Jesus Christ! / As the sun sets and we behold the evening light, / we sing of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, God. / It is fitting to sing of You at all times / with joyful voices, / O life-giving Son of God, /—for this reason the world glorifies You.

Deacon: Let us listen.

Priest: Peace be with you all.

Choir: And to your spirit.

Deacon: Wisdom. Prokeimenon, tone (such-and-such).

Prokeimenons for Vespers
On Sunday evening, tone 8

Bless the Lord now, / all you servants of the Lord.

Verse: You who stand in the temple of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.

Psalm 133:1

On Monday, Tone 4

The Lord will hear me / when I call upon Him.

Verse: When I called, the God of my righteousness heard me.

Psalm 4:4, 2

On Tuesday, Tone 1

Your mercy, O Lord, / will follow me all the days of my life.

Verse: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures—there He has made me lie down.

Ps 22:6a, 1–2a

Wednesday, Tone 5

O God, save me by Your name / and vindicate me by Your power.

Verse: O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.

Ps 53:3, 4

Thursday, Tone 6

My help comes from the Lord, / who made heaven and earth.

Verse: I lift up my eyes to the mountains—from where will my help come?

Psalm 120:2, 1

Friday, Tone 7

God, You are my defender, / and Your mercy will soon meet me.

Verse: Deliver me from my enemies, O God, and redeem me from those who rise up against me.

Cf. Ps 58:10b–11a, 2

Saturday, Tone 6

The Lord has taken his seat on the throne; / he is clothed in splendor.

Verse: The Lord has clothed Himself with strength and girded Himself.

Verse: For He has established the world, and it shall not be moved.

Verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time.

Ps 92:1, 5b

If, however, the Alleluia is sung (during the Lenten seasons of Christmas and the Holy Apostles), instead of the prokeimena we sing:

On Monday, Tone 6

Alleluia. (3)

Verse: O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chastise me in Your anger.

Alleluia. (3)

Verse: And forever and ever. Ps 37:2

Alleluia. (3)

On Tuesday and Thursday

Verse: Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool, for it is holy.

Verse: And forever and ever. Psalm 98:5

On Wednesday

Verse: Their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the universe.

Verse: And forever and ever. Psalm 18:5

Deacon: Wisdom.

Reader: (name of the book) reading.

Deacon: Let us listen.

Reading from Holy Scripture.

Priest: Peace be with you.

Reader: And to your spirit.

Special Ektenia . ⁷

Prayer at the Fall of Evening

Grant, O Lord, that we may be preserved from sin this evening. Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers, and Your name is to be praised and glorified forever. Amen. May Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we place our hope in You. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your commandments. Blessed are You, O Lord; enlighten me with Your commandments. Blessed are You, O Holy One; enlighten me with Your commandments. Lord, Your mercy endures forever; do not despise the works of Your hands. Praise is due to You, song is due to You, glory is due to You, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

The Litany of Supplication.

Priest: Peace be with you all.

Choir: And to your spirit.

Deacon: Let us bow our heads before the Lord.

Choir: To You, O Lord.

Prayer of Bowing the Heads.

On days when the All-Night Vigil is celebrated, we go out into the narthex of the church with lamps and a censer and perform the litany—a fervent, communal prayer. The choir sings the litany stichera for the feast (during the Sunday vigil, the stichera of the church), while the deacon censes the holy icons, the priest, and the congregation, then recites the supplications. If the vigil is not being celebrated, immediately after the prayer of bowing the head, the following are sung:

Stichera from the psalter

On non-feast days, verses from Psalm 122:

Stichera 1

Verse: I lift up my eyes to You, who dwell in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hands of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord, our God, / until He has mercy on us.

Stichera 2

Verse: Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we are filled to the brim with contempt. Our soul is filled to the brim with reproach from the prosperous / and with contempt from the proud.

Stichera 3

Glory, and now: To the Mother of God

On Sunday, the verses:

Verse: The Lord has reigned, / clothed in splendor.

Stich: For He has established the universe, / and it shall not be shaken.

Antiphon: Holiness befits Your house, / O Lord, for many days to come.

Ps 92:1, 5b

Prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver

Now, Lord, You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel.

Luke 2:29–32

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

The Troparion of Dismissal. Glory, and now: “O Mother of God.”

During the vigil, the troparion of the feast is sung three times.

For Sunday: Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God; / Grace-filled Mary, the Lord is with you! / Blessed are you among women, / and blessed is the Fruit of your womb, / for you have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (3)

Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.

Choir: Lord, have mercy.

The priest reads the prayer for the consecration of the loaves.

May the name of the Lord be blessed from now on and forever. (3)

Psalm 33:2–11

Priest: May the blessing of the Lord and His mercy be upon you, through His divine grace and love for mankind, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Choir: Amen.

And we begin Matins with the Six Psalms.

At Great Vespers, celebrated separately from Matins, after the dismissal troparia, the deacon proclaims: Wisdom. Choir: Bless. Priest: Blessed is Christ, our God, always: now and ever and unto ages of ages. Choir: Amen. Strengthen, O God, the holy Orthodox faith and the Orthodox Christians for ever and ever. Priest: Most Holy Theotokos, save us. Choir: With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparable glory of the Seraphim, / You who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / true Mother of God—we magnify You. Priest: Glory to You, Christ God, our hope, glory to You. Choir: Glory, and now, O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

The priest pronounces the dismissal: (Risen from the dead), Christ, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, the holy, glorious, and all-praised Apostles, and the saints (names of the church’s patron saints and the day’s saints), the holy and righteous God-parents Joachim and Anna, and all the saints, will have mercy on us and save us, as the Good and Lover of Mankind.

Chorus: Our great lord and father (name), His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and our lord His Eminence (name), Metropolitan (or: Archbishop, or: Bishop—title of the see), our God-protected Russian land, the rector, the brethren, and the parishioners of this holy church (or: the abbot and the brethren of this holy monastery), and all Orthodox Christians—O Lord, preserve them for many years to come.

At the daily Vespers, after the troparia of dismissal, a special ektenia is recited, beginning with the third petition: “Have mercy on us, O God”; followed by: “O Wisdom”; “Blessed are You”; “Strengthen us, O God”; and then we begin the First Hour.

On days of fasting when “Alleluia” is sung, we conclude Vespers as follows: after the “Our Father,” the following troparia are sung with prostrations:

Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God; / O grace-filled Mary, the Lord is with you! / Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the Fruit of your womb, / for you have given birth to the Savior of our souls.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist, remember us all, / that we may be delivered from our sins, / for grace has been given to you to pray for us.

Now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Pray for us, holy Apostles and all the saints, / that we may be delivered from misfortunes and sorrows, / for in you we have found warm intercessors before the Savior.

We take refuge in Your mercy, O Mother of God; / do not despise our prayers in times of trouble, / but deliver us from misfortune, O Only Pure One, O Only Blessed One. (Without a bow)

Reader: Lord, have mercy. (40) Glory, and now:

We magnify You, who are more glorious than the Cherubim / and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, / who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: Blessed is Christ, our God, always: now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. Heavenly King, strengthen Your faithful people, confirm their faith, pacify the nations, bring peace to the world, preserve this holy temple (or: this holy monastery) unharmed, settle our forefathers and brothers who have fallen asleep in the dwellings of the righteous, and accept us in repentance and confession, O Good and Lover of Mankind.

The priest recites the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian with bows:

O Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

O God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: and one great bow.

Reader: The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12)

If it is Great Lent, we read:

Most Holy Trinity, consubstantial Lordship, indivisible Kingdom, Source of all good things! Be gracious also to me, a sinner: strengthen and enlighten my heart, and remove from me every defilement; enlighten my mind, so that I may always glorify, praise, worship, and exclaim: “One Holy One, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father.” Amen.

May the name of the Lord be blessed from now on and forever. (3) Glory, and now:

Psalm 33

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall ever be on my lips. My soul shall exult in the Lord—may the humble hear this and rejoice. Exalt the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my troubles. Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be put to shame. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him; He saved him from all his troubles. The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good—blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, all you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The rich have become poor and are starving, but those who seek the Lord will lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the person who desires to live, who wants to see good days? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it: the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their memory from the earth. The righteous cried out, and the Lord heard them; He delivered them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are contrite in spirit. The righteous have many troubles, but the Lord delivers them from them all. The Lord protects all their bones; not one of them will be broken. Death is the lot of the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will stumble. The Lord will deliver the souls of His servants, and all who trust in Him will not stumble.

Psalm 144

I will exalt You, my God, my King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever. The Lord is great and most worthy of praise; His greatness has no end. Generation after generation will praise Your works and proclaim Your power. They will speak of the splendor of Your holy place, and tell of Your wonders; they will speak of the power of Your awesome deeds, and proclaim Your greatness; they will recount the memory of Your abundant goodness, and rejoice in Your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; the Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all His works. May all Your works glorify You, O Lord, and may Your saints bless You. They will speak of the glory of Your Kingdom and proclaim Your might, to reveal to the children of men Your might and the splendor of Your Kingdom. Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and Your dominion endures throughout every generation and every age. The Lord is faithful in all His words and holy in all His works. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are cast down. The eyes of all look to You in hope, and You give them their food in due season; You open Your hand and satisfy every living creature according to Your good pleasure. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their prayer and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love Him, but He destroys all sinners. My mouth will utter praise to the Lord, and may all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.

Priest: Wisdom.

Chorus: It is truly fitting / to glorify You, O Mother of God, / eternally blessed and immaculate, / and Mother of our God.

Priest: Most Holy Mother of God, save us.

Choir: We magnify You, who are more glorious than the Cherubim / and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, / who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Priest: Glory to You, Christ our God, our hope; glory to You.

Choir: Glory, even now. Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

The priest pronounces the dismissal.

If the Alleluia is sung during another fast, after the Trisagion—Lord, have mercy. (12) Glory to You, Christ God: Glory, even now. Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us. And so on, and the dismissal.

If you wish, after the conclusion of Vespers, read the prayer of St. Basil the Great: Blessed are You, O Lord, Almighty Ruler, who have illuminated the day with the light of the sun and the night with the radiance of fire, and who have granted us to pass through the length of the day and draw near to the beginning of the night. Hear our prayers and those of all Your people, and, having forgiven us all our voluntary and involuntary sins, accept our evening prayers; pour out Your abundant mercy and compassion upon Your inheritance. Protect us, as with a wall, by Your holy Angels; arm us with the weapons of Your righteousness; shield us with Your truth; preserve us by Your power; deliver us from every attack and every wile of the enemy; and make this evening and the coming night perfect, holy, peaceful, sinless, free from temptation, and free from vain thoughtsjust as may all the days of our lives be, through the prayers of the Holy Mother of God and all the saints who have pleased You from of old.

Notes

⁽¹⁾^DuringGreat Lent, when Vespers is preceded by the Iconic Hymns, the opening acclamation is not recited.

² If Vespers was not preceded by the Ninth Hour, the opening prayers are read in full.

³ According to the Old Russian (pre-Nikonian) tradition, the refrains for Psalm 103 are as follows:

from verse 1* – “Blessed are You, O Lord!”;

from verse 4** “Marvelous are Your works, O Lord!”;

from verse 15*** – “Glory to You, O Lord, who created all things!”;

from verse 28****, the same refrain was sung more drawn-out and solemnly, with special musical embellishments.

⁴ On weekdays, the ordinary kathisma is read; its reading begins immediately with the first words of the psalm (“Lord, have mercy”: the opening is not sung). At the Sunday All-Night Vigil, the entire first kathisma is recited, divided into three antiphons: Psalms 1–3; 4–6; 7–8. Each antiphon is followed by a short ektenia and prayers, respectively: 2 and 4; 5; 6.

On feast days, only the first antiphon is sung—Psalms 1–3.

⁵ In modern parish practice, usually only selected verses (highlighted in bold) are sung with the “Alleluia” refrain. (3)

⁶ According to the Old Russian (pre-Nikonian) tradition, the refrain for Psalm 140 is: “Hear us, O Lord”; for Psalm 141: “I have cried out to You, save me”; for Psalm 129: “Christ, our Savior, have mercy on us.”

⁷ At this point, it is recited during Great Vespers, usually celebrated on the eve of feasts; during daily Vespers, immediately after the prokeimenon, the parimias, and the sermon (if any), the prayer “Grant, O Lord” is read.

PRAYERS FOR THE EVENING MEAL

Before Supper

First of all, we make three prostrations with prayers of repentance:

O God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Luke 18:13

My Creator, O Lord, have mercy on me!

I have sinned beyond count; O Lord, have mercy on me and forgive me, a sinner!

And then the prayer before the meal:

The poor will eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the Lord will praise Him; their hearts will live forever and ever.

Psalm 21:27

Glory to You, and now, O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless.

Priest: Christ our God, bless the food and drink of Your servants, for You are holy, now and always, and forever and ever. ¹

And we say: Amen.

After supper

Glory, and now:

Your womb, O Mother of God, has become a holy table, / bearing the heavenly Bread, Christ our God, / and no one who partakes of Him dies, / as He, the Nourisher of all, has said.

You have gladdened us, O Lord, with Your creation, and we rejoice in the works of Your hands.

Cf. Ps. 91:5

The light of Your face has shone upon us, O Lord! You have given joy to my heart; they are filled with the fruit of Your wheat, wine, and oil. I will lie down in peace and fall asleep at once, for You, O Lord, have given me alone the hope of life.

Ps 4:7b–9

It is truly fitting / to glorify You, O Mother of God, / ever-blessed and immaculate, / and Mother of our God. / With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparable glory of the Seraphim, / You who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / true Mother of God—we magnify You.

Glory; and now, O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

Priest: God is with us always through His grace and love for mankind, now and ever and unto ages of ages. ²

And we say: Amen.

And again, three final bows with the same prayers as at the beginning.

Notes

¹ If there is no priest, the eldest among those dining says: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, bless the food and drink of Your servants, for You are holy, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

² In the absence of a priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

JOYFUL VESPERS E

Priest: Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the first week of Great Lent, we read Psalm 69 (see the third part of the Matins service, p.87 ). And we begin the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete.

On the other days:

Psalm 4

When I called out, the God of my righteousness heard me; in my distress, You gave me room to breathe. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. O sons of men, how long will you be heavy of heart? Why do you love vanity and seek after lies? Know that the Lord has done marvelous things for His holy one. The Lord will hear me when I call to Him. Be angry—but do not sin—in what you say in your hearts; be contrite on your beds. Offer a sacrifice of righteousness and trust in the Lord. Many say, “Who will show us any good?”—The light of Your face has marked us, O Lord! You have filled my heart with joy; they are filled to the brim with the fruit of Your wheat, wine, and oil. I will lie down in peace and sleep at once, for You, O Lord, alone have given me hope to live.

Psalm 6

O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor discipline me in Your wrath. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are shaken, and my soul is deeply troubled; and You, O Lord, how long? Turn to me, O Lord; deliver my soul; save me for Your mercy’s sake. For none among the dead remembers You; who in the grave will give You praise? I am weary from my groaning; every night I wash my bed with my tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eyes are dim with grief; I have grown old among all my enemies. Depart from me, all you who do wrong, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping; the Lord has heard my plea; the Lord has accepted my prayer. May all my enemies be put to shame and confounded; may they turn back and be put to shame very soon.

Psalm 12

How long, O Lord, will You forget me forever? How long will You turn Your face away from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and have sorrow in my heart day and night? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look upon me and hear me, O Lord, my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I fall asleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him.” Those who oppress me will rejoice if I falter, but I trust in Your mercy. My heart will rejoice in Your salvation; I will sing to the Lord who has shown me favor, and I will sing praises to the name of the Lord Most High.

Look upon me and hear me, O Lord, my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I fall asleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have gained the upper hand against him.”

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3) O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

Psalm 24

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. My God, I trust in You—may I never be put to shame, and may my enemies not mock me; for all who wait for You will not be put to shame: let the lawless be put to shame in vain. Reveal Your ways to me, O Lord, and teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God, my Savior, and I have waited for You all day long. Remember Your compassion, O Lord, and Your lovingkindness, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my folly; by Your mercy, remember me for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. The Lord is good and righteous; therefore, He will guide the way of the sinners. He guides the humble in justice; He teaches the humble His ways. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth for those who seek His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, have mercy on my sin, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will give him the law in the way he has chosen. His soul will dwell among the blessings, and his descendants will inherit the land. The Lord is a stronghold for those who fear Him, and He will reveal His covenant to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for He will deliver my feet from the snare. Look upon me and have mercy on me, for I am lonely and destitute. The sorrows of my heart have multiplied; deliver me from my troubles. Look upon my humility and my weakness, and forgive all my sins. Look upon my enemies—for they have multiplied and hate me with unjust hatred. Preserve my soul and deliver me, that I may not be put to shame, for I trust in You. The upright and sincere have joined me, for I have waited for You, O Lord. Deliver Israel, O God, from all its sorrows!

Psalm 30

In You, O Lord, I trust; let me never be put to shame. By Your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; incline Your ear to me; hasten to save me; be my God and my refuge, to save me. For You are my stronghold and my refuge; for Your name’s sake You will guide me and sustain me; You will rescue me from this snare that has been set for me, for You are my protector, O Lord. Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have delivered me, O Lord, God of truth. You hate those who in vain pursue what is vain; but I have trusted in You, O Lord; I will rejoice and be glad in Your mercy, for You have looked upon my humility, saved my soul from calamity, and have not delivered me into the hands of the enemy; You have set my feet in a spacious place. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes are dimmed by anger, my soul and my inner being. For my life is spent in suffering, and my years in groaning; my strength is weakened by poverty, and my bones are shaken. I have become a byword to all my enemies, and especially to my neighbors; a terror to my acquaintances—those who see me outside my home flee from me. I have been forgotten as though I were dead; in my heart I have become like a shattered vessel, for I have heard the taunts of many who live around me, as they gathered together against me, determined to take my soul. But I have put my trust in You, O Lord; I have said, “You are my God.” My lot is in Your hands; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue me. Show Your face to Your servant; save me by Your mercy. O Lord, let me not be put to shame for calling upon You; let the wicked be put to shame, and let them be cast down to Sheol. May the deceitful lips be silenced, those who speak against the righteous with arrogance and contempt. How great is the abundance of Your goodness, O Lord, which You have hidden for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who hope in You before the sons of men! You hide them in a secret place before Your face from the turmoil of mankind; You shelter them in a tent from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord, for He has wonderfully shown His mercy in the fortified city. But I said in my distress: ‘I am cast out from the sight of Your eyes’—therefore You heard the voice of my supplication when I called to You. Love the Lord, all You who are His saints, for the Lord seeks truth and repays those who show boundless pride. Be strong, and let your hearts take courage, all you who hope in the Lord!

Psalm 90

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the God of heaven. He will say to the Lord, “You are my shield and my refuge, my God, in whom I trust.” For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will hide you under His wings, and you will take refuge under His wings—His truth will surround you like a shield. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day; nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the destruction that strikes at noon. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. For You, O Lord, are my hope! You have made the Most High your refuge. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your tent; for He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways—they will bear you up in their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the asp and the viper; you will trample the lion and the dragon. “For he has trusted in Me, and I will deliver him; I will protect him, for he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I am with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him; I will satisfy him with long life and show him My salvation.”

Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3) O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

Then the verses are sung in antiphonal style (Isaiah 8:8b–10; 12b–14a; 18a; 9:2, 6), with the refrain “For God is with us” following each verse.

God is with us; know this, all nations, / and submit. / For God is with us. (2)

Hear this to the ends of the earth. / For God is with us.

O mighty ones, submit yourselves. / For God is with us.

For if you try again, / you will be defeated again. / For God is with us.

And whatever plan you devise, / the Lord will bring it to ruin. / For God is with us.

And whatever words you may speak, / they will not stand against us. / For God is with us.

We will not fear your threats / nor be dismayed. / For God is with us.

But we will revere the Lord, our God, / and He will be our refuge. / For God is with us.

And if I put my hope in Him, / He will be my sanctification. / For God is with us.

I will put my trust in Him, / and He will save me. / For God is with us.

Here I am, along with the children God has given me. / For God is with us.

The people who walked in darkness / have seen a great light. / For God is with us.

You who dwell in the land and shadow of death, / a light will shine upon you. / For God is with us.

For a Child has been born to us, / a Son has been given to us. / For God is with us.

Whose government will rest upon His shoulder. / For God is with us.

And His peace has no end. / For God is with us.

And His name is called: / The Angel of the Great Council. / For God is with us.

Wonderful Counselor. / For God is with us.

Mighty God, Ruler, / Prince of Peace. / For God is with us.

Father of the age to come. / For God is with us.

God is with us; know this, all nations, / and submit. / For God is with us. (2)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. God is with us.

Now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. God is with us.

For God is with us.

Troparia

As the day draws to a close, I give thanks to You, O Lord; / I pray: grant me, O Savior, / an evening and night free from sin / and save me.

Glory: As the day draws to a close, I praise You, O Lord; / I pray: grant me, O Savior, / an evening and night free from sin / and save me.

And now: Having lived through the day, I sing Your praises, O Holy One; / I pray: grant me, O Savior, / an evening and night free from the enemy’s wiles / and save me.

The incorporeal Cherubim glorify You with ceaseless hymns. / The six-winged Seraphim exalt You with unceasing exclamations. / And the entire host of Angels praises You with thrice-holy songs. / For You are the Father, existing before all things, / and You have Your Son, co-eternal with You, / and, bearing the equally honored Spirit of life, You reveal the indivisible Trinity. / Most Holy Virgin, Mother of God, witnesses of the Word and ministers, / all the hosts of prophets and martyrs, / having immortal life, / intercede earnestly for us all, / for we all are in distress, / so that, having been delivered from the deception of the evil one, / we may proclaim the angelic hymn: / Holy, Holy, Holy, Thrice-Holy Lord, / have mercy on us and save us. Amen.

After this, in a low voice:

The Creed

1 I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. 2 And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, born of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, through whom all things were made. 3 Who for us humans and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. 4 Who was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered, and was buried. 5 And rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures. 6 And ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 7 And will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. 8 And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who is worshiped and glorified together with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets. 9 The one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. 10 I acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. 11 I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, 12 and the life of the world to come. Amen.

And verses with bows:

Most Holy Lady, Mother of God, pray for us sinners. (3)

All the heavenly hosts of holy angels and archangels, pray for us sinners. (2)

Saint John, the Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of our Lord Jesus Christ, pray for us sinners. (2)

Holy and glorious Apostles, prophets, and martyrs, and all the saints, pray for us sinners. (2)

Our reverend and God-bearing fathers, shepherds and teachers of the universe, pray for us sinners. (2)

(Here the patron saint of the church is also commemorated.)

O invincible, indestructible, and divine power of the holy and life-giving Cross, do not forsake us sinners. (2)

O God, have mercy on us sinners. (2)

O God, have mercy on us sinners, and forgive us. (without bowing)

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

If it is a feast day, the troparion of the feast is sung; if it is not a feast day, the following are read:

On Monday and Wednesday evenings, troparia, tone 2

Enlighten my eyes, Christ my God, / that I may not fall asleep the sleep of death, / that my enemy may not say: / “I have gained the upper hand against him.”

Glory: Be the protector of my soul, O God, / for I walk amidst many snares; / deliver me from them, O Good One, / and save me, O Lover of mankind.

And now: We have no boldness because of our many sins, / but entreat the One born of You, O Virgin Mother of God! / For the Mother’s intercession holds great power before the gracious Lord. / Do not despise the supplications of sinners, All-Pure One, / for He who endured suffering for our sake is merciful and has the power to save.

On Tuesday and Thursday evenings
troparia, tone 8

You know, O Lord, that my unseen enemies do not slumber, / and You, my Creator, are aware of the weakness of my wretched flesh; / therefore I commit my spirit into Your hands. / Cover me with the wings of Your goodness, / so that I may not fall into the sleep of death, / and enlighten the eyes of my mind with the riches of Your divine words, / and awaken me at the appointed time to glorify You, / for You alone are good and love mankind.

Verse: Look upon me and hear me, O Lord, my God.

How dreadful is Your judgment, O Lord, / where the angels stand and people are brought in, / the books are opened, deeds are examined, / and thoughts are tested! / What will be my sentence, I who was conceived in sin? / Who will quench the flame for me, who will dispel the darkness for me, / if You, O Lord, do not have mercy on me, as the Lover of mankind?

Glory: Grant me tears, O God, / as You once did to the sinful woman, / and deign to let me wash Your feet, / which have freed me from the path of error, / and to offer You fragrant myrrh—a pure life, / which I have attained through repentance, / so that I, too, may hear Your longed-for voice: / “Your faith has saved you; go in peace!”

And now: Having unashamed hope in You, O Mother of God, I shall be saved; / having received protection from You, O All-Pure One, I shall not be afraid. / I will pursue my enemies and bind them, / clothed, as in armor, in Your protection alone. / And beseeching Your almighty help, I cry out to You, O Lady: / “Save me through Your intercession / and rouse me from this dark sleep to glorify You / by the power of Your Son and God, who was incarnate from You.”

Lord, have mercy. (40) Glory, and now:

We magnify You, who, with the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparably greater glory of the Seraphim, / gave birth as a virgin to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

Prayer of St. Basil the Great

Lord, Lord, who has delivered us from every arrow flying by day, deliver us also from every danger lurking in the darkness; accept the evening sacrifice—the offering of our hands. Grant us, then, to walk the night’s path blamelessly, without experiencing evil, and deliver us from every confusion and fear that befalls us from the devil. Grant our souls contrition and our thoughts concern for the trial at Your judgment, which is terrible and righteous. Nail our flesh to the cross through fear of You, and put our earthly members to death, so that even in the silence of sleep we may be enlightened by the contemplation of Your judgments. Remove from us every unseemly dream and every pernicious desire, and raise us up at the hour of prayer, strengthened in faith and prospering in the fulfillment of Your commandments, through the favor and goodness of Your Only-Begotten Son, with whom You are blessed, together with Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

Come, let us worship our King, our God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ, our King and God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ Himself, our King and God.

Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions; wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You alone have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight—so that You may be justified in Your words and prevail when You are judged. For behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother bore me in sin. For behold, You have loved truth; You have revealed to me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. You will sprinkle me with hyssop—and I will be cleansed; You will wash me—and I will be whiter than snow; You will let me hear joy and gladness—and my humbled bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your mighty Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the ungodly will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, O God of my salvation; then my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You will open my lips, and my lips will proclaim Your praise. For if You had desired sacrifices, I would have offered them—but You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. O Lord, in Your favor, bless Zion, and may the walls of Jerusalem be rebuilt—then You will accept with favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offerings; then they will lay young bulls upon Your altar.

Psalm 101

O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come before You. Do not turn Your face away from me on the day I am in distress; incline Your ear to me on the day I call upon You; answer me quickly. For my days have vanished like smoke, and my bones have withered like dry twigs. I have been cut down like grass, and my heart has withered, so that I have forgotten to eat my bread. Because of the sound of my groaning, my bones have clung to my flesh. I have become like a pelican in the wilderness; I have become like an owl among the ruins. I have not slept and have become like a bird sitting alone on the roof. All day long my enemies reviled me, and those who praised me swore by me. For I ate ashes like bread, and I mixed my drink with tears because of Your anger and Your wrath, for You lifted me up only to cast me down. My days have faded like a shadow, and I have withered like grass. But You, O Lord, remain forever, and Your memory endures from generation to generation. You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for the time has come to show her mercy; the time has come, for Your servants love her stones and mourn over her dust. The nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth will fear Your glory; for the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in His glory. He has looked upon the prayer of the humble and has not despised their supplication. Let this be written down for a future generation, and the people yet to be formed will praise the Lord, for He has looked down from His holy height, The Lord has looked down from heaven to earth to hear the groans of the captives, to set free the children of those who have been slain, to proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem, when the nations gather together and the kings—to serve the Lord. He turned to Him on the way, in the days of his strength: “Make known to me my few days; do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years endure from generation to generation.” In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands; they will perish, but You will remain; all of them will wear out like a garment, and like a robe You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will never end. The sons of Your servants will find refuge, and their descendants will be established forever.

Prayer of Manasseh, King of Judah

O Lord Almighty, God of our fathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and of their righteous seed, You who created heaven and earth with all their splendor, who bound the sea with the word of Your command, who enclosed the abyss and sealed it with Your awesome and glorious name, whom all fear, and tremble before the face of Your power, for no one can stand before the splendor of Your glory, and Your terrible wrath against sinners is unbearable! Yet the mercy of Your promise is boundless and unfathomable; for You are the Most High Lord, merciful, long-suffering, and abounding in mercy, and You have compassion on the evil deeds of mankind. You, O Lord, in the abundance of Your goodness, have promised repentance and forgiveness to those who have sinned against You, and in the abundance of Your compassion, You have ordained repentance for sinners as a means of salvation. Behold, O Lord, God of Hosts, You did not require repentance of the righteous Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who did not sin against You, but You have required repentance of me, a sinner, because I have sinned more than the number of grains of sand in the sea. My iniquities have multiplied, O Lord; my iniquities have multiplied, and I am unworthy to lift up my eyes and behold the heights of heaven because of the multitude of my sins. I am bound by many iron chains, so that I cannot lift up my head, and I find no relief, for I have aroused Your wrath and done evil in Your sight: I have not fulfilled Your will nor kept Your commandments. And now I bow the knees of my heart, in need of Your goodness. I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I know my iniquities; but I beseech You: forgive me, O Lord, forgive me, and do not destroy me with my iniquities; do not, in Your everlasting wrath, remember my evil deeds, and do not condemn me to the deepest places of the earth. For You, O God, are the God of those who repent, and You will show me all Your goodness; for You will save me, though I am unworthy, by Your great mercy, and I will praise You unceasingly all the days of my life, for all the heavenly hosts sing Your praises, and Your glory endures forever and ever. Amen.

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

On feast days, when the All-Night Vigil begins with Great Compline, the kontakion of the feast is sung; on other days:

Penitential troparia, tone 6

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, / for, finding no excuse for ourselves, / we sinners offer this prayer to You, our Master: / “Have mercy on us!”

Glory: O Lord, have mercy on us, for in You we trust; / do not be too angry with us / and do not remember our iniquities; / but look upon us now with mercy / and deliver us from our enemies. / For You are our God, and we are Your people; / we are all the work of Your hands / and we call upon Your name.

Lord, have mercy. (40) Glory, and now:

We magnify You, who are more glorious than the Cherubim / and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, / who virginally gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

And the prayer: O Lord God, Almighty Father, Lord, Only-Begotten Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit! One Godhead, one Power, have mercy on me, a sinner, and save me, Your unworthy servant, in ways known to You, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Come, let us worship our King, our God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ, our King and God.

Come, let us worship and prostrate ourselves before Christ Himself, our King and God.

Psalm 69¹

O God, come to my aid; O Lord, make haste to help me. May those who seek my life be put to shame and disgrace; may those who wish me harm be turned back and put to shame; may those who say to me, “It is well, it is well,” be put to shame at once. May all who seek You, O God, rejoice and be glad in You, and may those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let the Lord be exalted.” But I am poor and needy; O God, help me. You are my helper and my deliverer—O Lord, do not delay!

Psalm 142

O Lord, hear my prayer; give ear to my supplication in Your faithfulness; hear me in Your righteousness, and do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no one living is righteous before You. For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has brought my life down to the dust; he has placed me in darkness, like those who have long since died. My spirit is faint within me; my heart is troubled within me. I have remembered the days of old; I have meditated on all Your works; I have pondered the works of Your hands. I have stretched out my hands to You; my soul is like parched land before You. Hear me quickly, O Lord, for my spirit is faint: do not turn Your face away from me, and let me not be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear of Your mercy early in the morning, for I trust in You; show me, O Lord, the way I should go, for to You I have lifted up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, for to You I have fled. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your good Spirit will lead me into the land of righteousness. For the sake of Your name, O Lord, You will revive me; by Your righteousness You will bring my soul out of sorrow; and by Your mercy You will destroy my enemies and cut off all who oppress my soul, for I am Your servant.

Daily Doxology

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, and we thank You for Your great glory. Lord, Heavenly King, God, Almighty Father, Lord, Only-Begotten Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit! Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. You who take away the sins of the world, accept our prayer; You who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For You alone are Holy; You alone are the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Every night I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever. Lord, You have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: “Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” Lord, I have taken refuge in You; teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we will see light. Extend Your mercy to those who know You. Grant, O Lord, that we may be preserved from sin this night. Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers, and Your name is to be praised and glorified forever. Amen. May Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we put our hope in You. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your commandments. Blessed are You, O Lord; enlighten me with Your commandments. Blessed are You, O Holy One; enlighten me with Your commandments. Lord, Your mercy endures forever; do not despise the works of Your hands. Praise is due to You, song is due to You, glory is due to You, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Next, the canons are read according to the order of service. At the conclusion of the canons:

It is fitting to sing: The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

On feast days, we sing the kontakion of the feast; on other days:

Troparion, Tone 6

O Lord of powers, abide with us, / for we have no other helper in our afflictions / but You; / O Lord of powers, have mercy on us. The second chant is repeated.

First voice. Verse 1: Praise God in His saints, / praise Him in the firmament of His power.

O Lord of hosts, be with us: – we repeat after each verse.

Second voice. Verse 2: Praise Him for His might, / praise Him for the multitude of His greatness.

Verse 3: Praise Him with the sound of trumpets, / praise Him with the psaltery and the harp.

Verse 4: Praise Him with the timpani and in the dance, / praise Him with strings and the organ.

Verse 5: Praise Him with melodious cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. / Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

And both choirs together: Praise God in His holy ones. / Praise Him in the firmament of His power.

O Lord of hosts, be with us, / for we have no other helper in our afflictions / but You; / O Lord of hosts, have mercy on us.

Glory: O Lord, if we did not have Your saints as intercessors, / and Your goodness, which has compassion on us, / how would we dare, O Savior, to sing Your praises, / You whom the angels praise unceasingly? / O Knower of Hearts, have mercy on our souls.

And now: My sins are countless, O Mother of God— / to You I flee, O Pure One, in need of salvation. / Look mercifully upon my feeble soul / and intercede before Your Son and our God, / that I may be granted forgiveness / for the grave sins I have committed, / O One and Only Blessed One.

Most Holy Mother of God, / do not forsake me throughout my life, / do not entrust me to human protection, / but defend and have mercy on me Yourself!

I place all my hope / in You, Mother of God; / keep me under Your protection.

Lord, have mercy. (40)

And this prayer: O Christ God, who at all times and in every hour receives worship and glory in heaven and on earth, long-suffering, most merciful, most compassionate, who loves the righteous and has mercy on sinners, calling all to salvation with the promise of future blessings! O Lord, accept our prayers at this hour and direct our lives toward Your commandments: sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our intentions, cleanse our thoughts, and deliver us from all sorrow, misfortune, and suffering. Protect us with Your holy angels, so that, guarded and guided by their host, we may attain unity in faith and an understanding of Your ineffable glory, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparably greater glory of the Seraphim, / we magnify You, the Virgin who gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: O God, have mercy on us and bless us; let the light of Your face shine upon us, and have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

If it is Great Lent, the priest recites the prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian with 16 bows (on feast days, with 3):

Lord and Master of my life! Do not deliver me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power, and idle talk. (Bow)

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. (Bow)

Yes, O Lord and King, grant that I may see my own sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)

Also, 12 small bows with the prayer:

O God, cleanse me, a sinner.

And again, the entire prayer: O Lord and Master of my life: and one great bow.

The Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12)

Prayer to the Most Holy Mother of God,
composed by Paul, a monk of the Monastery of the Mother of God Ever-Giving,
that is, the Benefactress

Immaculate, Unstained, Innocent, Blameless, Pure Virgin, Bride of God, Sovereign Lady! You who, through Your wondrous conception, united the Word of God with mankind and joined the fallen nature of our race with the Heavenly Powers; You are the sole hope of those who have lost hope, the help of those under attack, the ready defense of those who take refuge in You, and the refuge of all Christians! Do not despise me, a sinner, a wretched one, who has rendered myself utterly unworthy through shameful thoughts, words, and deeds, and who, through the carelessness of my mind, have become a slave to worldly pleasures. But have mercy on me, a sinner and a stray, with Your love for mankind, as the Mother of the God who loves mankind, and accept the prayer I offer You with unclean lips, and with motherly boldness, implore Your Son and our Lord and Master, that He may open to me, too, the compassionate depths of His goodness and, overlooking my countless sins, turn me toward repentance and make me a faithful fulfiller of His commandments. And remain with me always, as a merciful, compassionate, and benevolent one, in this life—a fervent Intercessor and Helper, shielding me from the attacks of my enemies and guiding me toward salvation; and at the hour of my departure, guarding my wretched soul and driving away the dark apparitions of evil demons from it; and on the dreadful Day of Judgment, delivering me from eternal punishment and making me an heir to the ineffable glory of Your Son and our God. And may I receive it, my Lady, Most Holy Mother of God, through Your intercession and protection, by the grace and love for mankind of Your only Son, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be all glory, honor, and worship, together with His Father without beginning and His all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer of the Monk Antiochus to Our Lord Jesus Christ

And grant us, O Lord, as we go to sleep, peace of body and soul, and preserve us from the dark sleep of sin and from every dark and nocturnal lust. Tame the surges of our passions; extinguish the fiery arrows of the Evil One, cunningly aimed against us; calm the rebellions of our flesh; and lull to sleep every thought of ours concerning the earthly and material. And grant us, O God, an alert mind, a chaste intellect, a sober heart, and a light sleep free from every satanic dream. Raise us up at the hour of prayer, steadfast in Your commandments and firmly holding fast within ourselves the memory of Your judgments. Grant us praise throughout the night, that we may sing, bless, and glorify Your most honored and majestic Name—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Most Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ our God, bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, that through Your intercession He may save our souls.

Prayer of Saint John

My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit; Holy Trinity, glory to You!

Priest: Glory to You, Christ God, our hope, glory to You.

Choir: Glory; and now, O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

Then all bow down to the ground, and the priest, instead of the dismissal, recites the following prayer: 2

Most merciful Lord, Jesus Christ, our God! Through the intercession of our all-pure Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, by the power of the holy and life-giving Cross, through the protection of the holy, incorporeal Heavenly Hosts, and through the supplications of the holy and glorious prophet, John the Forerunner and Baptist, the holy, glorious, and all-praised Apostles, the holy, glorious, and victorious martyrs, our venerable and God-bearing Fathers, the holy and righteous God-parents Joachim and Anna, and all Your saints, make our prayer acceptable, grant us forgiveness of our sins, cover us with the shadow of Your wings, drive away from us every enemy and adversary, bring peace to our lives, O Lord, have mercy on us and grant us Your peace, and save our souls, as You are good and love mankind.

And we say: Amen.

Rite of Forgiveness

The priest, bowing to the congregation, says: Bless me, holy fathers, and forgive me, a sinner, for all in which I have sinned in deed, word, thought, and all my senses.

And we respond: May God forgive you, holy father.

The priest recites the following ektenia:

Let us pray for our Most Holy Patriarch (name), and for our Most Reverend Metropolitan (or: Archbishop, or: Bishop) (name), and for all our brethren in Christ.

[In monasteries: For our venerable abbot (name) and the brethren of this holy monastery.]

The choir responds to each petition: Lord, have mercy.

For our God-protected country, its authorities, and all its people.

For those who hate us and those who love us.

For those who show us mercy and serve us.

For those who have commanded us, the unworthy, to pray for them.

For the deliverance of those in captivity.

For our fathers and brothers who have fallen away.

For those sailing the seas.

For those who lie infirm.

Let us also pray for an abundance of the earth’s fruits.

And for every Orthodox Christian soul.

Let us honor the memory of the Orthodox bishops and the founders of this holy church (or: this holy monastery).

Our parents and all our fathers and brothers who have departed before us, both here and everywhere, who are Orthodox.

Let us also pray for ourselves:

Choir: Lord, have mercy. (3)

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

We: Amen.

In monasteries, the brothers bow, asking forgiveness from the abbot and saying:

Bless me, holy Father, and forgive me, a sinner.

And having received forgiveness from the presiding priest, we go to our cells, reciting the following prayer:

Forgive those who hate and wrong us, O Lord, Lover of Mankind. Repay those who do good with good. Grant our brothers and relatives their petitions for that which leads to salvation, and grant them eternal life. Visit the sick and grant them healing. Guide those who are at sea. Accompany those who are traveling. Grant forgiveness of sins to those who serve and show us mercy. Have mercy, by Your great mercy, on those who have entrusted us, the unworthy, to pray for them. Remember, O Lord, our fathers and brothers who have fallen asleep before us, and grant them rest where the light of Your face shines. Remember, O Lord, our brothers who are in captivity, and deliver them from every misfortune. Remember, O Lord, those who offer sacrifices and do good deeds in Your holy Churches, and grant their petitions for what leads to salvation, and grant them eternal life. Remember, O Lord, us also, Your humble, sinful, and unworthy servants, and enlighten our minds with the light of the knowledge of You, and guide us along the path of Your commandments, through the prayers of our Most Pure Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, and all Your saints, for You are blessed forever. Amen.*

Notes

¹ During the first four days of Great Lent, this psalm is not read here, since it was already read at the beginning of Vespers.

² On Friday evenings and on the eve of feasts, the Small Dismissal is recited.

SMALL VESPERS E

Priest: Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. Glory to You, our God, glory to You.

Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions; wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You alone have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight—so that You may be justified in Your words and prevail when You are judged. For behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother bore me in sin. For behold, You have loved truth; You have revealed to me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. You will sprinkle me with hyssop—and I will be cleansed; You will wash me—and I will be whiter than snow; You will let me hear joy and gladness—and my humbled bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your mighty Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the ungodly will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, O God of my salvation; then my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You will open my lips, and my lips will proclaim Your praise. For if You had desired sacrifices, I would have offered them—but You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. O Lord, in Your favor, bless Zion, and may the walls of Jerusalem be rebuilt—then You will accept with favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offerings; then they will lay young bulls upon Your altar.

Psalm 69

O God, turn to my aid; O Lord, hasten to help me. May those who seek my life be put to shame and disgrace; may those who wish me harm be turned back and put to shame; may those who say to me, “All is well, all is well,” be put to shame at once. May all who seek You, O God, rejoice and be glad in You, and may those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let the Lord be exalted.” But I am poor and needy; O God, help me. You are my helper and my deliverer—O Lord, do not delay!

Psalm 142

O Lord, hear my prayer; give ear to my supplication in Your faithfulness; hear me in Your righteousness, and do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no one living is righteous before You. For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has brought my life down to the dust; he has placed me in darkness, like those long dead. My spirit is faint within me; my heart is troubled within me. I have remembered the days of old; I have meditated on all Your works; I have pondered the works of Your hands. I have stretched out my hands to You; my soul is like parched land before You. Hear me quickly, O Lord, for my spirit is faint: do not turn Your face away from me, and let me not be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear of Your mercy early in the morning, for I trust in You; show me, O Lord, the way I should go, for to You I have lifted up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, for to You I have fled. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your good Spirit will lead me into the land of righteousness. For the sake of Your name, O Lord, You will revive me; by Your righteousness You will bring my soul out of sorrow; and by Your mercy You will destroy my enemies and cut off all who oppress my soul, for I am Your servant.

Daily Doxology

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, we thank You for Your great glory. Lord, Heavenly King, God, Almighty Father, Lord, Only-Begotten Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit! Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. You who take away the sins of the world, accept our prayer; You who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For You alone are Holy; You alone are the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Every night I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever. Lord, You have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: “Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” Lord, I have taken refuge in You; teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we will see light. Extend Your mercy to those who know You. Grant, O Lord, that we may be preserved from sin this night. Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers, and Your name is to be praised and glorified forever. Amen. May Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we put our hope in You. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your commandments. Blessed are You, O Lord; enlighten me with Your commandments. Blessed are You, O Holy One; enlighten me with Your commandments. Lord, Your mercy endures forever; do not despise the works of Your hands. Praise is due to You, song is due to You, glory is due to You, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

The Creed

Then, according to the Statute, a regular canon to the Mother of God from the Octoechos is read, sometimes followed by a canon to a saint from the Menaion, and, after the canons, a stichera in his honor. The canon for Communion and others may be read, as desired. At the conclusion of the canons:

It is meet and right: The Holy Trinity. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: O Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now: Our Father: Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom: Reader: Amen.

If it is a feast day, the kontakion of the feast is read; if it is not a feast day, read first the troparion of the church dedicated to Christ or the Theotokos, then that of the day of the week, [the church dedicated to the saint,] and the ordinary saint.

Troparia
On Sunday evening, to the Incorporeal Powers, tone 4

Archistrategos of the heavenly hosts, / we, the unworthy, ceaselessly pray to you, / that you may shield us with your prayers / under the shelter of the wings of your incorporeal glory, / preserving us as we fall down earnestly and cry out: / “Deliver us from misfortune, / as rulers of the Heavenly Hosts!”

On Monday evening, to St. John the Forerunner, Tone 2

The memory of the righteous is honored with praise, / but for you, Forerunner, the Lord’s testimony is sufficient, / for you have truly appeared as the most glorious of the prophets, / since you were deemed worthy to baptize the One who was foretold in the waters. / Therefore, having joyfully suffered for the truth, / you proclaimed the Good News even to those in Hades of God, who appeared in the flesh, / who takes away the sin of the world / and grants us great mercy.

On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, to the Holy Cross, Tone 1

Save, O Lord, Your people / and bless Your inheritance, / granting victory to the faithful over the pagans / and preserving Your people through Your Cross.

On Wednesday evening, to the Holy Apostles, Tone 3

Holy Apostles, / intercede with the merciful God, / that He may grant forgiveness of sins / to our souls.

And to Saint Nicholas, Tone 4

As a model of faith and an example of meekness, / a teacher of self-control, / the unchanging Truth has revealed you / to your flock. / Therefore, through humility you have attained greatness, / and through poverty, wealth. / Father, Saint Nicholas, / pray to Christ our God for the salvation of our souls.

And the following, Tone 4

God of our fathers, / who always deals with us according to Your meekness, / do not withdraw Your mercy from us, / but through their intercession / guide our lives in peace.

Clothed, as with purple and fine linen, / in the blood of Your martyrs who have suffered throughout the world, / Your Church cries out to You through their lips, Christ God: / “Bestow Your mercies upon Your people, / grant peace to Your people, / and grant great mercy to our souls!”

Glory: With the saints, grant rest, / Christ, to the souls of Your servants, / where there is neither pain, nor sorrow, nor groaning, / but eternal life.

And now: Through the intercession, O Lord, / of all the saints and the Mother of God, / grant us Your peace / and have mercy on us, O You who alone are Merciful.

On Friday evening, following the troparion of the Church of Christ or the Theotokos.

Troparion to All the Saints, Tone 2

Apostles, martyrs, and prophets, / holy hierarchs, venerable ones, and the righteous, / who valiantly performed your deeds and preserved the faith, / having boldness before the Savior, / intercede for us with Him, as the Good One, we pray, / for the salvation of our souls!

Glory: Grant them rest with the saints:

And now: As the first fruits of nature, / the universe offers to You, O Lord, the God-bearing martyrs, / to the Creator of all creation. / Through their prayers and the intercession of the Mother of God, / preserve Your Church—Your people— / in deep peace, O Most Merciful One.

Then: O Lord, have mercy. (40)

And the prayer: Christ God, who at all times and in every hour receives worship and glory in heaven and on earth, long-suffering, most merciful, most compassionate, loving the righteous and showing mercy to sinners, calling all to salvation with the promise of future blessings! You Yourself, O Lord, accept our prayers at this hour and direct our lives toward Your commandments: sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our intentions, cleanse our thoughts, and deliver us from every sorrow, misfortune, and torment. Protect us with Your holy angels, so that, guarded and guided by their host, we may attain unity in faith and an understanding of Your ineffable glory, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (3) Glory, and now:

With the highest honor of the Cherubim / and the incomparably greater glory of the Seraphim, / we magnify You, the Virgin who gave birth to God the Word, / the true Mother of God.

Bless us in the name of the Lord, Father.

Priest: O God, have mercy on us and bless us; let the light of Your face shine upon us, and have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

Prayer to the Most Holy Mother of God,
composed by Paul, a monk of the Monastery of the Mother of God Evergetis,
that is, the Benefactress

Immaculate, Unstained, Innocent, Blameless, Pure Virgin, Bride of God, Sovereign Lady! You who, through Your wondrous conception, united God the Word with humanity and joined the fallen nature of our race with the Heavenly Powers; You are the sole hope of those who have lost hope, the help of those under attack, the ready defense of those who take refuge in You, and the refuge of all Christians! Do not despise me, a sinner, a wretched one, who has rendered myself utterly unworthy through shameful thoughts, words, and deeds, and who, through the carelessness of my mind, have become a slave to worldly pleasures. But have mercy on me, a sinner and a stray, with Your love for mankind, as the Mother of the God who loves mankind, and accept the prayer I offer You with unclean lips, and with motherly boldness, implore Your Son and our Lord and Master, that He may open to me, too, the compassionate depths of His goodness and, overlooking my countless sins, turn me toward repentance and make me a faithful fulfiller of His commandments. And remain with me always, as a merciful, compassionate, and benevolent one, in this life—a fervent Intercessor and Helper, shielding me from the attacks of my enemies and guiding me toward salvation; and at the hour of my departure, guarding my wretched soul and driving away from it the dark apparitions of evil demons; and on the dreadful Day of Judgment, delivering me from eternal punishment and making me an heir to the ineffable glory of Your Son and our God. And may I receive it, my Lady, Most Holy Mother of God, through Your intercession and protection, by the grace and love for mankind of Your only Son, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be all glory, honor, and worship, together with His Father without beginning and His all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer of the Monk Antiochus to Our Lord Jesus Christ

And grant us, O Lord, as we go to sleep, rest for body and soul, and preserve us from the dark sleep of sin and from every dark and nocturnal indulgence. Tame the surges of our passions; extinguish the fiery arrows of the Evil One, cunningly aimed against us; calm the rebellions of our flesh; and lull to sleep every thought of ours concerning the earthly and material. And grant us, O God, an alert mind, a chaste intellect, a sober heart, and a light sleep free from every satanic dream. Raise us up at the hour of prayer, steadfast in Your commandments and firmly holding fast within ourselves the memory of Your judgments. Grant us praise throughout the night, that we may sing, bless, and glorify Your most honored and majestic Name—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ our God, present our prayer to Your Son and our God, that through Your intercession He may save our souls.

Prayer of Saint John

My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit. Holy Trinity, glory to You!

If the Small Compline is recited privately, read the penitential troparia “Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us…” and the prayers before going to sleep; if not, recite the concluding prayers:

Priest: Glory to You, Christ God, our hope, glory to You.

Choir: Glory; and now, O Lord, have mercy. (3) Bless us.

The priest pronounces the Small Dismissal

Christ, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, our venerable and God-bearing fathers, and all the saints, will have mercy on us and save us, as the Good and Lover of mankind.

And we say: Amen.

Rite of Forgiveness

After the dismissal, the priest, bowing to the congregation, says: Bless me, holy fathers, and forgive me, a sinner, for all in which I have sinned in deed, word, thought, and all my senses.

And we respond: May God forgive you, holy father.

The priest recites the following ektenia:

Let us pray for our Most Holy Patriarch (name), and for our Most Reverend Metropolitan (or: Archbishop, or: Bishop) (name), and for all our brethren in Christ.

[In monasteries: For our venerable abbot (name) and the brethren of this holy monastery.]

The choir responds to each petition: Lord, have mercy.

For our God-protected country, its authorities, and all its people.

For those who hate us and those who love us.

For those who show us mercy and serve us.

For those who have commanded us, the unworthy, to pray for them.

For the deliverance of those in captivity.

For our fathers and brothers who have fallen away.

For those sailing the seas.

For those who lie infirm.

Let us also pray for an abundance of the earth’s fruits.

And for every Orthodox Christian soul.

Let us honor the memory of the Orthodox bishops and the founders of this holy church (or: this holy monastery).

Our parents and all our fathers and brothers who have departed before us, both here and everywhere, who are Orthodox.

Let us also pray for ourselves:

Choir: Lord, have mercy. (3)

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

We: Amen.

In monasteries, the brothers bow, asking forgiveness from the abbot and saying:

Bless me, holy Father, and forgive me, a sinner.

And having received forgiveness from the abbot, we go to our cells, reciting the following prayer:

Forgive those who hate and wrong us, O Lord, Lover of Mankind. Repay those who do good with good. Grant our brothers and relatives their petitions for that which leads to salvation, and bestow upon them eternal life. Visit those who are sick and grant them healing. Guide those who are at sea. Accompany those who are traveling. Grant forgiveness of sins to those who serve and show us mercy. Have mercy, through Your great mercy, on those who have entrusted us, the unworthy, to pray for them. Remember, O Lord, our fathers and brothers who have fallen asleep before us, and grant them rest where the light of Your face shines. Remember, O Lord, our brothers who are in captivity, and deliver them from every misfortune. Remember, O Lord, those who offer sacrifices and do good deeds in Your holy Churches, and grant their petitions for what leads to salvation, and grant them eternal life. Remember, O Lord, us also, Your humble, sinful, and unworthy servants, and enlighten our minds with the light of the knowledge of You, and guide us along the path of Your commandments, through the prayers of our Most Pure Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, and all Your saints, for You are blessed forever. Amen.*

THE BOOK OF HOURS

Table of Contents

AWAKENING FROM SLEEP

Troparia to the Most Holy Trinity

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Another Prayer

DAILY MIDNIGHT VIGIL

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

The Holy Trinity

Prayer to the Holy Trinity

The Lord’s Prayer

Psalm 50

Kathisma 17. Psalm 118Stanza 1

Stanza 2

Article 3

The Creed

Troparia, Tone 8

Prayer of St. Mardarius

Prayer of Saint Basil the Great 3

The priest, raising his hands,recites the prayer of the same saint:

Psalm 120

Psalm 133

Troparia, Tone 2

Prayer of Saint John

The priest recites the Small Dismissal:

Rite of Forgiveness

Notes

Penitential Troparia, Tone 6

SATURDAY MIDNIGHT VIGIL I

Psalm 50

Kathisma 9. Psalm 64

Psalm 65

Psalm 66

Psalm 67

Psalm 68

Psalm 69

The Creed

Troparia, Tone 2

Prayer of Saint Mardarius

Prayer of Saint Eustratius 2

Psalm 120

Psalm 133

Troparia, Tone 2

Prayer of Saint John

Notes

SUNDAY MIDNIGHT VIGIL I

Psalm 50

Tone 1

Tone 2

Tone 3

Tone 4

Tone 5

Tone 6

Tone 7

Tone 8

Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity, composed by Mark the Monk

Notes

MATINS I

Psalm 19

Psalm 20

Psalm 3

Psalm 37

Psalm 62

Psalm 87

Psalm 102

Psalm 142

Tone 1

Tone 2

Tone 3

Tone 4

Tone 5

Tone 6

Tone 7

Tone 8

PolyeleosPsalm 134

Psalm 135

Psalm 136

Sunday ProkeimenTone 1

Tone 2

Tone 3

Kathisma 17. Psalm 118
Stanza 1

Prayer of Saint Basil the Great ³

The priest, raising his hands,
recites the prayer of the same saint:

Prayer of Saint Eustratius ²

Polyeleos
Psalm 134

Sunday Prokeimen
Tone 1

On Sunday, the troparia
Tone 1, 3, 5, 7