THE EVENING PRAYER
(Vespers)
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (+), the One True God, Amen.
Holy, holy, holy, O! Lord God Almighty with whose praises the heavens and earth are full; glory in the Highest.
Blessed is He who came and is to come in the name of the Lord; glory in the Highest.
(Каumо)
Trisagion
Holy art Thou O God Holy art Thou Mighty Holy art Thou Immortal.
O Thou who was crucified (+) for us, have mercy upon us,* (repeat thrice)
Our Lord have mercy upon us. Our Lord have compassion and mercy upon us. Our Lord accept our worship and our prayers and have mercy upon us. Glory be to thee O God; glory be to thee O Creator; glory be to thee O Christ-King who has compassion on thy sinful servants.
Barekmor.
(+) Sign the cross on yourself
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 the bread of our need and forgive us our debts and our sins as we also forgave our debtors. And admit us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom, power and glory, for ever and ever. (+) Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, our Lord with thee. Thou art blessed among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, our Lord Jesus Christ. O! St. Mary, Holy Virgin, Mother of God*, pray for us, sin-ners, now and evermore, even at the hour of our death. Amen.
(Kaumo ends here).
Petition of Mor Balai
O thou full of mercy, renew on the day of resurrection thy servants and worshippers, thy cre-ation, who died in thy hope. Pacify and absolve Lord, our departed ones who died in thy hope and are looking forward to thy coming. My Lord let thy servants who died in thy hope dwell in the bosom of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Let bodies and souls together shout that He who came, cometh and quickens the departed is blessed. Amen.
Kaumo
Petition
O Lord Jesus Christ, close not the door of thy mercy on our faces. Lord, we confess that we are sinners, have mercy upon us. Thy love made thee to descend from thy place unto us, my Lord, that by thy death our death may be abolished; have mercy upon us.
Каumо
Psalms 91 & 121
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High and abideth under the shadow of the Al-mighty, say unto the Lord my refuge, God Thou art my fortress in whom I trust.
For He shall deliver thee from the snare of of-fence and from useless talk. He shall cover thee with His feathers and under His wings shall thou be hidden. His truth shall be around thee like armament.
Fear thou not the terror of the night nor the arrow that flieth by the day. Nor the word that walketh in darkness, nor the wind the bloweth at noon.
Thousands shall fall at thy side and ten thou sands at thy right hand, but they shall not come near thee. But with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. For thou Lord art my refuge who put thy habitation in the most high place.
No evil shall touch thee, neither shall any stroke come near thy dwelling, for He shall give his angels order about thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall hold thee up in their hands, lest thy feet stumble.
Thou shall tread upon the snake and the adder, the lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under feet. Because he seeketh me, will I deliver him.
I will strengthen him because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble; I will strengthen him and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.
I will lift mine eyes unto the mountain from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to stir. He that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Because he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord shall shade thee over by His right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in henceforth for evermore. Unto thee glory is due, O God. Barekmor.
Petition
O thou who sittest in the shelter of the Most High do thou shield us beneath the wings of thy mercy.
O Lord, have mercy upon us. Thou who hearest all, do thou hear in thy pity, the supplication of thy servants.
Give us, O Christ, our Redeemer, a peaceful eventide and a night of righteousness. For thou art the glorious King.
To thee our eyes are lifted. Absolve our sins and debts, both in this world and that to come. Thy mercies may shield us, O Lord and thy grace be on our countenances. May thy Cross (+) keep us from the evil one and his army. Thy right hand may cover us all the days of our life and thy peace reign amongst us. And give thou hope and salvation to all the souls who pray to thee aided by the prayers of Mary, thy Mother and of all thy saints. God forgive me my debts and have mercy on me.
Kaumo of Cherubic Exaltation
(Ezekiel 3:12)
Blessed is the honour of the Lord from His place for ever (+)
Holy and glorious Trinity, have mercy upon us.
Blessed is the honour of the Lord from His place for ever (+)
Holy and glorious Trinity, have mercy upon us.
Blessed is the honour of the Lord from His place evermore (+)
Holy and glorious Trinity, have compassion and mercy upon us.
Holy and glorious art thou for ever.
Holy and glorious art thou for ever.
Holy and glorious art thou for evermore.
Glory be to thee our Lord,
Glory be to thee our Lord,
Glory be to thee our hope for ever.
Barekmor.
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 the bread of our need and forgive us our debts and our sins as we also forgave our debtors. And admit us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom, power and glory, for ever and ever.(+) Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, our Lord with thee. Thou art blessed among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, our Lord Jesus Christ. O! St. Mary, Holy Virgin, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and evermore, even at the hour of our death. Amen.
The Creed
(Resolved in the Holy Universal Synods of Nicea, Constantinople and Ephesus)
We believe in one true God / Father Almighty / the maker of heaven and of earth / and of all that are visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ / the only begotten Son of God who was born of the Father before all the worlds; / light of light, / very God of very God, / born, not made, consubstantial with the Father, by whom all was made who for us and for our salvation descended from heaven (+) / and was incarnate of the Holy Virgin Mary, mother of God, / and became man and was crucified (+) for us / in the days of Pontius Pilate and suffered and died and was buried / and rose the third day and ascended to heaven (+) / and sat on the right hand of His Father / and who cometh again in His great glory to judge the quick and the dead / and to whose kingdom there is no end.
And in one living and Holy Spirit who is the quickening Lord of all / who proceeds from the Father / and is worshipped and adored with the Father and Son / who spoke through the prophets and the apostles / and in one church, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.
We confess / that there is only one baptism for the remission of sins / and we await the resurrection of the dead / and the new life in the world to come. Amen. Barekmor. Stoumenkalos Kurielaison.
(+) Sign the cross on yourself
Petition
O thou true God, redeem us; save us from all evils, from wickedness, from malice, from the thoughts of adultery, from all enemies, from treacherous companions, from the tempting of devils, from evils of wicked men, from unclean passions, from unseemly lust from satanic contemplations, from bad dreams, from hidden traps, from idle words, from deceptions, from hard revenge and from all worldly temptations.
Lord, save us from the rod of rage, from sudden death, from hatred, from lightning and thunderbolt, from plagues, from fiery hell, from unbearable wicked deeds, from undying worms, from unquenching fire, from the gnashing of teeth, from lamentation, from terrible happening, from evil hours, from tormenting hard-heartedness, from famine, from fears, from shocks, from all unbearable punishments, from the words "Depart ye I know you not" and from all that separate us from thee. Amen.
COMPLINE (SOOTHORO)
Hymn
Bovooso Mor Ephraim
1. Our Lord have mercy on us
And accept Lord our service,
Sending from thy treasury
Kindness, mercy and pardon.
2. Grant me my Lord while I watch
to stand before thee awake,
If I fall asleep again
Let my slumber be sinless.
3. In my wake if I offend,
By thy Grace I be atoned;
In my slumber if I sin,
Thy mercy be pardoner.
4. By the Cross of thy meekness
Grant thou me slumber of rest,
And save me from evil dreams
As well from phantoms unclean
5. In slumber full of calmness
Govern thou me all the night,
Lest the wicked ones and thoughts
Should have domain over me.
6. Give me angel of light
That guardeth all my limbs;
Save me from unholy lust,
By thy live body I ate.
7. Christ thy life-abiding
Holy body that I ate
Keep away from my heart
Evil desires that destroy
8. May I retire and sleep in calm
And thy blood be my guardian
Giving freedom to the soul
Which is but thy own image.
9. On the flesh shaped by thy hands
Do thou shadow thy right hand;
The fortress of thy mercy
Surround me as a strong shield.
10. When body retires and sleep
May thy might be its guardian;
My sleep before thy greatness
May become as sweet incense!
11. Let the evil not touch my bed
By thy mother's petition;
And thy sacrifice for me
Keep Satan from hurting me.
12. By thy pleasing sacrifice
That absolved me from my distress
Forbid from me the wicked one
That keeps troubling me.
13. Keep thy word with me my Lord,
And guard my life by thy Cross,
To praise thee when I wake up-
For thou loved me in weekness.
14. O! Thou who pleased in me
Feeble and sinful servant I am
May I praise Thy mercy
When I wake up from my sleep
15. May Thy servant know thy will
In thy true loving kindness
Grant me O! Lord Thy mercy
So that I may walk with thee
16. Grant me by thy mercy Lord
That I hear and do thy will;
Grant Lord an eve full of peace
And a night full of virtue.
17. True light Thou art O!
Lord Praise we thy bright glory
We children of thy light
Praise Thee for evermore
18. Our Saviour, Jesus Christ
The servants praise thy mercy
As we do in this world
And may it be in heaven above
19. Praise to thee Lord, praise to thee,
Thousands thousands we praise thee;
Tens of thousands we praise thee;
To thee praise on us mercy.
20. O thou that heareth prayers
And answereth petitions
Hear our prayers and atone
Granting requests in mercy.
Prayer to the Holy Trinity
Holy Father, keep us by thy Holy name. Saviour son, shield us by thy victorious Cross. Holy Spirit, make us the abodes for thy holy dwell-ing. O Lord, our God, shield us under the wings of thy God-head at all times, always and for-ever. Amen.
Prayer of Conclusion
(To be said at the end of all prayers in general)
O thou Father, Son and Holy Ghost, One True God, we believe and confess that thou art our God and pray unto thee. Accept our fast, wor-ship, service and petitions, have mercy upon us.
Forgive us all the wrongs and sins we did against thee, willingly and unwillingly awares and un-awares. Help us to live all our lives with thoughts, words and deeds which please thee.
O God, save us from the temptations of wicked devils, from jealousy, from taunts of demons, from the wickedness of men, from hard occur-rences, from the poverty that makes us lack the food we need, from all ailments, from all private and open enemies and from all the tempta-tions.
Forgive all shortcomings and sins of ours and our forefathers.
But make us all worthy to enjoy in heaven, with the just and the righteous who are thy friends.
O Holy Virgin St. Mary, the mother of God, in thee, O all ye saints in you and O holy angels, in you we depend and pray that ye may intercede to God in our behalf. Let your prayers be a fortess unto us. Amen.
(The evening set of prayers ends)