The Holy Psalter,
Proverbs & Prayers

Psalm 1

BLESSED is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of evil men. ² But his pleasure is in the law of the Lord; and in his law will he meditate day and night. ³ And he shall be as a tree planted by the brooks of waters, which shall yield its fruit in its season, and its leaf shall not fall off; and whatsoever he shall do shall be prospered. ⁴ Not so the ungodly;—not so: but rather as the chaff which the wind scatters away from the face of the earth. ⁵ Therefore the ungodly shall not rise in judgment, nor sinners in the counsel of the just. ⁶ For the Lord knows the way of the righteous; but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 2

¹ Wherefore did the heathen rage, and the nations imagine vain things? ² The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers gathered themselves together, against the Lord, and against his Christ; ³ saying, Let us break through their bonds, and cast away their yoke from us. ⁴ He that dwells in the heavens shall laugh them to scorn, and the Lord shall mock them. ⁵ Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his fury. ⁶ But I have been made king by him on Sion his holy mountain, ⁷ declaring the ordinance of the Lord: the Lord said to me, Thou art my Son, to-day have I begotten thee. ⁸ Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession. ⁹ Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces as a potter's vessel. ¹⁰ Now therefore understand, ye kings: be instructed, all ye that judge the earth. ¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice in him with trembling. ¹² Accept correction, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and ye should perish from the righteous way: whensoever his wrath shall be suddenly kindled, blessed are all they that trust in him.

Psalm 3

¹ A Psalm of David, when he fled from the presence of his son Abessalom.

² O Lord, why are they that afflict me multiplied? many rise up against me. ³ Many say concerning my soul, There is no deliverance for him in his God. Pause. ⁴ But thou, O Lord, art my helper: my glory, and the one that lifts up my head. ⁵ I cried to the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy mountain. Pause. ⁶ I lay down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord will help me. ⁷ I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, who beset me round about. ⁸ Arise, Lord; deliver me, my God: for thou hast smitten all who were without cause mine enemies; thou hast broken the teeth of sinners. ⁹ Deliverance is the Lord's, and thy blessing is upon thy people.

Stasis 2

Psalm 4

¹ For the end, a Song of David among the Psalms. ² When I called upon him, the God of my righteousness heard me: thou hast made room for me in tribulation; pity me, and hearken to my prayer. ³ O ye sons of men, how long will ye be slow of heart? wherefore do ye love vanity, and seek falsehood? Pause. ⁴ But know ye that the Lord has done wondrous things for his holy one: the Lord will hear me when I cry to him. ⁵ Be ye angry, and sin not; feel compunction upon your beds for what ye say in your hearts. Pause. ⁶ Offer the sacrifice of righteousness, and trust in the Lord. ⁷ Many say, Who will shew us good things? the light of thy countenance, O Lord, has been manifested towards us. ⁸ Thou hast put gladness into my heart: they have been satisfied with the fruit of their corn and wine and oil. ⁹ I will both lie down in peace and sleep: for thou, Lord, only hast caused me to dwell securely.

Psalm 5

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David, concerning her that inherits. ² Hearken to my words, O Lord, attend to my cry. ³ Attend to the voice of my supplication, my King, and my God: for to thee, O Lord, will I pray. ⁴ In the morning thou shalt hear my voice: in the morning will I wait upon thee, and will look up. ⁵ For thou art not a God that desires iniquity; neither shall the worker of wickedness dwell with thee. ⁶ Neither shall the transgressors continue in thy sight: thou hatest, O Lord, all them that work iniquity. ⁷ Thou wilt destroy all that speak falsehood: the Lord abhors the bloody and deceitful man. ⁸ But I will enter into thine house in the multitude of thy mercy: I will worship in thy fear toward thy holy temple.

Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make my way plain before thy face. ¹⁰ For there is no truth in their mouth; their heart is vain; their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit. ¹¹ Judge them, O God; let them fail of their counsels: cast them out according to the abundance of their ungodliness; for they have provoked thee, O Lord. ¹² But let all that trust on thee be glad in thee: they shall exult for ever, and thou shalt dwell among them; and all that love thy name shall rejoice in thee. ¹³ For thou, Lord, shalt bless the righteous: thou hast compassed us as with a shield of favour.

Psalm 6

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David among the Hymns for the eighth. ² O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath, neither chasten me in thine anger. ³ Pity me, O Lord; for I am weak: heal me, O Lord; for my bones are vexed. ⁴ My soul also is grievously vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long? ⁵ Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: save me for thy mercy's sake. ⁶ For in death no man remembers thee: and who will give thee thanks in Hades? ⁷ I am wearied with my groaning; I shall wash my bed every night; I shall water my couch with my tears. ⁸ Mine eye is troubled because of my wrath; I am worn out because of all my enemies. ⁹ Depart from me, all ye that work iniquity; for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. ¹⁰ The Lord has hearkened to my petition; the Lord has accepted my prayer. ¹¹ Let all mine enemies be put to shame and sore troubled: let them be turned back and grievously put to shame speedily.

Stasis 3

Psalm 7

¹ A Psalm of David, which he sang to the Lord because of the words of Chusi the Benjamite. ² O Lord my God, in thee have I trusted: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me. ³ Lest at any time the enemy seize my soul as a lion, while there is none to ransom, nor to save. ⁴ O Lord my God, if I have done this; (if there is unrighteousness in my hands;) ⁵ if I have requited with evil those who requited me with good; may I then perish empty by means of my enemies. ⁶ Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; and let him trample my life on the ground, and lay my glory in the dust. Pause. ⁷ Arise, O Lord, in thy wrath; be exalted in the utmost boundaries of mine enemies: awake, O Lord my God, according to the decree which thou didst command. ⁸ And the congregation of the nations shall compass thee: and for this cause do thou return on high. ⁹ The Lord shall judge the nations: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my innocence that is in me. ¹⁰ Oh let the wickedness of sinners come to an end; and then thou shalt direct the righteous, O God that searchest the hearts and reins. ¹¹ My help is righteous, coming from God who saves the upright in heart. ¹² God is a righteous judge, and strong, and patient, not inflicting vengeance every day. ¹³ If ye will not repent, he will furbish his sword; he has bent his bow, and made it ready. ¹⁴ And on it he has fitted the instruments of death; he has completed his arrows for the raging ones. ¹⁵ Behold, he has travailed with unrighteousness, he has conceived trouble, and brought forth iniquity. ¹⁶ He has opened a pit, and dug it up, and he shall fall into the ditch which he has made. ¹⁷ His trouble shall return on his own head, and his unrighteousness shall come down on his own crown. ¹⁸ I will give thanks to the Lord according to his righteousness; I will sing to the name of the Lord most high.

Psalm 8

¹ For the end, concerning the wine-presses, a Psalm of David. ² O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is thy name in all the earth! for thy magnificence is exalted above the heavens. ³ Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou perfected praise, because of thine enemies; that thou mightest put down the enemy and avenger. ⁴ For I will regard the heavens, the work of thy fingers; the moon and stars, which thou hast established. ⁵ What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? ⁶ Thou madest him a little less than angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honour; ⁷ and thou hast set him over the works of thy hands: thou hast put all things under his feet: ⁸ sheep and all oxen, yea, and the cattle of the field; ⁹ the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea, the creatures passing through the paths of the sea. ¹⁰ O Lord our Lord, how wonderful is thy name in all the earth!

(Second Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 9

For the end, a Psalm of David, concerning the secrets of the Son. ² I will give thanks to thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will recount all thy wonderful works. ³ I will be glad and exult in thee: I will sing to thy name, O thou Most High. ⁴ When mine enemies are turned back, they shall be feeble and perish at thy presence. ⁵ For thou hast maintained my cause and my right; thou satest on the throne, that judgest righteousness. ⁶ Thou hast rebuked the nations, and the ungodly one has perished; thou hast blotted out their name for ever, even for ever and ever. ⁷ The swords of the enemy have failed utterly; and thou hast destroyed cities: their memorial has been destroyed with a noise, ⁸ but the Lord endures for ever: he has prepared his throne for judgment. ⁹ And he will judge the world in righteousness, he will judge the nations in uprightness. ¹⁰ The Lord also is become a refuge for the poor, a seasonable help, in affliction. ¹¹ And let them that know thy name hope in thee: for thou, O Lord, hast not failed them that diligently seek thee. ¹² Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Sion: declare his dealings among the nations. ¹³ For he remembered them, in making inquisition for blood: he has not forgotten the supplication of the poor. ¹⁴ Have mercy upon me, O Lord; look upon my affliction which I suffer of mine enemies, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: ¹⁵ that I may declare all thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Sion: I will exult in thy salvation. ¹⁶ The heathen are caught in the destruction which they planned: in the very snare which they hid is their foot taken. ¹⁷ The Lord is known as executing judgments: the sinner is taken in the works of his hands. A song of Pause. ¹⁸ Let sinners be driven away into Hades, even all the nations that forget God. ¹⁹ For the poor shall not be forgotten for ever: the patience of the needy ones shall not perish for ever. ²⁰ Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged before thee. ²¹ Appoint, O Lord, a lawgiver over them: let the heathen know that they are men. Pause. ²² Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why dost thou overlook us in times of need, in affliction? ²³ While the ungodly one acts proudly, the poor is hotly pursued: the wicked are taken in the crafty counsels which they imagine. ²⁴ Because the sinner praises himself for the desires of his heart; and the unjust one blesses himself. ²⁵ The sinner has provoked the Lord: according to the abundance of his pride he will not seek after him: God is not before him. ²⁶ His ways are profane at all times; thy judgments are removed from before him: he will gain the mastery over all his enemies. ²⁷ For he has said in his heart, I shall not be moved, continuing without evil from generation to generation. ²⁸ Whose mouth is full of cursing, and bitterness, and fraud: under his tongue are trouble and pain. ²⁹ He lies in wait with rich men in secret places, in order to slay the innocent: his eyes are set against the poor. ³⁰ He lies in wait in secret as a lion in his den: he lies in wait to ravish the poor, to ravish the poor when he draws him after him: he will bring him down in his snare. ³¹ He will bow down and fall when he has mastered the poor. ³² For he has said in his heart, God has forgotten: he has turned away his face so as never to look. ³³ Arise, O Lord God; let thy hand be lifted up: forget not the poor. ³⁴ Wherefore has the wicked provoked God? for he has said in his heart, He will not require it. ³⁵ Thou seest it; for thou dost observe trouble and wrath, to deliver them into thy hands: the poor has been left to thee; thou wast a helper to the orphan. ³⁶ Break thou the arm of the sinner and wicked man: his sin shall be sought for, and shall not be found. ³⁷ The Lord shall reign for ever, even for ever and ever: ye Gentiles shall perish out of his land. ³⁸ The Lord has heard the desire of the poor: thine ear has inclined to the preparation of their heart; ³⁹ to plead for the orphan and afflicted, that man may no more boast upon the earth.

Psalm 10

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David.

In the Lord I have put my trust: how will ye say to my soul, Flee to the mountains as a sparrow? ² For behold the sinners have bent their bow, they have prepared their arrows for the quiver, to shoot privily at the upright in heart. ³ For they have pulled down what thou didst frame, but what has the righteous done? ⁴ The Lord is in his holy temple, as for the Lord, his throne is in heaven: his eyes look upon the poor, his eyelids try the sons of men. ⁵ The Lord tries the righteous and the ungodly: and he that loves unrighteousness hates his own soul. ⁶ He shall rain upon sinners snares, fire, and brimstone, and a stormy blast shall be the portion of their cup. ⁷ For the Lord is righteous, and loves righteousness; his face beholds uprightness.

Stasis 2

Psalm 11

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David, upon the eighth.

Save me, O Lord; for the godly man has failed; for truth is diminished from among the children of men. ³ Every one has spoken vanity to his neighbour: their lips are deceitful, they have spoken with a double heart. ⁴ Let the Lord destroy all the deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaks great words: ⁵ who have said, We will magnify our tongue; our lips are our own: who is Lord of us? ⁶ Because of the misery of the poor, and because of the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set them in safety; I will speak to them thereof openly. ⁷ The oracles of the Lord are pure oracles; as silver tried in the fire, proved in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. ⁸ Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us, and shalt preserve us, from this generation, and for ever. ⁹ The ungodly walk around: according to thy greatness thou hast greatly exalted the sons of men.

Psalm 12

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David. ² How long, O Lord, wilt thou forget me? for ever? how long wilt thou turn away thy face from me? ³ How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrows in my heart daily? how long shall my enemy be exalted over me? ⁴ Look on me, hearken to me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep in death; ⁵ lest at any time mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him: my persecutors will exult if ever I should be moved. ⁶ But I have hoped in thy mercy; my heart shall exult in thy salvation. I will sing to the Lord who has dealt bountifully with me, and I will sing psalms to the name of the Lord most high.

Psalm 13

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David.

The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They have corrupted themselves, and become abominable in their devices; there is none that does goodness, there is not even so much as one. ² The Lord looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there were any that understood, or sought after God. ³ They are all gone out of the way, they are together become good for nothing, there is none that does good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes. ⁴ Will not all the workers of iniquity know, who eat up my people as they would eat bread? they have not called upon the Lord. ⁵ There were they alarmed with fear, where there was no fear; for God is in the righteous generation. ⁶ Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his hope. ⁷ Who will bring the salvation of Israel out of Sion? when the Lord brings back the captivity of his people, let Jacob exult, and Israel be glad.

Stasis 3

Psalm 14

¹ A Psalm of David.

O Lord, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle? and who shall dwell in thy holy mountain? ² He that walks blameless, and works righteousness, who speaks truth in his heart. ³ Who has not spoken craftily with his tongue, neither has done evil to his neighbour, nor taken up a reproach against them that dwelt nearest to him. ⁴ In his sight an evil-worker is set at nought, but he honours them that fear the Lord. He swears to his neighbour, and disappoints him not. ⁵ He has not lent his money on usury, and has not received bribes against the innocent. He that does these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 15

¹ A writing of David.

Keep me, O Lord; for I have hoped in thee. ² I said to the Lord, Thou art my Lord; for thou hast no need of my goodness. ³ On behalf of the saints that are in his land, he has magnified all his pleasure in them. ⁴ Their weaknesses have been multiplied; afterward they hasted. I will by no means assemble their bloody meetings, neither will I make mention of their names with my lips. ⁵ The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou art he that restores my inheritance to me. ⁶ The lines have fallen to me in the best places, yea, I have a most excellent heritage. ⁷ I will bless the Lord who has instructed me; my reins too have chastened me even till night. ⁸ I foresaw the Lord always before my face; for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. ⁹ Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: ¹⁰ because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. ¹¹ Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt fill me with joy with thy countenance: at thy right hand there are delights for ever.

Psalm 16

16:1

A Prayer of David.

Hearken, O Lord of my righteousness, attend to my petition; give ear to my prayer not uttered with deceitful lips. ² Let my judgment come forth from thy presence; let mine eyes behold righteousness. ³ Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me by night; thou hast tried me as with fire, and unrighteousness has not been found in me: I am purposed that my mouth shall not speak amiss. ⁴ As for the works of men, by the words of thy lips I have guarded myself from hard ways. ⁵ Direct my steps in thy paths, that my steps slip not. ⁶ I have cried, for thou heardest me, O God: incline thine ear to me, and hearken to my words. ⁷ Shew the marvels of thy mercies, thou that savest them that hope in thee. ⁸ Keep me as the apple of the eye from those that resist thy right hand: thou shalt screen me by the covering of thy wings, ⁹ from the face of the ungodly that have afflicted me: mine enemies have compassed about my soul. ¹⁰ They have enclosed themselves with their own fat: their mouth has spoken pride. ¹¹ They have now cast me out and compassed me round about: they have set their eyes so as to bow them down to the ground. ¹² They laid wait for me as a lion ready for prey, and like a lion's whelp dwelling in secret places. ¹³ Arise, O Lord, prevent them, and cast them down: deliver my soul from the ungodly: draw thy sword, ¹⁴ because of the enemies of thine hand: O Lord, destroy them from the earth; scatter them in their life, though their belly has been filled with thy hidden treasures: they have been satisfied with uncleanness, and have left the remnant of their possessions to their babes. ¹⁵ But I shall appear in righteousness before thy face: I shall be satisfied when thy glory appears.

(Third Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 17

For the end, a Psalm of David the servant of the Lord; the words which he spoke to the Lord, even the words of this Song, in the day in which the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: and he said: ² I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. ³ The Lord is my firm support, and my refuge, and my deliverer; my God is my helper, I will hope in him; he is my defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper. ⁴ I will call upon the Lord with praises, and I shall be saved from mine enemies. ⁵ The pangs of death compassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness troubled me exceedingly. ⁶ The pangs of hell came round about me: the snares of death prevented me.

And when I was afflicted I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of his holy temple, and my cry shall enter before him, even into his ears. ⁸ Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and were shaken, because God was angry with them. ⁹ There went up a smoke in his wrath, and fire burst into a flame at his presence: coals were kindled at it. ¹⁰ And he bowed the heaven, and came down: and thick darkness was under his feet. ¹¹ And he mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds. ¹² And he made darkness his secret place: round about him was his tabernacle, even dark water in the clouds of the air. ¹³ At the brightness before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire. ¹⁴ The Lord also thundered from heaven, and the Highest uttered his voice. ¹⁵ And he sent forth his weapons, and scattered them; and multiplied lightnings, and routed them. ¹⁶ And the springs of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blasting of the breath of thy wrath. ¹⁷ He sent from on high and took me, he drew me to himself out of many waters. ¹⁸ He will deliver me from my mighty enemies, and from them that hate me; for they are stronger than I. ¹⁹ They prevented me in the day of mine affliction: but the Lord was my stay against them. ²⁰ And he brought me out into a wide place: he will deliver me, because he has pleasure in me. ²¹ And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands will he recompense me. ²² For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God. ²³ For all his judgments were before me, and his ordinances departed not from me. ²⁴ And I shall be blameless with him, and shall keep myself from mine iniquity. ²⁵ And the Lord shall recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes. ²⁶ With the holy thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent. ²⁷ And with the excellent man thou wilt be excellent; and with the perverse thou wilt shew frowardness. ²⁸ For thou wilt save the lowly people, and wilt humble the eyes of the proud. ²⁹ For thou, O Lord, wilt light my lamp: my God, thou wilt lighten my darkness. ³⁰ For by thee shall I be delivered from a troop; and by my God I will pass over a wall. ³¹ As for my God, his way is perfect: the oracles of the Lord are tried in the fire; he is a protector of all them that hope in him. ³² For who is God but the Lord? and who is a God except our God? ³³ It is God that girds me with strength, and has made my way blameless: ³⁴ who strengthens my feet as hart's feet, and sets me upon high places. ³⁵ He instructs my hands for war; and thou hast made my arms as a brazen bow. ³⁶ And thou hast made me secure in my salvation: and thy right hand has helped me, and thy correction has upheld me to the end; yea, thy correction itself shall instruct me. ³⁷ Thou hast made room for my goings under me, and my footsteps did not fail. ³⁸ I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; and I will not turn back until they are consumed. ³⁹ I will dash them to pieces and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet. ⁴⁰ For thou hast girded me with strength for war: thou hast beaten down under me all that rose up against me. ⁴¹ And thou hast made mine enemies turn their backs before me; and thou hast destroyed them that hated me. ⁴² They cried, but there was no deliverer: even to the Lord, but he hearkened not to them. ⁴³ I will grind them as the mud of the streets: and I will beat them small as dust before the wind. ⁴⁴ Deliver me from the gainsayings of the people: thou shalt make me head of the Gentiles: a people whom I knew not served me, ⁴⁵ at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me. ⁴⁶ The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness. ⁴⁷ The Lord lives; and blessed be my God; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. ⁴⁸ It is God that avenges me, and has subdued the nations under me; ⁴⁹ my deliverer from angry enemies: thou shalt set me on high above them that rise up against me: thou shalt deliver me from the unrighteous man. ⁵⁰ Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name. ⁵¹ God magnifies the deliverances of his king; and deals mercifully with David his anointed, and his seed, for ever.

Stasis 2

Psalm 18

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David. ² The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands. ³ Day to day utters speech, and night to night proclaims knowledge. ⁴ There are no speeches or words, in which their voices are not heard. ⁵ Their voice is gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. ⁶ In the sun he has set his tabernacle; and he comes forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber: he will exult as a giant to run his course. ⁷ His going forth is from the extremity of heaven, and his circuit to the other end of heaven: and no one shall be hidden from his heat. ⁸ The law of the Lord is perfect, converting souls: the testimony of the Lord is faithful, instructing babes. ⁹ The ordinances of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes. ¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever and ever: the judgments of the Lord are true, and justified altogether. ¹¹ To be desired more than gold, and much precious stone: sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb. ¹² For thy servant keeps to them: in the keeping of them there is great reward. ¹³ Who will understand his transgressions? purge thou me from my secret sins. ¹⁴ And spare thy servant the attack of strangers: if they do not gain the dominion over me, then shall I be blameless, and I shall be clear from great sin. ¹⁵ So shall the sayings of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be pleasing continually before thee, O Lord my helper, and my redeemer.

Psalm 19

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David. ² The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee. ³ Send thee help from the sanctuary, and aid thee out of Sion. ⁴ Remember all thy sacrifice, and enrich thy whole-burnt-offering. Pause. ⁵ Grant thee according to thy heart, and fulfil all thy desire. ⁶ We will exult in thy salvation, and in the name of our God shall we be magnified: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions. ⁷ Now I know that the Lord has saved his Christ: he shall hear him from his holy heaven: the salvation of his right hand is mighty. ⁸ Some glory in chariots, and some in horses: but we will glory in the name of the Lord our God. ⁹ They are overthrown and fallen: but we are risen, and have been set upright. ¹⁰ O Lord, save the king: and hear us in whatever day we call upon thee.

Psalm 20

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David. ² O Lord, the king shall rejoice in thy strength; and in thy salvation he shall greatly exult. ³ Thou hast granted him the desire of his soul, and hast not withheld from him the request of his lips. Pause. ⁴ For thou hast prevented him with blessings of goodness: thou hast set upon his head a crown of precious stone. ⁵ He asked life of thee, and thou gavest him length of days for ever and ever. ⁶ His glory is great in thy salvation: thou wilt crown him with glory and majesty. ⁷ For thou wilt give him a blessing for ever and ever: thou wilt gladden him with joy with thy countenance. ⁸ For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Highest he shall not be moved. ⁹ Let thy hand be found by all thine enemies: let thy right hand find all that hate thee. ¹⁰ Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven at the time of thy presence: the Lord shall trouble them in his anger, and fire shall devour them. ¹¹ Thou shalt destroy their fruit from the earth, and their seed from among the sons of men. ¹² For they intended evils against thee; they imagined a device which they shall by no means be able to perform. ¹³ For thou shalt make them turn their back in thy latter end, thou wilt prepare their face. ¹⁴ Be thou exalted, O Lord, in thy strength: we will sing and praise thy mighty acts.

Stasis 3

Psalm 21

¹ For the end, concerning the morning aid, a Psalm of David. ² O God, my God, attend to me: why hast thou forsaken me? the account of my transgressions is far from my salvation. ³ O my God, I will cry to thee by day, but thou wilt not hear: and by night, and it shall not be accounted for folly to me. ⁴ But thou, the praise of Israel, dwellest in a sanctuary. ⁵ Our fathers hoped in thee; they hoped, and thou didst deliver them. ⁶ They cried to thee, and were saved: they hoped in thee, and were not ashamed. ⁷ But I am a worm, and not a man; a reproach of men, and scorn of the people. ⁸ All that saw me mocked me: they spoke with their lips, they shook the head, saying, ⁹ He hoped in the Lord: let him deliver him, let him save him, because he takes pleasure in him. ¹⁰ For thou art he that drew me out of the womb; my hope from my mother's breasts. ¹¹ I was cast on thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. ¹² Stand not aloof from me; for affliction is near; for there is no helper. ¹³ Many bullocks have compassed me: fat bulls have beset me round. ¹⁴ They have opened their mouth against me, as a ravening and roaring lion. ¹⁵ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are loosened: my heart in the midst of my belly is become like melting wax. ¹⁶ My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue is glued to my throat; and thou hast brought me down to the dust of death. ¹⁷ For many dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked doers has beset me round: they pierced my hands and my feet. ¹⁸ They counted all my bones; and they observed and looked upon me. ¹⁹ They parted my garments among themselves, and cast lots upon my raiment. ²⁰ But thou, O Lord, remove not my help afar off: be ready for mine aid. ²¹ Deliver my soul from the sword; my only-begotten one from the power of the dog. ²² Save me from the lion's mouth; and regard my lowliness from the horns of the unicorns. ²³ I will declare thy name to my brethren: in the midst of the church will I sing praise to thee. ²⁴ Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye seed of Jacob, glorify him: let all the seed of Israel fear him. ²⁵ For he has not despised nor been angry at the supplication of the poor; nor turned away his face from me; but when I cried to him, he heard me. ²⁶ My praise is of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. ²⁷ The poor shall eat and be satisfied; and they shall praise the Lord that seek him: their heart shall live for ever. ²⁸ All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him. ²⁹ For the kingdom is the Lord's; and he is the governor of the nations. ³⁰ All the fat ones of the earth have eaten and worshipped: all that go down to the earth shall fall down before him: my soul also lives to him. ³¹ And my seed shall serve him: the generation that is coming shall be reported to the Lord. ³² And they shall report his righteousness to the people that shall be born, whom the Lord has made.

Psalm 22

¹ A Psalm of David.

The Lord tends me as a shepherd, and I shall want nothing. ² In a place of green grass, there he has made me dwell: he has nourished me by the water of rest. ³ He has restored my soul: he has guided me into the paths of righteousness, for his name's sake. ⁴ Yea, even if I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of evils: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, these have comforted me. ⁵ Thou hast prepared a table before me in presence of them that afflict me: thou hast thoroughly anointed my head with oil; and thy cup cheers me like the best wine. ⁶ Thy mercy also shall follow me all the days of my life: and my dwelling shall be in the house of the Lord for a very long time.

Psalm 23

¹ A Psalm for David on the first day of the week.

The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof; the world, and all that dwell in it. ² He has founded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon the rivers. ³ Who shall go up to the mountain of the Lord, and who shall stand in his holy place? ⁴ He that is innocent in his hands and pure in his heart; who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbour. ⁵ He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Saviour. ⁶ This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek the face of the God of Jacob. Pause. ⁷ Lift up your gates, ye princes, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the king of glory shall come in. ⁸ Who is this king of glory? the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. ⁹ Lift up your gates, ye princes; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the king of glory shall come in. ¹⁰ Who is this king of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is this king of glory.

(Fourth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 24

A Psalm of David.

To thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. ² O my God, I have trusted in thee: let me not be confounded, neither let mine enemies laugh me to scorn. ³ For none of them that wait on thee shall in any wise be ashamed: let them be ashamed that transgress without cause. ⁴ Shew me thy ways, O Lord; and teach me thy paths. ⁵ Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art God my Saviour: and I have waited on thee all the day. ⁶ Remember thy compassions, O Lord, and thy mercies, for they are from everlasting. ⁷ Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my sins of ignorance: remember me according to thy mercy, for thy goodness' sake, O Lord. ⁸ Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he instruct sinners in the way. ⁹ The meek will he guide in judgment: the meek will he teach his ways. ¹⁰ All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that seek his covenant and his testimonies. ¹¹ For thy name's sake, O Lord, do thou also be merciful to my sin; for it is great. ¹² Who is the man that fears the Lord? he shall instruct him in the way which he has chosen. ¹³ His soul shall dwell in prosperity; and his seed shall inherit the earth. ¹⁴ The Lord is the strength of them that fear him; and his covenant is to manifest truth to them. ¹⁵ Mine eyes are continually to the Lord; for he shall draw my feet out of the snare. ¹⁶ Look upon me, and have mercy upon me; for I am an only child and poor. ¹⁷ The afflictions of my heart have been multiplied; deliver me from my distresses. ¹⁸ Look upon mine affliction and my trouble; and forgive all my sins. ¹⁹ Look upon mine enemies; for they have been multiplied; and they have hated me with unjust hatred. ²⁰ Keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I have hoped in thee. ²¹ The harmless and upright joined themselves to me: for I waited for thee, O Lord. ²² Deliver Israel, O God, out of all his afflictions.

Psalm 25

¹ A Psalm of David.

Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in my innocence: and hoping in the Lord I shall not be moved. ² Prove me, O Lord, and try me; purify as with fire my reins and my heart. ³ For thy mercy is before mine eyes: and I am well pleased with thy truth. ⁴ I have not sat with the council of vanity, and will in nowise enter in with transgressors. ⁵ I have hated the assembly of wicked doers; and will not sit with ungodly men. ⁶ I will wash my hands in innocency, and compass thine altar, O Lord: ⁷ to hear the voice of praise, and to declare all thy wonderful works. ⁸ O Lord, I have loved the beauty of thy house, and the place of the tabernacle of thy glory. ⁹ Destroy not my soul together with the ungodly, nor my life with bloody men: ¹⁰ in whose hands are iniquities, and their right hand is filled with bribes. ¹¹ But I have walked in my innocence: redeem me, and have mercy upon me. ¹² My foot stands in an even place: in the congregations will I bless thee, O Lord.

Psalm 26

¹ A Psalm of David, before he was anointed.

The Lord is my light and my Saviour; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the defender of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? ² When evil-doers drew nigh against me to eat up my flesh, my persecutors and mine enemies, they fainted and fell. ³ Though an army should set itself in array against me, my heart shall not be afraid: though war should rise up against me, in this am I confident. ⁴ One thing have I asked of the Lord, this will I earnestly seek: that I should dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I should behold the fair beauty of the Lord, and survey his temple. ⁵ For in the day of mine afflictions he hid me in his tabernacle: he sheltered me in the secret of his tabernacle; he set me up on a rock. ⁶ And now, behold, he has lifted up mine head over mine enemies: I went round and offered in his tabernacle the sacrifice of joy; I will sing, even sing psalms to the Lord. ⁷ Hear, O Lord, my voice which I have uttered aloud: pity me, and hearken to me. ⁸ My heart said to thee, I have diligently sought thy face: thy face, O Lord, I will seek. ⁹ Turn not thy face away from me, turn not thou away from thy servant in anger: be thou my helper, forsake me not; and, O God my Saviour, overlook me not. ¹⁰ For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord has taken me to himself. ¹¹ Teach me, O Lord, in thy way, and guide me in a right path, because of mine enemies. ¹² Deliver me not over to the desire of them that afflict me; for unjust witnesses have risen up against me, and injustice has lied within herself. ¹³ I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and let thy heart be strengthened: yea, wait on the Lord.

Stasis 2

Psalm 27

¹ A Psalm of David.

To thee, O Lord, have I cried; my God, be not silent toward me: lest thou be silent toward me, and so I should be likened to them that go down to the pit. ² Hearken to the voice of my supplication, when I pray to thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy temple. ³ Draw not away my soul with sinners, and destroy me not with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace with their neighbours, but evils are in their hearts. ⁴ Give them according to their works, and according to the wickedness of their devices: give them according to the works of their hands; render their recompence unto them. ⁵ Because they have not attended to the works of the Lord, even to the works of his hands, thou shalt pull them down, and shalt not build them up. ⁶ Blessed be the Lord, for he has hearkened to the voice of my petition. ⁷ The Lord is my helper and my defender; my heart has hoped in him, and I am helped: my flesh has revived, and willingly will I give praise to him. ⁸ The Lord is the strength of his people, and the saving defender of his anointed. ⁹ Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: and take care of them, and lift them up for ever.

Psalm 28

¹ A Psalm of David on the occasion of the solemn assembly of the Tabernacle.

Bring to the Lord, ye sons of God, bring to the Lord young rams; bring to the Lord glory and honour. ² Bring to the Lord glory, due to his name; worship the Lord in his holy court. ³ The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory has thundered: the Lord is upon many waters. ⁴ The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. ⁵ There is the voice of the Lord who breaks the cedars; the Lord will break the cedars of Libanus. ⁶ And he will beat them small, even Libanus itself, like a calf; and the beloved one is as a young unicorn. ⁷ There is a voice of the Lord who divides a flame of fire. ⁸ A voice of the Lord who shakes the wilderness; the Lord will shake the wilderness of Cades. ⁹ The voice of the Lord strengthens the hinds, and will uncover the thickets: and in his temple every one speaks of his glory. ¹⁰ The Lord will dwell on the waterflood: and the Lord will sit a king for ever. ¹¹ The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

Psalm 29

¹ For the end, a Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David. ² I will exalt thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and not caused mine enemies to rejoice over me. ³ O Lord my God, I cried to thee, and thou didst heal me. ⁴ O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from Hades, thou hast delivered me from among them that go down to the pit. ⁵ Sing to the Lord, ye his saints, and give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness. ⁶ For anger is in his wrath, but life in his favour: weeping shall tarry for the evening, but joy shall be in the morning. ⁷ And I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. ⁸ O Lord, in thy good pleasure thou didst add strength to my beauty: but thou didst turn away thy face, and I was troubled. ⁹ To thee, O Lord, will I cry; and to my God will I make supplication. ¹⁰ What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to destruction? Shall the dust give praise to thee? or shall it declare thy truth? ¹¹ The Lord heard, and had compassion upon me; the Lord is become my helper. ¹² Thou hast turned my mourning into joy for me: thou hast rent off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; ¹³ that my glory may sing praise to thee, and I may not be pierced with sorrow. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee for ever.

Stasis 3

Psalm 30

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David, an utterance of extreme fear. ² O Lord, I have hoped in thee; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness and rescue me. ³ Incline thine ear to me; make haste to rescue me: be thou to me for a protecting God, and for a house of refuge to save me. ⁴ For thou art my strength and my refuge; and thou shalt guide me for thy name's sake, and maintain me. ⁵ Thou shalt bring me out of the snare which they have hidden for me; for thou, O Lord, art my defender. ⁶ Into thine hands I will commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. ⁷ Thou hast hated them that idly persist in vanities: but I have hoped in the Lord. ⁸ I will exult and be glad in thy mercy: for thou hast looked upon mine affliction; thou hast saved my soul from distresses. ⁹ And thou hast not shut me up into the hands of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a wide place. ¹⁰ Pity me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with indignation, my soul and my belly. ¹¹ For my life is spent with grief, and my years with groanings: my strength has been weakened through poverty, and my bones are troubled. ¹² I became a reproach among all mine enemies, but exceedingly so to my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that saw me without fled from me. ¹³ I have been forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am become as a broken vessel. ¹⁴ For I heard the slander of many that dwelt round about: when they were gathered together against me, they took counsel to take my life. ¹⁵ But I hoped in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God. ¹⁶ My lots are in thy hands: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, ¹⁷ and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me in thy mercy. ¹⁸ O Lord, let me not be ashamed, for I have called upon thee: let the ungodly be ashamed, and brought down to Hades. ¹⁹ Let the deceitful lips become dumb, which speak iniquity against the righteous with pride and scorn. ²⁰ How abundant is the multitude of thy goodness, O Lord, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee! thou hast wrought it out for them that hope on thee, in the presence of the sons of men. ²¹ Thou wilt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the vexation of man: thou wilt screen them in a tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues. ²² Blessed be the Lord: for he has magnified his mercy in a fortified city. ²³ But I said in my extreme fear, I am cast out from the sight of thine eyes: therefore thou didst hearken, O Lord, to the voice of my supplication when I cried to thee. ²⁴ Love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord seeks for truth, and renders a reward to them that deal very proudly. ²⁵ Be of good courage, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.

Psalm 31

¹ A Psalm of instruction by David.

Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. ² Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin, and in whose mouth there is no guile. ³ Because I kept silence, my bones waxed old, from my crying all the day. ⁴ For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: I became thoroughly miserable while a thorn was fastened in me. Pause. ⁵ I acknowledged my sin, and hid not mine iniquity: I said, I will confess mine iniquity to the Lord against myself; and thou forgavest the ungodliness of my heart. Pause. ⁶ Therefore shall every holy one pray to thee in a fit time: only in the deluge of many waters they shall not come nigh to him. ⁷ Thou art my refuge from the affliction that encompasses me; my joy, to deliver me from them that have compassed me. Pause. ⁸ I will instruct thee and guide thee in this way wherein thou shalt go: I will fix mine eyes upon thee. ⁹ Be ye not as horse and mule, which have no understanding: but thou must constrain their jaws with bit and curb, lest they should come nigh to thee. ¹⁰ Many are the scourges of the sinner: but him that hopes in the Lord mercy shall compass about. ¹¹ Be glad in the Lord, and exult, ye righteous: and glory, all ye that are upright in heart.

(Fifth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 32

A Psalm of David.

Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; praise becomes the upright. ² Praise the Lord on the harp; play to him on a psaltery of ten strings. ³ Sing to him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. ⁴ For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are faithful. ⁵ He loves mercy and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord. ⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were established; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. ⁷ Who gathers the waters of the sea as in a bottle; who lays up the deeps in treasuries. ⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord; and let all that dwell in the world be moved because of him. ⁹ For he spoke, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created. ¹⁰ The Lord frustrates the counsels of the nations; he brings to nought also the reasonings of the peoples, and brings to nought the counsels of princes. ¹¹ But the counsel of the Lord endures for ever, the thoughts of his heart from generation to generation. ¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. ¹³ The Lord looks out of heaven; he beholds all the sons of men. ¹⁴ He looks from his prepared habitation on all the dwellers on the earth; ¹⁵ who fashioned their hearts alone; who understands all their works. ¹⁶ A king is not saved by reason of a great host; and a giant shall not be delivered by the greatness of his strength. ¹⁷ A horse is vain for safety; neither shall he be delivered by the greatness of his power. ¹⁸ Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on them that fear him, those that hope in his mercy; ¹⁹ to deliver their souls from death, and to keep them alive in famine. ²⁰ Our soul waits on the Lord; for he is our helper and defender. ²¹ For our heart shall rejoice in him, and we have hoped in his holy name. ²² Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in thee.

Psalm 33

¹ A Psalm of David, when he changed his countenance before Abimelech; and he let him go, and he departed. ² I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall be continually in my mouth. ³ My soul shall boast herself in the Lord: let the meek hear, and rejoice. ⁴ Magnify ye the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. ⁵ I sought the Lord diligently, and he hearkened to me, and delivered me from all my sojournings. ⁶ Draw near to him, and be enlightened: and your faces shall not by any means be ashamed. ⁷ This poor man cried, and the Lord hearkened to him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions. ⁸ The angel of the Lord will encamp round about them that fear him, and will deliver them. ⁹ Taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man who hopes in him. ¹⁰ Fear the Lord, all ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. ¹¹ The rich have become poor and hungry: but they that seek the Lord diligently shall not want any good thing. Pause. ¹² Come, ye children, hear me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. ¹³ What man is there that desires life, loving to see good days? ¹⁴ Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. ¹⁵ Turn away from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. ¹⁶ The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer: ¹⁷ but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to destroy their memorial from the earth. The righteous cried, and the Lord hearkened to them, ¹⁸ and delivered them out of all their afflictions. ¹⁹ The Lord is near to them that are of a contrite heart; and will save the lowly in spirit. ²⁰ Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but out of them all the Lord will deliver them. ²¹ He keeps all their bones: not one of them shall be broken. ²² The death of sinners is evil: and they that hate righteousness will go wrong. ²³ The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants: and none of those that hope in him shall go wrong.

Stasis 2

Psalm 34

¹ A Psalm of David.

Judge thou, O Lord, them that injure me, fight against them that fight against me. ² Take hold of shield and buckler, and arise for my help. ³ Bring forth a sword, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say to my soul, I am thy salvation. ⁴ Let them that seek my soul be ashamed and confounded: let them that devise evils against me be turned back and put to shame. ⁵ Let them be as dust before the wind, and an angel of the Lord afflicting them. ⁶ Let their way be dark and slippery, and an angel of the Lord persecuting them. ⁷ For without cause they have hid for me their destructive snare: without a cause they have reproached my soul. ⁸ Let a snare which they know not come upon them: and the gin which they hid take them; and let them fall into the very same snare. ⁹ But my soul shall exult in the Lord: it shall delight in his salvation. ¹⁰ All my bones shall say, O Lord, who is like to thee? delivering the poor out of the hand of them that are stronger than he, yea, the poor and needy one from them that spoil him. ¹¹ Unjust witnesses arose, and asked me of things I knew not. ¹² They rewarded me evil for good, and bereavement to my soul. ¹³ But I, when they troubled me, put on sackcloth, and humbled my soul with fasting: and my prayer shall return to my own bosom. ¹⁴ I behaved agreeably towards them as if it had been our neighbour or brother: I humbled myself as one mourning and sad of countenance. ¹⁵ Yet they rejoiced against me, and plagues were plentifully brought against me, and I knew it not: they were scattered, but repented not. ¹⁶ They tempted me, they sneered at me most contemptuously, they gnashed their teeth upon me. ¹⁷ O Lord, when wilt thou look upon me? Deliver my soul from their mischief, mine only-begotten one from the lions. ¹⁸ I will give thanks to thee even in a great congregation: in an abundant people I will praise thee. ¹⁹ Let not them that are mine enemies without a cause rejoice against me; who hate me for nothing, and wink with their eyes. ²⁰ For to me they spoke peaceably, but imagined deceits in their anger. ²¹ And they opened wide their mouth upon me; they said, Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it. ²² Thou hast seen it, O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord, withdraw not thyself from me. ²³ Awake, O Lord, and attend to my judgment, even to my cause, my God and my Lord. ²⁴ Judge me, O Lord, according to thy righteousness, O Lord my God; and let them not rejoice against me. ²⁵ Let them not say in their hearts, Aha, aha, it is pleasing to our soul: neither let them say, We have devoured him. ²⁶ Let them be confounded and ashamed together that rejoice at my afflictions: let them be clothed with shame and confusion that speak great swelling words against me. ²⁷ Let them that rejoice in my righteousness exult and be glad: and let them say continually, The Lord be magnified, who desire the peace of his servant. ²⁸ And my tongue shall meditate on thy righteousness, and on thy praise all the day.

Psalm 35

¹ For the end, by David the servant of the Lord. ² The transgressor, that he may sin, says within himself, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. ³ For he has dealt craftily before him, to discover his iniquity and hate it. ⁴ The words of his mouth are transgression and deceit: he is not inclined to understand how to do good. ⁵ He devises iniquity on his bed; he gives himself to every evil way; and does not abhor evil. ⁶ O Lord, thy mercy is in the heaven; and thy truth reaches to the clouds. ⁷ Thy righteousness is as the mountains of God, thy judgments are as a great deep: O Lord, thou wilt preserve men and beasts. ⁸ How hast thou multiplied thy mercy, O God! so the children of men shall trust in the shelter of thy wings. ⁹ They shall be fully satisfied with the fatness of thine house; and thou shalt cause them to drink of the full stream of thy delights. ¹⁰ For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light we shall see light. ¹¹ Extend thy mercy to them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. ¹² Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of sinners move me. ¹³ There have all the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast out, and shall not be able to stand.

Stasis 3

Psalm 36

¹ A Psalm of David.

Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be envious of them that do iniquity. ² For they shall soon be withered as the grass, and shall soon fall away as the green herbs. ³ Hope in the Lord, and do good; and dwell on the land, and thou shalt be fed with the wealth of it. ⁴ Delight thyself in the Lord; and he shall grant thee the requests of thine heart. ⁵ Disclose thy way to the Lord, and hope in him; and he shall bring it to pass. ⁶ And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon-day. ⁷ Submit thyself to the Lord, and supplicate him: fret not thyself because of him that prospers in his way, at the man that does unlawful deeds. ⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself so as to do evil. ⁹ For evil-doers shall be destroyed: but they that wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the land. ¹⁰ And yet a little while, and the sinner shall not be, and thou shalt seek for his place, and shalt not find it. ¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. ¹² The sinner will watch for the righteous, and gnash his teeth upon him. ¹³ But the Lord shall laugh at him: for he foresees that his day will come. ¹⁴ Sinners have drawn their swords, they have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy one, and to slay the upright in heart. ¹⁵ Let their sword enter into their own heart, and their bows be broken. ¹⁶ A little is better to the righteous than abundant wealth of sinners. ¹⁷ For the arms of sinners shall be broken; but the Lord supports the righteous. ¹⁸ The Lord knows the ways of the perfect; and their inheritance shall be for ever. ¹⁹ They shall not be ashamed in an evil time; and in days of famine they shall be satisfied. ²⁰ For the sinners shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord at the moment of their being honoured and exalted have utterly vanished like smoke. ²¹ The sinner borrows, and will not pay again: but the righteous has compassion, and gives. ²² For they that bless him shall inherit the earth; and they that curse him shall be utterly destroyed. ²³ The steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord: and he will take pleasure in his way. ²⁴ When he falls, he shall not be ruined: for the Lord supports his hand. ²⁵ I was once young, indeed I am now old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread. ²⁶ He is merciful, and lends continually; and his seed shall be blessed. ²⁷ Turn aside from evil, and do good; and dwell for ever. ²⁸ For the Lord loves judgment, and will not forsake his saints; they shall be preserved for ever: the blameless shall be avenged, but the seed of the ungodly shall be utterly destroyed. ²⁹ But the righteous shall inherit the earth, and dwell upon it for ever. ³⁰ The mouth of the righteous will meditate wisdom, and his tongue will speak of judgment. ³¹ The law of his God is in his heart; and his steps shall not slide. ³² The sinner watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. ³³ But the Lord will not leave him in his hands, nor by any means condemn him when he is judged. ³⁴ Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are destroyed, thou shalt see it. ³⁵ I saw the ungodly very highly exalting himself, and lifting himself up like the cedars of Libanus. ³⁶ Yet I passed by, and lo! he was not: and I sought him, but his place was not found. ³⁷ Maintain innocence, and behold uprightness: for there is a remnant to the peaceable man. ³⁸ But the transgressors shall be utterly destroyed together: the remnants of the ungodly shall be utterly destroyed. ³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; and he is their defender in the time of affliction. ⁴⁰ And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: and he shall rescue them from sinners, and save them, because they have hoped in him.

(Sixth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 37

A Psalm of David for remembrance concerning the Sabbath-day. ² O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath, neither chasten me in thine anger. ³ For thy weapons are fixed in me, and thou hast pressed thy hand heavily upon me. ⁴ For there is no health in my flesh because of thine anger; there is no peace to my bones because of my sins. ⁵ For my transgressions have gone over mine head: they have pressed heavily upon me like a weighty burden. ⁶ My bruises have become noisome and corrupt, because of my foolishness. ⁷ I have been wretched and bowed down continually: I went with a mourning countenance all the day. ⁸ For my soul is filled with mockings; and there is no health in my flesh. ⁹ I have been afflicted and brought down exceedingly: I have roared for the groaning of my heart. ¹⁰ But all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hidden from thee. ¹¹ My heart is troubled, my strength has failed me; and the light of mine eyes is not with me. ¹² My friends and my neighbours drew near before me, and stood still; and my nearest of kin stood afar off. ¹³ While they pressed hard upon me that sought my soul: and they that sought my hurt spoke vanities, and devised deceits all the day. ¹⁴ But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and was as a dumb man not opening his mouth. ¹⁵ And I was as a man that hears not, and who has no reproofs in his mouth. ¹⁶ For I hoped in thee, O Lord: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God. ¹⁷ For I said, Lest mine enemies rejoice against me: for when my feet were moved, they spoke boastingly against me. ¹⁸ For I am ready for plagues, and my grief is continually before me. ¹⁹ For I will declare mine iniquity, and be distressed for my sin. ²⁰ But mine enemies live, and are mightier than I: and they that hate me unjustly are multiplied. ²¹ They that reward evil for good slandered me; because I followed righteousness. ²² Forsake me not, O Lord my God: depart not from me. ²³ Draw nigh to my help, O Lord of my salvation.

Psalm 38

¹ For the end, a Song of David, to Idithun. ² I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I set a guard on my mouth, while the sinner stood in my presence. ³ I was dumb, and humbled myself, and kept silence from good words; and my grief was renewed. ⁴ My heart grew hot within me, and a fire would kindle in my meditation: I spoke with my tongue, ⁵ O Lord, make me to know mine end, and the number of my days, what it is; that I may know what I lack. ⁶ Behold, thou hast made my days old; and my existence is as nothing before thee: nay, every man living is altogether vanity. Pause. ⁷ Surely man walks in a shadow; nay, he is disquieted in vain: he lays up treasures, and knows not for whom he shall gather them. ⁸ And now what is my expectation? is it not the Lord? and my ground of hope is with thee. Pause. ⁹ Deliver me from all my transgressions: thou hast made me a reproach to the foolish. ¹⁰ I was dumb, and opened not my mouth; for thou art he that made me. ¹¹ Remove thy scourges from me: I have fainted by reason of the strength of thine hand. ¹² Thou chastenest man with rebukes for iniquity, and thou makest his life to consume away like a spider's web: nay, every man is disquieted in vain. Pause. ¹³ O Lord, hearken to my prayer and my supplication: attend to my tears: be not silent, for I am a sojourner in the land, and a stranger, as all my fathers were. ¹⁴ Spare me, that I may be refreshed, before I depart, and be no more.

Psalm 39

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David. ² I waited patiently for the Lord; and he attended to me, and hearkened to my supplication. ³ And he brought me up out of a pit of misery, and from miry clay: and he set my feet on a rock, and ordered my goings aright. ⁴ And he put a new song into my mouth, even a hymn to our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall hope in the Lord. ⁵ Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of the Lord, and who has not regarded vanities and false frenzies. ⁶ O Lord my God, thou hast multiplied thy wonderful works, and in thy thoughts there is none who shall be likened to thee: I declared and spoke of them: they exceeded number. ⁷ Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not; but a body hast thou prepared me: whole-burnt-offering and sacrifice for sin thou didst not require. ⁸ Then I said, Behold, I come: in the volume of the book it is written concerning me, ⁹ I desired to do thy will, O my God, and thy law in the midst of mine heart. ¹⁰ I have preached righteousness in the great congregation; lo! I will not refrain my lips; O Lord, thou knowest my righteousness. ¹¹ I have not hid thy truth within my heart, and I have declared thy salvation; I have not hid thy mercy and thy truth from the great congregation.

But thou, Lord, remove not thy compassion far from me; thy mercy and thy truth have helped me continually. ¹³ For innumerable evils have encompassed me; my transgressions have taken hold of me, and I could not see; they are multiplied more than the hairs of my head; and my heart has failed me. ¹⁴ Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, draw nigh to help me. ¹⁵ Let those that seek my soul, to destroy it, be ashamed and confounded together; let those that wish me evil be turned backward and put to shame. ¹⁶ Let those that say to me, Aha, aha, quickly receive shame for their reward. ¹⁷ Let all those that seek thee, O Lord, exult and rejoice in thee; and let them that love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified. ¹⁸ But I am poor and needy; the Lord will take care of me; thou art my helper, and my defender, O my God, delay not.

Stasis 2

Psalm 40

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David. ² Blessed is the man who thinks on the poor and needy: the Lord shall deliver him in an evil day. ³ May the Lord preserve him and keep him alive, and bless him on the earth, and not deliver him into the hands of his enemy. ⁴ May the Lord help him upon the bed of his pain; thou hast made all his bed in his sickness. ⁵ I said, O Lord, have mercy upon me; heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee. ⁶ Mine enemies have spoken evil against me, saying, When shall he die, and his name perish? ⁷ And if he came to see me, his heart spoke vainly; he gathered iniquity to himself; he went forth and spoke in like manner. ⁸ All my enemies whispered against me; against me they devised my hurt. ⁹ They denounced a wicked word against me, saying, Now that he lies, shall he not rise up again? ¹⁰ For even the man of my peace, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, lifted up his heel against me. ¹¹ But thou, O Lord, have compassion upon me, and raise me up, and I shall requite them. ¹² By this I know that thou hast delighted in me, because mine enemy shall not rejoice over me. ¹³ But thou didst help me because of mine innocence, and hast established me before thee for ever. ¹⁴ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. So be it, so be it.

Psalm 41

¹ For the end, a Psalm for instruction, for the sons of Core. ² As the hart earnestly desires the fountains of water, so my soul earnestly longs for thee, O God. ³ My soul has thirsted for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? ⁴ My tears have been bread to me day and night, while they daily said to me, Where is thy God? ⁵ I remembered these things, and poured out my soul in me, for I will go to the place of thy wondrous tabernacle, even to the house of God, with a voice of exultation and thanksgiving and of the sound of those who keep festival. ⁶ Wherefore art thou very sad, O my soul? and wherefore dost thou trouble me? hope in God; for I will give thanks to him; he is the salvation of my countenance. ⁷ O my God, my soul has been troubled within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Ermonites, from the little hill. ⁸ Deep calls to deep at the voice of thy cataracts: all thy billows and thy waves have gone over me. ⁹ By day the Lord will command his mercy, and manifest it by night: with me is prayer to the God of my life. ¹⁰ I will say to God, Thou art my helper; why hast thou forgotten me? wherefore do I go sad of countenance, while the enemy oppresses me? ¹¹ While my bones were breaking, they that afflicted me reproached me; while they said to me daily, Where is thy God? ¹² Wherefore art thou very sad, O my soul? and wherefore dost thou trouble me? hope in God; for I will give thanks to him; he is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 42

¹ A Psalm of David.

Judge me, O God, and plead my cause, against an ungodly nation: deliver me from the unjust and crafty man. ² For thou, O God, art my strength: wherefore hast thou cast me off? and why do I go sad of countenance, while the enemy oppresses me? ³ Send forth thy light and thy truth: they have led me, and brought me to thy holy mountain, and to thy tabernacles. ⁴ And I will go in to the altar of God, to God who gladdens my youth: I will give thanks to thee on the harp, O God, my God. ⁵ Wherefore art thou very sad, O my soul? and wherefore dost thou trouble me? Hope in God; for I will give thanks to him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Stasis 3

Psalm 43

¹ For the end, a Psalm for instruction, for the sons of Core. ² O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, the work which thou wroughtest in their days, in the days of old. ³ Thine hand utterly destroyed the heathen, and thou didst plant them: thou didst afflict the nations, and cast them out. ⁴ For they inherited not the land by their own sword, and their own arm did not deliver them; but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou wert well pleased in them. ⁵ Thou art indeed my King and my God, who commandest deliverances for Jacob. ⁶ In thee will we push down our enemies, and in thy name will we bring to nought them that rise up against us. ⁷ For I will not trust in my bow, and my sword shall not save me. ⁸ For thou hast saved us from them that afflicted us, and hast put to shame them that hated us. ⁹ In God will we make our boast all the day, and to thy name will we give thanks for ever. Pause. ¹⁰ But now thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and thou wilt not go forth with our hosts. ¹¹ Thou hast turned us back before our enemies; and they that hated us spoiled for themselves. ¹² Thou madest us as sheep for meat; and thou scatteredst us among the nations. ¹³ Thou hast sold thy people without price, and there was no profit by their exchange. ¹⁴ Thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. ¹⁵ Thou hast made us a proverb among the Gentiles, a shaking of the head among the nations. ¹⁶ All the day my shame is before me, and the confusion of my face has covered me, ¹⁷ because of the voice of the slanderer and reviler; because of the enemy and avenger. ¹⁸ All these things are come upon us: but we have not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt unrighteously in thy covenant. ¹⁹ And our heart has not gone back; but thou hast turned aside our paths from thy way. ²⁰ For thou hast laid us low in a place of affliction, and the shadow of death has covered us. ²¹ If we have forgotten the name of our God, and if we have spread out our hands to a strange god; shall not God search these things out? ²² for he knows the secrets of the heart. ²³ For, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for slaughter. ²⁴ Awake, wherefore sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, and do not cast us off for ever. ²⁵ Wherefore turnest thou thy face away, and forgettest our poverty and our affliction? ²⁶ For our soul has been brought down to the dust; our belly has cleaved to the earth. ²⁷ Arise, O Lord, help us, and redeem us for thy name's sake.

Psalm 44

¹ For the end, for alternate strains by the sons of Core; for instruction, a Song concerning the beloved. ² My heart has uttered a good matter: I declare my works to the king: my tongue is the pen of a quick writer. ³ Thou art more beautiful than the sons of men: grace has been shed forth on thy lips: therefore God has blessed thee for ever. ⁴ Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O Mighty One, in thy comeliness, and in thy beauty; ⁵ and bend thy bow, and prosper, and reign, because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall guide thee wonderfully. ⁶ Thy weapons are sharpened, Mighty One, (the nations shall fall under thee) they are in the heart of the king's enemies. ⁷ Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre of righteousness. ⁸ Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness beyond thy fellows. ⁹ Myrrh, and stacte, and cassia are exhaled from thy garments, and out of the ivory palaces, ¹⁰ with which kings' daughters have gladdened thee for thine honour: the queen stood by on thy right hand, clothed in vesture wrought with gold, and arrayed in divers colours. ¹¹ Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear; forget also thy people, and thy father's house. ¹² Because the king has desired thy beauty; for he is thy Lord. ¹³ And the daughter of Tyre shall adore him with gifts; the rich of the people of the land shall supplicate thy favour. ¹⁴ All her glory is that of the daughter of the king of Esebon, robed as she is in golden fringed garments, ¹⁵ in embroidered clothing: virgins shall be brought to the king after her: her fellows shall be brought to thee. ¹⁶ They shall be brought with gladness and exultation: they shall be led into the king's temple. ¹⁷ Instead of thy fathers children are born to thee: thou shalt make them princes over all the earth. ¹⁸ They shall make mention of thy name from generation to generation: therefore shall the nations give thanks to thee for ever, even for ever and ever.

Psalm 45

¹ For the end, for the sons of Core; a Psalm concerning secret things. ² God is our refuge and strength, a help in the afflictions that have come heavily upon us. ³ Therefore will we not fear when the earth is troubled, and the mountains are removed into the depths of the seas. ⁴ Their waters have roared and been troubled, the mountains have been troubled by his might. Pause. ⁵ The flowings of the river gladden the city of God: the Most High has sanctified his tabernacle. ⁶ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her with his countenance. ⁷ The nations were troubled, the kingdoms tottered: he uttered his voice, the earth shook. ⁸ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our helper. Pause.

Come, and behold the works of the Lord, what wonders he has achieved on the earth. ¹⁰ Putting an end to wars as for the ends of the earth; he will crush the bow, and break in pieces the weapon, and burn the bucklers with fire. ¹¹ Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. ¹² The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our helper.

(Seventh Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 46

For the end, a Psalm for the sons of Core. ² Clap your hands, all ye nations; shout to God with a voice of exultation. ³ For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great king over all the earth. ⁴ He has subdued the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. ⁵ He has chosen out his inheritance for us, the beauty of Jacob which he loved. Pause. ⁶ God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with a sound of a trumpet. ⁷ Sing praises to our God, sing praises: sing praises to our King, sing praises. ⁸ For God is king of all the earth: sing praises with understanding. ⁹ God reigns over the nations: God sits upon the throne of his holiness. ¹⁰ The rulers of the people are assembled with the God of Abraam: for God's mighty ones of the earth have been greatly exalted.

Psalm 47

¹ A Psalm of praise for the sons of Core on the second day of the week. ² Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain. ³ The city of the great King is well planted on the mountains of Sion, with the joy of the whole earth, on the sides of the north. ⁴ God is known in her palaces, when he undertakes to help her. ⁵ For, behold, the kings of the earth were assembled, they came together. ⁶ They saw, and so they wondered: they were troubled, they were moved. ⁷ Trembling took hold on them: there were the pangs as of a woman in travail. ⁸ Thou wilt break the ships of Tharsis with a vehement wind. ⁹ As we have heard, so have we also seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God has founded it for ever. Pause. ¹⁰ We have thought of thy mercy, O God, in the midst of thy people. ¹¹ According to thy name, O God, so is also thy praise to the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness. ¹² Let mount Sion rejoice, let the daughters of Judæa exult, because of thy judgments, O Lord. ¹³ Go round about Sion, and encompass her: tell ye her towers. ¹⁴ Mark ye well her strength, and observe her palaces; that ye may tell the next generation. ¹⁵ For this is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide for evermore.

Psalm 48

¹ For the end, a Psalm for the sons of Core. ² Hear these words, all ye nations, hearken, all ye that dwell upon the earth: ³ both the sons of mean men, and sons of great men; the rich and poor man together. ⁴ My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall bring forth understanding. ⁵ I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my riddle on the harp. ⁶ Wherefore should I fear in the evil day? the iniquity of my heel shall compass me. ⁷ They that trust in their strength, and boast themselves in the multitude of their wealth— ⁸ A brother does not redeem, shall a man redeem? he shall not give to God a ransom for himself, ⁹ or the price of the redemption of his soul, though he labour for ever, ¹⁰ and live to the end, so that he should not see corruption. ¹¹ When he shall see wise men dying, the fool and the senseless one shall perish together; and they shall leave their wealth to strangers. ¹² And their sepulchres are their houses for ever, even their tabernacles to all generations: they have called their lands after their own names. ¹³ And man being in honour, understands not: he is compared to the senseless cattle, and is like to them. ¹⁴ This their way is an offence to them: yet afterwards men will commend their sayings. Pause. ¹⁵ They have laid them as sheep in Hades; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, and their help shall fail in Hades from their glory. ¹⁶ But God shall deliver my soul from the power of Hades, when he shall receive me. Pause. ¹⁷ Fear not when a man is enriched, and when the glory of his house is increased. ¹⁸ For he shall take nothing when he dies; neither shall his glory descend with him. ¹⁹ For his soul shall be blessed in his life: he shall give thanks to thee when thou dost well to him. ²⁰ Yet he shall go in to the generation of his fathers; he shall never see light. ²¹ Man that is in honour, understands not: he is compared to the senseless cattle, and is like them.

Stasis 2

Psalm 49

¹ A Psalm for Asaph.

The God of gods, the Lord, has spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof. ² Out of Sion comes the excellence of his beauty. ³ God, our God, shall come manifestly, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall be kindled before him, and round about him there shall be a very great tempest. ⁴ He shall summon the heaven above, and the earth, that he may judge his people. ⁵ Assemble ye his saints to him, those that have engaged in a covenant with him upon sacrifices. ⁶ And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge. Pause. ⁷ Hear, my people, and I will speak to thee, O Israel: and I will testify to thee: I am God, thy God. ⁸ I will not reprove thee on account of thy sacrifices; for thy whole-burnt-offerings are before me continually. ⁹ I will take no bullocks out of thine house, nor he-goats out of thy flocks. ¹⁰ For all the wild beasts of the thicket are mine, the cattle on the mountains, and oxen. ¹¹ I know all the birds of the sky; and the beauty of the field is mine. ¹² If I should be hungry, I will not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness of it. ¹³ Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? ¹⁴ Offer to God the sacrifice of praise; and pay thy vows to the Most High. ¹⁵ And call upon me in the day of affliction; and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Pause. ¹⁶ But to the sinner God has said, Why dost thou declare my ordinances, and take up my covenant in thy mouth? ¹⁷ Whereas thou hast hated instruction, and hast cast my words behind thee. ¹⁸ If thou sawest a thief, thou rannest along with him, and hast cast in thy lot with adulterers. ¹⁹ Thy mouth has multiplied wickedness, and thy tongue has framed deceit. ²⁰ Thou didst sit and speak against thy brother, and didst scandalise thy mother's son. ²¹ These things thou didst, and I kept silence: thou thoughtest wickedly that I should be like thee; but I will reprove thee, and set thine offences before thee. ²² Now consider these things, ye that forget God, lest he rend you, and there be no deliverer. ²³ The sacrifice of praise will glorify me: and that is the way wherein I will shew to him the salvation of God.

Psalm 50

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David, ² when Nathan the prophet came to him, when he had gone in to Bersabee. ³ Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of thy compassions blot out my transgression. ⁴ Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I am conscious of mine iniquity; and my sin is continually before me. ⁶ Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil before thee: that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. ⁷ For, behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother conceive me. ⁸ For, behold, thou lovest truth: thou hast manifested to me the secret and hidden things of thy wisdom. ⁹ Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be purified: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. ¹⁰ Thou shalt cause me to hear gladness and joy: the afflicted bones shall rejoice. ¹¹ Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. ¹² Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit in my inward parts. ¹³ Cast me not away from thy presence; and remove not thy Holy Spirit from me. ¹⁴ Restore to me the joy of thy salvation: establish me with thy directing Spirit. ¹⁵ Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and ungodly men shall turn to thee. ¹⁶ Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation: and my tongue shall joyfully declare thy righteousness. ¹⁷ O Lord, thou shalt open my lips; and my mouth shall declare thy praise. ¹⁸ For if thou desiredst sacrifice, I would have given it: thou wilt not take pleasure in whole-burnt-offerings. ¹⁹ Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit: a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. ²⁰ Do good, O Lord, to Sion in thy good pleasure; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. ²¹ Then shalt thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, offering, and whole-burnt-sacrifices: then shall they offer calves upon thine altar.

Stasis 3

Psalm 51

¹ For the end, a Psalm of instruction by David, ² when Doec the Idumean came and told Saul, and said to him, David is gone to the house of Abimelech. ³ Why dost thou, O mighty man, boast of iniquity in thy mischief? All the day ⁴ thy tongue has devised unrighteousness; like a sharpened razor thou hast wrought deceit. ⁵ Thou hast loved wickedness more than goodness; unrighteousness better than to speak righteousness. Pause. ⁶ Thou hast loved all words of destruction, and a deceitful tongue. ⁷ Therefore may God destroy thee for ever, may he pluck thee up and utterly remove thee from thy dwelling, and thy root from the land of the living. Pause. ⁸ And the righteous shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him, and say, ⁹ Behold the man who made not God his help; but trusted in the abundance of his wealth, and strengthened himself in his vanity. ¹⁰ But I am as a fruitful olive in the house of God: I have trusted in the mercy of God for ever, even for evermore. ¹¹ I will give thanks to thee for ever, for thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

Psalm 52

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David upon Maeleth, of instruction. ² The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They have corrupted themselves, and become abominable in iniquities: there is none that does good. ³ God looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there were any that understood, or sought after God. ⁴ They have all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, there is not even one. ⁵ Will none of the workers of iniquity know, who devour my people as they would eat bread? they have not called upon God. There were they greatly afraid, where there was no fear: ⁶ for God has scattered the bones of the men-pleasers; they were ashamed, for God despised them. ⁷ Who will bring the salvation of Israel out of Sion? When the Lord turns the captivity of his people, Jacob shall exult, and Israel shall be glad.

Psalm 53

¹ For the end, among the Hymns of instruction by David, ² when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, Lo, is not David hid with us? ³ Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy might. ⁴ O God, hear my prayer; hearken to the words of my mouth. ⁵ For strangers have risen up against me, and mighty men have sought my life: they have not set God before them. Pause. ⁶ For lo! God assists me; and the Lord is the helper of my soul. ⁷ He shall return evil to mine enemies; utterly destroy them in thy truth. ⁸ I will willingly sacrifice to thee: I will give thanks to thy name, O Lord; for it is good. ⁹ For thou hast delivered me out of all affliction, and mine eye has seen my desire upon mine enemies.

Psalm 54

¹ For the end, among Hymns of instruction by David. ² Hearken, O God, to my prayer; and disregard not my supplication. ³ Attend to me, and hearken to me: I was grieved in my meditation, and troubled; ⁴ because of the voice of the enemy, and because of the oppression of the sinner: for they brought iniquity against me, and were wrathfully angry with me.

My heart was troubled within me; and the fear of death fell upon me. ⁶ Fear and trembling came upon me, and darkness covered me. ⁷ And I said, O that I had wings as those of a dove! then would I flee away, and be at rest. ⁸ Lo! I have fled afar off, and lodged in the wilderness. Pause. ⁹ I waited for him that should deliver me from distress of spirit and tempest. ¹⁰ Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen iniquity and gainsaying in the city. ¹¹ Day and night he shall go round about it upon its walls: iniquity and sorrow and unrighteousness are in the midst of it; ¹² and usury and craft have not failed from its streets. ¹³ For if an enemy had reproached me, I would have endured it; and if one who hated me had spoken vauntingly against me, I would have hid myself from him. ¹⁴ But thou, O man likeminded, my guide, and my acquaintance, ¹⁵ who in companionship with me sweetened our food: we walked in the house of God in concord. ¹⁶ Let death come upon them, and let them go down alive into Hades, for iniquity is in their dwellings, in the midst of them. ¹⁷ I cried to God, and the Lord hearkened to me. ¹⁸ Evening, and morning, and at noon I will declare and make known my wants: and he shall hear my voice. ¹⁹ He shall deliver my soul in peace from them that draw nigh to me: for they were with me in many cases. ²⁰ God shall hear, and bring them low, even he that has existed from eternity. Pause.

For they suffer no reverse, and therefore they have not feared God. ²¹ He has reached forth his hand for retribution; they have profaned his covenant. ²² They were scattered at the anger of his countenance, and his heart drew nigh them. His words were smoother than oil, yet are they darts. ²³ Cast thy care upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. ²⁴ But thou, O God, shalt bring them down to the pit of destruction; bloody and crafty men shall not live out half their days; but I will hope in thee, O Lord.

(Eighth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 55

For the end, concerning the people that were removed from the sanctuary, by David for a memorial, when the Philistines caught him in Geth. ² Have mercy upon me, O God; for man has trodden me down; all the day long he warring has afflicted me. ³ Mine enemies have trodden me down all the day from the dawning of the day; for there are many warring against me. ⁴ They shall be afraid, but I will trust in thee. ⁵ In God I will praise my words; all the day have I hoped in God; I will not fear what flesh shall do to me. ⁶ All the day long they have abominated my words; all their devices are against me for evil. ⁷ They will dwell near and hide themselves; they will watch my steps, accordingly as I have waited patiently in my soul. ⁸ Thou wilt on no account save them; thou wilt bring down the people in wrath. ⁹ O God, I have declared my life to thee; thou hast set my tears before thee, even according to thy promise. ¹⁰ Mine enemies shall be turned back, in the day wherein I shall call upon thee; behold, I know that thou art my God. ¹¹ In God will I praise his word; in the Lord will I praise his saying. ¹² I have hoped in God; I will not be afraid of what man shall do to me. ¹³ The vows of thy praise, O God, which I will pay, are upon me. ¹⁴ For thou hast delivered my soul from death, and my feet from sliding, that I should be well-pleasing before God in the land of the living.

Psalm 56

¹ For the end. Destroy not: by David, for a memorial, when he fled from the presence of Saul to the cave. ² Have mercy, upon me, O God, have mercy upon me: for my soul has trusted in thee: and in the shadow of thy wings will I hope, until the iniquity have passed away. ³ I will cry to God most high; the God who has benefited me. Pause. ⁴ He sent from heaven and saved me; he gave to reproach them that trampled on me: God has sent forth his mercy and his truth; ⁵ and he has delivered my soul from the midst of lions' whelps: I lay down to sleep, though troubled. As for the sons of men, their teeth are arms and missile weapons, and their tongue a sharp sword. ⁶ Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; and thy glory above all the earth. ⁷ They have prepared snares for my feet, and have bowed down my soul: they have dug a pit before my face, and fallen into it themselves. Pause. ⁸ My heart, O God, is ready, my heart is ready: I will sing, yea will sing psalms. ⁹ Awake, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I will awake early. ¹⁰ O Lord, I will give thanks to thee among the nations: I will sing to thee among the Gentiles. ¹¹ For thy mercy has been magnified even to the heavens, and thy truth to the clouds. ¹² Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; and thy glory above all the earth.

Psalm 57

¹ For the end. Destroy not: by David, for a memorial. ² If ye do indeed speak righteousness, then do ye judge rightly, ye sons of men. ³ For ye work iniquities in your hearts in the earth: your hands plot unrighteousness. ⁴ Sinners have gone astray from the womb: they go astray from the belly: they speak lies. ⁵ Their venom is like that of a serpent; as that of a deaf asp, and that stops her ears; ⁶ which will not hear the voice of charmers, nor heed the charm prepared skilfully by the wise. ⁷ God has crushed their teeth in their mouth: God has broken the cheek-teeth of the lions. ⁸ They shall utterly pass away like water running through: he shall bend his bow till they shall fail. ⁹ They shall be destroyed as melted wax: the fire has fallen and they have not seen the sun. ¹⁰ Before your thorns feel the white thorn, he shall swallow you up as living, as in his wrath. ¹¹ The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance of the ungodly: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner. ¹² And a man shall say, Verily then there is a reward for the righteous: verily there is a God that judges them in the earth.

Stasis 2

Psalm 58

¹ For the end. Destroy not: by David for a memorial, when Saul sent, and watched his house to kill him. ² Deliver me from mine enemies, O God; and ransom me from those that rise up against me. ³ Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. ⁴ For, behold, they have hunted after my soul; violent men have set upon me: neither is it my iniquity, nor my sin, O Lord. ⁵ Without iniquity I ran and directed my course aright: awake to help me, and behold. ⁶ And thou, Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, draw nigh to visit all the heathen; pity not any that work iniquity. Pause. ⁷ They shall return at evening, and hunger like a dog, and go round about the city. ⁸ Behold, they shall utter a voice with their mouth, and a sword is in their lips; for who, say they, has heard? ⁹ But thou, Lord, wilt laugh them to scorn; thou wilt utterly set at nought all the heathen. ¹⁰ I will keep my strength, looking to thee; for thou, O God, art my helper. ¹¹ As for my God, his mercy shall go before me: my God will shew me vengeance on mine enemies.

Slay them not, lest they forget thy law; scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord, my defender. ¹³ For the sin of their mouth, and the word of their lips, let them be even taken in their pride. ¹⁴ And for their cursing and falsehood shall utter destruction be denounced: they shall fall by the wrath of utter destruction, and shall not be; so shall they know that the God of Jacob is Lord of the ends of the earth. Pause. ¹⁵ They shall return at evening, and be hungry as a dog, and go round about the city. ¹⁶ They shall be scattered hither and thither for meat; and if they be not satisfied, they shall even murmur. ¹⁷ But I will sing to thy strength, and in the morning will I exult in thy mercy; for thou hast been my supporter, and my refuge in the day of mine affliction. ¹⁸ Thou art my helper; to thee, my God, will I sing; thou art my supporter, O my God, and my mercy.

Psalm 59

¹ For the end, for them that shall yet be changed; for an inscription by David for instruction, ² when he had burned Mesopotamia of Syria, and Syria Sobal, and Joab had returned and smitten in the valley of salt twelve thousand. ³ O God, thou hast rejected and destroyed us; thou hast been angry, yet hast pitied us. ⁴ Thou hast shaken the earth, and troubled it; heal its breaches, for it has been shaken. ⁵ Thou hast shewn thy people hard things: thou hast made us drink the wine of astonishment. ⁶ Thou hast given a token to them that fear thee, that they might flee from the bow. Pause. ⁷ That thy beloved ones may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me. ⁸ God has spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, and divide Sicima, and measure out the valley of tents. ⁹ Galaad is mine, and Manasse is mine; and Ephraim is the strength of my head; ¹⁰ Judas is my king; Moab is the caldron of my hope; over Idumea will I stretch out my shoe; the Philistines have been subjected to me. ¹¹ Who will lead me into the fortified city? who will guide me as far as Idumea? ¹² Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our forces? ¹³ Give us help from trouble: for vain is the deliverance of man. ¹⁴ In God will we do valiantly; and he shall bring to nought them that harass us.

Psalm 60

¹ For the end, among the Hymns of David. ² O God, hearken to my petition; attend to my prayer. ³ From the ends of the earth have I cried to thee, when my heart was in trouble: thou liftedst me up on a rock, thou didst guide me: ⁴ because thou wert my hope, a tower of strength from the face of the enemy. ⁵ I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever; I will shelter myself under the shadow of thy wings. Pause. ⁶ For thou, O God, hast heard my prayers; thou hast given an inheritance to them that fear thy name. ⁷ Thou shalt add days to the days of the king; thou shalt lengthen his years to all generations. ⁸ He shall endure for ever before God: which of them will seek out his mercy and truth? ⁹ So will I sing to thy name for ever and ever, that I may daily perform my vows.

Stasis 3

Psalm 61

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David for Idithun. ² Shall not my soul be subjected to God? for of him is my salvation. ³ For he is my God and my Saviour; my helper, I shall not be moved very much. ⁴ How long will ye assault a man? ye are all slaughtering as with a bowed wall and a broken hedge. ⁵ They only took counsel to set at nought mine honour: I ran in thirst: with their mouth they blessed, but with their heart they cursed. Pause. ⁶ Nevertheless do thou, my soul, be subjected to God; for of him is my patient hope. ⁷ For he is my God and my Saviour; my helper, I shall not be moved. ⁸ In God is my salvation and my glory: he is the God of my help, and my hope is in God. ⁹ Hope in him, all ye congregation of the people; pour out your hearts before him, for God is our helper. Pause. ¹⁰ But the sons of men are vain; the sons of men are false, so as to be deceitful in the balances; they are all alike formed out of vanity. ¹¹ Trust not in unrighteousness, and lust not after robberies: if wealth should flow in, set not your heart upon it. ¹² God has spoken once, and I have heard these two things, that power is of God; ¹³ and mercy is thine, O Lord; for thou wilt recompense every one according to his works.

Psalm 62

¹ A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Idumea. ² O God, my God, I cry to thee early; my soul has thirsted for thee: how often has my flesh longed after thee, in a barren and trackless and dry land! ³ Thus have I appeared before thee in the sanctuary, that I might see thy power and thy glory. ⁴ For thy mercy is better than life: my lips shall praise thee. ⁵ Thus will I bless thee during my life: I will lift up my hands in thy name. ⁶ Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness; and my joyful lips shall praise thy name.

Forasmuch as I have remembered thee on my bed: in the early seasons I have meditated on thee. ⁸ For thou hast been my helper, and in the shelter of thy wings will I rejoice. ⁹ My soul has kept very close behind thee: thy right hand has upheld me. ¹⁰ But they vainly sought after my soul; they shall go into the lowest parts of the earth. ¹¹ They shall be delivered up to the power of the sword; they shall be portions for foxes. ¹² But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that swears by him shall be praised; for the mouth of them that speak unjust things has been stopped.

Psalm 63

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David. ² Hear my prayer, O God, when I make my petition to thee; deliver my soul from fear of the enemy. ³ Thou hast sheltered me from the conspiracy of them that do wickedly; from the multitude of them that work iniquity; ⁴ who have sharpened their tongues as a sword; they have bent their bow maliciously; ⁵ to shoot in secret at the blameless; they will shoot him suddenly, and will not fear. ⁶ They have set up for themselves an evil matter, they have given counsel to hide snares; they have said, Who shall see them? ⁷ They have searched out iniquity; they have wearied themselves with searching diligently, a man shall approach and the heart is deep, ⁸ and God shall be exalted, their wounds were caused by the weapon of the foolish children, ⁹ and their tongues have set him at nought, all that saw them were troubled; ¹⁰ and every man was alarmed, and they related the works of God, and understood his deeds. ¹¹ The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord, and hope on him, and all the upright in heart shall be praised.

(Ninth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 64

For the end, a Psalm and Song of David. ² Praise becomes thee, O God, in Sion; and to thee shall the vow be performed. ³ Hear my prayer; to thee all flesh shall come. ⁴ The words of transgressors have overpowered us; but do thou pardon our sins. ⁵ Blessed is he whom thou hast chosen and adopted; he shall dwell in thy courts; we shall be filled with the good things of thy house; thy temple is holy. ⁶ Thou art wonderful in righteousness. Hearken to us, O God our Saviour; the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are on the sea afar off: ⁷ who dost establish the mountains in thy strength, being girded about with power; ⁸ who troublest the depth of the sea, the sounds of its waves. ⁹ The nations shall be troubled, and they that inhabit the ends of the earth shall be afraid of thy signs; thou wilt cause the outgoings of morning and evening to rejoice. ¹⁰ Thou hast visited the earth, and saturated it; thou hast abundantly enriched it. The river of God is filled with water; thou hast prepared their food, for thus is the preparation of it. ¹¹ Saturate her furrows, multiply her fruits; the crop springing up shall rejoice in its drops. ¹² Thou wilt bless the crown of the year because of thy goodness; and thy plains shall be filled with fatness. ¹³ The mountains of the wilderness shall be enriched; and the hills shall gird themselves with joy. ¹⁴ The rams of the flock are clothed with wool, and the valleys shall abound in corn; they shall cry aloud, yea they shall sing hymns.

Psalm 65

¹ For the end, a Song of a Psalm of resurrection.

Shout unto God, all the earth. ² O sing praises to his name; give glory to his praise. ³ Say unto God, How awful are thy works! through the greatness of thy power thine enemies shall lie to thee. ⁴ Let all the earth worship thee, and sing to thee; let them sing to thy name. Pause. ⁵ Come and behold the works of God; he is terrible in his counsels beyond the children of men. ⁶ Who turns the sea into dry land; they shall go through the river on foot; there shall we rejoice in him, ⁷ who by his power is Lord over the age, his eyes look upon the nations; let not them that provoke him be exalted in themselves. Pause. ⁸ Bless our God, ye Gentiles, and make the voice of his praise to be heard; ⁹ who quickens my soul in life, and does not suffer my feet to be moved. ¹⁰ For thou, O God, hast proved us; thou hast tried us with fire as silver is tried. ¹¹ Thou broughtest us into the snare; thou laidest afflictions on our back. ¹² Thou didst mount men upon our heads; we went through fire and water; but thou broughtest us out into a place of refreshment. ¹³ I will go into thine house with whole-burnt-offerings; I will pay thee my vows, ¹⁴ which my lips framed, and my mouth uttered in my affliction. ¹⁵ I will offer to thee whole-burnt-sacrifices full of marrow, with incense and rams; I will sacrifice to thee oxen with goats. Pause. ¹⁶ Come, hear, and I will tell, all ye that fear God, how great things he has done for my soul. ¹⁷ I cried to him with my mouth, and exalted him with my tongue. ¹⁸ If I have regarded iniquity in my heart, let not the Lord hearken to me. ¹⁹ Therefore God has hearkened to me; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. ²⁰ Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

Psalm 66

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David among the Hymns. ² God be merciful to us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us. Pause. ³ That men may know thy way on the earth, thy salvation among all nations. ⁴ Let the nations, O God, give thanks to thee; let all the nations give thanks to thee. ⁵ Let the nations rejoice and exult, for thou shalt judge the peoples in equity, and shalt guide the nations on the earth. Pause. ⁶ Let the peoples, O God, give thanks to thee; let all the peoples give thanks to thee. ⁷ The earth has yielded her fruit; let God, our God, bless us. ⁸ Let God bless us; and let all the ends of the earth fear him.

Stasis 2

Psalm 67

¹ For the end, a Psalm of a Song by David. ² Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; and let them that hate him flee from before him. ³ As smoke vanishes, let them vanish: as wax melts before the fire, so let the sinners perish from before God. ⁴ But let the righteous rejoice; let them exult before God: let them be delighted with joy. ⁵ Sing to God, sing praises to his name: make a way for him that rides upon the west (the Lord is his name) and exult before him. They shall be troubled before the face of him, ⁶ who is the father of the orphans, and judge of the widows: such is God in his holy place. ⁷ God settles the solitary in a house; leading forth prisoners mightily, also them that act provokingly, even them that dwell in tombs. ⁸ O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou wentest through the wilderness; Pause: ⁹ the earth quaked, yea, the heavens dropped water at the presence of the God of Sina, at the presence of the God of Israel. ¹⁰ O God, thou wilt grant to thine inheritance a gracious rain; for it was weary, but thou didst refresh it. ¹¹ Thy creatures dwell in it: thou hast in thy goodness prepared for the poor. ¹² The Lord God will give a word to them that preach it in a great company. ¹³ The king of the forces of the beloved, of the beloved, will even grant them for the beauty of the house to divide the spoils. ¹⁴ Even if ye should lie among the lots, ye shall have the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her breast with yellow gold. ¹⁵ When the heavenly One scatters kings upon it, they shall be made snow-white in Selmon. ¹⁶ The mountain of God is a rich mountain; a swelling mountain, a rich mountain. ¹⁷ Wherefore do ye conceive evil, ye swelling mountains? this is the mountain which God has delighted to dwell in; yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever. ¹⁸ The chariots of God are ten thousand fold, thousands of rejoicing ones: the Lord is among them, in Sina, in the holy place. ¹⁹ Thou art gone up on high, thou hast led captivity captive, thou hast received gifts for man, yea, for they were rebellious, that thou mightest dwell among them. ²⁰ Blessed be the Lord God, blessed be the Lord daily; and the God of our salvation shall prosper us. Pause. ²¹ Our God is the God of salvation; and to the Lord belong the issues from death. ²² But God shall crush the heads of his enemies; the hairy crown of them that go on in their trespasses. ²³ The Lord said, I will bring again from Basan, I will bring my people again through the depths of the sea. ²⁴ That thy foot may be dipped in blood, and the tongue of thy dogs be stained with that of thine enemies. ²⁵ Thy goings, O God, have been seen; the goings of my God, the king, in the sanctuary. ²⁶ The princes went first, next before the players on instruments, in the midst of damsels playing on timbrels. ²⁷ Praise God in the congregations, the Lord from the fountains of Israel. ²⁸ There is Benjamin the younger one in ecstasy, the princes of Juda their rulers, the princes of Zabulon, the princes of Nephthali. ²⁹ O God, command thou thy strength: strengthen, O God, this which thou hast wrought in us. ³⁰ Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents to thee. ³¹ Rebuke the wild beasts of the reed: let the crowd of bulls with the heifers of the nations be rebuked, so that they who have been proved with silver may not be shut out: scatter thou the nations that wish for wars. ³² Ambassadors shall arrive out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall hasten to stretch out her hand readily to God. ³³ Sing to God, ye kingdoms of the earth; sing psalms to the Lord. Pause. ³⁴ Sing to God that rides on the heaven of heaven, eastward: lo, he will utter a mighty sound with his voice. ³⁵ Give ye glory to God: his excellency is over Israel, and his power is in the clouds. ³⁶ God is wonderful in his holy places, the God of Israel: he will give power and strength to his people: blessed be God.

Stasis 3

Psalm 68

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David, for alternate strains. ² Save me, O God; for the waters have come in to my soul. ³ I am stuck fast in deep mire, and there is no standing: I am come in to the depths of the sea, and a storm has overwhelmed me. ⁴ I am weary of crying, my throat has become hoarse; mine eyes have failed by my waiting on my God. ⁵ They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head: my enemies that persecute me unrighteously are strengthened: then I restored that which I took not away.

O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my transgressions are not hidden from thee. ⁷ Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord of hosts, be ashamed on my account: let not them that seek thee, be ashamed on my account, O God of Israel. ⁸ For I have suffered reproach for thy sake; shame has covered my face. ⁹ I became strange to my brethren, and a stranger to my mother's children. ¹⁰ For the zeal of thine house has eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. ¹¹ And I bowed down my soul with fasting, and that was made my reproach. ¹² And I put on sackcloth for my covering; and I became a proverb to them. ¹³ They that sit in the gate talked against me, and they that drank wine sang against me. ¹⁴ But I will cry to thee, O Lord, in my prayer; O God, it is a propitious time: in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. ¹⁵ Save me from the mire, that I stick not in it: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and from the deep waters. ¹⁶ Let not the waterflood drown me, nor let the deep swallow me up; neither let the well shut its mouth upon me. ¹⁷ Hear me, O Lord; for thy mercy is good: according to the multitude of thy compassions look upon me. ¹⁸ And turn not away thy face from thy servant; for I am afflicted: hear me speedily. ¹⁹ Draw nigh to my soul and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies. ²⁰ For thou knowest my reproach, and my shame, and my confusion; all that afflict me are before thee. ²¹ My soul has waited for reproach and misery; and I waited for one to grieve with me, but there was none; and for one to comfort me, but I found none. ²² They gave me also gall for my food, and made me drink vinegar for my thirst. ²³ Let their table before them be for a snare, and for a recompence, and for a stumbling-block. ²⁴ Let their eyes be darkened that they should not see; and bow down their back continually. ²⁵ Pour out thy wrath upon them, and let the fury of thine anger take hold on them. ²⁶ Let their habitation be made desolate; and let there be no inhabitant in their tents: ²⁷ because they persecuted him whom thou hast smitten; and they have added to the grief of my wounds. ²⁸ Add iniquity to their iniquity; and let them not come into thy righteousness. ²⁹ Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and let them not be written with the righteous. ³⁰ I am poor and sorrowful; but the salvation of thy countenance has helped me. ³¹ I will praise the name of my God with a song, I will magnify him with praise; ³² and this shall please God more than a young calf having horns and hoofs. ³³ Let the poor see and rejoice; seek the Lord diligently, and ye shall live. ³⁴ For the Lord hears the poor, and does not set at nought his fettered ones. ³⁵ Let the heavens and the earth praise him, the sea, and all things moving in them. ³⁶ For God will save Sion, and the cities of Judea shall be built; and men shall dwell there, and inherit it. ³⁷ And the seed of his servants shall possess it, and they that love his name shall dwell therein.

Psalm 69

¹ For the end, by David for a remembrance, that the Lord may save me. ² Draw nigh, O God, to my help. ³ Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek my soul: let them be turned backward and put to shame, that wish me evil. ⁴ Let them that say to me, Aha, aha, be turned back and put to shame immediately. ⁵ Let all that seek thee exult and be glad in thee: and let those that love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. ⁶ But I am poor and needy; O God, help me: thou art my helper and deliverer, O Lord, delay not.

(Tenth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 70

By David, a Psalm sung by the sons of Jonadab, and the first that were taken captive.

O Lord, I have hoped in thee: let me never be put to shame. ² In thy righteousness deliver me and rescue me: incline thine ear to me, and save me. ³ Be to me a protecting God, and a strong hold to save me: for thou art my fortress and my refuge. ⁴ Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the sinner, from the hand of the transgressor and unjust man. ⁵ For thou art my support, O Lord; O Lord, thou art my hope from my youth. ⁶ On thee have I been stayed from the womb: from the belly of my mother thou art my protector: of thee is my praise continually. ⁷ I am become as it were a wonder to many; but thou art my strong helper. ⁸ Let my mouth be filled with praise, that I may hymn thy glory, and thy majesty all the day. ⁹ Cast me not off at the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength fails. ¹⁰ For mine enemies have spoken against me; and they that lay wait for my soul have taken counsel together, ¹¹ saying, God has forsaken him: persecute ye and take him; for there is none to deliver him. ¹² O God, go not far from me, O my God, draw nigh to my help. ¹³ Let those that plot against my soul be ashamed and utterly fail: let those that seek my hurt be clothed with shame and dishonour. ¹⁴ But I will hope continually, and will praise thee more and more. ¹⁵ My mouth shall declare thy righteousness openly, and thy salvation all the day; for I am not acquainted with the affairs of men. ¹⁶ I will go on in the might of the Lord: O Lord, I will make mention of thy righteousness only. ¹⁷ O God, thou hast taught me from my youth, and until now will I declare thy wonders; ¹⁸ even until I am old and advanced in years. O God, forsake me not; until I shall have declared thine arm to all the generation that is to come: ¹⁹ even thy power and thy righteousness, O God, up to the highest heavens, even the mighty works which thou hast done: O God, who is like to thee? ²⁰ What afflictions many and sore hast thou shewed me! yet thou didst turn and quicken me, and broughtest me again from the depths of the earth. ²¹ Thou didst multiply thy righteousness, and didst turn and comfort me, and broughtest me again out of the depths of the earth. ²² I will also therefore give thanks to thee, O God, because of thy truth, on an instrument of psalmody: I will sing psalms to thee on the harp, O Holy One of Israel. ²³ My lips shall rejoice when I sing to thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. ²⁴ Moreover also my tongue shall dwell all the day upon thy righteousness; when they shall be ashamed and confounded that seek my hurt.

Psalm 71

¹ For Solomon.

O God, give thy judgment to the king, and thy righteousness to the king's son; ² that he may judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. ³ Let the mountains and the hills raise peace to thy people: ⁴ he shall judge the poor of the people in righteousness, and save the children of the needy; and shall bring low the false accuser. ⁵ And he shall continue as long as the sun, and before the moon for ever. ⁶ He shall come down as rain upon a fleece; and as drops falling upon the earth. ⁷ In his days shall righteousness spring up; and abundance of peace till the moon be removed. ⁸ And he shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. ⁹ The Ethiopians shall fall down before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. ¹⁰ The kings of Tharsis, and the isles, shall bring presents: the kings of the Arabians and Saba shall offer gifts. ¹¹ And all kings shall worship him; all the Gentiles shall serve him. ¹² For he has delivered the poor from the oppressor; and the needy who had no helper. ¹³ He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall deliver the souls of the needy. ¹⁴ He shall redeem their souls from usury and injustice: and their name shall be precious before him. ¹⁵ And he shall live, and there shall be given him of the gold of Arabia: and men shall pray for him continually; and all the day shall they praise him. ¹⁶ There shall be an establishment on the earth on the tops of the mountains: the fruit thereof shall be exalted above Libanus, and they of the city shall flourish as grass of the earth.

Let his name be blessed for ever: his name shall endure longer than the sun: and all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. ¹⁸ Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who alone does wonders. ¹⁹ And blessed is his glorious name for ever, even for ever and ever: and all the earth shall be filled with his glory. So be it, so be it. ²⁰ The hymns of David the son of Jessæ are ended.

Stasis 2

Psalm 72

¹ A Psalm for Asaph.

How good is God to Israel, to the upright in heart! ² But my feet were almost overthrown; my goings very nearly slipped. ³ For I was jealous of the transgressors, beholding the tranquillity of sinners. ⁴ For there is no sign of reluctance in their death: and they have firmness under their affliction. ⁵ They are not in the troubles of other men; and they shall not be scourged with other men. ⁶ Therefore pride has possessed them; they have clothed themselves with their injustice and ungodliness. ⁷ Their injustice shall go forth as out of fatness: they have fulfilled their intention. ⁸ They have taken counsel and spoken in wickedness: they have uttered unrighteousness loftily. ⁹ They have set their mouth against heaven, and their tongue has gone through upon the earth. ¹⁰ Therefore shall my people return hither: and full days shall be found with them. ¹¹ And they said, How does God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High? ¹² Behold, these are the sinners, and they that prosper always: they have possessed wealth. ¹³ And I said, Verily in vain have I justified my heart, and washed my hands in innocency. ¹⁴ For I was plagued all the day, and my reproof was every morning. ¹⁵ If I said, I will speak thus; behold, I should have broken covenant with the generation of thy children. ¹⁶ And I undertook to understand this, but it is too hard for me, ¹⁷ until I go into the sanctuary of God; and so understand the latter end. ¹⁸ Surely thou hast appointed judgments to them because of their crafty dealings: thou hast cast them down when they were lifted up. ¹⁹ How have they become desolate! suddenly they have failed: they have perished because of their iniquity. ²⁰ As the dream of one awakening, O Lord, in thy city thou wilt despise their image. ²¹ For my heart has rejoiced, and my reins have been gladdened. ²² But I was vile and knew not: I became brutish before thee. ²³ Yet I am continually with thee: thou hast holden my right hand. ²⁴ Thou hast guided me by thy counsel, and thou hast taken me to thyself with glory. ²⁵ For what have I in heaven but thee? and what have I desired upon the earth beside thee? ²⁶ My heart and my flesh have failed: but God is the strength of my heart, and God is my portion for ever. ²⁷ For, behold, they that remove themselves far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed every one that goes a whoring from thee. ²⁸ But it is good for me to cleave close to God, to put my trust in the Lord; that I may proclaim all thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Sion.

Psalm 73

¹ A Psalm of instruction for Asaph.

Wherefore hast thou rejected us, O God, for ever? wherefore is thy wrath kindled against the sheep of thy pasture? ² Remember thy congregation which thou hast purchased from the beginning; thou didst ransom the rod of thine inheritance; this mount Sion wherein thou hast dwelt. ³ Lift up thine hands against their pride continually; because of all that the enemy has done wickedly in thy holy places. ⁴ And they that hate thee have boasted in the midst of thy feast; they have set up their standards for signs, ⁵ ignorantly as it were in the entrance above; ⁶ they cut down its doors at once with axes as in a wood of trees; they have broken it down with hatchet and stone cutter. ⁷ They have burnt thy sanctuary with fire to the ground; they have profaned the habitation of thy name. ⁸ They have said in their heart, even all their kindred together, Come, let us abolish the feasts of the Lord from the earth. ⁹ We have not seen our signs; there is no longer a prophet; and God will not know us any more. ¹⁰ How long, O God, shall the enemy reproach? shall the enemy provoke thy name for ever? ¹¹ Wherefore turnest thou away thine hand, and thy right hand from the midst of thy bosom for ever? ¹² But God is our King of old; he has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth. ¹³ Thou didst establish the sea, in thy might, thou didst break to pieces the heads of the dragons in the water. ¹⁴ Thou didst break to pieces the heads of the dragon; thou didst give him for meat to the Ethiopian nations. ¹⁵ Thou didst cleave fountains and torrents; thou driedst up mighty rivers. ¹⁶ The day is thine, and the night is thine; thou hast prepared the sun and the moon. ¹⁷ Thou hast made all the borders of the earth; thou hast made summer and spring. ¹⁸ Remember this thy creation: an enemy has reproached the Lord, and a foolish people has provoked thy name. ¹⁹ Deliver not to the wild beasts a soul that gives praise to thee: forget not for ever the souls of thy poor. ²⁰ Look upon thy covenant: for the dark places of the earth are filled with the habitations of iniquity. ²¹ Let not the afflicted and shamed one be rejected: the poor and needy shall praise thy name. ²² Arise, O God, plead thy cause: remember thy reproaches that come from the foolish one all the day. ²³ Forget not the voice of thy suppliants: let the pride of them that hate thee continually ascend before thee.

Stasis 3

Psalm 74

¹ For the end, Destroy not, a Psalm of a Song for Asaph. ² We will give thanks to thee, O God, we will give thanks, and call upon thy name: I will declare all thy wonderful works. ³ When I shall take a set time, I will judge righteously. ⁴ The earth is dissolved, and all that dwell in it: I have strengthened its pillars. Pause. ⁵ I said unto the transgressors, Do not transgress; and to the sinners, Lift not up the horn. ⁶ Lift not up your horn on high; speak not unrighteousness against God. ⁷ For good comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert mountains. ⁸ For God is the judge; he puts down one, and raises up another. ⁹ For there is a cup in the hand of the Lord, full of unmingled wine; and he has turned it from side to side, but its dregs have not been wholly poured out; all the sinners of the earth shall drink them. ¹⁰ But I will exult for ever: I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. ¹¹ And I will break all the horns of sinners; but the horns of the righteous one shall be exalted.

Psalm 75

¹ For the end, among the Hymns, a Psalm for Asaph; a Song for the Assyrian. ² God is known in Judea; his name is great in Israel. ³ And his place has been in peace, and his dwelling-place in Sion. ⁴ There he broke the power of the bows, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Pause. ⁵ Thou dost wonderfully shine forth from the everlasting mountains. ⁶ All the simple ones in heart were troubled; all the men of wealth have slept their sleep, and have found nothing in their hands. ⁷ At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, the riders on horses slumbered. ⁸ Thou art terrible; and who shall withstand thee, because of thine anger? ⁹ Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, ¹⁰ when God arose to judgment, to save all the meek in heart. Pause.

For the inward thought of man shall give thanks to thee: and the memorial of his inward thought shall keep a feast to thee. ¹² Vow, and pay your vows to the Lord our God; all that are round about him shall bring gifts, even to him that is terrible, ¹³ and that takes away the spirits of princes; to him that is terrible among the kings of the earth.

Psalm 76

¹ For the end, for Idithun, a Psalm of Asaph. ² I cried to the Lord with my voice, yea, my voice was addressed to God; and he gave heed to me. ³ In the day of mine affliction I earnestly sought the Lord; even with my hands by night before him, and I was not deceived; my soul refused to be comforted. ⁴ I remembered God, and rejoiced; I poured out my complaint, and my soul fainted. Pause. ⁵ All mine enemies set a watch against me: I was troubled, and spoke not. ⁶ I considered the days of old, and remembered ancient years. ⁷ And I meditated; I communed with my heart by night, and diligently searched my spirit, saying, ⁸ Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be well pleased no more? ⁹ Will he cut off his mercy for ever, even for ever and ever? ¹⁰ Will God forget to pity? or will he shut up his compassions in his wrath? Pause. ¹¹ And I said, Now I have begun; this is the change of the right hand of the Most High. ¹² I remembered the works of the Lord; for I will remember thy wonders from the beginning. ¹³ And I will meditate on all thy works, and will consider thy doings. ¹⁴ O God, thy way is in the sanctuary; who is a great God as our God? ¹⁵ Thou art the God that doest wonders; thou hast made known thy power among the nations. ¹⁶ Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Pause. ¹⁷ The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee, and feared; and the depths were troubled. ¹⁸ There was an abundant sound of waters: the clouds uttered a voice; for thine arrows went abroad. ¹⁹ The voice of thy thunder was abroad, and around thy lightnings appeared to the world; the earth trembled and quaked. ²⁰ Thy way is in the sea, and thy paths in many waters, and thy footsteps cannot be known. ²¹ Thou didst guide thy people as sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

(Eleventh Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 77

A Psalm of instruction for Asaph.

Give heed, O my people, to my law: incline your ear to the words of my mouth. ² I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter dark sayings which have been from the beginning. ³ All which we have heard and known, and our fathers have declared to us. ⁴ They were not hid from their children to a second generation; the fathers declaring the praises of the Lord, and his mighty acts, and his wonders which he wrought. ⁵ And he raised up a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, to make it known to their children: ⁶ that another generation might know, even the sons which should be born; and they should arise and declare them to their children. ⁷ That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God, but diligently seek his commandments. ⁸ That they should not be as their fathers, a perverse and provoking generation; a generation which set not its heart aright, and its spirit was not steadfast with God. ⁹ The children of Ephraim, bending and shooting with the bow, turned back in the day of battle. ¹⁰ They kept not the covenant of God, and would not walk in his law. ¹¹ And they forgot his benefits, and his miracles which he had shewed them; ¹² the miracles which he wrought before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Tanes. ¹³ He clave the sea, and led them through: he made the waters to stand as in a bottle. ¹⁴ And he guided them with a cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire. ¹⁵ He clave a rock in the wilderness, and made them drink as in a great deep. ¹⁶ And he brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down as rivers. ¹⁷ And they sinned yet more against him; they provoked the Most High in the wilderness. ¹⁸ And they tempted God in their hearts, in asking meat for the desire of their souls. ¹⁹ They spoke also against God, and said, Will God be able to prepare a table in the wilderness? ²⁰ Forasmuch as he smote the rock, and the waters flowed, and the torrents ran abundantly; will he be able also to give bread, or prepare a table for his people? ²¹ Therefore the Lord heard, and was provoked: and fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath went up against Israel. ²² Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation. ²³ Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, ²⁴ and rained upon them manna to eat, and gave them the bread of heaven. ²⁵ Man ate angels' bread; he sent them provision to the full. ²⁶ He removed the south wind from heaven; and by his might he brought in the south-west wind. ²⁷ And he rained upon them flesh like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the seas. ²⁸ And they fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents. ²⁹ So they ate, and were completely filled; and he gave them their desire. ³⁰ They were not disappointed of their desire: but when their food was yet in their mouth, ³¹ then the indignation of God rose up against them, and slew the fattest of them, and overthrew the choice men of Israel. ³² In the midst of all this they sinned yet more, and believed not his miracles. ³³ And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years with anxiety. ³⁴ When he slew them, they sought him: and they returned and called betimes upon God. ³⁵ And they remembered that God was their helper, and the most high God was their redeemer. ³⁶ Yet they loved him only with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue. ³⁷ For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant. ³⁸ But he is compassionate, and will forgive their sins, and will not destroy them: yea, he will frequently turn away his wrath, and will not kindle all his anger. ³⁹ And he remembered that they are flesh; a wind that passes away, and returns not. ⁴⁰ How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, and anger him in a dry land! ⁴¹ Yea, they turned back, and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel. ⁴² They remembered not his hand, the day in which he delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. ⁴³ How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanes: ⁴⁴ and had changed their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they should not drink. ⁴⁵ He sent against them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it spoiled them. ⁴⁶ And he gave their fruit to the canker worm, and their labours to the locust. ⁴⁷ He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost. ⁴⁸ And he gave up their cattle to hail, and their substance to the fire. ⁴⁹ He sent out against them the fury of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and affliction, a message by evil angels. ⁵⁰ He made a way for his wrath; he spared not their souls from death, but consigned their cattle to death; ⁵¹ and smote every first-born in the land of Egypt; the first-fruits of their labours in the tents of Cham. ⁵² And he removed his people like sheep; he led them as a flock in the wilderness. ⁵³ And he guided them with hope, and they feared not: but the sea covered their enemies. ⁵⁴ And he brought them in to the mountain of his sanctuary, this mountain which his right hand had purchased. ⁵⁵ And he cast out the nations from before them, and made them to inherit by a line of inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents. ⁵⁶ Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies. ⁵⁷ And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as also their fathers: they became like a crooked bow. ⁵⁸ And they provoked him with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images. ⁵⁹ God heard and lightly regarded them, and greatly despised Israel. ⁶⁰ And he rejected the tabernacle of Selom, his tent where he dwelt among men. ⁶¹ And he gave their strength into captivity, and their beauty into the enemy's hand. ⁶² And he gave his people to the sword; and disdained his inheritance. ⁶³ Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins mourned not. ⁶⁴ Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows shall not be wept for. ⁶⁵ So the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and as a mighty man who has been heated with wine. ⁶⁶ And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he brought on them a perpetual reproach. ⁶⁷ And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim; ⁶⁸ but chose the tribe of Juda, the mount Sion which he loved. ⁶⁹ And he built his sanctuary as the place of unicorns; he founded it for ever on the earth. ⁷⁰ He chose David also his servant, and took him up from the flocks of sheep. ⁷¹ He took him from following the ewes great with young, to be the shepherd of Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance. ⁷² So he tended them in the innocency of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

Stasis 2

Psalm 78

¹ A Psalm for Asaph.

O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; they have polluted thy holy temple; they have made Jerusalem a storehouse of fruits. ² They have given the dead bodies of thy servants to be food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of thy holy ones for the wild beasts of the earth. ³ They have shed their blood as water, round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. ⁴ We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. ⁵ How long, O Lord? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire? ⁶ Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms which have not called upon thy name. ⁷ For they have devoured Jacob, and laid his place waste. ⁸ Remember not our old transgressions; let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us; for we are greatly impoverished. ⁹ Help us, O God our Saviour; for the glory of thy name, O Lord, deliver us; and be merciful to our sins, for thy name's sake. ¹⁰ Lest haply they should say among the heathen, Where is their God? and let the avenging of thy servants' blood that has been shed be known among the heathen before our eyes. ¹¹ Let the groaning of the prisoners come in before thee; according to the greatness of thine arm preserve the sons of the slain ones. ¹² Repay to our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, with which they have reproached thee, O Lord. ¹³ For we are thy people and the sheep of thy pasture; we will give thee thanks for ever; we will declare thy praise throughout all generations.

Psalm 79

¹ For the end, for alternate strains, a testimony for Asaph, a Psalm concerning the Assyrian. ² Attend, O Shepherd of Israel, who guidest Joseph like a flock; thou who sittest upon the cherubs, manifest thyself; ³ before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasse, stir up thy power, and come to deliver us. ⁴ Turn us, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be delivered. ⁵ O Lord God of hosts, how long art thou angry with the prayer of thy servant? ⁶ Thou wilt feed us with bread of tears; and wilt cause us to drink tears by measure. ⁷ Thou hast made us a strife to our neighbours; and our enemies have mocked at us. ⁸ Turn us, O Lord God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Pause. ⁹ Thou hast transplanted a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. ¹⁰ Thou madest a way before it, and didst cause its roots to strike, and the land was filled with it. ¹¹ Its shadow covered the mountains, and its shoots equalled the goodly cedars. ¹² It sent forth its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the river. ¹³ Wherefore hast thou broken down its hedge, while all that pass by the way pluck it? ¹⁴ The boar out of the wood has laid it waste, and the wild beast has devoured it. ¹⁵ O God of hosts, turn, we pray thee: look on us from heaven, and behold and visit this vine; ¹⁶ and restore that which thy right hand has planted: and look on the son of man whom thou didst strengthen for thyself. ¹⁷ It is burnt with fire and dug up: they shall perish at the rebuke of thy presence. ¹⁸ Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, and upon the son of man whom thou didst strengthen for thyself. ¹⁹ So will we not depart from thee: thou shalt quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. ²⁰ Turn us, O Lord God of hosts, and make thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Psalm 80

¹ For the end, a Psalm for Asaph, concerning the wine-presses. ² Rejoice ye in God our helper; shout aloud to the God of Jacob. ³ Take a psalm, and produce the timbrel, the pleasant psaltery with the harp. ⁴ Blow the trumpet at the new moon, in the glorious day of your feast. ⁵ For this is an ordinance for Israel, and a statute of the God of Jacob. ⁶ He made it to be a testimony in Joseph, when he came forth out of the land of Egypt: he heard a language which he understood not. ⁷ He removed his back from burdens: his hands slaved in making the baskets. ⁸ Thou didst call upon me in trouble, and I delivered thee; I heard thee in the secret place of the storm: I proved thee at the water of Strife. Pause. ⁹ Hear, my people, and I will speak to thee, O Israel; and I will testify to thee: if thou wilt hearken to me; ¹⁰ there shall be no new god in thee; neither shalt thou worship a strange god. ¹¹ For I am the Lord thy God, that brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. ¹² But my people hearkened not to my voice; and Israel gave no heed to me. ¹³ So I let them go after the ways of their own hearts: they will go on in their own ways. ¹⁴ If my people had hearkened to me, if Israel had walked in my ways, ¹⁵ I should have put down their enemies very quickly, and should have laid my hand upon those that afflicted them. ¹⁶ The Lord's enemies should have lied to him: but their time shall be for ever. ¹⁷ And he fed them with the fat of wheat; and satisfied them with honey out of the rock.

Stasis 3

Psalm 81

¹ A Psalm for Asaph.

God stands in the assembly of gods; and in the midst of them will judge gods. ² How long will ye judge unrighteously, and accept the persons of sinners? Pause. ³ Judge the orphan and poor: do justice to the low and needy. ⁴ Rescue the needy, and deliver the poor out of the hand of the sinner. ⁵ They know not, nor understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth shall be shaken. ⁶ I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you children of the Most High. ⁷ But ye die as men, and fall as one of the princes. ⁸ Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

Psalm 82

A Song of a Psalm for Asaph. ² O God, who shall be compared to thee? be not silent, neither be still, O God.

³ For behold, thine enemies have made a noise; and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. ⁴ Against thy people they have craftily imagined a device, and have taken counsel against thy saints. ⁵ They have said, Come, and let us utterly destroy them out of the nation; and let the name of Israel be remembered no more at all.

⁶ For they have taken counsel together with one consent: they have made a confederacy against thee; ⁷ even the tents of the Idumeans, and the Ismaelites; Moab, and the Agarenes; ⁸ Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalec; the Philistines also, with them that dwell at Tyre. ⁹ Yea, Assur too is come with them: they have become a help to the children of Lot. Pause. ¹⁰ Do thou to them as to Madiam, and to Sisera; as to Jabin at the brook of Kison. ¹¹ They were utterly destroyed at Aendor: they became as dung for the earth. ¹² Make their princes as Oreb and Zeb, and Zebee and Salmana; even all their princes:

¹³ who said, Let us take to ourselves the altar of God as an inheritance. ¹⁴ O my God, make them as a wheel; as stubble before the face of the wind. ¹⁵ As fire which shall burn up a wood, as the flame may consume the mountains; ¹⁶ so shalt thou persecute them with thy tempest, and trouble them in thine anger. ¹⁷ Fill their faces with dishonour; so shall they seek thy name, O Lord. ¹⁸ Let them be ashamed and troubled for evermore; yea, let them be confounded and destroyed. ¹⁹ And let them know that thy name is Lord; that thou alone art Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 83

¹ For the end, a Psalm for the sons of Core, concerning the wine-presses. ² How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! ³ My soul longs, and faints for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh have exulted in the living God. ⁴ Yea, the sparrow has found himself a home, and the turtle-dove a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. ⁵ Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will praise thee evermore. Pause. ⁶ Blessed is the man whose help is of thee, O Lord; in his heart he has purposed to go up ⁷ the valley of weeping, to the place which he has appointed, for there the law-giver will grant blessings. ⁸ They shall go from strength to strength: the God of gods shall be seen in Sion. ⁹ O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: hearken, O God of Jacob. Pause. ¹⁰ Behold, O God our defender, and look upon the face of thine anointed. ¹¹ For one day in thy courts is better than thousands. I would rather be an abject in the house of God, than dwell in the tents of sinners. ¹² For the Lord loves mercy and truth: God will give grace and glory: the Lord will not withhold good things from them that walk in innocence. ¹³ O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in thee.

Psalm 84

¹ For the end, a Psalm for the sons of Core. ² O Lord, thou hast taken pleasure in thy land: thou hast turned back the captivity of Jacob. ³ Thou hast forgiven thy people their transgressions; thou hast covered all their sins. Pause. ⁴ Thou hast caused all thy wrath to cease: thou hast turned from thy fierce anger. ⁵ Turn us, O God of our salvation, and turn thine anger away from us. ⁶ Wouldest thou be angry with us for ever? or wilt thou continue thy wrath from generation to generation? ⁷ O God, thou wilt turn and quicken us; and thy people shall rejoice in thee. ⁸ Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. ⁹ I will hear what the Lord God will say concerning me: for he shall speak peace to his people, and to his saints, and to those that turn their heart toward him. ¹⁰ Moreover his salvation is near them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. ¹¹ Mercy and truth are met together: righteousness and peace have kissed each other. ¹² Truth has sprung out of the earth; and righteousness has looked down from heaven. ¹³ For the Lord will give goodness; and our land shall yield her fruit. ¹⁴ Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set his steps in the way.

(Twelfth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 85

A

Prayer of David.

O Lord, incline thine ear, and hearken to me; for I am poor and needy. ² Preserve my soul, for I am holy; save thy servant, O God, who hopes in thee. ³ Pity me, O Lord: for to thee will I cry all the day. ⁴ Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for to thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. ⁵ For thou, O Lord, art kind, and gentle; and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee. ⁶ Give ear to my prayer, O Lord; and attend to the voice of my supplication. ⁷ In the day of my trouble I cried to thee: for thou didst hear me. ⁸ There is none like to thee, O Lord, among the gods; and there are no works like to thy works. ⁹ All nations whom thou hast made shall come, and shall worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. ¹⁰ For thou art great, and doest wonders: thou art the only and the great God. ¹¹ Guide me, O Lord, in thy way, and I will walk in thy truth: let my heart rejoice, that I may fear thy name. ¹² I will give thee thanks, O Lord my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify thy name for ever. ¹³ For thy mercy is great toward me; and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. ¹⁴ O God, transgressors have risen up against me, and an assembly of violent men have sought my life; and have not set thee before them. ¹⁵ But thou, O Lord God, art compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy and true. ¹⁶ Look thou upon me, and have mercy upon me: give thy strength to thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. ¹⁷ Establish with me a token for good; and let them that hate me see it and be ashamed; because thou, O Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.

Psalm 86

¹ A Psalm of a Song for the sons of Core.

His foundations are in the holy mountains. ² The Lord loves the gates of Sion, more than all the tabernacles of Jacob. ³ Glorious things have been spoken of thee, O city of God. Pause. ⁴ I will make mention of Raab and Babylon to them that know me: behold also the Philistines, and Tyre, and the people of the Ethiopians: these were born there. ⁵ A man shall say, Sion is my mother; and such a man was born in her; and the Highest himself has founded her. ⁶ The Lord shall recount it in the writing of the people, and of these princes that were born in her. Pause. ⁷ The dwelling of all within thee is as the dwelling of those that rejoice.

Psalm 87

¹ A song of a Psalm for the sons of Core for the end, upon Maeleth for responsive strains, of instruction for Æman the Israelite. ² O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried by day and in the night before thee. ³ Let my prayer come in before thee; incline thine ear to my supplication, O Lord.

For my soul is filled with troubles, and my life has drawn nigh to Hades. ⁵ I have been reckoned with them that go down to the pit; I became as a man without help; ⁶ free among the dead, as the slain ones cast out, who sleep in the tomb; whom thou rememberest no more; and they are rejected from thy hand. ⁷ They laid me in the lowest pit, in dark places, and in the shadow of death. ⁸ Thy wrath has pressed heavily upon me, and thou hast brought upon me all thy billows. Pause. ⁹ Thou hast removed my acquaintance far from me; they have made me an abomination to themselves; I have been delivered up, and have not gone forth. ¹⁰ Mine eyes are dimmed from poverty; but I cried to thee, O Lord, all the day; I spread forth my hands to thee. ¹¹ Wilt thou work wonders for the dead? or shall physicians raise them up, that they shall praise thee? ¹² Shall any one declare thy mercy in the tomb? and thy truth in destruction? ¹³ Shall thy wonders be known in darkness? and thy righteousness in a forgotten land? ¹⁴ But I cried to thee, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee. ¹⁵ Wherefore, O Lord, dost thou reject my prayer, and turn thy face away from me? ¹⁶ I am poor and in troubles from my youth; and having been exalted, I was brought low and into despair. ¹⁷ Thy wrath has passed over me; and thy terrors have greatly disquieted me. ¹⁸ They compassed me like water; all the day they beset me together. ¹⁹ Thou hast put far from me every friend, and mine acquaintances because of my wretchedness.

Stasis 2

Psalm 88

¹ A Psalm of instruction for Ætham the Israelite. ² I will sing of thy mercies, O Lord, for ever: I will declare thy truth with my mouth to all generations. ³ For thou hast said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy truth shall be established in the heavens. ⁴ I made a covenant with my chosen ones, I sware unto David my servant. ⁵ I will establish thy seed for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Pause. ⁶ The heavens shall declare thy wonders, O Lord; and thy truth in the assembly of the saints. ⁷ For who in the heavens shall be compared to the Lord? and who shall be likened to the Lord among the sons of God? ⁸ God is glorified in the council of the saints; great and terrible toward all that are round about him. ⁹ O Lord God of hosts, who is like to thee? thou art mighty, O Lord, and thy truth is round about thee. ¹⁰ Thou rulest the power of the sea; and thou calmest the tumult of its waves. ¹¹ Thou hast brought down the proud as one that is slain; and with the arm of thy power thou hast scattered thine enemies. ¹² The heavens are thine, and the earth is thine: thou hast founded the world, and the fulness of it. ¹³ Thou hast created the north and the west: Thabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name. ¹⁴ Thine is the mighty arm: let thy hand be strengthened, let thy right hand be exalted. ¹⁵ Justice and judgment are the establishment of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. ¹⁶ Blessed is the people that knows the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. ¹⁷ And in thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. ¹⁸ For thou art the boast of their strength; and in thy good pleasure shall our horn be exalted, ¹⁹ for our help is of the Lord; and of the Holy One of Israel, our king. ²⁰ Then thou spokest in vision to thy children, and saidst, I have laid help on a mighty one; I have exalted one chosen out of my people. ²¹ I have found David my servant; I have anointed him by my holy mercy. ²² For my hand shall support him; and mine arm shall strengthen him. ²³ The enemy shall have no advantage against him; and the son of transgression shall not hurt him again. ²⁴ And I will hew down his foes before him, and put to flight those that hate him. ²⁵ But my truth and my mercy shall be with him; and in my name shall his horn be exalted. ²⁶ And I will set his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. ²⁷ He shall call upon me, saying, Thou art my Father, my God, and the helper of my salvation. ²⁸ And I will make him my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth. ²⁹ I will keep my mercy for him for ever, and my covenant shall be firm with him. ³⁰ And I will establish his seed for ever and ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. ³¹ If his children should forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; ³² if they should profane my ordinances, and not keep my commandments; ³³ I will visit their transgressions with a rod, and their sins with scourges. ³⁴ But my mercy I will not utterly remove from him, nor wrong my truth. ³⁵ Neither will I by any means profane my covenant; and I will not make void the things that proceed out of my lips. ³⁶ Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie to David. ³⁷ His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me; ³⁸ and as the moon that is established for ever, and as the faithful witness in heaven. Pause. ³⁹ But thou hast cast off and set at nought, thou hast rejected thine anointed. ⁴⁰ Thou hast overthrown the covenant of thy servant; thou hast profaned his sanctuary, casting it to the ground. ⁴¹ Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast made his strong holds a terror. ⁴² All that go by the way have spoiled him: he is become a reproach to his neighbours. ⁴³ Thou hast exalted the right hand of his enemies; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice. ⁴⁴ Thou hast turned back the help of his sword, and hast not helped him in the battle. ⁴⁵ Thou hast deprived him of glory: thou hast broken down his throne to the ground. ⁴⁶ Thou hast shortened the days of his throne: thou hast poured shame upon him. Pause. ⁴⁷ How long, O Lord, wilt thou turn away, for ever? shall thine anger flame out as fire? ⁴⁸ Remember what my being is: for hast thou created all the sons of men in vain? ⁴⁹ What man is there who shall live, and not see death? shall any one deliver his soul from the hand of Hades? Pause. ⁵⁰ Where are thine ancient mercies, O Lord, which thou swarest to David in thy truth? ⁵¹ Remember, O Lord, the reproach of thy servants, which I have borne in my bosom, even the reproach of many nations; ⁵² wherewith thine enemies have reviled, O Lord: wherewith they have reviled the recompence of thine anointed. ⁵³ Blessed be the Lord for ever. So be it, so be it.

Stasis 3

Psalm 89

89:1

A Prayer of Moses the man of God.

Lord, thou hast been our refuge in all generations. ² Before the mountains existed, and before the earth and the world were formed, even from age to age, Thou art. ³ Turn not man back to his low place, whereas thou saidst, Return, ye sons of men? ⁴ For a thousand years in thy sight are as the yesterday which is past, and as a watch in the night. ⁵ Years shall be vanity to them: let the morning pass away as grass. ⁶ In the morning let it flower, and pass away: in the evening let it droop, let it be withered and dried up. ⁷ For we have perished in thine anger, and in thy wrath we have been troubled. ⁸ Thou hast set our transgressions before thee: our age is in the light of thy countenance. ⁹ For all our days are gone, and we have passed away in thy wrath: our years have spun out their tale as a spider. ¹⁰ As for the days of our years, in them are seventy years; and if men should be in strength, eighty years: and the greater part of them would be labour and trouble; for weakness overtakes us, and we shall be chastened. ¹¹ Who knows the power of thy wrath? ¹² and who knows how to number his days because of the fear of thy wrath? So manifest thy right hand, and those that are instructed in wisdom in the heart. ¹³ Return, O Lord, how long? and be intreated concerning thy servants. ¹⁴ We have been satisfied in the morning with thy mercy; and we did exult and rejoice: ¹⁵ let us rejoice in all our days, in return for the days wherein thou didst afflict us, the years wherein we saw evil. ¹⁶ And look upon thy servants, and upon thy works; and guide their children. ¹⁷ And let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us: and do thou direct for us the works of our hands.

Psalm 90

¹ Praise of a Song, by David.

He that dwells in the help of the Highest, shall sojourn under the shelter of the God of heaven. ² He shall say to the Lord, Thou art my helper and my refuge: my God; I will hope in him. ³ For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunters, from every troublesome matter. ⁴ He shall overshadow thee with his shoulders, and thou shalt trust under his wings: his truth shall cover thee with a shield. ⁵ Thou shalt not be afraid of terror by night; nor of the arrow flying by day; ⁶ nor of the evil thing that walks in darkness; nor of calamity, and the evil spirit at noon-day. ⁷ A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. ⁸ Only with thine eyes shalt thou observe and see the reward of sinners. ⁹ For thou, O Lord, art my hope: thou, my soul, hast made the Most High thy refuge. ¹⁰ No evils shall come upon thee, and no scourge shall draw nigh to thy dwelling. ¹¹ For he shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. ¹² They shall bear thee up on their hands, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. ¹³ Thou shalt tread on the asp and basilisk: and thou shalt trample on the lion and dragon. ¹⁴ For he has hoped in me, and I will deliver him: I will protect him, because he has known my name. ¹⁵ He shall call upon me, and I will hearken to him: I am with him in affliction; and I will deliver him, and glorify him. ¹⁶ I will satisfy him with length of days, and shew him my salvation.

(Thirteenth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 91

A Psalm of a Song for the Sabbath-day. ² It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to thy name, O thou Most High; ³ to proclaim thy mercy in the morning, and thy truth by night, ⁴ on a psaltery of ten strings, with a song on the harp. ⁵ For thou, O Lord, hast made me glad with thy work: and in the operations of thy hands will I exult. ⁶ How have thy works been magnified, O Lord! thy thoughts are very deep. ⁷ A foolish man will not know, and a senseless man will not understand this. ⁸ When the sinners spring up as the grass, and all the workers of iniquity have watched; it is that they may be utterly destroyed for ever. ⁹ But thou, O Lord, art most high for ever. ¹⁰ For, behold, thine enemies shall perish; and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. ¹¹ But my horn shall be exalted as the horn of a unicorn; and mine old age with rich mercy. ¹² And mine eye has seen mine enemies, and mine ear shall hear the wicked that rise up against me. ¹³ The righteous shall flourish as a palm-tree: he shall be increased as the cedar in Libanus. ¹⁴ They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. ¹⁵ Then shall they be increased in a fine old age; and they shall be prosperous; that they may declare ¹⁶ that the Lord my God is righteous, and there is no iniquity in him.

Psalm 92

¹ For the day before the Sabbath, when the land was first inhabited, the praise of a Song by David.

The Lord reigns; he has clothed himself with honour: the Lord has clothed and girded himself with strength; for he has established the world, which shall not be moved. ² Thy throne is prepared of old: thou art from everlasting. ³ The rivers have lifted up, O Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voices, ⁴ at the voices of many waters: the billows of the sea are wonderful: the Lord is wonderful in high places. ⁵ Thy testimonies are made very sure: holiness becomes thine house, O Lord, for ever.

Psalm 93

¹ A Psalm of David for the fourth day of the week.

The Lord is a God of vengeance; the God of vengeance has declared himself. ² Be thou exalted, thou that judgest the earth: render a reward to the proud.

How long shall sinners, O Lord, how long shall sinners boast? ⁴ They will utter and speak unrighteousness; all the workers of iniquity will speak so. ⁵ They have afflicted thy people, O Lord, and hurt thine heritage. ⁶ They have slain the widow and fatherless, and murdered the stranger. ⁷ And they said, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob understand. ⁸ Understand now, ye simple among the people; and ye fools, at length be wise. ⁹ He that planted the ear, does he not hear? or he that formed the eye, does not he perceive? ¹⁰ He that chastises the heathen, shall not he punish, even he that teaches man knowledge? ¹¹ The Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are vain. ¹² Blessed is the man whomsoever thou shalt chasten, O Lord, and shalt teach him out of thy law; ¹³ to give him rest from evil days, until a pit be digged for the sinful one. ¹⁴ For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance; ¹⁵ until righteousness return to judgment, and all the upright in heart shall follow it. Pause. ¹⁶ Who will rise up for me against the transgressors? or who will stand up with me against the workers of iniquity? ¹⁷ If the Lord had not helped me, my soul had almost sojourned in Hades. ¹⁸ If I said, My foot has been moved; ¹⁹ thy mercy, O Lord, helped me. O Lord, according to the multitude of my griefs within my heart, thy consolations have soothed my soul. ²⁰ Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frames mischief by an ordinance? ²¹ They will hunt for the soul of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood. ²² But the Lord was my refuge; and my God the helper of my hope. ²³ And he will recompense to them their iniquity and their wickedness: the Lord our God shall utterly destroy them.

Stasis 2

Psalm 94

¹ The praise of a Song by David.

Come, let us exult in the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to God our Saviour. ² Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise to him with psalms. ³ For the Lord is a great God, and a great king over all gods: for the Lord will not cast off his people. ⁴ For the ends of the earth are in his hands; and the heights of the mountains are his. ⁵ For the sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. ⁶ Come, let us worship and fall down before him; and weep before the Lord that made us. ⁷ For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. ⁸ To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, according to the day of irritation in the wilderness: ⁹ where your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works. ¹⁰ Forty years was I grieved with this generation, and said, They do always err in their heart, and they have not known my ways. ¹¹ So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.

Psalm 95

¹ When the house was built after the Captivity, a Song by David.

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. ² Sing to the Lord, bless his name: proclaim his salvation from day to day. ³ Publish his glory among the Gentiles, his wonderful works among all people. ⁴ For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is terrible above all gods. ⁵ For all the gods of the heathen are devils: but the Lord made the heavens. ⁶ Thanksgiving and beauty are before him: holiness and majesty are in his sanctuary. ⁷ Bring to the Lord, ye families of the Gentiles, bring to the Lord glory and honour. ⁸ Bring to the Lord the glory becoming his name: take offerings, and go into his courts. ⁹ Worship the Lord in his holy court: let all the earth tremble before him. ¹⁰ Say among the heathen, The Lord reigns: for he has established the world so that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people in righteousness. ¹¹ Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth exult; let the sea be moved, and the fulness of it. ¹² The plains shall rejoice, and all things in them: then shall all the trees of the wood exult before the presence of the Lord: ¹³ for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth; he shall judge the world in righteousness, and the people with his truth.

Psalm 96

¹ For David, when his land is established.

The Lord reigns, let the earth exult, let many islands rejoice. ² Cloud and darkness are round about him; righteousness and judgment are the establishment of his throne. ³ Fire shall go before him, and burn up his enemies round about. ⁴ His lightnings appeared to the world; the earth saw, and trembled. ⁵ The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. ⁶ The heavens have declared his righteousness, and all the people have seen his glory.

Let all that worship graven images be ashamed, who boast of their idols; worship him, all ye his angels. ⁸ Sion heard and rejoiced; and the daughters of Judea exulted, because of thy judgments, O Lord. ⁹ For thou art Lord most high over all the earth; thou art greatly exalted above all gods. ¹⁰ Ye that love the Lord, hate evil; the Lord preserves the souls of his saints; he shall deliver them from the hand of sinners. ¹¹ Light is sprung up for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. ¹² Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks for a remembrance of his holiness.

Stasis 3

Psalm 97

¹ A Psalm of David.

Sing to the Lord a new song; for the Lord has wrought wonderful works, his right hand, and his holy arm, have wrought salvation for him. ² The Lord has made known his salvation, he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. ³ He has remembered his mercy to Jacob, and his truth to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. ⁴ Shout to God, all the earth; sing, and exult, and sing psalms. ⁵ Sing to the Lord with a harp, with a harp, and the voice of a psalm. ⁶ With trumpets of metal, and the sound of a trumpet of horn make a joyful noise to the Lord before the king. ⁷ Let the sea be moved, and the fulness of it; the world, and they that dwell in it. ⁸ The rivers shall clap their hands together; the mountains shall exult. ⁹ For he is come to judge the earth; he shall judge the world in righteousness, and the nations in uprightness.

Psalm 98

¹ A Psalm of David.

The Lord reigns;—let the people rage; it is he that sits upon the cherubs, let the earth be moved. ² The Lord is great in Sion, and is high over all the people. ³ Let them give thanks to thy great name; for it is terrible and holy. ⁴ And the king's honour loves judgment; thou hast prepared equity, thou hast wrought judgment and justice in Jacob. ⁵ Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy. ⁶ Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he heard them. ⁷ He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud; they kept his testimonies, and the ordinances which he gave them. ⁸ O Lord our God, thou heardest them; O God, thou becamest propitious to them, though thou didst take vengeance on all their devices. ⁹ Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy.

Psalm 99

¹ A Psalm for Thanksgiving.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. ² Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with exultation. ³ Know that the Lord he is God; he made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with hymns; give thanks to him, praise his name. ⁵ For the Lord is good, his mercy is for ever; and his truth endures to generation and generation.

Psalm 100

¹ A Psalm of David.

I will sing to thee, O Lord, of mercy and judgment; I will sing a psalm, ² and I will be wise in a blameless way. When wilt thou come to me? I walked in the innocence of my heart, in the midst of my house. ³ I have not set before mine eyes any unlawful thing; I have hated transgressors. ⁴ A perverse heart has not cleaved to me; I have not known an evil man, forasmuch as he turns away from me. ⁵ Him that privily speaks against his neighbour, him have I driven from me: he that is proud in look and insatiable in heart,—with him I have not eaten. ⁶ Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walked in a perfect way, the same ministered to me. ⁷ The proud doer dwelt not in the midst of my house; the unjust speaker prospered not in my sight. ⁸ Early did I slay all the sinners of the land, that I might destroy out of the city of the Lord all that work iniquity.

(Fourteenth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 101

A Prayer for the Poor; when he is deeply afflicted, and

pours out his supplication before the Lord. ² Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to thee. ³ Turn not away thy face from me: in the day when I am afflicted, incline thine ear to me: in the day when I shall call upon thee, speedily hear me. ⁴ For my days have vanished like smoke, and my bones have been parched like a stick. ⁵ I am blighted like grass, and my heart is dried up; for I have forgotten to eat my bread. ⁶ By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bone has cleaved to my flesh. ⁷ I have become like a pelican of the wilderness; ⁸ I have become like an owl in a ruined house. I have watched, and am become as a sparrow dwelling alone on a roof. ⁹ All the day long mine enemies have reproached me; and they that praised me have sworn against me. ¹⁰ For I have eaten ashes as it were bread, and mingled my drink with weeping; ¹¹ because of thine anger and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and dashed me down. ¹² My days have declined like a shadow; and I am withered like grass. ¹³ But thou, Lord, endurest for ever, and thy memorial to generation and generation. ¹⁴ Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Sion: for it is time to have mercy upon her, for the set time is come. ¹⁵ For thy servants have taken pleasure in her stones, and they shall pity her dust. ¹⁶ So the nations shall fear thy name, O Lord, and all kings thy glory. ¹⁷ For the Lord shall build up Sion, and shall appear in his glory. ¹⁸ He has had regard to the prayer of the lowly, and has not despised their petition. ¹⁹ Let this be written for another generation; and the people that shall be created shall praise the Lord. ²⁰ For he has looked out from the height of his sanctuary; the Lord looked upon the earth from heaven; ²¹ to hear the groaning of the fettered ones, to loosen the sons of the slain; ²² to proclaim the name of the Lord in Sion, and his praise in Jerusalem; ²³ when the people are gathered together, and the kings, to serve the Lord. ²⁴ He answered him in the way of his strength: tell me the fewness of my days. ²⁵ Take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are through all generations. ²⁶ In the beginning thou, O Lord, didst lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. ²⁷ They shall perish, but thou remainest: and they all shall wax old as a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them, and they shall be changed. ²⁸ But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. ²⁹ The children of thy servants shall dwell securely, and their seed shall prosper for ever.

Psalm 102

¹ A Psalm of David.

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name. ² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his praises: ³ who forgives all thy transgressions, who heals all thy diseases; ⁴ who redeems thy life from corruption; who crowns thee with mercy and compassion; ⁵ who satisfies thy desire with good things: so that thy youth shall be renewed like that of the eagle. ⁶ The Lord executes mercy and judgment for all that are injured. ⁷ He made known his ways to Moses, his will to the children of Israel. ⁸ The Lord is compassionate and pitiful, long-suffering, and full of mercy. ⁹ He will not be always angry; neither will he be wrathful for ever. ¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor recompensed us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as the heaven is high above the earth, the Lord has so increased his mercy toward them that fear him. ¹² As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father pities his children, the Lord pities them that fear him. ¹⁴ For he knows our frame: remember that we are dust. ¹⁵ As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so shall he flourish. ¹⁶ For the wind passes over it, and it shall not be; and it shall know its place no more. ¹⁷ But the mercy of the Lord is from generation to generation upon them that fear him, and his righteousness to children's children; ¹⁸ to them that keep his covenant, and remember his commandments to do them. ¹⁹ The Lord has prepared his throne in the heaven; and his kingdom rules over all. ²⁰ Bless the Lord, all ye his angels, mighty in strength, who perform his bidding, ready to hearken to the voice of his words. ²¹ Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his that do his will. ²² Bless the Lord, all his works, in every place of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.

Stasis 2

Psalm 103

¹ A Psalm of David.

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou hast clothed thyself with praise and honour: ² who dost robe thyself with light as with a garment; spreading out the heaven as a curtain. ³ Who covers his chambers with waters; who makes the clouds his chariot; who walks on the wings of the wind. ⁴ Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire. ⁵ Who establishes the earth on her sure foundation: it shall not be moved for ever. ⁶ The deep, as it were a garment, is his covering: the waters shall stand on the hills. ⁷ At thy rebuke they shall flee; at the voice of thy thunder they shall be alarmed. ⁸ They go up to the mountains, and down to the plains, to the place which thou hast founded for them. ⁹ Thou hast set a bound which they shall not pass, neither shall they turn again to cover the earth. ¹⁰ He sends forth his fountains among the valleys: the waters shall run between the mountains. ¹¹ They shall give drink to all the wild beasts of the field: the wild asses shall take of them to quench their thirst. ¹² By them shall the birds of the sky lodge: they shall utter a voice out of the midst of the rocks. ¹³ He waters the mountains from his chambers: the earth shall be satisfied with the fruit of thy works. ¹⁴ He makes grass to grow for the cattle, and green herb for the service of men, to bring bread out of the earth; ¹⁵ and wine makes glad the heart of man, to make his face cheerful with oil: and bread strengthens man's heart. ¹⁶ The trees of the plain shall be full of sap; even the cedars of Libanus which he has planted. ¹⁷ There the sparrows will build their nests; and the house of the heron takes the lead among them. ¹⁸ The high mountains are a refuge for the stags, and the rock for the rabbits. ¹⁹ He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knows his going down. ²⁰ Thou didst make darkness, and it was night; in it all the wild beasts of the forest will be abroad: ²¹ even young lions roaring for prey, and to seek meat for themselves from God. ²² The sun arises, and they shall be gathered together, and shall lie down in their dens. ²³ Man shall go forth to his work, and to his labour till evening. ²⁴ How great are thy works, O Lord! in wisdom hast thou wrought them all: the earth is filled with thy creation. ²⁵ So is this great and wide sea: there are things creeping innumerable, small animals and great. ²⁶ There go the ships; and this dragon whom thou hast made to play in it. ²⁷ All wait upon thee, to give them their food in due season. ²⁸ When thou hast given it them, they will gather it; and when thou hast opened thine hand, they shall all be filled with good. ²⁹ But when thou hast turned away thy face, they shall be troubled: thou wilt take away their breath, and they shall fail, and return to their dust. ³⁰ Thou shalt send forth thy Spirit, and they shall be created; and thou shalt renew the face of the earth. ³¹ Let the glory of the Lord be for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works; ³² who looks upon the earth, and makes it tremble; who touches the mountains, and they smoke. ³³ I will sing to the Lord while I live; I will sing praise to my God while I exist. ³⁴ Let my meditation be sweet to him: and I will rejoice in the Lord. ³⁵ Let the sinners fail from off the earth, and transgressors, so that they shall be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Stasis 3

Psalm 104

¹ Alleluia.

Give thanks to the Lord, and call upon his name; declare his works among the heathen. ² Sing to him, yea, sing praises to him: tell forth all his wonderful works. ³ Glory in his holy name: let the heart of them that seek the Lord rejoice. ⁴ Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened; seek his face continually. ⁵ Remember his wonderful works that he has done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; ⁶ ye seed of Abraam, his servants, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones. ⁷ He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. ⁸ He has remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded for a thousand generations: ⁹ which he established as a covenant to Abraam, and he remembered his oath to Isaac. ¹⁰ And he established it to Jacob for an ordinance, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant; ¹¹ saying, To thee will I give the land of Chanaan, the line of your inheritance: ¹² when they were few in number, very few, and sojourners in it. ¹³ And they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people. ¹⁴ He suffered no man to wrong them; and he rebuked kings for their sakes: ¹⁵ saying, Touch not my anointed ones; and do my prophets no harm. ¹⁶ Moreover he called for a famine upon the land; he broke the whole support of bread. ¹⁷ He sent a man before them; Joseph was sold for a slave. ¹⁸ They hurt his feet with fetters; his soul passed into iron, ¹⁹ until the time that his cause came on; the word of the Lord tried him as fire. ²⁰ The king sent and loosed him; even the prince of the people, and let him go free. ²¹ He made him lord over his house, and ruler of all his substance; ²² to chastise his rulers at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom. ²³ Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Cham. ²⁴ And he increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies. ²⁵ And he turned their heart to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants. ²⁶ He sent forth Moses his servant, and Aaron whom he had chosen. ²⁷ He established among them his signs, and his wonders in the land of Cham. ²⁸ He sent forth darkness, and made it dark; yet they rebelled against his words. ²⁹ He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish. ³⁰ Their land produced frogs abundantly, in the chambers of their kings. ³¹ He spoke, and the dog-fly came, and lice in all their coasts. ³² He turned their rain into hail, and sent flaming fire in their land. ³³ And he smote their vines and their fig-trees; and broke every tree of their coast. ³⁴ He spoke, and the locust came, and caterpillars innumerable, ³⁵ and devoured all the grass in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground. ³⁶ He smote also every first-born of their land, the first-fruits of all their labour. ³⁷ And he brought them out with silver and gold; and there was not a feeble one among their tribes. ³⁸ Egypt rejoiced at their departing; for the fear of them fell upon them. ³⁹ He spread out a cloud for a covering to them, and fire to give them light by night. ⁴⁰ They asked, and the quail came, and he satisfied them with the bread of heaven. ⁴¹ He clave the rock, and the waters flowed; rivers ran in dry places. ⁴² For he remembered his holy word, which he promised to Abraam his servant. ⁴³ And he brought out his people with exultation, and his chosen with joy; ⁴⁴ and gave them the lands of the heathen; and they inherited the labours of the people; ⁴⁵ that they might keep his ordinances, and diligently seek his law.

(Fifteenth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 105

Alleluia.

Give thanks to the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever. ² Who shall tell the mighty acts of the Lord? who shall cause all his praises to be heard? ³ Blessed are they that keep judgment, and do righteousness at all times. ⁴ Remember us, O Lord, with the favour thou hast to thy people: visit us with thy salvation; ⁵ that we may behold the good of thine elect, that we may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that we may glory with thine inheritance. ⁶ We have sinned with our fathers, we have transgressed, we have done unrighteously. ⁷ Our fathers in Egypt understood not thy wonders, and remembered not the multitude of thy mercy; but provoked him as they went up by the Red Sea. ⁸ Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might cause his mighty power to be known. ⁹ And he rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up: so he led them through the deep as through the wilderness. ¹⁰ And he saved them out of the hand of them that hated them, and redeemed them out of the hand of the enemy. ¹¹ The water covered those that oppressed them: there was not one of them left. ¹² Then they believed his words, and celebrated his praise. ¹³ They made haste, they forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel. ¹⁴ And they lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the dry land. ¹⁵ And he gave them their request, and sent fulness into their souls. ¹⁶ They provoked Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the holy one of the Lord. ¹⁷ The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and closed upon the congregation of Abiron. ¹⁸ And a fire was kindled in their congregation, and a flame burnt up the sinners. ¹⁹ And they made a calf in Choreb, and worshipped the graven image, ²⁰ and they changed their glory into the similitude of a calf that feeds on grass. ²¹ They forgot God that saved them, who had wrought great deeds in Egypt; ²² wondrous works in the land of Cham, and terrible things at the Red Sea. ²³ So he said that he would have destroyed them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn him away from the fierceness of his anger, so that he should not destroy them. ²⁴ Moreover they set at nought the desirable land, and believed not his word. ²⁵ And they murmured in their tents: they hearkened not to the voice of the Lord. ²⁶ So he lifted up his hand against them, to cast them down in the wilderness; ²⁷ and to cast down their seed among the nations, and to scatter them in the countries. ²⁸ They were joined also to Beelphegor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. And they provoked him with their devices; ²⁹ and destruction was multiplied among them. ³⁰ Then Phinees stood up, and made atonement: and the plague ceased. ³¹ And it was counted to him for righteousness, to all generations for ever. ³² They provoked him also at the water of Strife, and Moses was hurt for their sakes; ³³ for they provoked his spirit, and he spoke unadvisedly with his lips. ³⁴ They destroyed not the nations which the Lord told them to destroy; ³⁵ but were mingled with the heathen, and learned their works. ³⁶ And they served their graven images; and it became an offence to them. ³⁷ And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to devils, ³⁸ and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Chanaan; and the land was defiled with blood, ³⁹ and was polluted with their works; and they went a whoring with their own devices. ⁴⁰ So the Lord was very angry with his people, and he abhorred his inheritance. ⁴¹ And he delivered them into the hands of their enemies; and they that hated them ruled over them. ⁴² And their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought down under their hands. ⁴³ Many a time he delivered them; but they provoked him by their counsel, and they were brought low by their iniquities. ⁴⁴ Yet the Lord looked upon their affliction, when he heard their petition. ⁴⁵ And he remembered his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercy. ⁴⁶ And he caused them to be pitied in the sight of all who carried them captive. ⁴⁷ Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, that we may glory in thy praise. ⁴⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting and to everlasting; and all the people shall say, Amen, Amen.

Stasis 2

Psalm 106

¹ Alleluia.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever. ² Let them say so who have been redeemed by the Lord, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy; ³ and gathered them out of the countries, from the east, and west, and north, and south. ⁴ They wandered in the wilderness in a dry land; they found no way to a city of habitation. ⁵ Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. ⁶ Then they cried to the Lord in their affliction, and he delivered them out of their distresses. ⁷ And he guided them into a straight path, that they might go to a city of habitation. ⁸ Let them acknowledge to the Lord his mercies, and his wonderful works to the children of men. ⁹ For he satisfies the empty soul, and fills the hungry soul with good things, ¹⁰ even them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, fettered in poverty and iron; ¹¹ because they rebelled against the words of God, and provoked the counsel of the Most High. ¹² So their heart was brought low with troubles; they were weak, and there was no helper. ¹³ Then they cried to the Lord in their affliction, and he saved them out of their distresses. ¹⁴ And he brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bonds asunder. ¹⁵ Let them acknowledge to the Lord his mercies, and his wonders to the children of men. ¹⁶ For he broke to pieces the brazen gates, and crushed the iron bars. ¹⁷ He helped them out of the way of their iniquity; for they were brought low because of their iniquities. ¹⁸ Their soul abhorred all meat; and they drew near to the gates of death. ¹⁹ Then they cried to the Lord in their affliction, and he saved them out of their distresses. ²⁰ He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them out of their destructions. ²¹ Let them acknowledge to the Lord his mercies, and his wonderful works to the children of men. ²² And let them offer to him the sacrifice of praise, and proclaim his works with exultation. ²³ They that go down to the sea in ships, doing business in many waters; ²⁴ these men have seen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. ²⁵ He speaks, and the stormy wind arises, and its waves are lifted up. ²⁶ They go up to the heavens, and go down to the depths; their soul melts because of troubles. ²⁷ They are troubled, they stagger as a drunkard, and all their wisdom is swallowed up. ²⁸ Then they cry to the Lord in their affliction, and he brings them out of their distresses. ²⁹ And he commands the storm, and it is calmed into a gentle breeze, and its waves are still. ³⁰ And they are glad, because they are quiet; and he guides them to their desired haven. ³¹ Let them acknowledge to the Lord his mercies, and his wonderful works to the children of men. ³² Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the seat of the elders. ³³ He turns rivers into a desert, and streams of water into a dry land; ³⁴ a fruitful land into saltness, for the wickedness of them that dwell in it. ³⁵ He turns a wilderness into pools of water, and a dry land into streams of water. ³⁶ And there he causes the hungry to dwell, and they establish for themselves cities of habitation. ³⁷ And they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and they yield fruit of increase. ³⁸ And he blesses them, and they multiply exceedingly, and he diminishes not the number of their cattle. ³⁹ Again they become few, and are brought low, by the pressure of evils and pain. ⁴⁰ Contempt is poured upon their princes, and he causes them to wander in a desert and trackless land. ⁴¹ But he helps the poor out of poverty, and makes him families as a flock. ⁴² The upright shall see and rejoice; and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. ⁴³ Who is wise, and will observe these things, and understand the mercies of the Lord?

Stasis 3

Psalm 107

¹ Song of a Psalm by David. ² O God, my heart is ready, my heart is ready; I will sing and sing psalms with my glory. ³ Awake, psaltery and harp; I will awake early. ⁴ I will give thanks to thee, O Lord, among the people; I will sing praise to thee among the Gentiles. ⁵ For thy mercy is great above the heavens, and thy truth reaches to the clouds. ⁶ Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; and thy glory above all the earth. ⁷ That thy beloved ones may be delivered, save with thy right hand, and hear me. God has spoken in his sanctuary; ⁸ I will be exalted, and will divide Sicima, and will measure out the valley of tents. ⁹ Galaad is mine; and Manasses is mine; and Ephraim is the help of mine head; Judas is my king; ¹⁰ Moab is the caldron of my hope; over Idumea will I cast my sandal; the Philistines are made subject to me. ¹¹ Who will bring me into the fortified city? or who will guide me to Idumea? ¹² Wilt not thou, O God, who hast rejected us? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts? ¹³ Give us help from tribulation: for vain is the help of man. ¹⁴ Through God we shall do valiantly; and he will bring to nought our enemies.

Psalm 108

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David.

O God, pass not over my praise in silence; ² for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the crafty man have been opened against me: they have spoken against me with a crafty tongue. ³ And they have compassed me with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. ⁴ Instead of loving me, they falsely accused me: but I continued to pray. ⁵ And they rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. ⁶ Set thou a sinner against him; and let the devil stand at his right hand. ⁷ When he is judged, let him go forth condemned: and let his prayer become sin. ⁸ Let his days be few: and let another take his office of overseer. ⁹ Let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow. ¹⁰ Let his children wander without a dwelling-place, and beg: let them be cast out of their habitations. ¹¹ Let his creditor exact all that belongs to him: and let strangers spoil his labours. ¹² Let him have no helper; neither let there be any one to have compassion on his fatherless children. ¹³ Let his children be given up to utter destruction: in one generation let his name be blotted out. ¹⁴ Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. ¹⁵ Let them be before the Lord continually; and let their memorial be blotted out from the earth. ¹⁶ Because he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the needy and poor man, and that to slay him that was pricked in the heart. ¹⁷ He loved cursing also, and it shall come upon him; and he took not pleasure in blessing, so it shall be removed far from him. ¹⁸ Yea, he put on cursing as a garment, and it is come as water into his bowels, and as oil into his bones. ¹⁹ Let it be to him as a garment which he puts on, and as a girdle with which he girds himself continually. ²⁰ This is the dealing of the Lord with those who falsely accuse me, and of them that speak evil against my soul. ²¹ But thou, O Lord, Lord, deal mercifully with me, for thy name's sake: for thy mercy is good. ²² Deliver me, for I am poor and needy; and my heart is troubled within me. ²³ I am removed as a shadow in its going down: I am tossed up and down like locusts. ²⁴ My knees are weakened through fasting, and my flesh is changed by reason of the want of oil. ²⁵ I became also a reproach to them: when they saw me they shook their heads. ²⁶ Help me, O Lord my God; and save me according to thy mercy. ²⁷ And let them know that this is thy hand; and that thou, Lord, hast wrought it. ²⁸ Let them curse, but thou shalt bless: let them that rise up against me be ashamed, but let thy servant rejoice. ²⁹ Let those that falsely accuse me be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their shame as with a mantle. ³⁰ I will give thanks to the Lord abundantly with my mouth; and in the midst of many I will praise him. ³¹ For he stood on the right hand of the poor, to save me from them that persecute my soul.

(Sixteenth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 109

A Psalm of David.

The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. ² The Lord shall send out a rod of power for thee out of Sion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. ³ With thee is dominion in the day of thy power, in the splendours of thy saints: I have begotten thee from the womb before the morning. ⁴ The Lord sware, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec. ⁵ The Lord at thy right hand has dashed in pieces kings in the day of his wrath. ⁶ He shall judge among the nations, he shall fill up the number of corpses, he shall crush the heads of many on the earth. ⁷ He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall he lift up the head.

Psalm 110

¹ Alleluia.

I will give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart, in the council of the upright, and in the congregation. ² The works of the Lord are great, sought out according to all his will. ³ His work is worthy of thanksgiving and honour: and his righteousness endures for ever and ever. ⁴ He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is merciful and compassionate. ⁵ He has given food to them that fear him: he will remember his covenant for ever. ⁶ He has declared to his people the power of his works, to give them the inheritance of the heathen. ⁷ The works of his hands are truth and judgment: all his commandments are sure: ⁸ established for ever and ever, done in truth and uprightness. ⁹ He sent redemption to his people: he commanded his covenant for ever: holy and fearful is his name. ¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and all that act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures for ever and ever.

Psalm 111

¹ Alleluia.

Blessed is the man that fears the Lord: he will delight greatly in his commandments. ² His seed shall be mighty in the earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. ³ Glory and riches shall be in his house; and his righteousness endures for evermore. ⁴ To the upright light has sprung up in darkness: he is pitiful, and merciful, and righteous. ⁵ The good man is he that pities and lends: he will direct his affairs with judgment. ⁶ For he shall not be moved for ever; the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. ⁷ He shall not be afraid of any evil report: his heart is ready to trust in the Lord. ⁸ His heart is established, he shall not fear, till he shall see his desire upon his enemies. ⁹ He has dispersed abroad; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for evermore: his horn shall be exalted with honour. ¹⁰ The sinner shall see and be angry, he shall gnash his teeth, and consume away: the desire of the sinner shall perish.

Stasis 2

Psalm 112

¹ Alleluia.

Praise the Lord, ye servants of his, praise the name of the Lord. ² Let the name of the Lord be blessed, from this present time and for ever. ³ From the rising of the sun to his setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. ⁴ The Lord is high above all the nations; his glory is above the heavens. ⁵ Who is as the Lord our God? who dwells in the high places, ⁶ and yet looks upon the low things in heaven, and on the earth: ⁷ who lifts up the poor from the earth, and raises up the needy from the dunghill; ⁸ to set him with princes, even with the princes of his people: ⁹ who settles the barren woman in a house, as a mother rejoicing over children.

Psalm 113

¹ Alleluia.

At the going forth of Israel from Egypt, of the house of Jacob from a barbarous people, ² Judea became his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion. ³ The sea saw and fled: Jordan was turned back. ⁴ The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like lambs. ⁵ What ailed thee, O sea, that thou fleddest? and thou Jordan, that thou wast turned back? ⁶ Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams, and ye hills, like lambs? ⁷ The earth trembled at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; ⁸ who turned the rock into pools of water, and the flint into fountains of water. ⁹ Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give glory, because of thy mercy and thy truth; ¹⁰ lest at any time the nations should say, Where is their God? ¹¹ But our God has done in heaven and on earth, whatsoever he has pleased. ¹² The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of men's hands. ¹³ They have a mouth, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see: ¹⁴ they have ears, but they cannot hear; they have noses, but they cannot smell; ¹⁵ they have hands, but they cannot handle; they have feet, but they cannot walk: they cannot speak through their throat. ¹⁶ Let those that make them become like to them, and all who trust in them. ¹⁷ The house of Israel trusts in the Lord: he is their helper and defender. ¹⁸ The house of Aaron trusts in the Lord: he is their helper and defender. ¹⁹ They that fear the Lord trust in the Lord: he is their helper and defender. ²⁰ The Lord has remembered us, and blessed us: he has blessed the house of Israel, he has blessed the house of Aaron. ²¹ He has blessed them that fear the Lord, both small and great. ²² The Lord add blessings to you and to your children. ²³ Blessed are ye of the Lord, who made the heaven and the earth. ²⁴ The heaven of heavens belongs to the Lord: but he has given the earth to the sons of men. ²⁵ The dead shall not praise thee, O Lord, nor any that go down to Hades. ²⁶ But we, the living, will bless the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

Psalm 114

¹ Alleluia.

I am well pleased, because the Lord will hearken to the voice of my supplication. ² Because he has inclined his ear to me, therefore will I call upon him while I live. ³ The pangs of death compassed me; the dangers of hell found me: I found affliction and sorrow. ⁴ Then I called on the name of the Lord: O Lord, deliver my soul. ⁵ The Lord is merciful and righteous; yea, our God has pity. ⁶ The Lord preserves the simple: I was brought low, and he delivered me. ⁷ Return to thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with thee. ⁸ For he has delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. ⁹ I shall be well-pleasing before the Lord in the land of the living.

Stasis 3

Psalm 115

¹ Alleluia.

I believed, wherefore I have spoken: but I was greatly afflicted. ² And I said in mine amazement, Every man is a liar. ³ What shall I render to the Lord for all the things wherein he has rewarded me? ⁴ I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. ^4a I will pay my vows to the Lord, in the presence of all his people. ⁶ Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. ⁷ O Lord, I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast burst my bonds asunder. ⁸ I will offer to thee the sacrifice of praise, and will call upon the name of the Lord. ⁹ I will pay my vows unto the Lord, in the presence of all his people, ¹⁰ in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, Jerusalem.

Psalm 116

¹ Alleluia.

Praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye peoples. ² For his mercy has been abundant toward us: and the truth of the Lord endures for ever.

Psalm 117

¹ Alleluia.

Give thanks to the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever. ² Let now the house of Israel say, that he is good: for his mercy endures for ever. ³ Let now the house of Aaron say, that he is good: for his mercy endures for ever. ⁴ Let now all that fear the Lord say, that he is good: for his mercy endures for ever. ⁵ I called on the Lord out of affliction: and he hearkened to me, so as to bring me into a wide place. ⁶ The Lord is my helper; and I will not fear what man shall do to me. ⁷ The Lord is my helper; and I shall see my desire upon mine enemies. ⁸ It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man. ⁹ It is better to hope in the Lord, than to hope in princes. ¹⁰ All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord I repulsed them. ¹¹ They completely compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord I repulsed them. ¹² They compassed me about as bees do a honeycomb, and they burst into flame as fire among thorns: but in the name of the Lord I repulsed them. ¹³ I was thrust, and sorely shaken, that I might fall: but the Lord helped me. ¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my song, and is become my salvation. ¹⁵ The voice of exultation and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord has wrought mightily. ¹⁶ The right hand of the Lord has exalted me: the right hand of the Lord has wrought powerfully. ¹⁷ I shall not die, but live, and recount the works of the Lord. ¹⁸ The Lord has chastened me sore: but he has not given me up to death. ¹⁹ Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and give praise to the Lord. ²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord: the righteous shall enter by it. ²¹ I will give thanks to thee; because thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. ²² The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. ²³ This has been done of the Lord; and it is wonderful in our eyes. ²⁴ This is the day which the Lord has made: let us exult and rejoice in it. ²⁵ O Lord, save now: O Lord, send now prosperity. ²⁶ Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. ²⁷ God is the Lord, and he has shined upon us: celebrate the feast with thick branches, binding the victims even to the horns of the altar. ²⁸ Thou art my God, and I will give thee thanks: thou art my God, and I will exalt thee. I will give thanks to thee, for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. ²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever.

(Seventeenth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 118

Alleluia.

Blessed are the blameless in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. ² Blessed are they that search out his testimonies: they will diligently seek him with the whole heart. ³ For they that work iniquity have not walked in his ways. ⁴ Thou hast commanded us diligently to keep thy precepts. ⁵ O that my ways were directed to keep thine ordinances. ⁶ Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect to all thy commandments. ⁷ I will give thee thanks with uprightness of heart, when I have learnt the judgments of thy righteousness. ⁸ I will keep thine ordinances: O forsake me not greatly. ⁹ Wherewith shall a young man direct his way? by keeping thy words. ¹⁰ With my whole heart have I diligently sought thee: cast me not away from thy commandments. ¹¹ I have hidden thine oracles in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. ¹² Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thine ordinances. ¹³ With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. ¹⁴ I have delighted in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. ¹⁵ I will meditate on thy commandments, and consider thy ways. ¹⁶ I will meditate on thine ordinances: I will not forget thy words. ¹⁷ Render a recompence to thy servant: so shall I live, and keep thy words. ¹⁸ Unveil thou mine eyes, and I shall perceive wondrous things out of thy law. ¹⁹ I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me. ²⁰ My soul has longed exceedingly for thy judgments at all times. ²¹ Thou hast rebuked the proud: cursed are they that turn aside from thy commandments. ²² Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have sought out thy testimonies. ²³ For princes sat and spoke against me: but thy servant was meditating on thine ordinances. ²⁴ For thy testimonies are my meditation, and thine ordinances are my counsellors. ²⁵ My soul has cleaved to the ground; quicken thou me according to thy word. ²⁶ I declared my ways, and thou didst hear me; teach me thine ordinances. ²⁷ Instruct me in the way of thine ordinances; and I will meditate on thy wondrous works. ²⁸ My soul has slumbered for sorrow; strengthen thou me with thy words. ²⁹ Remove from me the way of iniquity; and be merciful to me by thy law. ³⁰ I have chosen the way of truth; and have not forgotten thy judgments. ³¹ I have cleaved to thy testimonies, O Lord; put me not to shame. ³² I ran the way of thy commandments, when thou didst enlarge my heart. ³³ Teach me, O Lord, the way of thine ordinances, and I will seek it out continually. ³⁴ Instruct me, and I will search out thy law, and will keep it with my whole heart. ³⁵ Guide me in the path of thy commandments; for I have delighted in it. ³⁶ Incline mine heart to thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. ³⁷ Turn away mine eyes that I may not behold vanity: quicken thou me in thy way. ³⁸ Confirm thine oracle to thy servant, that he may fear thee. ³⁹ Take away my reproach which I have feared: for thy judgments are good. ⁴⁰ Behold, I have desired thy commandments: quicken me in thy righteousness. ⁴¹ And let thy mercy come upon me, O Lord; even thy salvation, according to thy word. ⁴² And so I shall render an answer to them that reproach me: for I have trusted in thy words. ⁴³ And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments. ⁴⁴ So shall I keep thy law continually, for ever and ever. ⁴⁵ I walked also at large: for I sought out thy commandments. ⁴⁶ And I spoke of thy testimonies before kings, and was not ashamed. ⁴⁷ And I meditated on thy commandments, which I loved exceedingly. ⁴⁸ And I lifted up my hands to thy commandments which I loved; and I meditated in thine ordinances. ⁴⁹ Remember thy words to thy servant, wherein thou hast made me hope. ⁵⁰ This has comforted me in mine affliction: for thine oracle has quickened me. ⁵¹ The proud have transgressed exceedingly; but I swerved not from thy law. ⁵² I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and was comforted. ⁵³ Despair took hold upon me, because of the sinners who forsake thy law. ⁵⁴ Thine ordinances were my songs in the place of my sojourning. ⁵⁵ I remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and kept thy law. ⁵⁶ This I had, because I diligently sought thine ordinances. ⁵⁷ Thou art my portion, O Lord: I said that I would keep thy law. ⁵⁸ I besought thy favour with my whole heart: have mercy upon me according to thy word. ⁵⁹ I thought on thy ways, and turned my feet to thy testimonies. ⁶⁰ I prepared myself, (and was not terrified,) to keep thy commandments. ⁶¹ The snares of sinners entangled me: but I forgot not thy law. ⁶² At midnight I arose, to give thanks to thee for the judgments of thy righteousness. ⁶³ I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy commandments. ⁶⁴ O Lord, the earth is full of thy mercy: teach me thine ordinances. ⁶⁵ Thou hast wrought kindly with thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word. ⁶⁶ Teach me kindness, and instruction, and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments. ⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted, I transgressed; therefore have I kept thy word. ⁶⁸ Good art thou, O Lord; therefore in thy goodness teach me thine ordinances. ⁶⁹ The injustice of the proud has been multiplied against me: but I will search out thy commandments with all my heart. ⁷⁰ Their heart has been curdled like milk; but I have meditated on thy law. ⁷¹ It is good for me that thou hast afflicted me; that I might learn thine ordinances. ⁷² The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver.

Stasis 2

⁷³ Thy hands have made me, and fashioned me: instruct me, that I may learn thy commandments. ⁷⁴ They that fear thee will see me and rejoice: for I have hoped in thy words. ⁷⁵ I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are righteousness, and that thou in truthfulness hast afflicted me. ⁷⁶ Let, I pray thee, thy mercy be to comfort me, according to thy word to thy servant. ⁷⁷ Let thy compassions come to me, that I may live: for thy law is my meditation. ⁷⁸ Let the proud be ashamed; for they transgressed against me unjustly: but I will meditate in thy commandments. ⁷⁹ Let those that fear thee, and those that know thy testimonies, turn to me. ⁸⁰ Let mine heart be blameless in thine ordinances, that I may not be ashamed. ⁸¹ My soul faints for thy salvation: I have hoped in thy words. ⁸² Mine eyes failed in waiting for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me? ⁸³ For I am become as a bottle in the frost: yet I have not forgotten thine ordinances. ⁸⁴ How many are the days of thy servant? when wilt thou execute judgment for me on them that persecute me? ⁸⁵ Transgressors told me idle tales; but not according to thy law, O Lord. ⁸⁶ All thy commandments are truth; they persecuted me unjustly; help thou me. ⁸⁷ They nearly made an end of me in the earth; but I forsook not thy commandments. ⁸⁸ Quicken me according to thy mercy; so shall I keep the testimonies of thy mouth. ⁸⁹ Thy word, O Lord, abides in heaven for ever. ⁹⁰ Thy truth endures to all generations; thou hast founded the earth, and it abides. ⁹¹ The day continues by thy arrangement; for all things are thy servants. ⁹² Were it not that thy law is my meditation, then I should have perished in mine affliction. ⁹³ I will never forget thine ordinances; for with them thou hast quickened me. ⁹⁴ I am thine, save me; for I have sought out thine ordinances. ⁹⁵ Sinners laid wait for me to destroy me; but I understood thy testimonies. ⁹⁶ I have seen an end of all perfection; but thy commandment is very broad. ⁹⁷ How I have loved thy law, O Lord! it is my meditation all the day. ⁹⁸ Thou hast made me wiser than mine enemies in thy commandment; for it is mine for ever. ⁹⁹ I have more understanding than all my teachers; for thy testimonies are my meditation. ¹⁰⁰ I understand more than the aged; because I have sought out thy commandments. ¹⁰¹ I have kept back my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy words. ¹⁰² I have not declined from thy judgments; for thou hast instructed me. ¹⁰³ How sweet are thine oracles to my throat! more so than honey to my mouth! ¹⁰⁴ I gain understanding by thy commandments: therefore I have hated every way of unrighteousness. ¹⁰⁵ Thy law is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths. ¹⁰⁶ I have sworn and determined to keep the judgments of thy righteousness. ¹⁰⁷ I have been very greatly afflicted, O Lord: quicken me, according to thy word. ¹⁰⁸ Accept, I pray thee, O Lord, the freewill-offerings of my mouth, and teach me thy judgments. ¹⁰⁹ My soul is continually in thine hands; and I have not forgotten thy law. ¹¹⁰ Sinners spread a snare for me; but I erred not from thy commandments. ¹¹¹ I have inherited thy testimonies for ever; for they are the joy of my heart. ¹¹² I have inclined my heart to perform thine ordinances for ever, in return for thy mercies. ¹¹³ I have hated transgressors; but I have loved thy law. ¹¹⁴ Thou art my helper and my supporter; I have hoped in thy words. ¹¹⁵ Depart from me, ye evil-doers; for I will search out the commandments of my God. ¹¹⁶ Uphold me according to thy word, and quicken me; and make me not ashamed of my expectation. ¹¹⁷ Help me, and I shall be saved; and I will meditate in thine ordinances continually. ¹¹⁸ Thou hast brought to nought all that depart from thine ordinances; for their inward thought is unrighteous. ¹¹⁹ I have reckoned all the sinners of the earth as transgressors; therefore have I loved thy testimonies. ¹²⁰ Penetrate my flesh with thy fear; for I am afraid of thy judgments. ¹²¹ I have done judgment and justice; deliver me not up to them that injure me. ¹²² Receive thy servant for good: let not the proud accuse me falsely. ¹²³ Mine eyes have failed for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness. ¹²⁴ Deal with thy servant according to thy mercy, and teach me thine ordinances. ¹²⁵ I am thy servant; instruct me, and I shall know thy testimonies. ¹²⁶ It is time for the Lord to work: they have utterly broken thy law. ¹²⁷ Therefore have I loved thy commandments more than gold, or the topaz. ¹²⁸ Therefore I directed myself according to all thy commandments: I have hated every unjust way. ¹²⁹ Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore my soul has sought them out. ¹³⁰ The manifestation of thy words will enlighten, and instruct the simple. ¹³¹ I opened my mouth, and drew breath: for I earnestly longed after thy commandments.

Stasis 3

Look upon me and have mercy upon me, after the manner of them that love thy name. ¹³³ Order my steps according to thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. ¹³⁴ Deliver me from the false accusation of men: so will I keep thy commandments. ¹³⁵ Cause thy face to shine upon thy servant: and teach me thine ordinances. ¹³⁶ Mine eyes have been bathed in streams of water, because I kept not thy law. ¹³⁷ Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments. ¹³⁸ Thou hast commanded righteousness and perfect truth, as thy testimonies. ¹³⁹ Thy zeal has quite wasted me: because mine enemies have forgotten thy words. ¹⁴⁰ Thy word has been very fully tried; and thy servant loves it. ¹⁴¹ I am young and despised: yet I have not forgotten thine ordinances. ¹⁴² Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is truth. ¹⁴³ Afflictions and distresses found me: but thy commandments were my meditation. ¹⁴⁴ Thy testimonies are an everlasting righteousness: instruct me, and I shall live. ¹⁴⁵ I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord: I will search out thine ordinances. ¹⁴⁶ I cried to thee; save me, and I will keep thy testimonies. ¹⁴⁷ I arose before the dawn, and cried: I hoped in thy words. ¹⁴⁸ Mine eyes prevented the dawn, that I might meditate on thine oracles. ¹⁴⁹ Hear my voice, O Lord, according to thy mercy; quicken me according to thy judgment. ¹⁵⁰ They have drawn nigh who persecuted me unlawfully; and they are far removed from thy law. ¹⁵¹ Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy ways are truth. ¹⁵² I have known of old concerning thy testimonies, that thou hast founded them for ever. ¹⁵³ Look upon mine affliction, and rescue me; for I have not forgotten thy law. ¹⁵⁴ Plead my cause, and ransom me: quicken me because of thy word. ¹⁵⁵ Salvation is far from sinners: for they have not searched out thine ordinances. ¹⁵⁶ Thy mercies, O Lord, are many: quicken me according to thy judgment. ¹⁵⁷ Many are they that persecute me and oppress me: but I have not declined from thy testimonies. ¹⁵⁸ I beheld men acting foolishly, and I pined away; for they kept not thine oracles. ¹⁵⁹ Behold, I have loved thy commandments, O Lord: quicken me in thy mercy. ¹⁶⁰ The beginning of thy words is truth; and all the judgments of thy righteousness endure for ever. ¹⁶¹ Princes persecuted me without a cause, but my heart feared because of thy words. ¹⁶² I will exult because of thine oracles, as one that finds much spoil. ¹⁶³ I hate and abhor unrighteousness; but I love thy law. ¹⁶⁴ Seven times in a day have I praised thee because of the judgments of thy righteousness. ¹⁶⁵ Great peace have they that love thy law: and there is no stumbling-block to them. ¹⁶⁶ I waited for thy salvation, O Lord, and have loved thy commandments. ¹⁶⁷ My soul has kept thy testimonies, and loved them exceedingly. ¹⁶⁸ I have kept thy commandments and thy testimonies; for all my ways are before thee, O Lord. ¹⁶⁹ Let my supplication come near before thee, O Lord; instruct me according to thine oracle. ¹⁷⁰ Let my petition come in before thee, O Lord; deliver me according to thine oracle. ¹⁷¹ Let my lips utter a hymn, when thou shalt have taught me thine ordinances. ¹⁷² Let my tongue utter thine oracles; for all thy commandments are righteous. ¹⁷³ Let thine hand be prompt to save me; for I have chosen thy commandments. ¹⁷⁴ I have longed after thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my meditation. ¹⁷⁵ My soul shall live, and shall praise thee; and thy judgments shall help me. ¹⁷⁶ I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I have not forgotten thy commandments.

(Eighteenth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 119

A Song of Degrees.

In mine affliction I cried to the Lord, and he hearkened to me. ² Deliver my soul, O Lord, from unjust lips, and from a deceitful tongue. ³ What should be given to thee, and what should be added to thee, for thy crafty tongue? ⁴ Sharpened weapons of the mighty, with coals of the desert. ⁵ Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged; I have tabernacled among the tents of Kedar. ⁶ My soul has long been a sojourner; ⁷ I was peaceable among them that hated peace; when I spoke to them, they warred against me without a cause.

Psalm 120

¹ A Song of Degrees.

I lifted up mine eyes to the mountains, whence my help shall come. ² My help shall come from the Lord, who made the heaven and the earth. ³ Let not thy foot be moved; and let not thy keeper slumber. ⁴ Behold, he that keeps Israel shall not slumber nor sleep. ⁵ The Lord shall keep thee: the Lord is thy shelter upon thy right hand. ⁶ The sun shall not burn thee by day, neither the moon by night. ⁷ May the Lord preserve thee from all evil: the Lord shall keep thy soul. ⁸ The Lord shall keep thy coming in, and thy going out, from henceforth and even for ever.

Psalm 121

¹ A Song of Degrees.

I was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. ² Our feet stood in thy courts, O Jerusalem. ³ Jerusalem is built as a city whose fellowship is complete. ⁴ For thither the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord, as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. ⁵ For there are set thrones for judgment, even thrones for the house of David. ⁶ Pray now for the peace of Jerusalem: and let there be prosperity to them that love thee. ⁷ Let peace, I pray, be within thine host, and prosperity in thy palaces. ⁸ For the sake of my brethren and my neighbours, I have indeed spoken peace concerning thee. ⁹ Because of the house of the Lord our God, I have diligently sought thy good.

Psalm 122

¹ A Song of Degrees.

Unto thee who dwellest in heaven have I lifted up mine eyes. ² Behold, as the eyes of servants are directed to the hands of their masters, and as the eyes of a maid-servant to the hands of her mistress; so our eyes are directed to the Lord our God, until he have mercy upon us. ³ Have pity upon us, O Lord, have pity upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. ⁴ Yea, our soul has been exceedingly filled with it: let the reproach be to them that are at ease, and contempt to the proud.

Psalm 123

¹ A Song of Degrees.

If it had not been that the Lord was among us, let Israel now say; ² if it had not been that the Lord was among us, when men rose up against us; ³ verily they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us: ⁴ verily the water would have drowned us, our soul would have gone under the torrent. ⁵ Yea, our soul would have gone under the overwhelming water. ⁶ Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us for a prey to their teeth. ⁷ Our soul has been delivered as a sparrow from the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are delivered. ⁸ Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Stasis 2

Psalm 124

¹ A Song of Degrees.

They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion: he that dwells in Jerusalem shall never be moved. ² The mountains are round about her, and so the Lord is round about his people, from henceforth and even for ever. ³ For the Lord will not allow the rod of sinners to be upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous should stretch forth their hands to iniquity. ⁴ Do good, O Lord, to them that are good, and to them that are upright in heart. ⁵ But them that turn aside to crooked ways the Lord will lead away with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.

Psalm 125

¹ A Song of Degrees.

When the Lord turned the captivity of Sion, we became as comforted ones. ² Then was our mouth filled with joy, and our tongue with exultation: then would they say among the Gentiles, ³ The Lord has done great things among them. The Lord has done great things for us, we became joyful. ⁴ Turn, O Lord, our captivity, as the streams in the south. ⁵ They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. ⁶ They went on and wept as they cast their seeds; but they shall surely come with exultation, bringing their sheaves with them.

Psalm 126

¹ A Song of Degrees.

Except the Lord build the house, they that build labour in vain: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman watches in vain. ² It is vain for you to rise early: ye rise up after resting, ye that eat the bread of grief; while he gives sleep to his beloved. ³ Behold, the inheritance of the Lord, children, the reward of the fruit of the womb. ⁴ As arrows in the hand of a mighty man; so are the children of those who were outcasts. ⁵ Blessed is the man who shall satisfy his desire with them: they shall not be ashamed when they shall speak to their enemies in the gates.

Psalm 127

¹ A Song of Degrees.

Blessed are all they that fear the Lord; who walk in his ways. ² Thou shalt eat the labours of thy hands: blessed art thou, and it shall be well with thee. ³ Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine on the sides of thy house: thy children as young olive-plants round about thy table. ⁴ Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that fears the Lord. ⁵ May the Lord bless thee out of Sion; and mayest thou see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. ⁶ And mayest thou see thy children's children. Peace be upon Israel.

Psalm 128

¹ A Song of Degrees.

Many a time have they warred against me from my youth, let Israel now say: ² Many a time have they warred against me from my youth: and yet they prevailed not against me. ³ The sinners wrought upon my back: they prolonged their iniquity. ⁴ The righteous Lord has cut asunder the necks of sinners. ⁵ Let all that hate Sion be put to shame and turned back. ⁶ Let them be as the grass of the house-tops, which withers before it is plucked up. ⁷ Wherewith the reaper fills not his hand, nor he that makes up the sheaves, his bosom. ⁸ Neither do they that go by say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you: we have blessed you in the name of the Lord.

Stasis 3

Psalm 129

¹ A Song of Degrees.

Out of the depths have I cried to thee, O Lord. ² O Lord, hearken to my voice; let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. ³ If thou, O Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? ⁴ For with thee is forgiveness: for thy name's sake ⁵ have I waited for thee, O Lord, my soul has waited for thy word. ⁶ My soul has hoped in the Lord; from the morning watch till night. ⁷ Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. ⁸ And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Psalm 130

¹ A Song of Degrees.

O Lord, my heart is not exalted, neither have mine eyes been haughtily raised: neither have I exercised myself in great matters, nor in things too wonderful for me. ² I shall have sinned if I have not been humble, but have exalted my soul: according to the relation of a weaned child to his mother, so wilt thou recompense my soul. ³ Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

Psalm 131

¹ A Song of Degrees.

Lord, remember David, and all his meekness: ² how he sware to the Lord, and vowed to the God of Jacob, saying, ³ I will not go into the tabernacle of my house; I will not go up to the couch of my bed; ⁴ I will not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids, nor rest to my temples, ⁵ until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. ⁶ Behold, we heard of it in Ephratha; we found it in the fields of the wood. ⁷ Let us enter into his tabernacles: let us worship at the place where his feet stood. ⁸ Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thine holiness. ⁹ Thy priests shall clothe themselves with righteousness; and thy saints shall exult. ¹⁰ For the sake of thy servant David turn not away the face of thine anointed. ¹¹ The Lord sware in truth to David, and he will not annul it, saying, Of the fruit of thy body will I set a king upon thy throne. ¹² If thy children will keep my covenant, and these my testimonies which I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon thy throne for ever. ¹³ For the Lord has elected Sion, he has chosen her for a habitation for himself, saying, ¹⁴ This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have chosen it. ¹⁵ I will surely bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. ¹⁶ I will clothe her priests with salvation; and her saints shall greatly exult. ¹⁷ There will I cause to spring up a horn to David: I have prepared a lamp for mine anointed. ¹⁸ His enemies will I clothe with shame; but upon himself shall my holiness flourish.

Psalm 132

¹ A Song of Degrees. See now! what is so good, or what so pleasant, as for brethren to dwell together? ² It is as ointment on the head, that ran down to the beard, even the beard of Aaron; that ran down to the fringe of his clothing. ³ As the dew of Aermon, that comes down on the mountains of Sion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for ever.

Psalm 133

¹ A Song of Degrees. Behold now, bless ye the Lord, all the servants of the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. ² Lift up your hands by night in the sanctuaries, and bless the Lord. ³ May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless thee out of Sion.

(Nineteenth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 134

Alleluia. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise the Lord, ye his servants, ² who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. ³ Praise ye the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises to his name; for it is good.

⁴ For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. ⁵ For I know that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all gods; ⁶ all that the Lord willed, he did in heaven, and on the earth, in the sea, and in all deeps. ⁷ Who brings up clouds from the extremity of the earth: he has made lightnings for the rain: he brings winds out of his treasures. ⁸ Who smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and beast. ⁹ He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, on Pharao, and on all his servants. ¹⁰ Who smote many nations, and slew mighty kings; ¹¹ Seon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Basan, and all the kingdoms of Chanaan: ¹² and gave their land for an inheritance, an inheritance to Israel his people.

¹³ O Lord, thy name endures for ever, and thy memorial to all generations. ¹⁴ For the Lord shall judge his people, and comfort himself concerning his servants. ¹⁵ The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the works of men's hands. ¹⁶ They have a mouth, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see; ¹⁷ they have ears, but they cannot hear; for there is no breath in their mouth. ¹⁸ Let those who make them be made like to them; and all those who trust in them.

¹⁹ O house of Israel, bless ye the Lord: O house of Aaron, bless ye the Lord: ²⁰ O house of Levi, bless ye the Lord: ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord. ²¹ Blessed in Sion be the Lord, who dwells in Jerusalem.

Psalm 135

¹ Alleluia. Give thanks to the Lord: for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever. ² Give thanks to the God of gods: for his mercy endures for ever. ³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endures for ever.

To him who alone has wrought great wonders: for his mercy endures for ever. ⁵ To him who made the heavens by understanding; for his mercy endures for ever. ⁶ To him who established the earth on the waters; for his mercy endures for ever. ⁷ To him who alone made great lights; for his mercy endures for ever. ⁸ The sun to rule the day; for his mercy endures for ever. ⁹ The moon and the stars to rule the night; for his mercy endures for ever.

¹⁰ To him who smote Egypt with their first-born; for his mercy endures for ever. ¹¹ And brought Israel out of the midst of them; for his mercy endures for ever: ¹² with a strong hand, and a high arm: for his mercy endures for ever. ¹³ To him who divided the Red Sea into parts: for his mercy endures for ever: ¹⁴ and brought Israel through the midst of it: for his mercy endures for ever: ¹⁵ and overthrew Pharao and his host in the Red Sea: for his mercy endures for ever. ¹⁶ To him who led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endures for ever.

¹⁷ To him who smote great kings: for his mercy endures for ever: ¹⁸ and slew mighty kings; for his mercy endures for ever: ¹⁹ Seon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endures for ever: ²⁰ and Og king of Basan: for his mercy endures for ever: ²¹ and gave their land for an inheritance: for his mercy endures for ever: ²² even an inheritance to Israel his servant: for his mercy endures for ever.

²³ For the Lord remembered us in our low estate; for his mercy endures for ever: ²⁴ and redeemed us from our enemies; for his mercy endures for ever. ²⁵ Who gives food to all flesh; for his mercy endures for ever. ²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven; for his mercy endures for ever.

Psalm 136

¹ For David, a Psalm of Jeremias.

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat; and wept when we remembered Sion. ² We hung our harps on the willows in the midst of it. ³ For there they that had taken us captive asked of us the words of a song; and they that had carried us away asked a hymn, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Sion.

How should we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? ⁵ If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill. ⁶ May my tongue cleave to my throat, if I do not remember thee; if I do not prefer Jerusalem as the chief of my joy.

⁷ Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to its foundations. ⁸ Wretched daughter of Babylon! blessed shall he be who shall reward thee as thou hast rewarded us. ⁹ Blessed shall he be who shall seize and dash thine infants against the rock.

Stasis 2

Psalm 137

¹ A Psalm for David, of Aggæus and Zacharias.

I will give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; and I will sing psalms to thee before the angels; for thou hast heard all the words of my mouth. ² I will worship toward thy holy temple, and give thanks to thy name, on account of thy mercy and thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy holy name above every thing. ³ In whatsoever day I shall call upon thee, hear me speedily; thou shalt abundantly provide me with thy power in my soul. ⁴ Let all the kings of the earth, O Lord, give thanks unto thee; for they have heard all the words of thy mouth. ⁵ And let them sing in the ways of the Lord; for great is the glory of the Lord. ⁶ For the Lord is high, and yet regards the lowly; and he knows high things from afar off. ⁷ Though I should walk in the midst of affliction, thou wilt quicken me; thou hast stretched forth thine hands against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand has saved me. ⁸ O Lord, thou shalt recompense them on my behalf: thy mercy, O Lord, endures for ever: overlook not the works of thine hands.

Psalm 138

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David.

O Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me. ² Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising: thou understandest my thoughts long before. ³ Thou hast traced my path and my bed, and hast foreseen all my ways. ⁴ For there is no unrighteous word in my tongue: behold, O Lord, thou hast known all things, ⁵ the last and the first: thou hast fashioned me, and laid thine hand upon me. ⁶ The knowledge of thee is too wonderful for me; it is very difficult, I cannot attain to it. ⁷ Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? and whither shall I flee from thy presence? ⁸ If I should go up to heaven, thou art there: if I should go down to hell, thou art present. ⁹ If I should spread my wings to fly straight forward, and sojourn at the extremity of the sea, it would be vain, ¹⁰ for even there thy hand would guide me, and thy right hand would hold me. ¹¹ When I said, Surely the darkness will cover me; even the night was light in my luxury. ¹² For darkness will not be darkness with thee; but night will be light as day: as its darkness, so shall its light be to thee. ¹³ For thou, O Lord, hast possessed my reins; thou hast helped me from my mother's womb. ¹⁴ I will give thee thanks; for thou art fearfully wondrous; wondrous are thy works; and my soul knows it well. ¹⁵ My bones which thou madest in secret were not hidden from thee, nor my substance, in the lowest parts of the earth. ¹⁶ Thine eyes saw my unwrought substance, and all men shall be written in thy book; they shall be formed by day, though there should for a time be no one among them. ¹⁷ But thy friends, O God, have been greatly honoured by me; their rule has been greatly strengthened. ¹⁸ I will number them, and they shall be multiplied beyond the sand; I awake, and am still with thee. ¹⁹ Oh that thou wouldest slay the wicked, O God; depart from me, ye men of blood. ²⁰ For thou wilt say concerning their thought, that they shall take thy cities in vain. ²¹ Have I not hated them, O Lord, that hate thee? and wasted away because of thine enemies? ²² I have hated them with perfect hatred; they were counted my enemies. ²³ Prove me, O God, and know my heart; examine me, and know my paths; ²⁴ and see if there is any way of iniquity in me, and lead me in an everlasting way.

Psalm 139

¹ For the end, a Psalm of David. ² Rescue me, O Lord, from the evil man; deliver me from the unjust man. ³ Who have devised injustice in their hearts; all the day they prepared war. ⁴ They have sharpened their tongue as the tongue of a serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips. Pause. ⁵ Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the sinner; rescue me from unjust men; who have purposed to overthrow my goings. ⁶ The proud have hid a snare for me, and have stretched out ropes for snares for my feet; they set a stumbling-block for me near the path. Pause. ⁷ I said to the Lord, Thou art my God; hearken, O Lord, to the voice of my supplication. ⁸ O Lord God, the strength of my salvation; thou hast screened my head in the day of battle. ⁹ Deliver me not, O Lord, to the sinner, according to my desire: they have devised mischief against me; forsake me not, lest they should be exalted. Pause. ¹⁰ As for the head of them that compass me, the mischief of their lips shall cover them. ¹¹ Coals of fire shall fall upon them on the earth; and thou shalt cast them down in afflictions: they shall not bear up under them. ¹² A talkative man shall not prosper on the earth: evils shall hunt the unrighteous man to destruction. ¹³ I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the poor, and the right of the needy ones. ¹⁴ Surely the righteous shall give thanks to thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

Stasis 3

Psalm 140

¹ A Psalm of David.

O Lord, I have cried to thee; hear me: attend to the voice of my supplication, when I cry to thee. ² Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. ³ Set a watch, O Lord, on my mouth, and a strong door about my lips. ⁴ Incline not my heart to evil things, to employ pretexts for sins, with men who work iniquity: and let me not unite with their choice ones. ⁵ The righteous shall chasten me with mercy, and reprove me: but let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head: for yet shall my prayer also be in their pleasures. ⁶ Their mighty ones have been swallowed up near the rock: they shall hear my words, for they are sweet. ⁷ As a lump of earth is crushed upon the ground, our bones have been scattered by the mouth of the grave. ⁸ For mine eyes are to thee, O Lord God: I have hoped in thee; take not away my life. ⁹ Keep me from the snare which they have set for me, and from the stumbling-blocks of them that work iniquity. ¹⁰ Sinners shall fall by their own net: I am alone until I shall escape.

Psalm 141

¹ A Psalm of instruction for David, when he was in the cave,—a Prayer. ² I cried to the Lord with my voice; with my voice I made supplication to the Lord. ³ I will pour out before him my supplication: I will declare before him mine affliction. ⁴ When my spirit was fainting within me, then thou knewest my paths; in the very way wherein I was walking, they hid a snare for me. ⁵ I looked on my right hand, and behold, for there was none that noticed me; refuge failed me; and there was none that cared for my soul. ⁶ I cried unto thee, O Lord, and said, Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living. ⁷ Attend to my supplication, for I am brought very low; deliver me from them that persecute me; for they are stronger than I. ⁸ Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks to thy name, O Lord; the righteous shall wait for me, until thou recompense me.

Psalm 142

¹ A Psalm of David, when his son pursued him.

O Lord, attend to my prayer: hearken to my supplication in thy truth; hear me in thy righteousness. ² And enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. ³ For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has brought my life down to the ground; he has made me to dwell in a dark place, as those that have been long dead. ⁴ Therefore my spirit was grieved in me; my heart was troubled within me. ⁵ I remembered the days of old; and I meditated on all thy doings: yea, I meditated on the works of thine hands. ⁶ I spread forth my hands to thee; my soul thirsts for thee, as a dry land. Pause. ⁷ Hear me speedily, O Lord; my spirit has failed; turn not away thy face from me, else I shall be like to them that go down to the pit. ⁸ Cause me to hear thy mercy in the morning; for I have hoped in thee; make known to me, O Lord, the way wherein I should walk; for I have lifted up my soul to thee. ⁹ Deliver me from mine enemies, O Lord; for I have fled to thee for refuge. ¹⁰ Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God; thy good Spirit shall guide me in the straight way. ¹¹ Thou shalt quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's sake; in thy righteousness thou shalt bring my soul out of affliction. ¹² And in thy mercy thou wilt destroy mine enemies, and wilt destroy all those that afflict my soul; for I am thy servant.

(Twentieth Kathisma)

Stasis 1

Psalm 143

A Psalm of David concerning Goliad.

Blessed be the Lord my God, who instructs my hands for battle, and my fingers for war. ² My mercy, and my refuge; my helper, and my deliverer; my protector, in whom I have trusted; who subdues my people under me. ³ Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him? or the son of man, that thou takest account of him? ⁴ Man is like to vanity: his days pass as a shadow. ⁵ O Lord, bow thy heavens, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. ⁶ Send lightning, and thou shalt scatter them: send forth thine arrows, and thou shalt discomfit them. ⁷ Send forth thine hand from on high; rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters, out of the hand of strange children; ⁸ whose mouth has spoken vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of iniquity. ⁹ O God, I will sing a new song to thee: I will play to thee on a psaltery of ten strings. ¹⁰ Even to him who gives salvation to kings: who redeems his servant David from the hurtful sword. ¹¹ Deliver me, and rescue me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth has spoken vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of iniquity; ¹² whose children are as plants, strengthened in their youth: their daughters are beautiful, sumptuously adorned after the similitude of a temple. ¹³ Their garners are full, and bursting with one kind of store after another; their sheep are prolific, multiplying in their streets. ¹⁴ Their oxen are fat: there is no falling down of a hedge, nor going out, nor cry in their folds. ¹⁵ Men bless the people to whom this lot belongs, but blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

Psalm 144

¹ David's Psalm of praise.

I will exalt thee, my God, my king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. ² Every day will I bless thee, and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. ³ The Lord is great, and greatly to be praised; and there is no end of his greatness. ⁴ Generation after generation shall praise thy works, and tell of thy power. ⁵ And they shall speak of the glorious majesty of thy holiness, and recount thy wonders. ⁶ And they shall speak of the power of thy terrible acts; and recount thy greatness. ⁷ They shall utter the memory of the abundance of thy goodness, and shall exult in thy righteousness. ⁸ The Lord is compassionate, and merciful; long-suffering, and abundant in mercy. ⁹ The Lord is good to those that wait on him; and his compassions are over all his works. ¹⁰ Let all thy works, O Lord, give thanks to thee; and let thy saints bless thee. ¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy dominion; ¹² to make known to the sons of men thy power, and the glorious majesty of thy kingdom. ¹³ Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures through all generations. ^13a The Lord is faithful in his words, and holy in all his works. ¹⁴ The Lord supports all that are falling, and sets up all that are broken down. ¹⁵ The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their food in due season. ¹⁶ Thou openest thine hands, and fillest every living thing with pleasure. ¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

The Lord is near to all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. ¹⁹ He will perform the desire of them that fear him: and he will hear their supplication, and save them. ²⁰ The Lord preserves all that love him: but all sinners he will utterly destroy. ²¹ My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Stasis 2

Psalm 145

¹ Alleluia, a Psalm of Aggæus and Zacharias.

My soul, praise the Lord. ² While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist. ³ Trust not in princes, nor in the children of men, in whom there is no safety. ⁴ His breath shall go forth, and he shall return to his earth; in that day all his thoughts shall perish. ⁵ Blessed is he whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God: ⁶ who made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all things in them: who keeps truth for ever: ⁷ who executes judgment for the wronged: who gives food to the hungry. The Lord looses the fettered ones: ⁸ the Lord gives wisdom to the blind:

The Lord sets up the broken down: the Lord loves the righteous: the Lord preserves the strangers; ⁹ he will relieve the orphan and widow: but will utterly remove the way of sinners. ¹⁰ The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Sion, to all generations.

Psalm 146

¹ Alleluia, a Psalm of Aggæus and Zacharias.

Praise ye the Lord: for psalmody is a good thing; let praise be sweetly sung to our God. ² The Lord builds up Jerusalem; and he will gather together the dispersed of Israel. ³ He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. ⁴ He numbers the multitudes of stars; and calls them all by names. ⁵ Great is our Lord, and great is his strength; and his understanding is infinite. ⁶ The Lord lifts up the meek; but brings sinners down to the ground. ⁷ Begin the song with thanksgiving to the Lord; sing praises on the harp to our God: ⁸ who covers the heaven with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who causes grass to spring up on the mountains, [and green herb for the service of men;] ⁹ and gives to cattle their food, and to the young ravens that call upon him. ¹⁰ He will not take pleasure in the strength of a horse; neither is he well-pleased with the legs of a man. ¹¹ The Lord takes pleasure in them that fear him, and in all that hope in his mercy.

Psalm 147

¹ Alleluia, a Psalm of Aggæus and Zacharias.

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Sion. ² For he has strengthened the bars of thy gates; he has blessed thy children within thee. ³ He makes thy borders peaceful, and fills thee with the flour of wheat. ⁴ He sends his oracle to the earth: his word will run swiftly. ⁵ He gives snow like wool: he scatters the mist like ashes. ⁶ Casting forth his ice like morsels: who shall stand before his cold? ⁷ He shall send out his word, and melt them: he shall blow with his wind, and the waters shall flow. ⁸ He sends his word to Jacob, his ordinances and judgments to Israel. ⁹ He has not done so to any other nation; and he has not shewn them his judgments.

Stasis 3

Psalm 148

¹ Alleluia, a Psalm of Aggæus and Zacharias.

Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the highest. ² Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. ³ Praise him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars and light. ⁴ Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and the water that is above the heavens. ⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he spoke, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created. ⁶ He has established them for ever, even for ever and ever: he has made an ordinance, and it shall not pass away. ⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth, ye serpents, and all deeps. ⁸ Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy wind; the things that perform his word. ⁹ Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: ¹⁰ wild beasts, and all cattle; reptiles, and winged birds: ¹¹ kings of the earth, and all peoples; princes, and all judges of the earth: ¹² young men and virgins, old men with youths: ¹³ let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name only is exalted; his praise is above the earth and heaven, ¹⁴ and he shall exalt the horn of his people, there is a hymn for all his saints, even of the children of Israel, a people who draw near to him.

Psalm 149

¹ Alleluia.

Sing to the Lord a new song: his praise is in the assembly of the saints. ² Let Israel rejoice in him that made him; and let the children of Sion exult in their king. ³ Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises to him with timbrel and psaltery. ⁴ For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; and will exalt the meek with salvation. ⁵ The saints shall rejoice in glory; and shall exult on their beds. ⁶ The high praises of God shall be in their throat, and two-edged swords in their hands; ⁷ to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments among the peoples; ⁸ to bind their kings with fetters, and their nobles with manacles of iron; ⁹ to execute on them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints.

Psalm 150

¹ Alleluia.

Praise God in his holy places: praise him in the firmament of his power. ² Praise him on account of his mighty acts: praise him according to his abundant greatness. ³ Praise him with the sound of a trumpet: praise him with psaltery and harp. ⁴ Praise him with timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and the organ. ⁵ Praise him with melodious cymbals: praise him with loud cymbals. ⁶ Let every thing that has breath praise the Lord.

Psalm 151

¹ This Psalm is a genuine one of David, though supernumerary, composed when he fought in single combat with Goliad.

I was small among my brethren, and youngest in my father's house: I tended my father's sheep. ² My hands formed a musical instrument, and my fingers tuned a psaltery. ³ And who shall tell my Lord? the Lord himself, he himself hears. ⁴ He sent forth his angel, and took me from my father's sheep, and he anointed me with the oil of his anointing. ⁵ My brothers were handsome and tall; but the Lord did not take pleasure in them. ⁶ I went forth to meet the Philistine; and he cursed me by his idols. ⁷ But I drew his own sword, and beheaded him, and removed reproach from the children of Israel.

Chapter 1

The Proverbs of Solomon son of David, who reigned in Israel; ² to know wisdom and instruction, and to perceive words of understanding; ³ to receive also hard sayings, and to understand true justice, and how to direct judgment; ⁴ that he might give subtlety to the simple, and to the young man discernment and understanding. ⁵ For by the hearing of these a wise man will be wiser, and the man of understanding will gain direction; ⁶ and will understand a parable, and a dark speech; the sayings of the wise also, and riddles. ⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and there is good understanding to all that practise it: and piety toward God is the beginning of discernment; but the ungodly will set at nought wisdom and instruction. ⁸ Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and reject not the rules of thy mother. ⁹ For thou shalt receive for thine head a crown of graces, and a chain of gold round thy neck. ¹⁰ My son, let not ungodly men lead thee astray, neither consent thou to them. ¹¹ If they should exhort thee, saying, Come with us, partake in blood, and let us unjustly hide the just man in the earth: ¹² and let us swallow him alive, as Hades would, and remove the memorial of him from the earth: ¹³ let us seize on his valuable property, and let us fill our houses with spoils: ¹⁴ but do thou cast in thy lot with us, and let us all provide a common purse, and let us have one pouch: ¹⁵ go not in the way with them, but turn aside thy foot from their paths: ¹⁷ for nets are not without cause spread for birds. ¹⁸ For they that are concerned in murder store up evils for themselves; and the overthrow of transgressors is evil. ¹⁹ These are the ways of all that perform lawless deeds; for by ungodliness they destroy their own life. ²⁰ Wisdom sings aloud in passages, and in the broad places speaks boldly. ²¹ And she makes proclamation on the top of the walls, and sits by the gates of princes; and at the gates of the city boldly says, ²² So long as the simple cleave to justice, they shall not be ashamed: but the foolish being lovers of haughtiness, having become ungodly have hated knowledge, and are become subject to reproofs. ²³ Behold, I will bring forth to you the utterance of my breath, and I will instruct you in my speech. ²⁴ Since I called, and ye did not hearken; and I spoke at length, and ye gave no heed; ²⁵ but ye set at nought my counsels, and disregarded my reproofs; ²⁶ therefore I also will laugh at your destruction; and I will rejoice against you when ruin comes upon you: ²⁷ yea when dismay suddenly comes upon you, and your overthrow shall arrive like a tempest; and when tribulation and distress shall come upon you, or when ruin shall come upon you. ²⁸ For it shall be that when ye call upon me, I will not hearken to you: wicked men shall seek me, but shall not find me. ²⁹ For they hated wisdom, and did not choose the word of the Lord: ³⁰ neither would they attend to my counsels, but derided my reproofs. ³¹ Therefore shall they eat the fruits of their own way, and shall be filled with their own ungodliness. ³² For because they wronged the simple, they shall be slain; and an inquisition shall ruin the ungodly. ³³ But he that hearkens to me shall dwell in confidence, and shall rest securely from all evil.

Chapter 2

¹ My son, if thou wilt receive the utterance of my commandment, and hide it with thee; ² thine ear shall hearken to wisdom; thou shalt also apply thine heart to understanding, and shalt apply it to the instruction of thy son. ³ For if thou shalt call to wisdom, and utter thy voice for understanding; ⁴ and if thou shalt seek it as silver, and search diligently for it as for treasures; ⁵ then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. ⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom; and from his presence come knowledge and understanding, ⁷ and he treasures up salvation for them that walk uprightly: he will protect their way; ⁸ that he may guard the righteous ways: and he will preserve the way of them that fear him. ⁹ Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment; and shalt direct all thy course aright. ¹⁰ For if wisdom shall come into thine understanding, and discernment shall seem pleasing to thy soul, ¹¹ good counsel shall guard thee, and holy understanding shall keep thee; ¹² to deliver thee from the evil way, and from the man that speaks nothing faithfully. ¹³ Alas for those who forsake right paths, to walk in ways of darkness; ¹⁴ who rejoice in evils, and delight in wicked perverseness; ¹⁵ whose paths are crooked, and their courses winding; ¹⁶ to remove thee far from the straight way, and to estrange thee from a righteous purpose. My son, let not evil counsel overtake thee, ¹⁷ of her who has forsaken the instruction of her youth, and forgotten the covenant of God. ¹⁸ For she has fixed her house near death, and guided her wheels near Hades with the giants. ¹⁹ None that go by her shall return, neither shall they take hold of right paths, for they are not apprehended of the years of life. ²⁰ For had they gone in good paths, they would have found the paths of righteousness easy. ²¹ For the upright shall dwell in the earth, and the holy shall be left behind in it. ²² The paths of the ungodly shall perish out of the earth, and transgressors shall be driven away from it.

Chapter 3

¹ My son, forget not my laws; but let thine heart keep my words: ² for length of existence, and years of life, and peace, shall they add to thee. ³ Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; but bind them about thy neck: ⁴ so shalt thou find favour: and do thou provide things honest in the sight of the Lord, and of men. ⁵ Trust in God with all thine heart; and be not exalted in thine own wisdom. ⁶ In all thy ways acquaint thyself with her, that she may rightly direct thy paths. ⁷ Be not wise in thine own conceit; but fear God, and depart from all evil. ⁸ Then shall there be health to thy body, and good keeping to thy bones. ⁹ Honour the Lord with thy just labours, and give him the first of thy fruits of righteousness: ¹⁰ that thy storehouses may be completely filled with corn, and that thy presses may burst forth with wine. ¹¹ My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: ¹² for whom the Lord loves, he rebukes, and scourges every son whom he receives. ¹³ Blessed is the man who has found wisdom, and the mortal who knows prudence. ¹⁴ For it is better to traffic for her, than for treasures of gold and silver. ¹⁵ And she is more valuable than precious stones: no evil thing shall resist her: she is well known to all that approach her, and no precious thing is equal to her in value. ¹⁶ For length of existence and years of life are in her right hand; and in her left hand are wealth and glory: ^16a out of her mouth proceeds righteousness, and she carries law and mercy upon her tongue. ¹⁷ Her ways are good ways, and all her paths are peaceful. ¹⁸ She is a tree of life to all that lay hold upon her; and she is a secure help to all that stay themselves on her, as on the Lord. ¹⁹ God by wisdom founded the earth, and by prudence he prepared the heavens. ²⁰ By understanding were the depths broken up, and the clouds dropped water. ²¹ My son, let them not pass from thee, but keep my counsel and understanding: ²² that thy soul may live, and that there may be grace round thy neck; ^22a and it shall be health to thy flesh, and safety to thy bones: ²³ that thou mayest go confidently in peace in all thy ways, and that thy foot may not stumble. ²⁴ For if thou rest, thou shalt be undismayed; and if thou sleep, thou shalt slumber sweetly. ²⁵ And thou shalt not be afraid of alarm coming upon thee, neither of approaching attacks of ungodly men. ²⁶ For the Lord shall be over all thy ways, and shall establish thy foot that thou be not moved. ²⁷ Forbear not to do good to the poor, whensoever thy hand may have power to help him. ²⁸ Say not, Come back another time, to-morrow I will give; while thou art able to do him good: for thou knowest not what the next day will bring forth. ²⁹ Devise not evil against thy friend, living near thee and trusting in thee. ³⁰ Be not ready to quarrel with a man without a cause, lest he do thee some harm. ³¹ Procure not the reproaches of bad men, neither do thou covet their ways. ³² For every transgressor is unclean before the Lord; neither does he sit among the righteous. ³³ The curse of God is in the houses of the ungodly; but the habitations of the just are blessed. ³⁴ The Lord resists the proud; but he gives grace to the humble. ³⁵ The wise shall inherit glory; but the ungodly have exalted their own dishonour.

Chapter 4

¹ Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. ² For I give you a good gift; forsake ye not my law. ³ For I also was a son obedient to my father, and loved in the sight of my mother: ⁴ who spoke and instructed me, saying, Let our speech be fixed in thine heart, keep our commandments, forget them not: ⁵ and do not neglect the speech of my mouth. ⁶ And forsake it not, and it shall cleave to thee: love it, and it shall keep thee. ⁸ Secure it, and it shall exalt thee: honour it, that it may embrace thee; ⁹ that it may give unto thy head a crown of graces, and may cover thee with a crown of delight. ¹⁰ Hear, my son, and receive my words; and the years of thy life shall be increased, that the resources of thy life may be many. ¹¹ For I teach thee the ways of wisdom; and I cause thee to go in right paths. ¹² For when thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not be distressed. ¹³ Take hold of my instruction; let it not go,—but keep it for thyself for thy life. ¹⁴ Go not in the ways of the ungodly, neither covet the ways of transgressors. ¹⁵ In whatever place they shall pitch their camp, go not thither; but turn from them, and pass away. ¹⁶ For they cannot sleep, unless they have done evil: their sleep is taken away, and they rest not. ¹⁷ For these live upon the bread of ungodliness, and are drunken with wine of transgression. ¹⁸ But the ways of the righteous shine like light; they go on and shine, until the day be fully come. ¹⁹ But the ways of the ungodly are dark; they know not how they stumble. ²⁰ My son, attend to my speech; and apply thine ear to my words: ²¹ that thy fountains may not fail thee; keep them in thine heart. ²² For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh. ²³ Keep thine heart with the utmost care; for out of these are the issues of life. ²⁴ Remove from thee a froward mouth, and put far away from thee unjust lips. ²⁵ Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids assent to just things. ²⁶ Make straight paths for thy feet, and order thy ways aright. ²⁷ Turn not aside to the right hand nor to the left, but turn away thy foot from an evil way: 27a [for God knows the ways on the right hand, but those on the left are crooked:] ^27b and he will make thy ways straight, and will guide thy steps in peace.

Chapter 5

¹ My son, attend to my wisdom, and apply thine ear to my words; ² that thou mayest keep good understanding, and the discretion of my lips gives thee a charge.

Give no heed to a worthless woman; ³ for honey drops from the lips of a harlot, who for a season pleases thy palate: ⁴ but afterwards thou wilt find her more bitter than gall, and sharper than a two-edged sword. ⁵ For the feet of folly lead those who deal with her down to the grave with death; and her steps are not established. ⁶ For she goes not upon the paths of life; but her ways are slippery, and not easily known. ⁷ Now then, my son, hear me, and make not my words of none effect. ⁸ Remove thy way far from her; draw not near to the doors of her house: ⁹ lest thou give away thy life to others, and thy substance to the merciless: ¹⁰ lest strangers be filled with thy strength, and thy labours come into the houses of strangers; ¹¹ and thou repent at last, when the flesh of thy body is consumed, ¹² and thou shalt say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart avoided reproofs! ¹³ I heard not the voice of him that instructed me, and taught me, neither did I apply mine ear. ¹⁴ I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly. ¹⁵ Drink waters out of thine own vessels, and out of thine own springing wells. ¹⁶ Let not waters out of thy fountain be spilt by thee, but let thy waters go into thy streets. ¹⁷ Let them be only thine own, and let no stranger partake with thee. ¹⁸ Let thy fountain of water be truly thine own; and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. ¹⁹ Let thy loving hart and thy graceful colt company with thee, and let her be considered thine own, and be with thee at all times; for ravished with her love thou shalt be greatly increased. ²⁰ Be not intimate with a strange woman, neither fold thyself in the arms of a woman not thine own. ²¹ For the ways of a man are before the eyes of God, and he looks on all his paths. ²² Iniquities ensnare a man, and every one is bound in the chains of his own sins. ²³ Such a man dies with the uninstructed; and he is cast forth from the abundance of his own substance, and has perished through folly.

Chapter 6

¹ My son, if thou become surety for thy friend, thou shalt deliver thine hand to an enemy. ² For a man's own lips become a strong snare to him, and he is caught with the lips of his own mouth. ³ My son, do what I command thee, and deliver thyself; for on thy friend's account thou art come into the power of evil men: faint not, but stir up even thy friend for whom thou art become surety. ⁴ Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber with thine eyelids; ⁵ that thou mayest deliver thyself as a doe out of the toils, and as a bird out of a snare. ⁶ Go to the ant, O sluggard; and see, and emulate his ways, and become wiser than he. ⁷ For whereas he has no husbandry, nor any one to compel him, and is under no master, ⁸ he prepares food for himself in the summer, and lays by abundant store in harvest. ^8a Or go to the bee, and learn how diligent she is, and how earnestly she is engaged in her work; ^8b whose labours kings and private men use for health, and she is desired and respected by all: ^8c though weak in body, she is advanced by honouring wisdom. ⁹ How long wilt thou lie, O sluggard? and when wilt thou awake out of sleep? ¹⁰ Thou sleepest a little, and thou restest a little, and thou slumberest a short time, and thou foldest thine arms over thy breast a little. ¹¹ Then poverty comes upon thee as an evil traveller, and want as a swift courier: ^11a but if thou be diligent, thine harvest shall arrive as a fountain, and poverty shall flee away as a bad courier. ¹² A foolish man and a transgressor goes in ways that are not good. ¹³ And the same winks with the eye, and makes a sign with his foot, and teaches with the beckonings of his fingers. ¹⁴ His perverse heart devises evils: at all times such a one causes troubles to a city. ¹⁵ Therefore his destruction shall come suddenly; overthrow and irretrievable ruin. ¹⁶ For he rejoices in all things which God hates, and he is ruined by reason of impurity of soul. ¹⁷ The eye of the haughty, a tongue unjust, hands shedding the blood of the just; ¹⁸ and a heart devising evil thoughts, and feet hastening to do evil,—are hateful to God. ¹⁹ An unjust witness kindles falsehoods, and brings on quarrels between brethren. ²⁰ My son, keep the laws of thy father, and reject not the ordinances of thy mother: ²¹ but bind them upon thy soul continually, and hang them as a chain about thy neck. ²² Whensoever thou walkest, lead this along and let it be with thee; and when thou sleepest let it keep thee; that it may talk with thee when thou wakest. ²³ For the commandment of the law is a lamp and a light; a way of life; reproof also and correction: ²⁴ to keep thee continually from a married woman, and from the calumny of a strange tongue.

Let not the desire of beauty overcome thee, neither be thou caught by thine eyes, neither be captivated with her eyelids. ²⁶ For the value of a harlot is as much as of one loaf; and a woman hunts for the precious souls of men. ²⁷ Shall any one bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments? ²⁸ or will any one walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet? ²⁹ So is he that goes in to a married woman; he shall not be held guiltless, neither any one that touches her. ³⁰ It is not to be wondered at if one should be taken stealing, for he steals that when hungry he may satisfy his soul: ³¹ but if he should be taken, he shall repay sevenfold, and shall deliver himself by giving all his goods. ³² But the adulterer through want of sense procures destruction to his soul. ³³ He endures both pain and disgrace, and his reproach shall never be wiped off. ³⁴ For the soul of her husband is full of jealousy: he will not spare in the day of vengeance. ³⁵ He will not forego his enmity for any ransom: neither will he be reconciled for many gifts.

Chapter 7

¹ My son, keep my words, and hide with thee my commandments. ^1a My son, honour the Lord, and thou shalt be strong; and fear none but him: ² keep my commandments, and thou shalt live; and keep my words as the pupils of thine eyes. ³ And bind them on thy fingers, and write them on the table of thine heart. ⁴ Say that wisdom is thy sister, and gain prudence as an acquaintance for thyself; ⁵ that she may keep thee from the strange and wicked woman, if she should assail thee with flattering words. ⁶ For she looks from a window out of her house into the streets, at one whom she may see of the senseless ones, a young man void of understanding, ⁷ passing by the corner in the passages near her house, ⁸ and speaking, in the dark of the evening, ⁹ when there happens to be the stillness of night and of darkness: ¹⁰ and the woman meets him having the appearance of a harlot, that causes the hearts of young men to flutter. ¹¹ And she is fickle, and debauched, and her feet abide not at home. ¹² For at one time she wanders without, and at another time she lies in wait in the streets, at every corner. ¹³ Then she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said to him, ¹⁴ I have a peace-offering; to-day I pay my vows: ¹⁵ therefore I came forth to meet thee, desiring thy face; and I have found thee. ¹⁶ I have spread my bed with sheets, and I have covered it with double tapestry from Egypt. ¹⁷ I have sprinkled my couch with saffron, and my house with cinnamon. ¹⁸ Come, and let us enjoy love until the morning; come, and let us embrace in love. ¹⁹ For my husband is not at home, but is gone on a long journey, ²⁰ having taken in his hand a bundle of money: after many days he will return to his house. ²¹ So with much converse she prevailed on him to go astray, and with the snares of her lips she forced him from the right path. ²² And he followed her, being gently led on, and that as an ox is led to the slaughter, and as a dog to bonds, or as a hart shot in the liver with an arrow: ²³ and he hastens as a bird into a snare, not knowing that he is running for his life. ²⁴ Now then, my son, hearken to me, and attend to the words of my mouth. ²⁵ Let not thine heart turn aside to her ways: ²⁶ for she has wounded and cast down many, and those whom she has slain are innumerable. ²⁷ Her house is the way of hell, leading down to the chambers of death.

Chapter 8

¹ Thou shalt proclaim wisdom, that understanding may be obedient to thee. ² For she is on lofty eminences, and stands in the midst of the ways. ³ For she sits by the gates of princes, and sings in the entrances, saying, ⁴ You, O men, I exhort; and utter my voice to the sons of men. ⁵ O ye simple, understand subtlety, and ye that are untaught, imbibe knowledge. ⁶ Hearken to me; for I will speak solemn truths; and will produce right sayings from my lips. ⁷ For my throat shall meditate truth; and false lips are an abomination before me. ⁸ All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing in them wrong or perverse. ⁹ They are all evident to those that understand, and right to those that find knowledge. ¹⁰ Receive instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than tried gold. ¹¹ For wisdom is better than precious stones; and no valuable substance is of equal worth with it.

¹² I wisdom have dwelt with counsel and knowledge, and I have called upon understanding. ¹³ The fear of the Lord hates unrighteousness, and insolence, and pride, and the ways of wicked men; and I hate the perverse ways of bad men. ¹⁴ Counsel and safety are mine: prudence is mine, and strength is mine. ¹⁵ By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. ¹⁶ By me nobles become great, and monarchs by me rule over the earth. ¹⁷ I love those that love me; and they that seek me shall find me.

¹⁸ Wealth and glory belong to me; yea, abundant possessions and righteousness. ¹⁹ It is better to have my fruit than to have gold and precious stones; and my produce is better than choice silver. ²⁰ I walk in ways of righteousness, and am conversant with the paths of judgment; ²¹ that I may divide substance to them that love me, and may fill their treasures with good things. ^21a If I declare to you the things that daily happen, I will remember also to recount the things of old.

²² The Lord made me the beginning of his ways for his works. ²³ He established me before time was in the beginning, before he made the earth: ²⁴ even before he made the depths; before the fountains of water came forth: ²⁵ before the mountains were settled, and before all hills, he begets me. ²⁶ The Lord made countries and uninhabited tracts, and the highest inhabited parts of the world. ²⁷ When he prepared the heaven, I was present with him; and when he prepared his throne upon the winds: ²⁸ and when he strengthened the clouds above; and when he secured the fountains of the earth: ²⁹ and when he strengthened the foundations of the earth: ³⁰ I was by him, suiting myself to him, I was that wherein he took delight; and daily I rejoiced in his presence continually. ³¹ For he rejoiced when he had completed the world, and rejoiced among the children of men.

³² Now then, my son, hear me: blessed is the man who shall hearken to me, and the mortal who shall keep my ways; ³⁴ watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my entrances. ³⁵ For my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and in them is prepared favour from the Lord. ³⁶ But they that sin against me act wickedly against their own souls: and they that hate me love death.

Chapter 9

¹ Wisdom has built a house for herself, and set up seven pillars. ² She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine in a bowl, and prepared her table. ³ She has sent forth her servants, calling with a loud proclamation to the feast, saying, ⁴ Whoso is foolish, let him turn aside to me: and to them that want understanding she says, ⁵ Come, eat of my bread, and drink wine which I have mingled for you.

⁶ Leave folly, that ye may reign for ever; and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge. ⁷ He that reproves evil men shall get dishonour to himself; and he that rebukes an ungodly man shall disgrace himself. ⁸ Rebuke not evil men, lest they should hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. ⁹ Give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more instruction. ¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel of saints is understanding: ^10a for to know the law is the character of a sound mind. ¹¹ For in this way thou shalt live long, and years of thy life shall be added to thee.

¹² Son, if thou be wise for thyself, thou shalt also be wise for thy neighbours; and if thou shouldest prove wicked, thou alone wilt bear the evil. ^12a He that stays himself upon falsehoods, attempts to rule the winds, and the same will pursue birds in their flight: ^12b for he has forsaken the ways of his own vineyard, and he has caused the axles of his own husbandry to go astray; ^12c and he goes through a dry desert, and a land appointed to drought, and he gathers barrenness with his hands. ¹³ A foolish and bold woman, who knows not modesty, comes to want a morsel. ¹⁴ She sits at the doors of her house, on a seat openly in the streets, ¹⁵ calling to passers by, and to those that are going right on their ways; ¹⁶ saying, Whoso is most senseless of you, let him turn aside to me; and I exhort those that want prudence, saying, ¹⁷ Take and enjoy secret bread, and the sweet water of theft.

¹⁸ But he knows that mighty men die by her, and he falls in with a snare of hell. ^18a But hasten away, delay not in the place, neither fix thine eye upon her: ^18b for thus shalt thou go through strange water; ^18c but do thou abstain from strange water, and drink not of a strange fountain, ^18d that thou mayest live long, and years of life may be added to thee.

Chapter 10

¹ A wise son makes his father glad: but a foolish son is a grief to his mother. ² Treasures shall not profit the lawless: but righteousness shall deliver from death. ³ The Lord will not famish a righteous soul: but he will overthrow the life of the ungodly. ⁴ Poverty brings a man low: but the hands of the vigorous make rich. ^4a A son who is instructed shall be wise, and shall use the fool for a servant. ⁵ A wise son is saved from heat: but a lawless son is blighted of the winds in harvest. ⁶ The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the just: but untimely grief shall cover the mouth of the ungodly. ⁷ The memory of the just is praised; but the name of the ungodly man is extinguished. ⁸ A wise man in heart will receive commandments; but he that is unguarded in his lips shall be overthrown in his perverseness. ⁹ He that walks simply, walks confidently; but he that perverts his ways shall be known. ¹⁰ He that winks with his eyes deceitfully, procures griefs for men; but he that reproves boldly is a peacemaker. ¹¹ There is a fountain of life in the hand of a righteous man; but destruction shall cover the mouth of the ungodly. ¹² Hatred stirs up strife; but affection covers all that do not love strife. ¹³ He that brings forth wisdom from his lips smites the fool with a rod. ¹⁴ The wise will hide discretion; but the mouth of the hasty draws near to ruin. ¹⁵ The wealth of rich men is a strong city; but poverty is the ruin of the ungodly. ¹⁶ The works of the righteous produce life; but the fruits of the ungodly produce sins. ¹⁷ Instruction keeps the right ways of life; but instruction unchastened goes astray.

Righteous lips cover enmity; but they that utter railings are most foolish. ¹⁹ By a multitude of words thou shalt not escape sin; but if thou refrain thy lips thou wilt be prudent. ²⁰ The tongue of the just is tried silver; but the heart of the ungodly shall fail. ²¹ The lips of the righteous know sublime truths: but the foolish die in want. ²² The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the righteous; it enriches him, and grief of heart shall not be added to it. ²³ A fool does mischief in sport; but wisdom brings forth prudence for a man. ²⁴ The ungodly is engulphed in destruction; but the desire of the righteous is acceptable. ²⁵ When the storm passes by, the ungodly vanishes away; but the righteous turns aside and escapes for ever. ²⁶ As a sour grape is hurtful to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so iniquity hurts those that practise it. ²⁷ The fear of the Lord adds length of days: but the years of the ungodly shall be shortened. ²⁸ Joy rests long with the righteous: but the hope of the ungodly shall perish. ²⁹ The fear of the Lord is a strong hold of the saints: but ruin comes to them that work wickedness. ³⁰ The righteous shall never fail: but the ungodly shall not dwell in the earth. ³¹ The mouth of the righteous drops wisdom: but the tongue of the unjust shall perish. ³² The lips of just men drop grace: but the mouth of the ungodly is perverse.

Chapter 11

¹ False balances are an abomination before the Lord: but a just weight is acceptable unto him. ² Wherever pride enters, there will be also disgrace: but the mouth of the lowly meditates wisdom. ³ When a just man dies he leaves regret: but the destruction of the ungodly is speedy, and causes joy. ⁵ Righteousness traces out blameless paths: but ungodliness encounters unjust dealing. ⁶ The righteousness of upright men delivers them: but transgressors are caught in their own destruction. ⁷ At the death of a just man his hope does not perish: but the boast of the ungodly perishes. ⁸ A righteous man escapes from a snare, and the ungodly man is delivered up in his place. ⁹ In the mouth of ungodly men is a snare to citizens: but the understanding of righteous men is prosperous. ¹⁰ In the prosperity of righteous men a city prospers: ¹¹ but by the mouths of ungodly men it is overthrown. ¹² A man void of understanding sneers at his fellow citizens: but a sensible man is quiet. ¹³ A double-tongued man discloses the secret counsels of an assembly: but he that is faithful in spirit conceals matters. ¹⁴ They that have no guidance fall like leaves: but in much counsel there is safety.

A bad man does harm wherever he meets a just man: and he hates the sound of safety. ¹⁶ A gracious wife brings glory to her husband: but a woman hating righteousness is a theme of dishonour. The slothful come to want: but the diligent support themselves with wealth. ¹⁷ A merciful man does good to his own soul: but the merciless destroys his own body. ¹⁸ An ungodly man performs unrighteous works: but the seed of the righteous is a reward of truth. ¹⁹ A righteous son is born for life: but the persecution of the ungodly ends in death. ²⁰ Perverse ways are an abomination to the Lord: but all they that are blameless in their ways are acceptable to him. ²¹ He that unjustly strikes hands shall not be unpunished: but he that sows righteousness shall receive a faithful reward. ²² As an ornament in a swine's snout, so is beauty to an ill-minded woman. ²³ All the desire of the righteous is good: but the hope of the ungodly shall perish. ²⁴ There are some who scatter their own, and make it more: and there are some also who gather, yet have less. ²⁵ Every sincere soul is blessed: but a passionate man is not graceful. ²⁶ May he that hoards corn leave it to the nation: but blessing be on the head of him that gives it. ²⁷ He that devises good counsels seeks good favour: but as for him that seeks after evil, evil shall overtake him. ²⁸ He that trusts in wealth shall fall; but he that helps righteous men shall rise. ²⁹ He that deals not graciously with his own house shall inherit the wind; and the fool shall be servant to the wise man. ³⁰ Out of the fruit of righteousness grows a tree of life; but the souls of transgressors are cut off before their time. ³¹ If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Chapter 12

¹ He that loves instruction loves sense, but he that hates reproofs is a fool. ² He that has found favour with the Lord is made better; but a transgressor shall be passed over in silence. ³ A man shall not prosper by wickedness; but the roots of the righteous shall not be taken up. ⁴ A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband; but as a worm in wood, so a bad woman destroys her husband. ⁵ The thoughts of the righteous are true judgments; but ungodly men devise deceits. ⁶ The words of ungodly men are crafty; but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them. ⁷ When the ungodly is overthrown, he vanishes away; but the houses of the just remain. ⁸ The mouth of an understanding man is praised by a man; but he that is dull of heart is had in derision. ⁹ Better is a man in dishonour serving himself, than one honouring himself and wanting bread.

A righteous man has pity for the lives of his cattle; but the bowels of the ungodly are unmerciful. ¹¹ He that tills his own land shall be satisfied with bread; but they that pursue vanities are void of understanding. ^11a He that enjoys himself in banquets of wine, shall leave dishonour in his own strong holds. ¹² The desires of the ungodly are evil; but the roots of the godly are firmly set. ¹³ For the sin of his lips a sinner falls into snares; but a righteous man escapes from them. ^13a He whose looks are gentle shall be pitied, but he that contends in the gates will afflict souls. ¹⁴ The soul of a man shall be filled with good from the fruits of his mouth; and the recompence of his lips shall be given to him. ¹⁵ The ways of fools are right in their own eyes; but a wise man hearkens to counsels. ¹⁶ A fool declares his wrath the same day; but a prudent man hides his own disgrace. ¹⁷ A righteous man declares the open truth; but an unjust witness is deceitful. ¹⁸ Some wound as they speak, like swords; but the tongues of the wise heal. ¹⁹ True lips establish testimony; but a hasty witness has an unjust tongue. ²⁰ There is deceit in the heart of him that imagines evil; but they that love peace shall rejoice. ²¹ No injustice will please a just man; but the ungodly will be filled with mischief. ²² Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord; but he that deals faithfully is accepted with him. ²³ An understanding man is a throne of wisdom; but the heart of fools shall meet with curses. ²⁴ The hand of chosen men shall easily obtain rule; but the deceitful shall be for a prey. ²⁵ A terrible word troubles the heart of a righteous man; but a good message rejoices him. ²⁶ A just arbitrator shall be his own friend; but mischief shall pursue sinners; and the way of ungodly men shall lead them astray. ²⁷ A deceitful man shall catch no game; but a blameless man is a precious possession. ²⁸ In the ways of righteousness is life; but the ways of those that remember injuries lead to death.

Chapter 13

¹ A wise son is obedient to his father: but a disobedient son will be destroyed. ² A good man shall eat of the fruits of righteousness: but the lives of transgressors shall perish before their time. ³ He that keeps his own mouth keeps his own life: but he that is hasty with his lips shall bring terror upon himself. ⁴ Every slothful man desires, but the hands of the active are diligent. ⁵ A righteous man hates an unjust word: but an ungodly man is ashamed, and will have no confidence. ⁷ There are some who, having nothing, enrich themselves: and there are some who bring themselves down in the midst of much wealth. ⁸ A man's own wealth is the ransom of his life: but the poor endures not threatening. ⁹ The righteous always have light: but the light of the ungodly is quenched. ^9a Crafty souls go astray in sins: but just men pity, and are merciful. ¹⁰ A bad man does evil with insolence: but they that are judges of themselves are wise. ¹¹ Wealth gotten hastily with iniquity is diminished: but he that gathers for himself with godliness shall be increased. The righteous is merciful, and lends. ¹² Better is he that begins to help heartily, than he that promises and leads another to hope: for a good desire is a tree of life. ¹³ He that slights a matter shall be slighted of it: but he that fears the commandment has health of soul. ^13a To a crafty son there shall be nothing good: but a wise servant shall have prosperous doings, and his way shall be directed aright. ¹⁴ The law of the wise is a fountain of life: but the man void of understanding shall die by a snare. ¹⁵ Sound discretion gives favour, and to know the law is the part of a sound understanding: but the ways of scorners tend to destruction. ¹⁶ Every prudent man acts with knowledge: but the fool displays his own mischief. ¹⁷ A rash king shall fall into mischief: but a wise messenger shall deliver him. ¹⁸ Instruction removes poverty and disgrace: but he that attends to reproofs shall be honoured. ¹⁹ The desires of the godly gladden the soul, but the works of the ungodly are far from knowledge. ²⁰ If thou walkest with wise men thou shalt be wise: but he that walks with fools shall be known. ²¹ Evil shall pursue sinners; but good shall overtake the righteous. ²² A good man shall inherit children's children; and the wealth of ungodly men is laid up for the just. ²³ The righteous shall spend many years in wealth: but the unrighteous shall perish suddenly. ²⁴ He that spares the rod hates his son: but he that loves, carefully chastens him. ²⁵ A just man eats and satisfies his soul: but the souls of the ungodly are in want.

Chapter 14

¹ Wise women build houses: but a foolish one digs hers down with her hands. ² He that walks uprightly fears the Lord; but he that is perverse in his ways shall be dishonoured. ³ Out of the mouth of fools comes a rod of pride; but the lips of the wise preserve them. ⁴ Where no oxen are, the cribs are clean; but where there is abundant produce, the strength of the ox is apparent. ⁵ A faithful witness does not lie; but an unjust witness kindles falsehoods. ⁶ Thou shalt seek wisdom with bad men, and shalt not find it; but discretion is easily available with the prudent. ⁷ All things are adverse to a foolish man; but wise lips are the weapons of discretion. ⁸ The wisdom of the prudent will understand their ways; but the folly of fools leads astray. ⁹ The houses of transgressors will need purification; but the houses of the just are acceptable. ¹⁰ If a man's mind is intelligent, his soul is sorrowful; and when he rejoices, he has no fellowship with pride. ¹¹ The houses of ungodly men shall be utterly destroyed; but the tabernacles of them that walk uprightly shall stand. ¹² There is a way which seems to be right with men, but the ends of it reach to the depth of hell. ¹³ Grief mingles not with mirth; and joy in the end comes to grief. ¹⁴ A stout-hearted man shall be filled with his own ways; and a good man with his own thoughts. ¹⁵ The simple believes every word: but the prudent man betakes himself to after-thought. ¹⁶ A wise man fears, and departs from evil; but the fool trusts in himself, and joins himself with the transgressor. ¹⁷ A passionate man acts inconsiderately; but a sensible man bears up under many things. ¹⁸ Fools shall have mischief for their portion; but the prudent shall take fast hold of understanding. ¹⁹ Evil men shall fall before the good; and the ungodly shall attend at the gates of the righteous. ²⁰ Friends will hate poor friends; but the friends of the rich are many. ²¹ He that dishonours the needy sins: but he that has pity on the poor is most blessed. ²² They that go astray devise evils: but the good devise mercy and truth. The framers of evil do not understand mercy and truth: but compassion and faithfulness are with the framers of good. ²³ With every one who is careful there is abundance: but the pleasure-taking and indolent shall be in want. ²⁴ A prudent man is the crown of the wise: but the occupation of fools is evil. ²⁵ A faithful witness shall deliver a soul from evil: but a deceitful man kindles falsehoods. ²⁶ In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and he leaves his children a support. ²⁷ The commandment of the Lord is a fountain of life; and it causes men to turn aside from the snare of death. ²⁸ In a populous nation is the glory of a king: but in the failure of people is the ruin of a prince. ²⁹ A man slow to wrath abounds in wisdom: but a man of impatient spirit is very foolish. ³⁰ A meek-spirited man is a healer of the heart: but a sensitive heart is a corruption of the bones. ³¹ He that oppresses the needy provokes his Maker: but he that honours him has pity upon the poor. ³² The ungodly shall be driven away in his wickedness: but he who is secure in his own holiness is just. ³³ There is wisdom in the good heart of a man: but in the heart of fools it is not discerned. ³⁴ Righteousness exalts a nation: but sins diminish tribes. ³⁵ An understanding servant is acceptable to a king; and by his good behaviour he removes disgrace.

Chapter 15

¹ Anger slays even wise men; yet a submissive answer turns away wrath: but a grievous word stirs up anger. ² The tongue of the wise knows what is good: but the mouth of the foolish tells out evil things. ³ The eyes of the Lord behold both the evil and the good in every place. ⁴ The wholesome tongue is a tree of life, and he that keeps it shall be filled with understanding. ⁵ A fool scorns his father's instruction: but he that keeps his commandments is more prudent. In abounding righteousness is great strength: but the ungodly shall utterly perish from the earth. ⁶ In the houses of the righteous is much strength: but the fruits of the ungodly shall perish. ⁷ The lips of the wise are bound by discretion: but the hearts of the foolish are not safe. ⁸ The sacrifices of the ungodly are an abomination to the Lord; but the prayers of them that walk honestly are acceptable with him. ⁹ The ways of an ungodly man are an abomination to the Lord; but he loves those that follow after righteousness. ¹⁰ The instruction of the simple is known by them that pass by; but they that hate reproofs die disgracefully. ¹¹ Hell and destruction are manifest to the Lord; how shall not also be the hearts of men? ¹² An uninstructed person will not love those that reprove him; neither will he associate with the wise. ¹³ When the heart rejoices the countenance is cheerful; but when it is in sorrow, the countenance is sad. ¹⁴ An upright heart seeks discretion; but the mouth of the uninstructed will experience evils. ¹⁵ The eyes of the wicked are always looking for evil things; but the good are always quiet. ¹⁶ Better is a small portion with the fear of the Lord, than great treasures without the fear of the Lord. ¹⁷ Better is an entertainment of herbs with friendliness and kindness, than a feast of calves, with enmity. ¹⁸ A passionate man stirs up strife; but he that is slow to anger appeases even a rising one. ^18a A man slow to anger will extinguish quarrels; but an ungodly man rather stirs them up. ¹⁹ The ways of sluggards are strewn with thorns; but those of the diligent are made smooth. ²⁰ A wise son gladdens his father; but a foolish son sneers at his mother. ²¹ The ways of a foolish man are void of sense; but a wise man proceeds on his way aright. ²² They that honour not councils put off deliberation; but counsel abides in the hearts of counsellors. ²³ A bad man will by no means attend to counsel; neither will he say anything seasonable, or good for the common weal. ²⁴ The thoughts of the wise are ways of life, that he may turn aside and escape from hell. ²⁵ The Lord pulls down the houses of scorners; but he establishes the border of the widow. ²⁶ An unrighteous thought is abomination to the Lord; but the sayings of the pure are held in honour. ²⁷ A receiver of bribes destroys himself; but he that hates the receiving of bribes is safe. 27a [By alms and by faithful dealings sins are purged away;] but by the fear of the Lord every one departs from evil. ²⁸ The hearts of the righteous meditate faithfulness; but the mouth of the ungodly answers evil things. ^28a The ways of righteous men are acceptable with the Lord; and through them even enemies become friends. ²⁹ God is far from the ungodly; but he hearkens to the prayers of the righteous. ^29a Better are small receipts with righteousness, than abundant fruits with unrighteousness. ²⁹ b Let the heart of a man think justly, that his steps may be rightly ordered of God. ³⁰ The eye that sees rightly rejoices the heart; and a good report fattens the bones. ³² He that rejects instruction hates himself; but he that minds reproofs loves his soul. ³³ The fear of the Lord is instruction and wisdom; and the highest honour will correspond therewith. ² All the works of the humble man are manifest with God; but the ungodly shall perish in an evil day. ⁵ Every one that is proud in heart is unclean before God, and he that unjustly strikes hands with hand shall not be held guiltless. ⁷ The beginning of a good way is to do justly; and it is more acceptable with God than to offer sacrifices. ⁸ He that seeks the Lord shall find knowledge with righteousness: and they that rightly seek him shall find peace. ⁹ All the works of the Lord are done with righteousness; and the ungodly man is kept for the evil day. ¹⁰ There is an oracle upon the lips of a king; and his mouth shall not err in judgment. ¹¹ The poise of the balance is righteousness with the Lord; and his works are righteous measures. ¹² An evil-doer is an abomination to a king; for the throne of rule is established by righteousness. ¹³ Righteous lips are acceptable to a king; and he loves right words. ¹⁴ The anger of a king is a messenger of death; but a wise man will pacify him. ¹⁵ The son of a king is in the light of life; and they that are in favour with him are as a cloud of latter rain. ¹⁶ The brood of wisdom is more to be chosen than gold, and the brood of prudence more to be chosen than silver. ¹⁷ The paths of life turn aside from evil; and the ways of righteousness are length of life. He that receives instruction shall be in prosperity; and he that regards reproofs shall be made wise. He that keeps his ways, preserves his own soul; and he that loves his life will spare his mouth. ¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, and folly before a fall. ¹⁹ Better is a meek-spirited man with lowliness, than one who divides spoils with the proud. ²⁰ He who is skilful in business finds good: but he that trusts in God is most blessed. ²¹ Men call the wise and understanding evil: but they that are pleasing in speech shall hear more. ²² Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessors; but the instruction of fools is evil. ²³ The heart of the wise will discern the things which proceed from his own mouth; and on his lips he will wear knowledge. ²⁴ Good words are honeycombs, and the sweetness thereof is a healing of the soul. ²⁵ There are ways that seem to be right to a man, but the end of them looks to the depth of hell. ²⁶ A man who labours, labours for himself, and drives from him his own ruin. ²⁷ But the perverse bears destruction upon his own mouth: a foolish man digs up evil for himself, and treasures fire on his own lips. ²⁸ A perverse man spreads mischief, and will kindle a torch of deceit with mischiefs; and he separates friends. ²⁹ A transgressor tries to ensnare friends, and leads them in ways that are not good. ³⁰ And the man that fixes his eyes devises perverse things, and marks out with his lips all evils: he is a furnace of wickedness. ³¹ Old age is a crown of honour, but it is found in the ways of righteousness. ³² A man slow to anger is better than a strong man; and he that governs his temper better than he that takes a city. ³³ All evils come upon the ungodly into their bosoms; but all righteous things come of the Lord.

Chapter 16

² All the works of the humble man are manifest with God; but the ungodly shall perish in an evil day. ⁵ Every one that is proud in heart is unclean before God, and he that unjustly strikes hands with hand shall not be held guiltless. ⁷ The beginning of a good way is to do justly; and it is more acceptable with God than to offer sacrifices. ⁸ He that seeks the Lord shall find knowledge with righteousness: and they that rightly seek him shall find peace. ⁹ All the works of the Lord are done with righteousness; and the ungodly man is kept for the evil day.

¹⁰ There is an oracle upon the lips of a king; and his mouth shall not err in judgment. ¹¹ The poise of the balance is righteousness with the Lord; and his works are righteous measures. ¹² An evil-doer is an abomination to a king; for the throne of rule is established by righteousness. ¹³ Righteous lips are acceptable to a king; and he loves right words. ¹⁴ The anger of a king is a messenger of death; but a wise man will pacify him. ¹⁵ The son of a king is in the light of life; and they that are in favour with him are as a cloud of latter rain. ¹⁶ The brood of wisdom is more to be chosen than gold, and the brood of prudence more to be chosen than silver. ¹⁷ The paths of life turn aside from evil; and the ways of righteousness are length of life. He that receives instruction shall be in prosperity; and he that regards reproofs shall be made wise. He that keeps his ways, preserves his own soul; and he that loves his life will spare his mouth.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, and folly before a fall. ¹⁹ Better is a meek-spirited man with lowliness, than one who divides spoils with the proud. ²⁰ He who is skilful in business finds good: but he that trusts in God is most blessed. ²¹ Men call the wise and understanding evil: but they that are pleasing in speech shall hear more. ²² Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessors; but the instruction of fools is evil. ²³ The heart of the wise will discern the things which proceed from his own mouth; and on his lips he will wear knowledge. ²⁴ Good words are honeycombs, and the sweetness thereof is a healing of the soul.

²⁵ There are ways that seem to be right to a man, but the end of them looks to the depth of hell. ²⁶ A man who labours, labours for himself, and drives from him his own ruin. ²⁷ But the perverse bears destruction upon his own mouth: a foolish man digs up evil for himself, and treasures fire on his own lips. ²⁸ A perverse man spreads mischief, and will kindle a torch of deceit with mischiefs; and he separates friends. ²⁹ A transgressor tries to ensnare friends, and leads them in ways that are not good.

³⁰ And the man that fixes his eyes devises perverse things, and marks out with his lips all evils: he is a furnace of wickedness. ³¹ Old age is a crown of honour, but it is found in the ways of righteousness. ³² A man slow to anger is better than a strong man; and he that governs his temper better than he that takes a city. ³³ All evils come upon the ungodly into their bosoms; but all righteous things come of the Lord.

Chapter 17

¹ Better is a morsel with pleasure in peace, than a house full of many good things and unjust sacrifices, with strife. ² A wise servant shall have rule over foolish masters, and shall divide portions among brethren. ³ As silver and gold are tried in a furnace, so are choice hearts with the Lord. ⁴ A bad man hearkens to the tongue of transgressors: but a righteous man attends not to false lips. ⁵ He that laughs at the poor provokes him that made him; and he that rejoices at the destruction of another shall not be held guiltless: but he that has compassion shall find mercy. ⁶ Children's children are the crown of old men; and their fathers are the glory of children. ^6a The faithful has the whole world full of wealth; but the faithless not even a farthing. ⁷ Faithful lips will not suit a fool; nor lying lips a just man. ⁸ Instruction is to them that use it a gracious reward: and whithersoever it may turn, it shall prosper. ⁹ He that conceals injuries seeks love; but he that hates to hide them separates friends and kindred. ¹⁰ A threat breaks down the heart of a wise man; but a fool, though scourged, understands not. ¹¹ Every bad man stirs up strifes: but the Lord will send out against him an unmerciful messenger. ¹² Care may befall a man of understanding; but fools will meditate evils. ¹³ Whoso rewards evil for good, evil shall not be removed from his house. ¹⁴ Rightful rule gives power to words; but sedition and strife precede poverty. ¹⁵ He that pronounces the unjust just, and the just unjust, is unclean and abominable with God. ¹⁶ Why has the fool wealth? for a senseless man will not be able to purchase wisdom. ^16a He that exalts his own house seeks ruin; and he that turns aside from instruction shall fall into mischiefs. ¹⁷ Have thou a friend for every time, and let brethren be useful in distress; for on this account are they born. ¹⁸ A foolish man applauds and rejoices over himself, as he also that becomes surety would make himself responsible for his own friends. ¹⁹ A lover of sin rejoices in strifes; ²⁰ and the hard-hearted man comes not in for good. A man of a changeful tongue will fall into mischiefs; ²¹ and the heart of a fool is grief to its possessor. A father rejoices not over an uninstructed son; but a wise son gladdens his mother. ²² A glad heart promotes health; but the bones of a sorrowful man dry up. ²³ The ways of a man who unjustly receives gifts in his bosom do not prosper; and an ungodly man perverts the ways of righteousness. ²⁴ The countenance of a wise man is sensible; but the eyes of a fool go to the ends of the earth. ²⁵ A foolish son is a cause of anger to his father, and grief to her that bore him. ²⁶ It is not right to punish a righteous man, nor is it holy to plot against righteous princes. ²⁷ He that forbears to utter a hard word is discreet, and a patient man is wise. ²⁸ Wisdom shall be imputed to a fool who asks after wisdom: and he who holds his peace shall seem to be sensible.

Chapter 18

¹ A man who wishes to separate from friends seeks excuses; but at all times he will be liable to reproach. ² A senseless man feels no need of wisdom, for he is rather led by folly. ³ When an ungodly man comes into a depth of evils, he despises them; but dishonour and reproach come upon him. ⁴ A word in the heart of a man is a deep water, and a river and fountain of life spring forth. ⁵ It is not good to accept the person of the ungodly, nor is it holy to pervert justice in judgment. ⁶ The lips of a fool bring him into troubles, and his bold mouth calls for death. ⁷ A fool's mouth is ruin to him, and his lips are a snare to his soul. ⁸ Fear casts down the slothful; and the souls of the effeminate shall hunger. ⁹ A man who helps not himself by his labour is brother of him that ruins himself. ¹⁰ The name of the Lord is of great strength; and the righteous running to it are exalted. ¹¹ The wealth of a rich man is a strong city; and its glory casts a broad shadow. ¹² Before ruin a man's heart is exalted, and before honour it is humble. ¹³ Whoso answers a word before he hears a cause, it is folly and reproach to him. ¹⁴ A wise servant calms a man's anger; but who can endure a faint-hearted man? ¹⁵ The heart of the sensible man purchases discretion; and the ears of the wise seek understanding. ¹⁶ A man's gift enlarges him, and seats him among princes. ¹⁷ A righteous man accuses himself at the beginning of his speech, but when he has entered upon the attack, the adversary is reproved. ¹⁸ A silent man quells strifes, and determines between great powers. ¹⁹ A brother helped by a brother is as a strong and high city; and is as strong as a well-founded palace. ²⁰ A man fills his belly with the fruits of his mouth; and he shall be satisfied with the fruits of his lips. ²¹ Life and death are in the power of the tongue; and they that rule it shall eat the fruits thereof. ²² He that has found a good wife has found favours, and has received gladness from God. 22a [He that puts away a good wife, puts away a good thing, and he that keeps an adulteress is foolish and ungodly.]

Chapter 19

^{1 3} The folly of a man spoils his ways: and he blames God in his heart. ⁴ Wealth acquires many friends; but the poor is deserted even of the friend he has. ⁵ A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that accuses unjustly shall not escape. ⁶ Many court the favour of kings; but every bad man becomes a reproach to another man. ⁷ Every one who hates his poor brother shall also be far from friendship. Good understanding will draw near to them that know it, and a sensible man will find it. He that does much harm perfects mischief; and he that uses provoking words shall not escape. ⁸ He that procures wisdom loves himself; and he that keeps wisdom shall find good. ⁹ A false witness shall not be unpunished; and whosoever shall kindle mischief shall perish by it. ¹⁰ Delight does not suit a fool, nor is it seemly if a servant should begin to rule with haughtiness. ¹¹ A merciful man is long-suffering; and his triumph overtakes transgressors. ¹² The threatening of a king is like the roaring of a lion; but as dew on the grass, so is his favour. ¹³ A foolish son is a disgrace to his father: vows paid out of the hire of a harlot are not pure. ¹⁴ Fathers divide house and substance to their children: but a wife is suited to a man by the Lord. ¹⁵ Cowardice possesses the effeminate man; and the soul of the sluggard shall hunger. ¹⁶ He that keeps the commandment keeps his own soul; but he that despises his ways shall perish. ¹⁷ He that has pity on the poor lends to the Lord; and he will recompense to him according to his gift. ¹⁸ Chasten thy son, for so he shall be hopeful; and be not exalted in thy soul to haughtiness. ¹⁹ A malicious man shall be severely punished, and if he commit injury, he shall also lose his life. ²⁰ Hear, son, the instruction of thy father, that thou mayest be wise at thy latter end. ²¹ There are many thoughts in a man's heart; but the counsel of the Lord abides for ever. ²² Mercy is a fruit to a man: and a poor man is better than a rich liar. ²³ The fear of the Lord is life to a man: and he shall lodge without fear in places where knowledge is not seen. ²⁴ He that unjustly hides his hands in his bosom, will not even bring them up to his mouth. ²⁵ When a pestilent character is scourged, a simple man is made wiser: and if thou reprove a wise man, he will understand discretion. ²⁶ He that dishonours his father, and drives away his mother, shall be disgraced and shall be exposed to reproach. ²⁷ A son who ceases to attend to the instruction of a father will cherish evil designs. ²⁸ He that becomes surety for a foolish child will despise the ordinance: and the mouth of ungodly men shall drink down judgments. ²⁹ Scourges are preparing for the intemperate, and punishments likewise for fools.

Chapter 20

¹ Wine is an intemperate thing, and strong drink full of violence: but every fool is entangled with them. ² The threat of a king differs not from the rage of a lion; and he that provokes him sins against his own soul. ³ It is a glory to a man to turn aside from railing; but every fool is entangled with such matters. ⁴ A sluggard when reproached is not ashamed: so also he who borrows corn in harvest. ⁵ Counsel in a man's heart is deep water; but a prudent man will draw it out. ⁶ A man is valuable, and a merciful man precious: but it is hard to find a faithful man. ⁷ He that walks blameless in justice, shall leave his children blessed. ⁸ Whenever a righteous king sits on the throne, no evil thing can stand before his presence. ⁹ Who will boast that he has a pure heart? or who will boldly say that he is pure from sins? ^9a The lamp of him that reviles father or mother shall be put out, and his eyeballs shall see darkness. ⁹ b A portion hastily gotten at first shall not be blessed in the end. ^9c Say not, I will avenge myself on my enemy; but wait on the Lord, that he may help thee. ¹⁰ A large and small weight, and divers measures, are even both of them unclean before the Lord; and so is he that makes them. ¹¹ A youth when in company with a godly man, will be restrained in his devices, and then his way will be straight. ¹² The ear hears, and the eye sees: even both of them are the Lord's work. ¹³ Love not to speak ill, lest thou be cut off: open thine eyes, and be filled with bread.

A double weight is an abomination to the Lord; and a deceitful balance is not good in his sight. ²⁴ A man's goings are directed of the Lord: how then can a mortal understand his ways? ²⁵ It is a snare to a man hastily to consecrate some of his own property: for in that case repentance comes after vowing. ²⁶ A wise king utterly crushes the ungodly, and will bring a wheel upon them. ²⁷ The spirit of man is a light of the Lord, who searches the inmost parts of the belly. ²⁸ Mercy and truth are a guard to a king, and will surround his throne with righteousness. ²⁹ Wisdom is an ornament to young men; and grey hairs are the glory of old men. ³⁰ Bruises and contusions befall bad men; and plagues shall come into the inward parts of their belly.

Chapter 21

¹ As a rush of water, so is the king's heart in God's hand: he turns it whithersoever he may desire to point out. ² Every man seems to himself righteous; but the Lord directs the hearts. ³ To do justly and to speak truth, are more pleasing to God than the blood of sacrifices. ⁴ A high-minded man is stout-hearted in his pride; and the lamp of the wicked is sin. ⁶ He that gathers treasures with a lying tongue pursues vanity on to the snares of death. ⁷ Destruction shall lodge with the ungodly; for they refuse to do justly. ⁸ To the froward God sends froward ways; for his works are pure and right. ⁹ It is better to dwell in a corner on the house-top, than in plastered rooms with unrighteousness, and in an open house. ¹⁰ The soul of the ungodly shall not be pitied by any man. ¹¹ When an intemperate man is punished the simple becomes wiser: and a wise man understanding will receive knowledge. ¹² A righteous man understands the hearts of the ungodly: and despises the ungodly for their wickedness.

¹³ He that stops his ears from hearing the poor, himself also shall cry, and there shall be none to hear him. ¹⁴ A secret gift calms anger: but he that forbears to give stirs up strong wrath. ¹⁵ It is the joy of the righteous to do judgment: but a holy man is abominable with evil-doers. ¹⁶ A man that wanders out of the way of righteousness, shall rest in the congregation of giants. ¹⁷ A poor man loves mirth, loving wine and oil in abundance; ¹⁸ and a transgressor is the abomination of a righteous man. ¹⁹ It is better to dwell in a wilderness than with a quarrelsome and talkative and passionate woman. ²⁰ A desirable treasure will rest on the mouth of the wise; but foolish men will swallow it up. ²¹ The way of righteousness and mercy will find life and glory. ²² A wise man assaults strong cities, and demolishes the fortress in which the ungodly trusted. ²³ He that keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from trouble.

A bold and self-willed and insolent man is called a pest: and he that remembers injuries is a transgressor. ²⁵ Desires kill the sluggard; for his hands do not choose to do anything. ²⁶ An ungodly man entertains evil desires all the day: but the righteous is unsparingly merciful and compassionate. ²⁷ The sacrifices of the ungodly are abomination to the Lord, for they offer them wickedly. ²⁸ A false witness shall perish; but an obedient man will speak cautiously. ²⁹ An ungodly man impudently withstands with his face; but the upright man himself understands his ways. ³⁰ There is no wisdom, there is no courage, there is no counsel against the ungodly. ³¹ A horse is prepared for the day of battle; but help is of the Lord.

Chapter 22

¹ A fair name is better than much wealth, and good favour is above silver and gold. ² The rich and the poor meet together; but the Lord made them both. ³ An intelligent man seeing a bad man severely punished is himself instructed, but fools pass by and are punished. ⁴ The fear of the Lord is the offspring of wisdom, and wealth, and glory, and life. ⁵ Thistles and snares are in perverse ways; but he that keeps his soul will refrain from them. ⁷ The rich will rule over the poor, and servants will lend to their own masters.

⁸ He that sows wickedness shall reap troubles; and shall fully receive the punishment of his deeds. ^8a God loves a cheerful and liberal man; but a man shall fully prove the folly of his works. ⁹ He that has pity on the poor shall himself be maintained; for he has given of his own bread to the poor. ^9a He that gives liberally secures victory and honour; but he takes away the life of them that possess them. ¹⁰ Cast out a pestilent person from the council, and strife shall go out with him; for when he sits in the council he dishonours all.

¹¹ The Lord loves holy hearts, and all blameless persons are acceptable with him: a king rules with his lips. ¹² But the eyes of the Lord preserve discretion; but the transgressor despises wise words. ¹³ The sluggard makes excuses, and says, There is a lion in the ways, and murderers in the streets. ¹⁴ The mouth of a transgressor is a deep pit; and he that is hated of the Lord shall fall into it. ^14a Evil ways are before a man, and he does not like to turn away from them; but it is needful to turn aside from a perverse and bad way. ¹⁵ Folly is attached to the heart of a child, but the rod and instruction are then far from him.

¹⁶ He that oppresses the poor, increases his own substance, yet gives to the rich so as to make it less.

Incline thine ear to the words of wise men: hear also my word, and apply thine heart, ¹⁸ that thou mayest know that they are good: and if thou lay them to heart, they shall also gladden thee on thy lips. ¹⁹ That thy hope may be in the Lord, and he may make thy way known to thee. ²⁰ And do thou too repeatedly record them for thyself on the table of thine heart, for counsel and knowledge. ²¹ I therefore teach thee truth, and knowledge good to hear; that thou mayest answer words of truth to them that question thee.

²² Do no violence to the poor, for he is needy: neither dishonour the helpless man in the gates. ²³ For the Lord will plead his cause, and thou shalt deliver thy soul in safety.

²⁴ Be not companion to a furious man; neither lodge with a passionate man: ²⁵ lest thou learn of his ways, and get snares to thy soul.

²⁶ Become not surety from respect of a man's person. ²⁷ For if those have not whence to give compensation, they will take the bed that is under thee. ²⁸ Remove not the old landmarks, which thy fathers placed.

²⁹ It is fit that an observant man and one diligent in his business should attend on kings, and not attend on slothful men.

Chapter 23

¹ If thou sit to sup at the table of a prince, consider attentively the things set before thee: ² and apply thine hand, knowing that it behoves thee to prepare such meats: but if thou art very insatiable, ³ desire not his provisions; for these belong to a false life.

⁴ If thou art poor, measure not thyself with a rich man; but refrain thyself in thy wisdom. ⁵ If thou shouldest fix thine eye upon him, he will disappear; for wings like an eagle's are prepared for him, and he returns to the house of his master. ⁶ Sup not with an envious man, neither desire thou his meats: ⁷ so he eats and drinks as if any one should swallow a hair, and do not bring him in to thyself, nor eat thy morsel with him: ⁸ for he will vomit it up, and spoil thy fair words.

⁹ Say nothing in the ears of a fool, lest at any time he sneer at thy wise words. ¹⁰ Remove not the ancient landmarks; and enter not upon the possession of the fatherless: ¹¹ for the Lord is their redeemer; he is mighty, and will plead their cause with thee. ¹² Apply thine heart to instruction, and prepare thine ears for words of discretion.

Refrain not from chastening a child; for if thou beat him with the rod, he shall not die. ¹⁴ For thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from death.

¹⁵ Son, if thy heart be wise, thou shalt also gladden my heart; ¹⁶ and thy lips shall converse with my lips, if they be right. ¹⁷ Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day. ¹⁸ For if thou shouldest keep these things, thou shalt have posterity; and thine hope shall not be removed.

¹⁹ Hear, my son, and be wise, and rightly direct the thoughts of thine heart. ²⁰ Be not a wine-bibber, neither continue long at feasts, and purchases of flesh: ²¹ for every drunkard and whoremonger shall be poor; and every sluggard shall clothe himself with tatters and ragged garments.

²² Hearken, my son, to thy father which begot thee, and despise not thy mother because she is grown old. ²⁴ A righteous father brings up his children well; and his soul rejoices over a wise son. ²⁵ Let thy father and thy mother rejoice over thee, and let her that bore thee be glad.

²⁶ My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. ²⁷ For a strange house is a vessel full of holes; and a strange well is narrow. ²⁸ For such a one shall perish suddenly; and every transgressor shall be cut off.

²⁹ Who has woe? who trouble? who has quarrels? and who vexations and disputes? who has bruises without a cause? whose eyes are livid? ³⁰ Are not those of them that stay long at wine? are not those of them that haunt the places where banquets are? Be not drunk with wine; but converse with just men, and converse with them openly. ³¹ For if thou shouldest set thine eyes on bowls and cups, thou shalt afterwards go more naked than a pestle. ³² But at last such a one stretches himself out as one smitten by a serpent, and venom is diffused through him as by a horned serpent.

³³ Whenever thine eyes shall behold a strange woman, then thy mouth shall speak perverse things. ³⁴ And thou shalt lie as in the midst of the sea, and as a pilot in a great storm. ³⁵ And thou shalt say, They smote me, and I was not pained; and they mocked me, and I knew it not: when will it be morning, that I may go and seek those with whom I may go in company?

Chapter 24

¹ My son, envy not bad men, nor desire to be with them. ² For their heart meditates falsehoods, and their lips speak mischiefs. ³ A house is built by wisdom, and is set up by understanding. ⁴ By discretion the chambers are filled with all precious and excellent wealth. ⁵ A wise man is better than a strong man; and a man who has prudence than a large estate. ⁶ War is carried on with generalship, and aid is supplied to the heart of a counsellor.

⁷ Wisdom and good understanding are in the gates of the wise: the wise turn not aside from the mouth of the Lord, ⁸ but deliberate in council. Death befalls uninstructed men. ⁹ The fool also dies in sins; and uncleanness attaches to a pestilent man. ¹⁰ He shall be defiled in the evil day, and in the day of affliction, until he be utterly consumed.

¹¹ Deliver them that are led away to death, and redeem them that are appointed to be slain; spare not thy help. ¹² But if thou shouldest say, I know not this man; know that the Lord knows the hearts of all; and he that formed breath for all, he knows all things, who renders to every man according to his works. ¹³ My son, eat honey, for the honeycomb is good, that thy throat may be sweetened. ¹⁴ Thus shalt thou perceive wisdom in thy soul: for if thou find it, thine end shall be good, and hope shall not fail thee.

¹⁵ Bring not an ungodly man into the dwelling of the righteous: neither be deceived by the feeding of the belly. ¹⁶ For a righteous man will fall seven times, and rise again: but the ungodly shall be without strength in troubles. ¹⁷ If thine enemy should fall, rejoice not over him, neither be elated at his overthrow. ¹⁸ For the Lord will see it, and it will not please him, and he will turn away his wrath from him. ¹⁹ Rejoice not in evil-doers, neither be envious of sinners. ²⁰ For the evil man shall have no posterity: and the light of the wicked shall be put out.

²¹ My son, fear God and the king; and do not disobey either of them. ²² For they will suddenly punish the ungodly, and who can know the vengeance inflicted by both?

22a [A son that keeps the commandment shall escape destruction; for such an one has fully received it. ^22b Let no falsehood be spoken by the king from the tongue; yea, let no falsehood proceed from his tongue. ^22c The king's tongue is a sword, and not one of flesh; and whosoever shall be given up to it shall be destroyed: ^22d for if his wrath should be provoked, he destroys men with cords, ^22e and devours men's bones, and burns them up as a flame, so that they are not even fit to be eaten by the young eagles. ^22f My son, reverence my words, and receive them, and repent.] These things says the man to them that trust in God; and I cease.

^22g For I am the most simple of all men, and there is not in me the wisdom of men. ^22h God has taught me wisdom, and I know the knowledge of the holy. ²²ⁱ Who has gone up to heaven, and come down? who has gathered the winds in his bosom? who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? who has dominion of all the ends of the earth? what is his name? or what is the name of his children? ^22k For all the words of God are tried in the fire, and he defends those that reverence him. ^22l Add not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be made a liar.

^22m Two things I ask of thee; take not favour from me before I die. ²²ⁿ Remove far from me vanity and falsehood: and give me not wealth or poverty; but appoint me what is needful and sufficient: ^22o lest I be filled and become false, and say, Who sees me? or be poor and steal, and swear vainly by the name of God.

^22p Deliver not a servant into the hands of his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be utterly destroyed. ^22q A wicked generation curse their father, and do not bless their mother. ^22r A wicked generation judge themselves to be just, but do not cleanse their way. ^22s A wicked generation have lofty eyes, and exalt themselves with their eyelids. ^22t A wicked generation have swords for teeth and jaw-teeth as knives, so as to destroy and devour the lowly from the earth, and the poor of them from among men.

²³ And this thing I say to you that are wise for you to learn: It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. ²⁴ He that says of the ungodly, He is righteous, shall be cursed by peoples, and hateful among the nations. ²⁵ But they that reprove him shall appear more excellent, and blessing shall come upon them; ²⁶ and men will kiss lips that answer well. ²⁷ Prepare thy works for thy going forth, and prepare thyself for the field; and come after me, and thou shalt rebuild thine house. ²⁸ Be not a false witness against thy fellow citizen, neither exaggerate with thy lips. ²⁹ Say not, As he has treated me, so will I treat him, and I will avenge myself on him for that wherein he has injured me. ³⁰ A foolish man is like a farm, and a senseless man is like a vineyard. ³¹ If thou let him alone, he will altogether remain barren and covered with weeds; and he becomes destitute, and his stone walls are broken down. ³² Afterwards I reflected, I looked that I might receive instruction. ³³ The sluggard says, I slumber a little, and I sleep a little, and for a little while I fold my arms across my breast. ³⁴ But if thou do this, thy poverty will come speedily; and thy want like a swift courier.

³⁵ The horse-leech had three dearly-beloved daughters: and these three did not satisfy her; and the fourth was not contented so as to say, Enough. ³⁶ The grave, and the love of a woman, and the earth not filled with water; water also and fire will not say, It is enough.

The eye that laughs to scorn a father, and dishonours the old age of a mother, let the ravens of the valleys pick it out, and let the young eagles devour it. ³⁸ Moreover there are three things impossible for me to comprehend, and the fourth I know not: ³⁹ the track of a flying eagle; and the ways of a serpent on a rock; and the paths of a ship passing through the sea; and the ways of a man in youth. ⁴⁰ Such is the way of an adulterous woman, who having washed herself from what she has done, says she has done nothing amiss.

⁴¹ By three things the earth is troubled, and the fourth it cannot bear: ⁴² if a servant reign; or a fool be filled with food; ⁴³ or if a maid-servant should cast out her own mistress; and if a hateful woman should marry a good man.

⁴⁴ And there are four very little things upon the earth, but these are wiser than the wise: ⁴⁵ the ants which are weak, and yet prepare their food in summer; ⁴⁶ the rabbits also are a feeble race, who make their houses in the rocks. ⁴⁷ The locusts have no king, and yet march orderly at one command. ⁴⁸ And the eft, which supports itself by its hands, and is easily taken, dwells in the fortresses of kings.

⁴⁹ And there are three things which go well, and a fourth which passes along finely. ⁵⁰ A lion's whelp, stronger than all other beasts, which turns not away, nor fears any beast; ⁵¹ and a cock walking in boldly among the hens, and a goat leading the herd; and a king publicly speaking before a nation.

⁵² If thou abandon thyself to mirth, and stretch forth thine hand in a quarrel, thou shalt be disgraced. ⁵³ Milk out milk, and there shall be butter, and if thou wring one's nostrils there shall come out blood: so if thou extort words, there will come forth quarrels and strifes.

⁵⁴ My words have been spoken by God—the oracular answer of a king, whom his mother instructed.

⁵⁵ What wilt thou keep, my son, what? the words of God. My firstborn son, I speak to thee: what? son of my womb? what? son of my vows? ⁵⁶ Give not thy wealth to women, nor thy mind and living to remorse. Do all things with counsel: drink wine with counsel. ⁵⁷ Princes are prone to anger: let them then not drink wine: ⁵⁸ lest they drink, and forget wisdom, and be not able to judge the poor rightly. ⁵⁹ Give strong drink to those that are in sorrow, and the wine to drink to those in pain: ⁶⁰ that they may forget their poverty, and may not remember their troubles any more. ⁶¹ Open thy mouth with the word of God, and judge all fairly. ⁶² Open thy mouth and judge justly, and plead the cause of the poor and weak.

Chapter 25

¹ These are the miscellaneous instructions of Solomon, which the friends of Ezekias king of Judea copied out. ² The glory of God conceals a matter: but the glory of a king honours business. ³ Heaven is high, and earth is deep, and a king's heart is unsearchable. ⁴ Beat the drossy silver, and it shall be made entirely pure. ⁵ Slay the ungodly from before the king, and his throne shall prosper in righteousness. ⁶ Be not boastful in the presence of the king, and remain not in the places of princes; ⁷ for it is better for thee that it should be said, Come up to me, than that one should humble thee in the presence of the prince; speak of that which thine eyes have seen. ⁸ Get not suddenly into a quarrel, lest thou repent at last. ⁹ Whenever thy friend shall reproach thee, retreat backward, despise him not; ¹⁰ lest thy friend continue to reproach thee, so thy quarrel and enmity shall not depart, but shall be to thee like death. ^10a Favour and friendship set a man free, which do thou keep for thyself, lest thou be made liable to reproach; but take heed to thy ways peaceably. ¹¹ As a golden apple in a necklace of sardius, so is it to speak a wise word. ¹² In an ear-ring of gold a precious sardius is also set; so is a wise word to an obedient ear. ¹³ As a fall of snow in the time of harvest is good against heat, so a faithful messenger refreshes those that send him; for he helps the souls of his employers. ¹⁴ As winds and clouds and rains are most evident objects, so is he that boasts of a false gift. ¹⁵ In long-suffering is prosperity to kings, and a soft tongue breaks the bones. ¹⁶ Having found honey, eat only what is enough, lest haply thou be filled, and vomit it up. ¹⁷ Enter sparingly into thy friend's house, lest he be satiated with thy company, and hate thee. ¹⁸ As a club, and a dagger, and a pointed arrow, so also is a man who bears false witness against his friend. ¹⁹ The way of the wicked and the foot of the transgressor shall perish in an evil day. ²⁰ As vinegar is bad for a sore, so trouble befalling the body afflicts the heart. ^20a As a moth in a garment, and a worm in wood, so the grief of a man hurts the heart. ²¹ If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; ²² for so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee with good. ²³ The north wind raises clouds; so an impudent face provokes the tongue. ²⁴ It is better to dwell on a corner of the roof, than with a railing woman in an open house. ²⁵ As cold water is agreeable to a thirsting soul, so is a good message from a land far off. ²⁶ As if one should stop a well, and corrupt a spring of water, so is it unseemly for a righteous man to fall before an ungodly man. ²⁷ It is not good to eat much honey; but it is right to honour venerable sayings. ²⁸ As a city whose walls are broken down, and which is unfortified, so is a man who does anything without counsel.

Chapter 26

¹ As dew in harvest, and as rain in summer, so honour is not seemly for a fool. ² As birds and sparrows fly, so a curse shall not come upon any one without a cause. ³ As a whip for a horse, and a goad for an ass, so is a rod for a simple nation. ⁴ Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou become like him. ⁵ Yet answer a fool according to his folly, lest he seem wise in his own conceit. ⁶ He that sends a message by a foolish messenger procures for himself a reproach from his own ways. ⁷ As well take away the motion of the legs, as transgression from the mouth of fools. ⁸ He that binds up a stone in a sling, is like one that gives glory to a fool. ⁹ Thorns grow in the hand of a drunkard, and servitude in the hand of fools. ¹⁰ All the flesh of fools endures much hardship; for their fury is brought to nought. ¹¹ As when a dog goes to his own vomit, and becomes abominable, so is a fool who returns in his wickedness to his own sin. 11a [There is a shame that brings sin: and there is a shame that is glory and grace.] ¹² I have seen a man who seemed to himself to be wise; but a fool had more hope than he. ¹³ A sluggard when sent on a journey says, There is a lion in the ways, and there are murderers in the streets. ¹⁴ As a door turns on the hinge, so does a sluggard on his bed. ¹⁵ A sluggard having hid his hand in his bosom, will not be able to bring it up to his mouth. ¹⁶ A sluggard seems to himself wiser than one who most satisfactorily brings back a message. ¹⁷ As he that lays hold of a dog's tail, so is he that makes himself the champion of another's cause. ¹⁸ As those who need correction put forth fair words to men, and he that first falls in with the proposal will be overthrown; ¹⁹ so are all that lay wait for their own friends, and when they are discovered, say, I did it in jest. ²⁰ With much wood fire increases; but where there is not a double-minded man, strife ceases. ²¹ A hearth for coals, and wood for fire; and a railing man for the tumult of strife. ²² The words of cunning knaves are soft; but they smite even to the inmost parts of the bowels. ²³ Silver dishonestly given is to be considered as a potsherd: smooth lips cover a grievous heart. ²⁴ A weeping enemy promises all things with his lips, but in his heart he contrives deceit. ²⁵ Though thine enemy intreat thee with a loud voice, consent not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. ²⁶ He that hides enmity frames deceit: but being easily discerned, exposes his own sins in the public assemblies. ²⁷ He that digs a pit for his neighbour shall fall into it: and he that rolls a stone, rolls it upon himself. ²⁸ A lying tongue hates the truth; and an unguarded mouth causes tumults.

Chapter 27

¹ Boast not of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what the next day shall bring forth. ² Let thy neighbour, and not thine own mouth, praise thee; a stranger, and not thine own lips. ³ A stone is heavy, and sand cumbersome; but a fool's wrath is heavier than both. ⁴ Wrath is merciless, and anger sharp: but envy can bear nothing. ⁵ Open reproofs are better than secret love. ⁶ The wounds of a friend are more to be trusted than the spontaneous kisses of an enemy. ⁷ A full soul scorns honeycombs; but to a hungry soul even bitter things appear sweet. ⁸ As when a bird flies down from its own nest, so a man is brought into bondage whenever he estranges himself from his own place. ⁹ The heart delights in ointments and wines and perfumes: but the soul is broken by calamities. ¹⁰ Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; and when thou art in distress go not into thy brother's house: better is a friend that is near than a brother living far off. ¹¹ Son, be wise, that thy heart may rejoice; and remove thou from thyself reproachful words. ¹² A wise man, when evils are approaching, hides himself; but fools pass on, and will be punished. ¹³ Take away the man's garment, (for a scorner has passed by) whoever lays waste another's goods. ¹⁴ Whosoever shall bless a friend in the morning with a loud voice, shall seem to differ nothing from one who curses him. ¹⁵ On a stormy day drops of rain drive a man out of his house; so also does a railing woman drive a man out of his own house. ¹⁶ The north wind is sharp, but it is called by name propitious. ¹⁷ Iron sharpens iron; and a man sharpens his friend's countenance. ¹⁸ He that plants a fig-tree shall eat the fruits of it: so he that waits on his own master shall be honoured. ¹⁹ As faces are not like other faces, so neither are the thoughts of men. ²⁰ Hell and destruction are not filled; so also are the eyes of men insatiable. 20a [He that fixes his eye is an abomination to the Lord; and the uninstructed do not restrain their tongue.] ²¹ Fire is the trial for silver and gold; and a man is tried by the mouth of them that praise him. ^21a The heart of the transgressor seeks after mischiefs; but an upright heart seeks knowledge. ²² Though thou scourge a fool, disgracing him in the midst of the council, thou wilt still in no wise remove his folly from him. ²³ Do thou thoroughly know the number of thy flock, and pay attention to thine herds. ²⁴ For a man has not strength and power for ever; neither does he transmit it from generation to generation. ²⁵ Take care of the herbage in the field, and thou shalt cut grass, and gather the mountain hay; ²⁶ that thou mayest have wool of sheep for clothing: pay attention to the land, that thou mayest have lambs. ²⁷ My son, thou hast from me words very useful for thy life, and for the life of thy servants.

Chapter 28

¹ The ungodly man flees when no one pursues: but the righteous is confident as a lion. ² By reason of the sins of ungodly men quarrels arise; but a wise man will quell them. ³ A bold man oppresses the poor by ungodly deeds. As an impetuous and unprofitable rain, ⁴ so they that forsake the law praise ungodliness; but they that love the law fortify themselves with a wall. ⁵ Evil men will not understand judgment: but they that seek the Lord will understand everything. ⁶ A poor man walking in truth is better than a rich liar. ⁷ A wise son keeps the law: but he that keeps up debauchery dishonours his father. ⁸ He that increases his wealth by usuries and unjust gains, gathers it for him that pities the poor. ⁹ He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even he has made his prayer abominable. ¹⁰ He that causes upright men to err in an evil way, himself shall fall into destruction: transgressors also shall pass by prosperity, but shall not enter into it. ¹¹ A rich man is wise in his own conceit; but an intelligent poor man will condemn him. ¹² By reason of the help of righteous men great glory arises: but in the places of the ungodly men are caught. ¹³ He that covers his own ungodliness shall not prosper: but he that blames himself shall be loved. ¹⁴ Blessed is the man who religiously fears always: but the hard of heart shall fall into mischiefs. ¹⁵ A hungry lion and a thirsty wolf is he, who, being poor, rules over a poor nation. ¹⁶ A king in need of revenues is a great oppressor: but he that hates injustice shall live a long time. ¹⁷ He that becomes surety for a man charged with murder shall be an exile, and not in safety. ^17a Chasten thy son, and he shall love thee, and give honour to thy soul: he shall not obey a sinful nation. ¹⁸ He that walks justly is assisted: but he that walks in crooked ways shall be entangled therein. ¹⁹ He that tills his own land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that follows idleness shall have plenty of poverty. ²⁰ A man worthy of credit shall be much blessed: but the wicked shall not be unpunished. ²¹ He that reverences not the persons of the just is not good: such a one will sell a man for a morsel of bread. ²² An envious man makes haste to be rich, and knows not that the merciful man will have the mastery over him.

He that reproves a man's ways shall have more favour than he that flatters with the tongue. ²⁴ He that casts off father or mother, and thinks he sins not; the same is partaker with an ungodly man. ²⁵ An unbelieving man judges rashly: but he that trusts in the Lord will act carefully. ²⁶ He that trusts to a bold heart, such an one is a fool: but he that walks in wisdom shall be safe. ²⁷ He that gives to the poor shall not be in want: but he that turns away his eye from him shall be in great distress. ²⁸ In the places of ungodly men the righteous mourn: but in their destruction the righteous shall be multiplied.

Chapter 29

¹ A reprover is better than a stiff-necked man: for when the latter is suddenly set on fire, there shall be no remedy. ² When the righteous are praised, the people will rejoice: but when the ungodly rule, men mourn. ³ When a man loves wisdom, his father rejoices: but he that keeps harlots will waste wealth. ⁴ A righteous king establishes a country: but a transgressor destroys it. ⁵ He that prepares a net in the way of his own friend, entangles his own feet in it. ⁶ A great snare is spread for a sinner: but the righteous shall be in joy and gladness. ⁷ A righteous man knows how to judge for the poor: but the ungodly understands not knowledge; and the poor man has not an understanding mind. ⁸ Lawless men burn down a city: but wise men turn away wrath. ⁹ A wise man shall judge nations: but a worthless man being angry laughs and fears not. ¹⁰ Bloody men hate a holy person, but the upright will seek his soul. ¹¹ A fool utters all his mind: but the wise reserves his in part. ¹² When a king hearkens to unjust language, all his subjects are transgressors. ¹³ When the creditor and debtor meet together, the Lord oversees them both. ¹⁴ When a king judges the poor in truth, his throne shall be established for a testimony. ¹⁵ Stripes and reproofs give wisdom: but an erring child disgraces his parents. ¹⁶ When the ungodly abound, sins abound: but when they fall, the righteous are warned. ¹⁷ Chasten thy son, and he shall give thee rest; and he shall give honour to thy soul. ¹⁸ There shall be no interpreter to a sinful nation: but he that observes the law is blessed. ¹⁹ A stubborn servant will not be reproved by words: for even if he understand, still he will not obey. ²⁰ If thou see a man hasty in his words, know that the fool has hope rather than he. ²¹ He that lives wantonly from a child, shall be a servant, and in the end shall grieve over himself. ²² A furious man stirs up strife, and a passionate man digs up sin. ²³ Pride brings a man low, but the Lord upholds the humble-minded with honour. ²⁴ He that shares with a thief, hates his own soul: and if any having heard an oath uttered tell not of it, ²⁵ they fearing and reverencing men unreasonably have been overthrown, but he that trusts in the Lord shall rejoice. Ungodliness causes a man to stumble: but he that trusts in his master shall be safe. ²⁶ Many wait on the favour of rulers; but justice comes to a man from the Lord. ²⁷ A righteous man is an abomination to an unrighteous man, and the direct way is an abomination to the sinner.

Chapter 30

See chapter ²⁴ for the content of chapter 30.

Chapter 31

¹⁰ Who shall find a virtuous woman? for such a one is more valuable than precious stones. ¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her: such a one shall stand in no need of fine spoils. ¹² For she employs all her living for her husband's good. ¹³ Gathering wool and flax, she makes it serviceable with her hands. ¹⁴ She is like a ship trading from a distance: so she procures her livelihood. ¹⁵ And she rises by night, and gives food to her household, and appointed tasks to her maidens. ¹⁶ She views a farm, and buys it: and with the fruit of her hands she plants a possession. ¹⁷ She strongly girds her loins, and strengthens her arms for work. ¹⁸ And she finds by experience that working is good; and her candle goes not out all night. ¹⁹ She reaches forth her arms to needful works, and applies her hands to the spindle. ²⁰ And she opens her hands to the needy, and reaches out fruit to the poor. ²¹ Her husband is not anxious about those at home when he tarries anywhere abroad: for all her household are clothed. ²² She makes for her husband clothes of double texture, and garments for herself of fine linen and scarlet. ²³ And her husband becomes a distinguished person in the gates, when he sits in council with the old inhabitants of the land. ²⁴ She makes fine linens, and sells girdles to the Chananites: she opens her mouth heedfully and with propriety, and controls her tongue. ²⁵ She puts on strength and honour; and rejoices in the last days. ²⁶ The ways of her household are careful, and she eats not the bread of idleness. ²⁷ But she opens her mouth wisely, and according to law. ²⁸ And her kindness to them sets up her children for them, and they grow rich, and her husband praises her. ²⁹ Many daughters have obtained wealth, many have wrought valiantly; but thou hast exceeded, thou hast surpassed all. ³⁰ Charms are false, and woman's beauty is vain: for it is a wise woman that is blessed, and let her praise the fear of the Lord. ³¹ Give her of the fruit of her lips; and let her husband be praised in the gates.

Psalm 50

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of thy compassions blot out my transgression. 4 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 5 For I am conscious of mine iniquity; and my sin is continually before me. 6 Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil before thee: that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. 7 For, behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother conceive me. 8 For, behold, thou lovest truth: thou hast manifested to me the secret and hidden things of thy wisdom. 9 Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be purified: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. 10 Thou shalt cause me to hear gladness and joy: the afflicted bones shall rejoice. 11 Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 12 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit in my inward parts. 13 Cast me not away from thy presence; and remove not thy Holy Spirit from me. 14 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation: establish me with thy directing Spirit. 15 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and ungodly men shall turn to thee. 16 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation: and my tongue shall joyfully declare thy righteousness. 17 O Lord, thou shalt open my lips; and my mouth shall declare thy praise. 18 For if thou desiredst sacrifice, I would have given it: thou wilt not take pleasure in whole-burnt-offerings. 19 Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit: a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. 20 Do good, O Lord, to Sion in thy good pleasure; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. 21 Then shalt thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, offering, and whole-burnt-sacrifices: then shall they offer calves upon thine altar.

The Symbol of Faith (The Nicene Creed)

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He arose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose Kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spoke by the prophets. In one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

1st Prayer, by St. Macarius the Great.

O God, cleanse me a sinner, for I have done nothing good before Thee. Deliver me from the evil one, and may Thy will be in me, that I might open my unworthy lips without condemnation and praise Thy holy name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

2nd Prayer, by St. Macarius the Great.

Having risen from sleep, I offer Thee, O Savior, the midnight song. Falling down, I cry to Thee: let me not fall asleep in the death of sin. Be gracious to me, Thou Who wast willingly crucified. Raise me quickly as I lie in laziness, and save me as I stand in prayer. After the night’s sleep, O Christ God, shine a sinless day on me and save me.

3rd Prayer, by St. Macarius the Great.

Having risen from sleep, I run to Thee, O Master, for Thou lovest mankind, and I rush to accomplish Thy work. Help me, I pray Thee, at all times and in all things. Deliver me from every evil thing of this world and from works of the devil. Save me, and lead me into Thine eternal Kingdom. Thou art my Maker, The Provider and Giver of everything good. All my hope is in Thee and I glorify Thee, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

4th Prayer, by St. Macarius the Great.

O Lord, through Thy abundant goodness and great generosity, Thou hast allowed me, Thy servant, to pass through the hours of this night untempted by any evil of the enemy. Grant also, O Master and Creator of all, that I might accomplish Thy will in Thy true light and with an illumined heart, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

5th Prayer, by St. Macarius the Great.

O Lord, the Almighty God, Who acceptest the thrice-holy hymn from Thy heavenly hosts: accept this song of the night even from me, Thine unworthy servant. Grant that at every year and hour of my life I might glorify Thee, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

6th Prayer, by St. Basil the Great.

Almighty Lord, the God of hosts and of all flesh, Thou livest in the heights, yet lookest down on the humble, proving the hearts and emotions, clearly foreknowing the secrets of men. Thou art the Light without beginning, in Whom there is no variation nor shadow of change.

O Immortal King, accept the prayers which we now offer Thee from defiled lips. Free us from the sins we have committed in deed, word or thought, knowingly and unknowingly. Cleanse us from all defilement of flesh and spirit. Grant us to pass through the entire night of this present life with a watchful heart and a sober mind, awaiting the coming of the bright and manifest day of Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, when the Judge of all will come with glory to reward each according to his deeds. May we not be found fallen and lazy, but alert and roused to action, prepared to enter into His joy and the divine chamber of His glory, where the voice of those who feast is unceasing and indescribable is the delight of those who behold the inexpressible beauty of Thy countenance. For Thou art the true Light which enlightens and sanctifies all, and all creation hymns Thee unto ages of ages. Amen.

7th Prayer, also by St. Basil.

We bless Thee, most high God and Lord of mercies, Who ever doest great and unfathomable things for us—glorious and awesome things without number. Thou givest us sleep for the repose of our frailty, relieving the labors of our over-burdened flesh. We thank Thee for not destroying us in our lawlessness. Instead, Thou hast shown Thy usual love for mankind, and raised us, as we lay in despair, to glorify Thy Reign. Therefore, we implore Thy boundless goodness: enlighten our thoughts and eyes, and awaken our minds from the heavy sleep of laziness. Open our lips and fill them with Thy praise, that we may unwaveringly hymn and confess Thee, the God glorified in all and by all, Father without beginning, with Thine only-begotten Son and Thine all-holy, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

8th Prayer. A Midnight Song to the Most Holy Theotokos.

I hymn your Grace, O Lady, and pray that you grace my mind. Teach me to walk correctly on the path of Christ’s commandments. Strengthen me to watch in song, dispelling the despair of sleep. I am bound by fetters of sin, free me by your prayers, O Bride of God! Keep me in the night and in the day, delivering me from warring enemies. As you bore the life-giving God, give life to me, who am wounded by passions. As you bore the unsetting Light, enlighten my blinded soul. O wondrous palace of the Master, make me a home of the divine Spirit. As you bore the Physician, heal my soul of its passion-filled years.

I am tossed in the tempest of life: direct me to the path of repentance. Deliver me from the eternal flame, from the evil worm, and from hell. Make me not a joy for demons,

though I am guilty of many sins. Make me new, most undefiled one, for I am aged by senseless sins. Estrange me from all torments, and pray for me to the Master of all. Grant that, with all the saints, I may inherit the joys of heaven. Hear, most holy Virgin, the voice of your useless servant. Grant me a torrent of tears, most pure one, to wash the filth of my soul. The groans of my heart I bring you unceasingly: open your heart, O Lady! Accept my prayerful service, and take it to the compassionate God. You who are far higher than the angels, raise me above this world’s confusion. O light-bearing heavenly cloud, direct spiritual grace into me. I raise in praise, all-undefiled one, hands and lips defiled by sin. Deliver me from soul-corrupting harm, praying fervently to Christ, To Whom glory and worship are due, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

9th Prayer, to Our Lord Jesus Christ.

My most merciful and all-merciful God, O Lord Jesus Christ! In Thy great love, Thou didst come down and become flesh in order to save all. Again, I pray Thee, save me by Grace! If Thou shouldst save me because of my deeds, it would not be a gift, but merely a duty. Truly, Thou aboundest in graciousness and art inexpressibly merciful! Thou hast said, O my Christ: “He who believes in me shall live and never see death”. If faith in Thee saves the desperate, behold: I believe! Save me, for Thou art my God and my Maker. May my faith replace my deeds, O my God, for Thou wilt find no deeds to justify me. May my faith be sufficient for all. May it answer for me; may it justify me; may it make me a partaker of Thine eternal glory; and may Satan not seize me, O Word, and boast that He has torn me from Thy hand and fold. O Christ my Savior: save me whether I want it or not! Come quickly, hurry, for I perish! Thou art my God from my mother’s womb. Grant, O Lord, that I may now love Thee as once I loved sin, and that I may labor for Thee without laziness as once I labored for Satan the deceiver. Even more, I will labor for Thee, my Lord and God Jesus Christ, all the days of my life, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

10th Prayer, to the Angel, the guardian of human life.

O Holy Angel, who stand by my wretched soul and my passionate life: do not abandon me, a sinner, neither depart from me because of my lack of self-control. Leave no room for the evil demon to gain control of me through the violence of this mortal body. Strengthen my weak and feeble hand, and instruct me in the path of salvation. O holy Angel of God, the guardian and protector of my wretched soul and body: forgive all the sorrows I have caused you, every day of my life. If I have sinned in this past night, protect me during this day. Keep me from every adverse temptation, that I may not anger God by any sin. Pray to the Lord for me, that He may establish me in His fear and make me, His servant, worthy of His goodness. Amen.

11th Prayer, to the Most Holy Theotokos.

O Most Holy Theotokos, my Lady: through your holy and all-powerful prayers, turn away from me, your humble and unworthy servant, despair, forgetfulness, unreasonableness, indifference, and all unclean, evil and blasphemous thoughts from my wretched heart and darkened mind. Extinguish the flame of my passions, for I am poor and wretched. Deliver me from my numerous and wicked memories and fantasies. Free me from all evil acts, for you are blessed by all generations, and your most honorable name is glorified unto ages of ages. Amen.

Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos! Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you have borne the Savior of our souls!

Most glorious Ever-Virgin Mother of Christ our God, bear our prayer to your Son and our God, that through you He may save our souls.

O heavenly hosts of holy Angels and Archangels, pray for us sinners.

O glorious Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs, and all Saints, pray for us sinners.

Pray to God for me holy (your Patron Saint), for with fervor I run to you, swift helper and intercessor for my soul!

O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance. Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries; and by virtue of Thy Cross, preserve Thy habitation.

It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim: without defilement you gave birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify you.

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

Lord, have mercy! (3 times)

Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, for the sake of Thy most pure Mother, our venerable and God-bearing fathers, and all the saints, save me, a sinner. Amen.

Some pious Christians use the following “Morning Prayer of the Last Elders of Optina” with their morning prayers.

O Lord, grant that I may meet all that this coming day brings to me with spiritual tranquility. Grant that I may fully surrender myself to Thy holy Will.

At every hour of this day, direct and support me in all things. Whatsoever news may reach me in the course of the day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul and the firm conviction that all is subject to Thy holy Will.

Direct my thoughts and feelings in all my words and actions. In all unexpected occurrences, do not let me forget that all is sent down from Thee.

Grant that I may deal straightforwardly and wisely with every member of my family, neither embarrassing nor saddening anyone.

O Lord, grant me the strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all the events that take place during it. Direct my will and teach me to pray, to believe, to hope, to be patient, to forgive, and to love. Amen.

Psalm 50

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of thy compassions blot out my transgression. 4 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 5 For I am conscious of mine iniquity; and my sin is continually before me. 6 Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil before thee: that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. 7 For, behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother conceive me. 8 For, behold, thou lovest truth: thou hast manifested to me the secret and hidden things of thy wisdom. 9 Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be purified: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. 10 Thou shalt cause me to hear gladness and joy: the afflicted bones shall rejoice. 11 Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 12 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit in my inward parts. 13 Cast me not away from thy presence; and remove not thy Holy Spirit from me. 14 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation: establish me with thy directing Spirit. 15 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and ungodly men shall turn to thee. 16 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation: and my tongue shall joyfully declare thy righteousness. 17 O Lord, thou shalt open my lips; and my mouth shall declare thy praise. 18 For if thou desiredst sacrifice, I would have given it: thou wilt not take pleasure in whole-burnt-offerings. 19 Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit: a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. 20 Do good, O Lord, to Sion in thy good pleasure; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. 21 Then shalt thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, offering, and whole-burnt-sacrifices: then shall they offer calves upon thine altar.

Psalm 69

Draw nigh, O God, to my help. 3 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek my soul: let them be turned backward and put to shame, that wish me evil. 4 Let them that say to me, Aha, aha, be turned back and put to shame immediately. 5 Let all that seek thee exult and be glad in thee: and let those that love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. 6 But I am poor and needy; O God, help me: thou art my helper and deliverer, O Lord, delay not.

Psalm 142

O Lord, attend to my prayer: hearken to my supplication in thy truth; 2 hear me in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has brought my life down to the ground; he has made me to dwell in a dark place, as those that have been long dead.

4 Therefore my spirit was grieved in me; my heart was troubled within 5 me. I remembered the days of old; and I meditated on all thy 6 doings: yea, I meditated on the works of thine hands. I spread forth my hands to thee; my soul thirsts for thee, as a dry land. Pause.

Hear me speedily, O Lord; my spirit has failed; turn not away thy face 8 from me, else I shall be like to them that go down to the pit. Cause me to hear thy mercy in the morning; for I have hoped in thee; make known to me, O Lord, the way wherein I should walk; for I have lifted up my soul to thee.

9 Deliver me from mine enemies, O Lord; for I have fled to thee for 10 refuge. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God; thy good Spirit shall guide me in the straight way.

11 Thou shalt quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's sake; in thy 12 righteousness thou shalt bring my soul out of affliction. And in thy mercy thou wilt destroy mine enemies, and wilt destroy all those that afflict my soul; for I am thy servant.

The Doxology

Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men. We praise Thee! We bless Thee! We worship Thee! We glorify Thee! We give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory! O Lord, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty! O Lord, the only-begotten Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit! O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us! Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father have mercy on us! For Thou alone art holy, Thou only art Lord, Thou only, O Jesus Christ, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen!

Every night will I give thanks to Thee and praise Thy name for ever and ever! Lord, Thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation! I said, Lord be merciful to me, heal my soul for I have sinned against Thee. Lord, I flee unto Thee. Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God. For with Thee is the fountain of life, and in Thy light shall we see light. O continue forth Thy mercy upon those who know Thee! Grant, Lord, that we may be kept this night without sin! Blessed art Thou, Lord God of our fathers, and praised and glorified be Thy name forever. Amen!

Let Thy mercy, Lord, be upon us, as we have set our hope on Thee.

Blessed art Thou, Lord, teach me Thy statutes! Blessed art Thou, Master, make me to understand Thy commandments! Blessed art Thou, Holy One, enlighten me with Thy precepts!

Thy mercy, Lord, endures forever! O despise not the works of Thy hands! To Thee belongs worship! To Thee belongs praise! To Thee belongs glory: To the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen!

The Symbol of Faith (The Nicene Creed)

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose Kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. In one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

NOTE: In churches, the appointed Compline Canon to the Theotokos is sung from the Octoechos at this point.

When Compline is read privately, one or more Canons and/or an Akathist Hymn is sung instead.

It is the tradition of the Russian Church that those preparing to receive the Holy Mysteries (Communion) read at least three Canons and one Akathist Hymn the evening before (See page 89). Some read the Canon of Preparation at this point (See page 119).

Whenever a Canon is sung, the following is sung to the same melody as the Irmos of the Canon. If there is no Canon, it is either read or sung to the 8th Tone.

It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim: without defilement you gave birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify you.

The Reader continues:

Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal! Have mercy on us! (3 times) Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us! Lord, cleanse us from our sins! Master, pardon our transgressions! Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name’s sake!

Lord, have mercy! (3 times) Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

If there is a priest, he gives the usual exclamation.

After saying AMEN!, the Reader reads the appropriate TROPARIA:

Sunday Evening

We, the unworthy, ever pray to you, Supreme Commanders of the Heavenly Hosts: shelter us, through your prayers, with the protective wings of your glory. Keep us who fall down with fervor and cry: deliver us from misfortunes, for you command the powers on high.

O God of our fathers, Who dealest ever with us according to Thy meekness: take not Thy mercy from us, but direct our lives in peace through their prayers.

Thy Church has been adorned with a robe of fine purple linen—the blood of Thy Martyrs throughout the world, O Christ God. She therefore cries to Thee: send Thy mercies upon Thy people, give peace to Thy community and great mercy to our souls.

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

O Christ, give rest to the souls of Thy servants with the saints, where there is no sickness, sorrow or sighing, but everlasting life.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Grant us Thy peace, O Lord, through the prayers of all the saints and the Theotokos. Have mercy on us, for Thou alone art compassionate.

Monday Evening

The just man is remembered with praises. For you, O Forerunner, the witness of the Lord is sufficient. You truly showed yourself more honorable than the prophets, for you were made worthy to baptize in the streams the One Whom you proclaimed. Having gladly suffered for the truth, you proclaimed to those in Hades the true God Who has revealed Himself in the flesh, taken away the sin of the world and given us great mercy.

O God of our Fathers ...

Thy Church has been adorned ...

Glory to the Father ...

O Christ, give rest ...

Now and ever ...

Grant us Thy peace, O Lord, ...

Tuesday Evening

O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance. Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries; and by the virtue of Thy Cross, preserve Thy habitation.

O God of our Fathers ...

Thy Church has been adorned ...

Glory to the Father ...

O Christ, give rest ...

Now and ever ...

Grant us Thy peace, O Lord, ...

Wednesday Evening

O holy Apostles, pray to our merciful God, that He grant remission of sins to our souls.

The truth of things revealed you to your flock as a rule of faith, an Icon of meekness and a teacher of abstinence. You thus reached the heights through humility and wealth through poverty. O holy hierarch, father Nicholas, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.

O God of our Fathers ...

Thy Church has been adorned ...

Glory to the Father ...

O Christ, give rest ...

Now and ever ...

Grant us Thy peace, O Lord, ...

Thursday Evening

The same as Tuesday evening.

Friday Evening

We pray to you, apostles, martyrs and prophets, hierarchs, venerable and righteous ones, who have fought the good fight and kept the faith: having boldness before the Savior, pray to Him Who is good for the salvation of our souls.

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

To Thee, Lord, the Planter of Creation, the universe offers the God-bearing Martyrs as the first-fruits of nature. Through their prayers and the Theotokos, Most Merciful One, keep Thy Church and Thy people in profound peace.

Saturday Evening

The Sunday Troparia and Kontakia are read, according to the Tone of the week.

Tone 1

When the stone had been sealed by the Jews; while the soldiers were guarding Thy most pure Body; Thou didst rise on the third day, O Savior, granting life to the world. The powers of heaven therefore cried to Thee, O Giver of Life: Glory to Thy resurrection, O Christ! Glory to Thy Kingdom! Glory to Thy dispensation, O Thou who lovest mankind.

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

As God, Thou didst rise from the tomb in glory, raising the world with Thyself. Human nature praises Thee as God, for death has vanished! Adam exults, O Master! Eve rejoices, for she is freed from bondage, and cries to Thee: Thou art the Giver of Resurrection to all, O Christ!

Tone 2

When Thou didst descend to death, O Life Immortal, Thou didst slay hell with the splendor of Thy Godhead! And when from the depths Thou didst raise the dead, all the powers of heaven cried out: O Giver of Life! Christ our God! Glory to Thee!

Glory to the Father.... Now and ever....

Hell became afraid, O Almighty Savior, seeing the miracle of Thy resurrection from the tomb! The dead arose! Creation, with Adam, beheld this and rejoiced with Thee! And the world, O my Savior, praises Thee forever.

Tone 3

Let the heavens rejoice! Let the earth be glad! For the Lord has shown strength with His arm! He has trampled down death by death! He has become the firstborn of the dead! He has delivered us from the depths of hell, and has granted the world great mercy!

Glory to the Father.... Now and ever....

On this day Thou didst rise from the tomb, O Merciful One, leading us from the gates of death. On this day Adam exults as Eve rejoices; with the prophets and patriarchs they unceasingly praise the divine majesty of Thy power!

Tone 4

When the women disciples of the Lord learned from the angel the joyous message of Thy Resurrection; they cast away the ancestral curse and elatedly told the apostles: Death is overthrown! Christ God is risen, granting the world great mercy.

Glory to the Father.... Now and ever....

My Savior and Redeemer as God rose from the tomb and delivered the earthborn from their chains. He has shattered the gates of hell, and as Master, He has risen on the third day!

Tone 5

Let us, the faithful, praise and worship the Word, coeternal with the Father and the Spirit, born for our salvation from the Virgin; for He willed to be lifted up on the Cross in the flesh, to endure death, and to raise the dead by His glorious Resurrection.

Glory to the Father.... Now and ever....

Thou didst descend into hell, O my Savior, shattering its gates as Almighty; resurrecting the dead as Creator, and destroying the sting of death. Thou hast delivered Adam from the curse, O Lover of Man, and we all cry to Thee: O Lord, save us!

Tone 6

The angelic powers were at Thy tomb; the guards became as dead men. Mary stood by Thy grave, seeking Thy most pure Body. Thou didst capture hell, not being tempted by it. Thou didst come to the Virgin, granting life. O Lord who didst rise from the dead: glory to Thee!

Glory to the Father.... Now and ever....

When Christ God, the Giver of Life, raised all of the dead from the valleys of misery with His mighty hand, He bestowed resurrection on the human race. He is the Savior of all, the Resurrection, the Life, and the God of all.

Tone 7

By Thy Cross, Thou didst destroy death! To the thief, Thou didst open Paradise! For the myrrhbearers, Thou didst change weeping into joy! And Thou didst command Thy disciples, O Christ God, to proclaim that Thou art risen, granting the world great mercy!

Glory to the Father.... Now and ever....

The dominion of death can no longer hold men captive, for Christ descended, shattering and destroying its powers! Hell is bound, while the prophets rejoice and cry: The Savior has come to those in faith! Enter, you faithful, into the Resurrection!

Tone 8

Thou didst descend from on high, O Merciful One! Thou didst accept the three-day burial to free us from our sufferings! O Lord, our Life and Resurrection: glory to Thee!

Glory to the Father.... Now and ever....

By rising from the tomb, Thou didst raise the dead and resurrect Adam. Eve exults in Thy Resurrection, and the world celebrates Thy rising from the dead, O greatly Merciful One!

NOTE: On the eve of Great Feasts of the Lord or the Theotokos, the

Troparion and Kontakion of the Feast are read.

After the Troparia, the Reader continues:

Lord, have mercy! (40 times)

A Prayer of St. Basil the Great

O Christ God, Who art worshipped and glorified at every place and time; Who art long-suffering, most merciful and compassionate; Who lovest the righteous and art merciful to sinners; Who callest all to salvation with the promise of good things to come: receive, Lord, the prayers we now offer, and direct our lives in the way of Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our minds and deliver us from all affliction, evil and illness. Surround us with Thy holy angels, that guarded and instructed by their forces, we may reach unity of faith and the understanding of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy! (3 times)

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

More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim: without defilement you gave birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify you!

When a priest is serving, the Reader concludes:

Bless, father, in the name of the Lord!

The priest exclaims:

O God, be gracious to us and bless us! Shine Thy countenance upon us, and have mercy on us!

In the absence of a priest, a layman says:

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

In either case, the Reader, after saying “Amen”, continues with the following:

NOTE: During Great Lent the Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim is said at this point of most services during the week (not on Saturday or Sunday). It is also appropriate for Morning Prayers and the Prayers Before Sleep on the same days.

Prayer of St. Ephraim

O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power and idle talk. (Prostration)

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. (Prostration)

Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. (Prostration)

O God, cleanse me a sinner. (12 times)

(Then the entire Prayer of St. Ephraim is read and a single prostration is made at the end.)

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos

by the Monk Paul

O undefiled, immaculate, incorrupt and most pure Lady, the pure Virgin Bride of God! Through your most glorious birth-giving, you united God the Word to mankind and joined our fallen human nature to the heavenly. You are the only hope of the hopeless, the aid of the embattled a ready help to those who run to you and a refuge for all Christians. Do not turn away from me who am sinful and vile, even though I have made myself totally useless through defiled thoughts, words and deeds, and my mind has become enslaved to the lazy pleasures of this life. As Mother of the God Who loves mankind, have pity on me, a prodigal sinner, in that same love for mankind. Receive the prayer I offer to you with defiled lips and pray to your Son, our Master and Lord, with your maternal boldness. May He open even to me the goodness of His deep love for mankind. May He overlook my countless transgressions, turn me to repentance and make me an experienced accomplisher of His commandments. Stand by me always in your mercy, compassion and love of good. Be my fervent intercessor and help in this life, driving off the assaults of enemies and guiding me to salvation. Guard my wretched soul at the time of my death, driving away the dark forms of the evil demons. Deliver me from eternal torments at the Day of Judgment and reveal me an heir of the inexpressible glory of your Son and our God. May I receive this, my Lady most glorious Theotokos, through your help and intercession: through the Grace and love for mankind of your only-begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, to Whom belong all glory, honor and worship, with His Father Who is without beginning, and His most holy, good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

A Prayer to Our Lord Jesus Christ

by the Monk Antiochus

As we prepare for sleep, Master, grant rest to our bodies and souls. Keep us from the dark sleep of sin and from every dark and passionate pleasure of the night. Still the impulses of passions and put out the flaming arrows which the Evil One looses deceitfully against us. Still the rebellions of the flesh and put to sleep our worldly and material reasonings. O God, grant us an alert mind, chaste thoughts, a sober heart, and a light sleep, free of every satanic dream. Raise us at the time of prayer confirmed in Thy commandments—the memory of Thy judgments firmly in us. Grant that we may glorify Thee throughout this night, singing, blessing and glorifying Thy most honorable and majestic name: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

NOTE: In churches, Compline concludes at this point with brief prayers and a Litany. (See the BOOK OF HOURS)

When read privately, Compline moves into PRAYERS BEFORE SLEEP, beginning with the Troparia: “Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us ” (page 68).

Psalm 22

The Lord tends me as a shepherd, and I shall want nothing. 2 In a place of green grass, there he has made me dwell: he has nourished me by the water of rest. 3 He has restored my soul: he has guided me into the paths of righteousness, for his name's sake. 4 Yea, even if I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of evils: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, these have comforted me. 5 Thou hast prepared a table before me in presence of them that afflict me: thou hast thoroughly anointed my head with oil; and thy cup cheers me like the best wine. 6 Thy mercy also shall follow me all the days of my life: and my dwelling shall be in the house of the Lord for a very long time.

Psalm 23

The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof; the world, and all that dwell in it. 2 He has founded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall go up to the mountain of the Lord, and who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that is innocent in his hands and pure in his heart; who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbour. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Saviour. 6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek the face of the God of Jacob. Pause. 7 Lift up your gates, ye princes, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the king of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this king of glory? the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your gates, ye princes; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the king of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this king of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is this king of glory.

Psalm 115

I believed, wherefore I have spoken: but I was greatly afflicted. 2 And I said in mine amazement, Every man is a liar. 3 What shall I render to the Lord for all the things wherein he has rewarded me? 4 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. 4a I will pay my vows to the Lord, in the presence of all his people. 6 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 7 O Lord, I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast burst my bonds asunder. 8 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of praise, and will call upon the name of the Lord. 9 I will pay my vows unto the Lord, in the presence of all his people, 10 in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, Jerusalem.

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

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Glory to Thee, O God! (3 times)

And the following TROPARIA, TONE 8:

Disregard my iniquities, O Lord Who wast born of a Virgin! Cleanse my heart and make it a temple of Thy most pure Body and Blood. Turn me not away from Thy countenance, for Thy great mercy is immeasurable.

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

How dare I partake of Thy Holiness in my unworthiness? Even if I dare to approach Thee with the worthy, my garment accuses me, for it is not a wedding-garment, and I secure the condemnation of my most sinful soul.

Cleanse, O Lord, the defilement of my soul and save me, for Thou lovest mankind.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Great is the multitude of my sins, O Theotokos! I come to you, O Pure One, in need of salvation. Visit my ailing soul, O You who alone are blessed, and pray to your Son and our God that He absolve the evil I have done.

NOTE: On Great and Holy Thursday, the following TROPARION is used, in TONE 8:

When the glorious disciples were enlightened at the washing of their feet before the supper, then the impious Judas was darkened, ailing with avarice, and to the lawless judges he betrayed Thee, the Righteous Judge. Behold, O lover of money, this man who because of money hanged himself. Flee from the greedy soul which dared such things against the Master. O Lord Who art good towards all men, glory to Thee!

If the Canon of Preparation for Holy Communion has not been read the preceding evening, it may be read here.

Lord, have mercy! (40 times, with as many prostrations as desired)

Then, we read the following Verses of Instruction:

When you intend, O man, to eat the Master’s Body, Approach with fear, lest you be burned—for It is fire! Before drinking the Divine Blood in Communion, Make peace with those who have grieved you. Only then may you dare To eat the Mystical Food.

We also add the following verses:

Before partaking of the Dread Sacrifice, The life-giving Body of the Master, Pray, trembling, in this manner:

1st Prayer, of Saint Basil the Great.

O Lord and Master, Jesus Christ our God, the Fountain of life and immortality, the Creator of everything visible and invisible, the eternal and everlasting Son of the eternal Father: Thou hast come in these latter days because of the abundance of Thy goodness. Thou hast put on our human flesh and wast crucified and buried for us thankless and graceless men, and through Thine own blood Thou hast renewed our human nature which is corrupted by sin. And now, O Immortal King, accept the repentance of me a sinner, and incline Thine ear to me and listen to my words:

I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned before heaven and before Thy face, and I am not worthy to look upon the height of Thy Glory.

I have provoked Thy goodness, I have transgressed Thy commandments, I have not obeyed Thy statutes.

But, O Lord, since Thou dost not remember evil, but art long-suffering and of great mercy, Thou hast not given me over to destruction for my lawlessness, but hast ever awaited my conversion.

O Lover of mankind, Thou hast said by Thy prophets: “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”

For Thou dost not wish, O Master, that the work of Thy hands should perish, neither dost Thou take pleasure in the destruction of men, but Thou desirest that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

Therefore, although I am unworthy both of heaven and of earth and of this passing life, having wholly yielded myself to sin and defiled Thine image, yet being Thy creature and of Thy making, I do not despair of my salvation in my wickedness. But made bold by Thine infinite compassion, I draw near.

Receive me, O Christ Who lovest mankind, as Thou didst receive the prostitute, the thief, the tax-collector and the prodigal. Take away the heavy burden of my sins, for Thou takest away the sins of the world, Thou healest the infirmities of mankind, Thou callest to Thyself and givest rest to those who labor and are heavy laden.

Thou hast not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Cleanse me from every stain of flesh and spirit. Teach me to fulfill holiness in fear of Thee, that having the testimony of my own conscience clean, and having communion of Thy holy things, I may be united with Thy Body and Blood and may have Thee to dwell and abide in me, with the Father and Thy Holy Spirit.

O Lord Jesus Christ my God, may the communion of Thy most pure and life-creating mysteries not bring me into judgment, nor may I become weak in soul and body by partaking in an unworthy manner, but grant me to receive communion of Thy holy things without condemnation even to my very last breath, and by them to receive communion of the Holy Spirit, provision for the journey of eternal life, and an acceptable answer at Thy dread judgment seat; that I, together with all Thy chosen ones, may also be a partaker of the incorruptible blessings which Thou hast prepared for those who love thee, O Lord, in whom Thou art glorified forever. Amen.

2nd Prayer, of St. John Chrysostom

O Lord my God, I know that I am not worthy nor sufficiently pleasing that Thou shouldst come under the roof of the house of my soul for it is entirely desolate and fallen in ruin, and Thou wilt not find in me a place worthy to lay Thy head. But as Thou didst humble Thyself from on high for our sake, so now humble Thyself to my lowliness.

As Thou didst deign to lie in a cavern, in a manger of dumb beasts, so now deign to enter into the manger of my beastly soul, and into my soiled body.

As Thou didst not disdain to enter and to eat with sinners in the house of Simon the leper, so now be pleased to enter into the house of my soul, humble and leprous and sinful.

As Thou didst not cast away the sinful woman who came to touch Thee, so have compassion on me a sinner who comes to touch Thee.

As Thou didst not abhor the kiss of her sin-stained and unclean mouth, do not abhor my mouth, worse stained and more unclean than hers, nor my stained and shamed and unclean lips, nor my still more impure tongue.

But let the fiery coal of Thy most pure Body and Thy most precious Blood bring me sanctification, enlightenment and strengthening of my lowly soul and body, relief from the burden of my many transgressions, protection against every action of the devil, repulsion and victory over my wicked and evil habits, mortification of my passions, accomplishment of Thy commandments, increase of Thy divine grace, and inheritance of Thy Kingdom.

For I do not come to Thee in presumption, O Christ my God, but made bold by Thine inexpressible goodness, lest I stray far away from Thy flock, O Master, and become caught by the wolf of souls.

Therefore, I pray Thee, O Master, for Thou alone art holy: sanctify my soul and body, my mind and heart, my muscles and bones. Renew me entirely. Implant Thy fear in my fleshly members and let Thy sanctification never be removed from me.

Be my helper and defender, guide my life in peace and make me worthy to stand at Thy right hand with all Thy saints.

By the prayers and supplications of Thy most pure Mother, of Thy spiritual servants, the most pure angelic powers, and of all the saints who have been well-pleasing to Thee. Amen.

3rd Prayer, of St. Simeon Metaphrastes

O only pure and incorruptible Lord! Because of the inexpressible mercy of Thy love for mankind, Thou didst take to Thyself our entire human composition from the pure blood of the Virgin who gave birth to Thee beyond nature, by the descent of the Holy Spirit and the good-will of the ever-existing Father.

O Christ Jesus, Wisdom of God and Peace and Power, through the human nature which Thou didst take to Thyself, Thou didst suffer the life-creating and saving passion: the Cross, the nails, the spear—death itself. Put to death in me the soul-destroying passions of the body.

Through Thy burial Thou didst capture the kingdom of death. Bury in me the evil devices of the devil with good thoughts, and destroy the spirits of evil.

Through Thy life-bringing Resurrection Thou didst raise up the first father who had fallen. Raise me up who am sunk down in sin and give me the image of repentance.

Through Thy glorious Ascension Thou didst deify the flesh which Thou didst assume, and placed it on the throne at the Father’s right hand. Grant me to receive a place at the right hand with the saved through communion of Thy holy mysteries.

Through the coming of Thy Spirit, the Comforter, Thou didst make Thy consecrated disciples to be honorable vessels. Show me also to be the receptacle of His coming.

Thou hast promised to come again to judge the world in righteousness. Grant that I may go to meet Thee in the clouds, my Judge and Creator, with all Thy saints; that I may glorify and praise Thee without end, together with Thy Father Who is without beginning, and Thy most holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

4th Prayer, of St. John of Damascus

O Lord and Master Jesus Christ our God, Who alone hast power to absolve men from their sins, for Thou art good and lovest mankind: forgive all my transgressions done in knowledge or in ignorance, and make me worthy without condemnation to have communion of Thy divine and glorious and pure and life-creating mysteries. Let them not be for my punishment, or for the increase of my sins. But let them be for my purification and sanctification, as a promise of the life and Kingdom to come, a defense and a help and a repulsion of every attacker and the removal of my many transgressions. For Thou art a God of mercy and generosity and love for mankind, and to Thee we ascribe glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

5th Prayer, of St. Basil the Great

I know, O Lord, that I have communion unworthily of Thy most pure Body and Thy most precious Blood, and that I am guilty and drink condemnation to myself not discerning Thy Body and Blood, O my Christ and God. But daring upon Thy generous loving-kindness I come to Thee Who hast said: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.” Be merciful, therefore, O Lord, and do not rebuke me, a sinner, but deal with me according to Thy mercy, and let Thy holy things be for my purification and healing, for enlightenment and protection, for the repulsion of every tempting thought and action of the devil which works spiritually in my fleshly members. Let them be for boldness and love for Thee, for the correction and grounding of my life, for the increase of virtue and perfection, for the fulfillment of Thy commandments, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the journey of eternal life, for a good and acceptable answer at Thy dread judgment, but not for judgment or condemnation. Amen.

6th Prayer, of St. Simeon the New Theologian

From lips defiled and a vile heart, from an impure tongue and a soul defiled, receive my prayer, O my Christ, and do not despise my words, my appearance, nor my shamelessness. Grant me the boldness, my Christ, to say what I desire Even more—teach me what to do and say. I have sinned more than the harlot who, on learning where Thou wast, bought myrrh and came boldly to anoint thy feet, my God, my Master and my Christ. As Thou didst not turn her away when she came with her heart, so, O Word, turn me not away, but give me Thy feet to hold, to kiss, and to anoint boldly with a stream of tears

as a precious ointment. Wash me with my tears, O Word, and cleanse me with them! Remit my transgressions and grant me forgiveness. Thou knowest the multitude of my evil: Thou knowest also my wounds! Thou seest my scars: Thou knowest also my faith! Thou seest my intentions and hearest my sighs. Nothing is hidden from Thee, my God, my Maker, my Redeemer—not even a tear-drop or part of that drop. Thine eyes have seen that which I have not yet done. Thou hast inscribed in Thy book things yet to happen. See my humility! See each of my labors and all of my sins! Absolve me, O God of all, that with a pure heart, trembling thoughts and a contrite soul

I may partake of Thine undefiled and most holy Mysteries which enliven and deify all who partake of them with a pure heart. Thou hast said, O Master: “Whoever eats my Body and drinks my Blood abides in me and I in him!” True is every word of my Master and God! When I partake of Thy divine and deifying Grace, I am no longer alone—I am with Thee, my Christ, the Light of the Triple Sun which enlightens the world. May I not remain alone—without Thee, O Life-Giver, My Breath, my Life and my Joy, the salvation of the world. I approach Thee, therefore, with tears, as Thou seest, and a contrite soul.

I beg to receive deliverance from my sins. May I partake uncondemned of Thy life-giving and spotless Mysteries, that Thou mayest abide, as Thou hast said, with me, the thrice-wretched. May the Tempter not find me without Thy Grace and seize me deceitfully and lead me, deceived, from Thy deifying words. Therefore, I fall down before Thee and fervently cry: as Thou didst receive the Prodigal and the harlot who came to Thee, O Gracious One, receive me, prodigal and defiled. With a contrite soul I approach Thee now: I know, O Savior, that no-one has sinned against Thee as I have, nor done the deeds that I have done.

But I also know that neither the greatness of my Transgressions nor the multitude of my sins surpass the great patience of my God and His extreme love for mankind. Through Thy merciful compassion Thou dost cleanse and brighten those who repent with fervor, making them partakers of Light and full communicants of Thy Divinity. To the astonishment of angels and human minds, Thou dost converse with them often as with Thy true friends. This makes me bold, my Christ, this gives me wings! Emboldened by the wealth of Thy generosity towards us, with both joy and trepidation, I who am grass partake of fire. O strange wonder! I am sprinkled with dew and am not burned,

as the bush burned of old without being consumed. With grateful thoughts and a grateful heart, with my grateful members, my soul and my body, I now fall down and worship and glorify Thee, my God, for blessed art Thou, now and for ever.

7th Prayer, of St. John Chrysostom

O God, absolve, remit and pardon me my transgressions—as many sins as I have committed by word or action or thought, willingly or unwillingly, consciously or unconsciously; forgive me everything since Thou art good and lovest mankind. And by the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, of Thy spiritual servants, the holy angelic powers and all the saints, who from all ages have been well-pleasing to Thee, be pleased to allow me to receive Thy most pure Body and Thy most precious Blood for the healing of my soul and body, and the purification of my evil thoughts. For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

8th Prayer, of St. John Chrysostom

I am not worthy, Master and Lord, that Thou shouldst enter under the roof of my soul; yet inasmuch as Thou desirest to live in me as the Lover of mankind, I approach with boldness. Thou hast commanded: Let the doors be opened which Thou alone hast made and Thou shalt enter with Thy love for mankind just as Thou art. Thou shalt enter and enlighten my darkened reasoning. I believe that Thou wilt do this. For Thou didst not cast away the prostitute who came to Thee with tears, neither didst Thou turn away the tax-collector who repented, nor didst Thou reject the thief who acknowledged Thy Kingdom, nor didst Thou forsake the repentant persecutor, the Apostle Paul, even as he was. But all who came to Thee in repentance Thou didst unite to the ranks of Thy friends, Who alone art blessed forever, now and unto the endless ages. Amen.

9th Prayer, of St. John Chrysostom

O Lord Jesus Christ my God, absolve, loose, cleanse and forgive me Thy sinful and useless and unworthy servant my errors, transgressions and sinful failing as many as I have committed from my youth up to this present day and hour, consciously and unconsciously, in words or actions or reasonings, thoughts, pursuits and in all my senses. By the prayers of Thy Mother the most pure and ever-virgin Mary who gave birth to Thee without human seed, my only hope which will not put me to shame, my intercessor and salvation, grant me to have communion without condemnation of Thy most pure, immortal, life-creating and awesome mysteries; for the remission of sins and unto life everlasting; for sanctification, enlightenment, strength, healing and health of soul and body; for the most perfect removal and destruction of my evil thoughts and reasonings and intentions, fantasies by night, brought by dark and evil spirits; for Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory and the honor and the worship with the Father and Thy Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

10th Prayer, of St. John of Damascus

I stand before the doors of Thy temple, and I do not forsake my wicked thoughts. But, O Christ my God, as Thou hast justified the tax-collector, and hast had mercy on the woman of Canaan and hast opened the gates of paradise to the thief, open to me the interior depths of Thy love for mankind and receive me as I come and repent before Thee. Receive me as Thou didst receive the sinful woman and the woman with the flow of blood. For the first embraced Thy most pure feet and received the forgiveness of her sins, and the second just touched the hem of Thy garment and received healing. But I who am lost, daring to receive Thy whole Body, may I not be burned; but receive me as Thou hast received them, and enlighten my spiritual senses, burning up my spiritual faults by the prayers of her who gave birth to Thee without human seed, and of the heavenly angelic powers, for Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.

Another Prayer of St. John Chrysostom

I believe, O Lord, and I confess that Thou art truly the Christ, the Son of the living God Who camest into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first. I believe also that this is truly Thine own most pure Body, and that this is truly Thine own precious Blood. Therefore, I pray Thee: have mercy upon me and forgive my transgressions both voluntary and involuntary, of word and of deed, committed in knowledge or in ignorance. And make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Thy most pure Mysteries, for the remission of my sins, and unto life everlasting. Amen.

As you approach to partake, say silently the following verses of Metaphrastes:

Behold: I draw near to the Divine Communion. Burn me not as I partake, O Creator, For Thou art a Fire which burns the unworthy. Rather, cleanse me of all defilement.

Then say:

Of Thy Mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me this day as a communicant; for I will not speak of Thy Mystery to Thine enemies, neither like Judas will I give Thee a kiss; but like the thief will I confess Thee: Remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom.

And the following verses:

Be awed, O man, when you see the deifying Blood! It is a fire which burns the unworthy! The Divine Body both deifies and nourishes me.

It deifies the spirit and wondrously nourishes the mind.

Then, the following Troparia:

With love hast Thou drawn me, O Christ, and with Thy divine love hast Thou changed me. Burn away my sins with a spiritual fire and satisfy me with joy in Thee, that I may joyfully magnify Thy two comings, O Good One.

How shall I, who am unworthy, enter into the radiance of Thy saints? If I dare to enter the bridal-chamber, my garment accuses me, for it is not a wedding garment, and the angels will bind me and cast me out. Cleanse, O Lord, the filth of my soul and save me, for Thou lovest mankind.

And this prayer:

O Master Who lovest mankind! O Lord Jesus Christ my God! May these holy things not be to my condemnation, though I am unworthy of them. May they be for the cleansing and sanctification of my soul and body and a pledge of the life and Kingdom that are to come.

It is good for me to cleave to God and to place in the Lord the hope of my salvation

Then repeat:

Of Thy Mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me this day as a communicant; for I will not speak of Thy Mystery to Thine enemies, neither like Judas will I give Thee a kiss; but like the thief will I confess Thee: remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom.