O God, save my by your name, and you will judge me by your power. O God, hear my prayer, give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen up against me, and mighty ones have sought my soul, and have not put God before them. For see, God will help me, and the Lord is the protector of my soul. He will turn evils upon my foes, in your truth wipe them out. Willingly I shall sacrifice to you, I shall give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. For you have delivered me from every tribulation, and my eye has looked down on my foes. ****

¶14

Psalm 139

¶15

**Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers; protect me from those who are violent, who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars continually. They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers. Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent who have planned my downfall. The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net, along the road they have set snares for me. I say to the Lord, ‘You are my God; give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.’ O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer, you have covered my head in the day of battle. Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot. Those who surround me lift up their heads; let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! Let burning coals fall on them! Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise! Do not let the slanderer be established in the land; let evil speedily hunt down the violent! I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence. ****

¶16

Psalm 90

¶17

One who dwells in the help of the Most High will live under the protection of the of the God of heaven; will say to the Lord: you are my protector and my refuge, my God, and I shall hope in him. For he will deliver you from the snare of hunters, and from the word which troubles. He will overshadow you with his wings, and beneath his feathers you will hope; his truth will encircle you with a shield. You will not be afraid of terror by night, of the arrow that flies by day; of the thing that prowls in the darkness, of mishap and the noonday devil. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right, but it will not come near you. But with your eyes you will observe, and see the reward of sinners. For you, Lord, are my hope: you have made the Most High your refuge. Evils will not approach you, nor a scourge draw near your dwelling. Because he has given orders to his Angels about you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You will walk on asp and basilisk, and trample down lion and dragon. Because he hoped in me, I shall deliver him; I shall shelter him, because he knew my name. He will cry to me, and I shall hear him, I am with him in trouble; I shall rescue him and glorify him. I shall fill him with length of days, and show him my salvation.

¶18

**x3**). Lord, have mercy (**x3**).

¶19

You have worked salvation in the midst of the earth, Christ our God. You stretched out your most pure hands on the Cross, gathering together all the nations, as they cry: Lord, glory to you!

¶20

Because we have no boldness because of our many sins, entreat the One born of you, O Virgin Mother of God; for a Mother*’*s plea has great force for the kindness of the Master. Do not despise the supplications of sinners, O all-holy, for you is merciful, and able to save, you who even accepted to suffer for us.

¶21

After which we sing the following Idiomels in Tone 8.

¶22

Thus says the Lord to the Jews, ‘My people, what have I done to you? Or in what have I wearied you? I gave light to your blind, I cleansed your lepers, I set upright a man lying on a bed. My people, what have I done to you, and how have you repaid me? Instead of the manna gall; instead of the water vinegar; instead of loving me, you have nailed me to a cross. I can endure no longer; I will call my nations, and they will glorify me, with the Father and the Spirit; and I shall grant them eternal life. (

¶23

**twice, without a verse**) ****

¶24

They gave me gall for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

¶25

Lawgivers of Israel, Jews and Pharisees, the choir of the Apostles cries out to you, ‘See a Temple, which you have destroyed! See a Lamb, whom you have crucified! You handed him over to a tomb, but by his own authority he has risen. Do not be deceived, O Jews, for it is he who saved you in the sea, and fed you in the desert; he is the life and the light and the peace of the world.

¶26

Save me, O God; for the waters have come in, even as far as my soul.

¶27

Lawgivers of Israel, Jews and Pharisees, the choir of the Apostles cries out to you: See a Temple, which you have destroyed; see a Lamb, whom you have crucified. You handed him over to a tomb, but by his own authority he has risen. Do not be deceived, O Jews, for it is he who saved you in the sea, and fed you in the desert; he is the life and the light and the peace of the world.

¶28

Come, Christ-bearing peoples, let us see what Judas the betrayer has plotted with the lawless priests against our Saviour. Today they have found the immortal Word guilty of death, and having betrayed him to Pilate, crucified him on the place of the Skull. And as he suffered all this our Saviour cried out and said, ‘Forgive them this sin, Father, that the nations may know my Resurrection from the dead’.

¶29

¶30

Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is your name \* in all the earth!

¶31

For your majesty is raised high above the heavens.

¶32

The Reading is from the Prophecy of Isaias.

¶33

Thus says the Lord: See, my servant will understand; he shall be exalted and glorified exceedingly. Just as there many will be astonished at you, so your appearance will be without glory from men, and your glory from the sons of men. So many nations will marvel at him; kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them about him they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? We brought a report as of a child before him, as a root out of dry ground; he had no form or glory, and we saw him, and he had neither form nor beauty. But his form was without honour and inferior to the children of men. He was a man in suffering and acquainted with bearing weakness, because his face has been away, he was dishonoured and not esteemed. He bears our sins and is in pain for us. We reckoned him to be in toil and in affliction and trouble. But he was wounded for our sins and crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment of our peace, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; Every one has gone astray in their own way, and the Lord handed him over for our sins. And he, because of his affliction, does not open his mouth; like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation his judgement was taken away; who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken away from the earth; because of the iniquities of my people he was led to death. And I will give the evil for his burial and the rich for his death, because he practised no iniquity, nor was there guile in his mouth. And the Lord wishes to cleanse him of his blow. If you give an offering for sin, your soul will seed a long-lived descendence. And the Lord wishes to take away from the toil of his soul, to show him light and to fashion him with understanding, to justify the just one, who serves many well, and he will bear their sins. Therefore he will inherit many and divide the spoils of the strong. Because his soul was handed over to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many, and was handed over because of their iniquities. Rejoice, barren one who do not give birth, break out and cry, you who are not in labour, for the children of the desolate are more than those of her that has a husband.

¶34

The Reading is from the Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews.

¶35

Brethren, the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from One. For this reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren saying, ‘I will proclaim your name to my brethren, in the midst of the church I will praise you.’ And again, ‘I will put my trust in him.’ And again, ‘Here am I and the children whom God has given me.’ Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear he did not take upon himself the nature angels, but he took on that of the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brethren in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the things of God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. For because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

¶36

And that he would count us worthy to listen to the holy Gospel, let us pray to the Lord God. ****

¶37

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. ****

¶38

And to your spirit. ****

¶39

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Luke. ****

¶40

Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you!

¶41

At that time two others, who were criminals, were led out with Jesus to be put to death with him. And when they had come to the place called The Skull, they crucified him there and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. But Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And dividing his garments they cast lots. And the people stood by watching. While with them the rulers too scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ, the chosen one of God.’ And the soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar and saying, ‘If you the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ Now there was also an inscription over him written in Greek, Roman and Hebrew letters, ‘This is the king of the Jews.’ One of the evil-doers who were hanged there with him blasphemed him, saying, ‘If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.’ But the other answering rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, for you are under the same sentence of condemnation? But we indeed justly, for we are being paid fittingly for what we did; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he said to Jesus, ‘Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’ Now it was about the sixth hour and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, and the sun’s light disappeared and the veil of the Temple was rent down the middle. And Jesus having cried out with a loud voice said, ‘Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.’ And when he had said this he breathed his last. But the centurion on seeing what had happened glorified God and said, ‘Indeed this was a just man.’ And all the crowds who had gathered for the spectacle returned home beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances stood at a distance and the women who had followed him from Galilee watching these things.

¶42

Glory to you, Lord, glory to you!

¶43

Let your mercies, O Lord, come quickly to our aid, for we are utterly poor; help us, O God our Saviour, for the glory of your name. O Lord, deliver us, and have mercy on our sins, for your name*’*s sake.

¶44

Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (

¶45

**three times**)

¶46

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

¶47

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for your name’s sake. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

¶48

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

¶49

Our Father, in heaven, may your name be hallowed; your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

¶50

For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. ****

¶51

Come, let us all sing the praise of him who was crucified for us; for Mary looked upon him on the Tree and said: ‘Though you endure the Cross, yet you are my Son and my God’.

¶52

Lord, have mercy ***(*x40*)***

¶53

At every time and at every hour, in heaven and on earth worshipped and glorified, Christ God, long-suffering, great in mercy, great in compassion, loving the just and merciful to sinners, calling all to salvation by the promise of the blessings to come; do you, Lord, yourself accept our entreaties at this hour, and direct our lives to your commandments. Sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our thoughts, cleanse our ideas and deliver us from every distress, evil, and pain. Wall us about with your holy Angels, that protected and guided by their host we may reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of your unapproachable glory; for you are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen.

¶54

Lord, have mercy.(

¶55

**x3**), Glory. Both now. Greater in honour than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Word, truly the Mother of God we magnify you. In the name of the Lord, bless, Father. ****

¶56

May God take pity on us. ****

¶57

And the Superior says the following

¶58

O God and Lord of powers, and Maker of all creation, who through the compassion of your incomprehensible mercy sent down your only-begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, for the salvation of our race, and through his precious Cross tore up the record of our sins, and by it triumphed over the principalities and powers of darkness; do you yourself, O Master who loves mankind, accept also our supplications of thanksgiving and entreaty; and deliver us from destroying and dark transgression, and from all our foes, visible and invisible, who seek to harm us. Nail down our flesh through fear of you, and do not let our hearts incline to words or thoughts of evil, but wound our souls with longing for you; that ever gazing upon you and guided by the light that comes from you, seeing you the unapproachable and everlasting light, we may give thanks to you, the Father without beginning, with your only-begotten Son and your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. ****

¶59

According to the Typica of the Holy Mountain the Reader at once adds:

¶60

It is truly right to call you blessed, who gave birth to God, ever-blessed and most pure, and Mother of our God. Greater in honour than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Word; truly the Mother of God, we magnify you.

Translated by Ephrem Lash. Edition lash.en.anastasis.