The Ninth Hour

Then, Trisagion through Our Father… Kontakion of the forefeast, in Tone III—

Reader: O come, let us worship… Thrice

Psalm 109

Now & ever…: Theotokion—

Glory…: troparion of the forefeast, in Tone IV—

Then these stichera—

The Lord said unto my Lord: Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies the footstool of Thy feet. A scepter of power shall the Lord send unto Thee out of Sion; rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies. With Thee is dominion in the day of Thy power, in the splendor of Thy saints. From the womb before the morning star have I begotten Thee. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at Thy right hand hath broken kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill them with dead bodies, He shall crush the heads of many upon the earth. He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall He lift up His head.

Then the canonarch, standing in the middle of the temple, chanteth aloud the whole of the following sticheron, in Tone VI—

Psalm 110

Then the deacon intoneth the following, also aloud—

I will confess Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, in the council of the upright and in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, sought out in all the things that He hath willed. Confession and majesty are His work, and His righteousness abideth unto ages of ages. He made a remembrance of His wondrous deeds; merciful and compassionate is the Lord; He hath given food to those who fear Him. He will be mindful for ever of His covenant; the power of His works hath He declared unto His people, that He may give them the inheritance of the nations; the works of His hands are truth and judgment. Faithful are all His commandments, confirmed unto ages of ages, made in truth and uprightness. He hath sent redemption unto His people, He hath enjoined His covenant for ever; holy and terrible is His name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and all they that foster this have good understanding. His praise abideth unto ages of ages.

And both choirs together chant:

Psalm 85

Then both choirs together chant the above sticheron: Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone VI—

Bow down Thine ear, O Lord, and hearken unto me, for poor and needy am I. Preserve my soul, for I am holy; save Thy servant, O my God, that hopeth in Thee. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for unto Thee will I cry all the day long; make glad the soul of Thy servant, for unto Thee have I lifted up my soul. For Thou, O Lord, art good and gentle, and plenteous in mercy unto all those who call upon Thee. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer, and attend unto the voice of my supplication. In the day of mine affliction have I cried unto Thee, for Thou hast heard me. There is none like unto Thee among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like unto Thy works. All the nations whom Thou hast made shall come and shall worship before Thee, O Lord, and shall glorify Thy name. For Thou art great and workest wonders; Thou alone art God. Guide me, O Lord, in Thy way, and I will walk in Thy truth; let my heart rejoice that I may fear Thy name. I will confess Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Thy name forever. For great is Thy mercy upon me, and Thou hast delivered my soul from the nethermost hades. O God, transgressors have risen up against me, and the assembly of the mighty hath sought after my soul, and they have not set Thee before them. But Thou, O Lord my God, art compassionate and merciful, long-suffering and plenteous in mercy, and true. Look upon me and have mercy upon me; give Thy strength unto Thy servant, and save the son of Thy handmaiden. Work in me a sign unto good, and let those who hate me behold and be put to shame; for Thou, O Lord, hast holpen me and comforted me.

A Reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah

Glory…, Now & ever…

Deacon: Wisdom, stand aright! Let us listen to the Holy Gospel.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Glory to Thee, O God! Thrice

Priest: Peace be unto all.

Once Mary, bearing in her womb an Offspring conceived without seed, was registered in Bethlehem with the elder Joseph, as being of the seed of David. And while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. There was no room for them in the inn. But the cave showed itself to be a beauteous palace for the Queen, and Christ is born to raise up the image that fell of old!

Priest: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew [§4]

O Thou Who for our sake wast born of a Virgin, and didst suffer crucifixion, O Good One, and didst despoil death by death, and, as God, didst reveal the resurrection: Disdain not them which Thou hast fashioned with Thy hand; show forth Thy love for mankind, O Merciful One; accept the Theotokos who gave Thee birth, who intercedeth for us; and do Thou, our Savior, save a despairing people.

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

In Tone VII: Herod was amazed, beholding the piety of the magi, and, overcome with rage, he inquired concerning the disposition of the time of birth. Mothers were made childless, and a bitter harvest was made of the youngest of infants. Their mothers’ breasts dried up, and the fountains of their milk were held back. Great was this calamity! Wherefore, assembling with piety, O ye faithful, let us worship the nativity of Christ. Twice

Then, the reader readeth this prayer—

Stichos: God shall come forth out of Thæman, and the Holy One out of a mountain overshadowed and densely wooded.

In Tone II: When Joseph was wounded with grief as he travelled to Bethlehem, O Virgin, thou didst cry to him: “Why art thou downcast and troubled, seeing me immaculate, yet in nowise perceiving the awesome mystery accomplished in me? Wherefore, put away all fear, recognizing that which is all-glorious; for God is come down to earth in His mercy, and now taketh flesh in my womb. Thou shalt behold Him born, as was His good pleasure, and, filled with joy, thou wilt worship Him as thy Creator, Whom the angels unceasingly hymn and glorify, with the Father and the Holy Spirit!”

Stichos: O Lord, I have heard Thy report, and I was afraid; O Lord, I considered Thy works, and I was amazed.

The foregoing is repeated.

Today He Who in essence is God intangible and holdeth all creation in His hand is born of the Virgin and wrapped as a mortal in swaddling-bands. He lieth in a manger Who established the heavens by His word in the beginning. He is fed at the breast with milk Who rained down manna upon the people in the wilderness. The Bridegroom of the Church summoneth the magi; the Son of the Virgin receiveth their gifts. We worship Thy nativity, O Christ! We worship Thy nativity, O Christ! We worship Thy nativity, O Christ! Show us also Thy divine theophany.

And we make three full prostrations.

To the Orthodox episcopate of the persecuted Church of Russia; our Most Reverend Metropolitan Vitaly, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad; and our Right Reverend Archbishop [or Bishop] N.: Many years!

To this and subsequent petitions, both choirs respond in unison—

God grant them many years! Thrice

To the suffering Russian land and its Orthodox people, both in the homeland and in the diaspora, in grievous circumstances: Many years!

To the civil authorities, and to all Orthodox Christians, grant, O Lord, peace and prosperity, an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and many years!

And where this service is celebrated in a monastery—

Save, O Christ God, our venerable father abbot [or archimandrite] N. and his brethren in Christ; preserve this holy community in peace, and establish this holy temple unto the ages of ages. Amen

Save them, O Christ God! Thrice

Be it known that this chanting of Many Years is performed in cathedrals, in the presence of bishops. In other places, where convenient, it is performed at Compline, after the dismissal of the holy Liturgy, or after Vespers, when the Eve of the Nativity falleth on a Saturday or a Sunday. But for monastic communities all typicons prescribe that this rite be inserted at this point during the Royal Hours.

Today He Who in essence is God intangible and holdeth all creation in His hand is born of the Virgin and wrapped as a mortal in swaddling-bands. He lieth in a manger Who established the heavens by His word in the beginning. He is fed at the breast with milk Who rained down manna upon the people in the wilderness. The Bridegroom of the Church summoneth the magi; the Son of the Virgin receiveth their gifts. We worship Thy nativity, O Christ! We worship Thy nativity, O Christ! We worship Thy nativity, O Christ! Show us also Thy divine theophany.

During the Ninth Hour, the deacon censeth the entire church.

Prokimenon, in Tone IV—

A man will say: Mother Sion; and: That man was born in her.

Stichos: His foundations are in the holy mountains.

A Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us, Whose government is upon His shoulder: and His name is called the Angel of great Counsel: for I will bring peace upon the princes, and health to Him. His government shall be great, and of His peace there is no end: it shall be upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to support it with judgment and with righteousness, from henceforth and forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.

Reading from the Epistle to the Holy Apostle Paul to the Hebrews [§306]

Brethren: He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor those who are tempted.

People: And to thy spirit.

People: Glory to Thee, O God, glory to Thee!

When the wise men departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take up the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him. When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the young child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judæa in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

People: Glory to Thee, O God, glory to Thee!

Deliver us not up utterly, for Thy holy name’s sake, neither disannul Thou Thy covenant, and cause not Thy mercy to depart from us, for Abraham’s sake, Thy beloved, and for Isaac’s sake, Thy servant, and for Israel’s, Thy holy one.

Today the Virgin cometh to give birth ineffably to the preëternal Word in the cave. Dance, O world! And having heard this, with the angels and shepherds glorify the preëternal God, Who is to appear as a little babe.

Lord, have mercy! Forty times

Thou Who at all times and at every hour, in heaven and on earth, art worshipped and glorified, O Christ God, Who art long-suffering, plenteous in mercy, most compassionate, Who lovest the righteous and hast mercy on sinners, Who callest all to salvation through the promise of good things to come: ­Receive, O Lord, our prayers at this hour, and guide our life toward Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, make chaste our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our intentions, and deliver us from every sorrow, evil, and pain. Compass us about with Thy holy angels that, guarded and guided by their array, we may attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of Thine unapproachable glory; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy! Thrice Glory…, Now & ever…

More honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify.

In the name of the Lord, father, bless!

O Master, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Who art long-suffering in the face of our transgressions, and Who hast brought us even unto this present hour, wherein Thou didst hang upon the life-giving Tree, and didst make a way into paradise for the wise thief, and by death didst destroy death: Be gracious unto us sinners and Thine unworthy servants; for we have sinned and committed iniquity, and are not worthy to lift up our eyes and behold the height of heaven, for we have abandoned the way of Thy righteousness, and have walked in the desires of our hearts. But we beseech Thy boundless goodness: Spare us, O Lord, according to the multitude of Thy mercy and save us for Thy holy name’s sake; for our days were consumed in vanity. Rescue us from the hand of the adversary, and forgive us our sins, and mortify our carnal mind; that, putting aside the old man, we may be clad with the new, and live for Thee, our Master and Benefactor; and that thus by following in Thy commandments, we may attain to rest everlasting, wherein is the dwelling-place of all them that rejoice. For Thou art indeed the true joy and gladness of them that love Thee, O Christ our God, and unto Thee we send up glory, with Thine unoriginate Father, and Thy Most-holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.