Evening Prayers
(Vespers Service)
VESPERS As a Readers’ Service
Adapted from St. Jonah Orthodox Church, Spring, TX
( http://www.saintjonah.org/)
Including parts from Orthodox Mission Church in Florence, AZ
(www.orthodox-mission.org)
And Stichera from the Orthodox Church in America
(www.oca.org)
Bold parts are read or chanted by everyone present.
Ordinary text is read by the Senior Reader.
The Usual Beginning
Necessary
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers,
O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.
Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fills all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come and abide in us, and cleanse us of all impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name's sake.
Lord have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Amen.
Lord have mercy. (twelve times)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King.
O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King and God.
O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and God.
Psalm 104
“Contemplation of the new creation in Christ”
By Saint King David the Psalmist.
About the composing of the good order.
Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God,
You have been greatly magnified.
You have put on confession and magnificence,
throwing light around Yourself as a mantle,
and stretching out Heaven just as a skin.
the LORD, covering His upper chambers with water,
making clouds His steps of approach:
He, walking about on the wings of the winds,
making His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire
He, laying the foundations of the earth for its stability
it shall not be bent unto the age of the age.
The abyss is His covering, like a mantle ;
the waters shall stand up above the mountains.
Because of Your rebuke, they shall flee ;
because of the voice of Your thunder, they shall be afraid.
The mountains go up, and the plains go down,
into the place where You founded them.
You placed a bound which they shall not pass,
nor shall they turn about, to cover the earth —
the LORD, sending out the springs in the ravines:
the waters shall pass between the mountains.
They shall give drink to all the wild beasts of the field;
the wild asses shall accept it for their thirst.
The birds of the sky shall make their nests by them;
from the midst of the rocks shall they give voice.
He it is, watering the mountains from His upper chambers:
from the fruit of Your works shall the earth be sated.
He it is, making grass spring up for the cattle,
and the green herb for the service of Men,
so that he may bring forth bread from the earth.
And wine makes glad the heart of Man,
so that he may make his face cheerful with oil,
and bread makes firm the heart of Man.
The trees of the plain shall be sated,
the cedars of Lebanon which You planted.
There the sparrows shall make their nests;
the habitation of the heron is chief amongst them.
The high mountains are for the hind;
the rocks are a refuge for the hedgehog.
He made the moon for seasons; the sun knows its setting.
You appointed darkness, and it became night;
in it shall move all the wild beasts of the thicket,
the cubs of the lion: roaring to snatch,
and to seek their food from God.
The sun has risen, and they have gathered together,
and in their dens shall they lie down.
Man shall go forth to his work, and to his tasks until evening.
How magnified are Your works, O LORD:
in Wisdom have You made them all.
The earth has been filled with Your creation: this sea, great and broad;
there, creeping things beyond number,
living things, the small with the great.
There ships move through; and this dragon which You fashioned to frolic in it.
All look to You to give them their nourishment in due time.
When You give to them, they shall gather:
when You open Your hand, all things shall be filled with loving-kindness.
But when You turn away Your Face, they shall be stirred up.
You will take away their spirit,
and they shall come to an end, and return to their dirt.
You will send out Your Spirit,
and they shall be created, and You will renew the face of the earth.
Let the glory of the LORD be unto the ages;
the LORD will be glad in His works —
He, looking attentively upon the earth, and making it tremble;
He, touching the mountains, and they smoke.
I shall sing to the LORD in my life;
I shall chant to my God as long as I exist.
May my conversation be sweet to Him, and I shall be glad in the LORD.
May sinners vanish from the earth,
and the lawless, so that they cease to exist.
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
O Lord,
I Have Cried
Necessary
Lord, I have cried unto Thee, hear me;
Hear me, O Lord.
Lord, I have cried unto Thee, hear me;
attend to the voice of my prayer,
when I cry unto Thee;
Hear me, O Lord. Let my prayer be directed
as incense before Thee,
the lifting up of my hands
as an evening sacrifice.
Hear me, O Lord
Psalm 140
Set a watch, O Lord upon my mouth,
and a gate of enclosure about my lips.
Incline not my heart to words of evil, to contrive excuses for sins,
with men that work iniquity, and I shall not join with their elect.
The righteous man shall correct me in mercy and reproach me,
but the oil of the sinner shall not anoint mine head.
For my prayer is still against their pleasure;
their judges are swallowed up among the stones.
They shall hear my words that have prevailed.
As clods of earth are broken upon the earth,
so our bones are scattered on the brink of hell.
To thee, O Lord, Lord, I turn mine eyes,
in thee I hope take not away my soul.
Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me,
and from the pitfalls of the workers of iniquity.
Let sinners fall into their own net, whilst I alone shall pass.
Psalm 141
With my voice I have cried unto the Lord,
with my voice I have prayed to the Lord.
I pour forth my prayer before him, and before him I declare my sorrow.
When my spirit departed from me thou knewest all my paths.
In this way where I was walking, they have hid a snare for me.
I looked to the right and I saw, and there is none that knew me.
A way of escape faileth me, and there is none that seeketh my soul.
I have cried unto thee, O Lord, and said,
thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living.
Attend to my prayer for I am exceedingly humbled.
Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are become stronger than I.
Alleluias
Necessary
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia – Glory to Thee, O God
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia – Glory to Thee, O God
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia – Glory to Thee, O God
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia – Glory to Thee, O God
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia – Glory to Thee, O God
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia – Glory to Thee,
Our God and our King, O God, Glory to Thee
Lord Have Mercy (Twelve Times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
both now and ever, unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
Stichera or Akathist Reading
A reading from the Liturgical materials
And then the stichera is read one section at a time, based on the day…followed by a response after each section.
V. (8) Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
Oh, the marvelous wonder!
The source of Life is laid in a grave,
and the tomb becomes a ladder to heaven.
Rejoice, Gethsemane, holy shrine of the Theotokos!
Let us, the faithful, cry out with Gabriel as our captain:
“Rejoice, O full of grace, the Lord is with you,//
He that grants the world great mercy through you!”
V. (7) Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
(Repeat: “Oh, the marvelous wonder!…”)
V. (6) If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You.
(Repeat: “Oh, the marvelous wonder!…”)
V. (5) For Your Name’s sake I wait for You, O Lord. My soul has waited for Your word; my soul has hoped on the Lord.
Oh, the wonder of your mysteries, pure Lady:
you were made the throne of the Most High,
and today you have passed from earth to heaven.
Your glory is full of splendor, shining with grace in divine brightness.
Virgins, be raised to the heights with the Mother of the King!
Rejoice, O full of grace, the Lord is with you,//
He that grants the world great mercy through you!
V. (4) From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch, let Israel hope on the Lord!
(Repeat: “Oh, the wonder of your mysteries…”)
V. (3) For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous redemption, and He will deliver Israel from all his iniquities.
(Repeat: “Oh, the wonder of your mysteries…”)
V. (2) Praise the Lord, all nations! Praise Him, all peoples!
The Dominions and Thrones, the Rulers, Principalities and Powers,
the Cherubim and fearsome Seraphim, glorify your falling asleep.
All those born of earth rejoice,
adorned with honor by your divine glory.
Kings fall down and sing with the Archangels and Angels:
“Rejoice, O full of grace, the Lord is with you,//
He that grants the world great mercy through you!”
V. (1) For His mercy is confirmed on us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.
(Repeat: “The Dominions and Thrones…”)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
By the divine command the God-bearing Apostles
were caught up by clouds from every place.
When they came to your all-pure body, the source of Life,
they kissed it most reverently.
The highest Powers of heaven were also present with their Master,
and seized with awe they escorted the inviolate body,
the body that had received God in the flesh.
In a manner beyond this world they went before it and invisibly cried out to the ranks above them:
“Behold, the Queen of all,
the Child of God, has come!
Lift up your gates, and in a manner beyond this world
receive the Mother of the everlasting Light,
for through her was accomplished the salvation of all the mortal race!
We cannot gaze upon her,
nor is it possible to render honor worthy of her,
for her excellence surpasses all understanding.”
Therefore, O immaculate Theotokos,
who live forever with your Son, the life-bearing King,
pray ceaselessly to Him to preserve the new people of God,
and to save them from every hostile assault,
for we have acquired your intercession,//
and to the ages, in manifest splendor, we call you blessed
O Gladsome Light!
O, Gladsome Light!
O Gladsome Light of the Holy Glory
of the Immortal, Heavenly, Holy, Blessed Father,
O Lord Jesus Christ!
Having come to the setting of the sun,
having beheld the evening light,
we praise the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: God.
It is always appropriate to praise you with happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life, O Source of All.
Therefore, the whole world glorifies Thee!
The Prokeimenon!
Prokeimenon
This section not read if there are no readings.
Continuing
Lord, have mercy. (Twelve times)
Now that the day has come to a close, I thank you Lord and ask that this evening may be sinless. Grant this to me O Saviour, and save me.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy name unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us as we hoped in you.
Blessed are you, Lord, teach me your statutes.
Blessed are you, Master, make me understand your statutes.
Blessed are you, Holy One, enlighten me by your statutes.
O Lord, Thy mercy endureth forever; disdain not the work of Thy hands. To Thee is due all praise.
To Thee is due a song.
To Thee all glory is due, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
Look favourably, O Lord, on this our evening prayer. Hear, O God, thy servants offering their evening prayers to Thy Name. Through the silent hours of the night please deign to watch over us and protect us whom Thou has protected in all the dangers of the day.
Grant, O Master, when we go to sleep, repose of body and soul. Keep us from the restless turning and the gloomy slumber of sin. Keep still our flesh and put to sleep all our earthly and material anxieties. Grant, O God, a watchful mind, chaste thoughts, a sober heart, and a tranquil sleep free from the temptation of Satan. Raise us up from sleep at the time of morning prayer well healed, rested and healthy that we may bless and praise thee again.
O most glorious, ever-virgin, blessed Theotokos, present our prayer and intercede on our behalf. Beneath thy compassion and mercy we take refuge, O Theotokos. Disdain not our supplication in time of distress but deliver us from danger, O pure and uniquely blessed one.
Rejoice O Virgin, Theotokos Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, for you have borne the Saviour of our souls. More honourable than the cherubim, more glorious than the seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Word. Pray for us.
both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
Amen
Dismissal
Now let Your servants depart in peace, O Master, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all peoples; a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (thrice)
Establish, O God, the Holy Orthodox Faith of Christians unto the ages of ages.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us.
O Lord, blot out our sins.
O Master, pardon our iniquities.
O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.
Theotokion
It is truly fitting to bless you, Theotokos, ever-blessed and all-blameless, and Mother of our God.
More honourable than the cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim; you who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, very Mother of God, we magnify you.
Kontakion to the Patron Saint
of this Chapel
Lord, have mercy (three times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
O Hieromartyr Cyprian, who left the service of the devil for the worship of the One true God, and were numbered among the Saints! Entreat Christ our God that we may be delivered from the snares of the evil one, and may vanquish the world, the flesh and the devil, that we may cry unto you:
Rejoice, O Hieromartyr Cyprian,
speedy helper and intercessor for our souls!
both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, of the righteous and god-fearing parents of the Theotokos Joaquim and Anna, of our holy and God-bearing fathers among the saints, Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, of Heiromartyr Cyprian and (saint of the day), have mercy on us and save us, for Thou art good and the Lover of mankind.
Amen.
Personal Prayers
(Insert personal, devotional prayers: for friends, family, enemies and the departed.)