The Rite of the 12 Psalms
This rite was brought from the Holy Mountain by the Venerable Dositheus, Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us! Amen. O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, who art everywhere and fillest all things, Treasury of blessings and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (3).
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; O Lord, cleanse our sins; O Master, pardon our transgressions; O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
Lord, have mercy (3).
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 the evil one.
Lord, have mercy (12).
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O come, let us worship God our King.
O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and our God.
O come, let us worship and fall down before the very Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God.
PSALM 26
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.
One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle.
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!
PSALM 31
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me.
I am become miserable, as if thorns were driven into me. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him.
You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”
Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you.
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
PSALM 56
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by.
I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up.
God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth.
They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen.
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth.
TRISAGION. After Our Father:
TROPARIA, Tone 1. Make haste to open to me Your fatherly embrace, for I have wasted my life in prodigality; looking upon the inexhaustible wealth of Your mercies, O Savior, do not despise my impoverished heart; for to You, O Lord, I cry in repentance: I have sinned, O Father, against heaven and before You.
GLORY: When You come, O God, to the earth with glory, and the whole universe trembles, and the river of fire flows before the judgment seat, and the books are opened and secrets revealed, then deliver me from the unquenchable fire and count me worthy to stand at Your right hand, O Judge most righteous.
NOW AND EVER: We know, O Mother of God, that you are truly a Virgin even after childbirth; to your goodness we all flee with love, for we sinners have you as our Intercessor, we have obtained you as our salvation in tribulations, O only All-Pure One.
Lord, have mercy (30). O come, let us worship...
PSALM 33
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.
The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken.
Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
PSALM 38
I said, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me.” I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up.
My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue: “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.”
Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.
And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the foolish. I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it.
Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; surely every man is vapor.
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, before I go away and am no more.
PSALM 40
Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.
I said, “Lord, be merciful to me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” My enemies speak evil of me: “When will he die, and his name perish?” And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; his heart gathers iniquity to itself; when he goes out, he tells it.
All who hate me whisper together against me; against me they devise my hurt. An evil disease clings to him: “Now that he lies down he will rise up no more.” Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them. By this I know that You are well pleased with me, because my enemy does not triumph over me. As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face forever.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.
TRISAGION. After Our Father:
TROPARIA, Tone 4. Visit my humble soul, which has spent its whole life in sins, O Lord; receive me as the harlot, and save me.
GLORY: O Lord, I, the wretched one, have spent my life in profligacy with harlots, but like the prodigal, I cry out in repentance: O Heavenly Father, I have sinned! Cleanse and save me, do not cast me away, though I myself have departed from You and have become impoverished through fruitless deeds.
NOW AND EVER: Let us sinners and humble ones now run with fervor to the Mother of God, and let us fall down, crying out in repentance from the depths of our souls: O Lady, help us, having compassion on us; make haste, for we are perishing from the multitude of sins; do not send your servants away empty, for we have you as our only hope.
Lord, have mercy (30).
O come, let us worship...
PSALM 69
Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord! Let them be ashamed and confounded who seek my life; let them be turned back and confused who desire my hurt.
Let them be turned back because of their shame, who say, “Aha, aha!”
Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let such as love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!”
But I am poor and needy; make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.
PSALM 70
In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline Your ear to me, and save me.
Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth. By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You.
I have become as a wonder to many, but You are my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails. For my enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.” O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!
Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life; let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt.
But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits.
I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works.
Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
Also with the lute I will praise You—and Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel.
My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, and my soul, which You have redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long; for they are confounded, for they are brought to shame who seek my hurt.
PSALM 76
I cried out to God with my voice—to God with my voice; and He gave ear to me.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.
You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search:
“Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?”
And I said, “This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.
Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You, they were afraid; the depths also trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound; Your arrows also flashed about.
The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known.
You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
TRISAGION, after Our Father:
TROPARIA, Tone 6. I ponder the fearful day and weep for my evil deeds; how shall I answer the immortal King, or with what boldness shall I look upon the Judge, I who am a prodigal! O most merciful Father, only-begotten Son, and Holy Spirit, have mercy on me!
GLORY: When You sit, O Merciful One, to perform righteous judgment, in the valley of weeping, in the place of which You have spoken, do not reveal my secrets and do not put me to shame before the angels, but spare me, O God, and have mercy on me.
NOW AND EVER: Open the doors of mercy to us, O blessed Mother of God, that we who hope in you may not perish, but through you may be delivered from tribulations, for you are the salvation of the Christian race.
Lord, have mercy (30).
O come, let us worship...
PSALM 101
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to You. Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; incline Your ear to me; in the day that I call, answer me speedily!
For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned like a hearth. My heart is stricken and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread. Because of the sound of my groaning my bones cling to my skin.
I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop. My enemies reproach me all day long, and those who deride me swear an oath against me.
For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, because of Your indignation and Your wrath; for You have lifted me up and cast me away. My days are like a shadow that lengthens, and I wither away like grass.
But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of Your name to all generations. You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come. For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, and show favor to her dust.
So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Your glory. For the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory. He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer.
This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord. For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven the Lord viewed the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to release those appointed to death, to declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem, when the peoples are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days. I said, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations.”
Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.
The children of Your servants will continue, and their descendants will be established before You.
THE PRAYER OF MANASSEH
O Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous seed; You who made heaven and earth with all their adornment; who bound the sea by the word of Your command; who shut up the deep and sealed it with Your terrible and glorious name; whom all things fear and tremble before the face of Your power; for the majesty of Your glory is unendurable, and the wrath of Your threat against sinners is unbearable; but the mercy of Your promise is immeasurable and unsearchable; for You are the Lord Most High, compassionate, long-suffering, and very merciful, and You relent at the evils of men.
You, O Lord, according to Your great goodness, have promised repentance and forgiveness to those who have sinned against You, and in the multitude of Your mercies You have appointed repentance for sinners for salvation.
Therefore, O Lord, God of hosts, You have not appointed repentance for the righteous, for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who have not sinned against You, but You have appointed repentance for me, a sinner; for I have sinned more than the number of the sands of the sea. My transgressions are multiplied, O Lord, and I am not worthy to look up and see the height of heaven because of the multitude of my iniquities. I am bowed down with many iron chains, so that I cannot lift up my head, and there is no relief for me, for I have provoked Your wrath and done evil before You, not doing Your will and not keeping Your commandments.
And now I bow the knees of my heart, beseeching Your goodness; I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I know my transgressions; but I ask, praying: forgive me, O Lord, forgive me, and do not destroy me with my transgressions, nor be angry with me forever, nor store up evil for me, nor condemn me to the depths of the earth; for You are, O God, the God of those who repent, and in me You will show all Your goodness; for, unworthy as I am, You will save me according to Your great mercy, and I will praise You always all the days of my life; for all the powers of heaven sing Your praises, and Yours is the glory forever and ever. Amen.
THE GREAT DOXOLOGY
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You. We give thanks to You for Your great glory, O Lord, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty; O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit, O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
You who take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; You who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For You only are holy, You only are the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Grant, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin. Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Your name forever. Amen.
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You. Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes. Blessed are You, O Master, make me understand Your statutes. Blessed are You, O Holy One, enlighten me with Your statutes. O Lord, You have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: Lord, have mercy on me and heal my soul, for I have sinned against You. O Lord, to You I have fled; teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we shall see light. Continue Your mercy to those who know You.
PRAYER OF ST. EUSTRATIUS
Magnifying, I magnify You, O Lord, for You have looked upon my humility and have not left me in the hands of the enemy, but have saved my soul from distress. And now, O Master, let Your hand cover me, and let Your mercy come upon me, for my soul is troubled and in pain in its departure from this my wretched and defiled body, lest the evil ambush of the enemy meet it and trip it up in the darkness for my conscious and unconscious sins of this life. Be merciful to me, O Master, and let my soul not see the gloomy gaze of the evil demons, but let Your bright and most bright angels receive it. Give glory to Your holy name and by Your power lead me to Your divine judgment. During the judgment over me, let not the hand of the prince of this world seize me to cast me, a sinner, into the depths of hell, but stand by me and be my Savior and Intercessor, for these bodily torments are a joy to Your servants. Have mercy, O Lord, on my soul, which is defiled by the passions of this life, and receive it cleansed by repentance and confession, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.
TRISAGION, after Our Father:
TROPARIA, Tone 8. With a merciful eye, O Lord, look upon my humility; for my life is being spent and there is no salvation for me from my deeds; therefore I pray: with a merciful eye, O Lord, look upon my humility and save me.
GLORY: My life is ending, and Your fearful throne is being prepared, my life is passing, judgment awaits me, threatening me with fiery torment and unquenchable flame; grant me a cloud of tears and quench its power, for You desire that all men should be saved.
NOW AND EVER: You who for our sake were born of a Virgin and endured crucifixion, O Good One, who by death trampled down death and as God revealed the resurrection, do not despise those whom You have created with Your hand; show Your love for mankind, O Merciful One; accept the Mother of God who gave birth to You, who prays for us, and save, O our Savior, a despairing people.
LORD, HAVE MERCY (30).
Dismissal
Source: kyrios.org.ua