Weekday Vespers

A number of Orthodox Christians like to make daily Vespers their evening prayer and so we hope provide over the next few weeks the texts for Vespers for weekdays in the eight tones from the Octoichos.

On weekdays there are always six stichera at ‘Lord, I have cried’, of which three are normally taken from the Octoichos and three from the Menaion. In some monasteries two are taken from the first set in the Octoichos and one from the second. If the Menaia are not to hand, the General Menaion may be used, or, if one prefers, all six from the Octoichos, which was probably the older use. If the Saints of the day have their own doxastikon, then the strict Typikon orders all six stichera to be from the Menaion, with the stichera doubled.

On Friday evening the first Theotokion is always that used on the preceding Saturday evening, regardless of the tone of the doxastikon, if there is one.

The Psalm verses for the Aposticha can be found on Sunday, except for those for Friday, which are special.

The phrase which ends many troparia in Greek, literally ‘the great mercy‘, I translate by ‘his/your great mercy‘, because it echoes the opening of Psalm 50, which in Greek literally means ‘the great mercy of you‘; in English, ‘your great mercy‘.

In Tone 1 all the stichera for ‘Lord , I have cried’ use one of two melodies, ‘All-praised Martyrs’ and ‘Joy of the heavenly hosts’. The ‘Automela’, or ‘model’ troparia, can be found at the Aposticha; the former on both Wednesday and Friday and the latter on Sunday. That on Friday occurs, somewhat curiously, among a set of Idiomela. None of the translations of these texts is metrical.

AT VESPERS

Through goodness you brought all things into being, Lord, by your Word and Spirit[1]; then you made me, a rational animal[2], that I might glorify your holy name, O All-powerful; but instead I ever dishonour it by my shameful deeds: but spare me I beg.

Learn, my wretched soul, of God’s kindness and the incorruptible fatherland, and ever hasten to obtain it by good works. Fix to yourself nothing of things which perish; your destiny is on high, while the body is earth and decays; may what is worse not defeat the better.

Come, my most miserable soul, with fervent tears approach the One who is supremely good; before your judgement confess all that you have done; make the Creator have pity on you, poor wretch, and ask pardon, before the Lord shuts the door against you[3].

Bodiless Angels, who stand before the throne of God and blaze with the rays that shine from there, who gleam eternally with light outpoured, and are named the second lights, intercede with Christ that peace be given to our souls and his great mercy.

Immortal Angels of God, all-blessed ones, who from the first life have truly received life that cannot be destroyed, and, as revered beholders of eternal glory, have become filled with the light of eternal wisdom and revealed as torches in close serried ranks.

Archangels, Angels, Principalities, Thrones, Dominions, six-winged Seraphim and many-eyed Cherubim, the godlike instruments of wisdom, Powers and most godly Rulers[4], intercede with Christ that peace be given to our souls and his great mercy.

Mary, the unblemished chariot[5] of purity that surpasses every mind, direct me, who am held fast and hemmed in by many sins, to the broad plain of repentance by your all-powerful protection, for, as Mother of the One who is strong in every way, you can do this.

Because I have sunk in the deep ocean of my transgressions, Saviour, and have been dreadfully overwhelmed by my offences, give me your hand, O God, as to Peter, and save me[6].

Verse 1. I have lifted my eyes, to you who dwell in heaven. Behold as the eyes of servants look to their lords’ hands; as the eyes of a maid to her mistress’s hands, so do our eyes to the Lord our God, until you take pity on us.

Because I have been condemned, O Saviour, by my evil thoughts and deeds, grant me the idea of turning back, O God, that I may cry, ‘Save me, good Benefactor, and have mercy on me’.

Verse 2. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have had our fill of contempt, our soul has been filled to overflowing. Let reproach be for the prosperous, and contempt for the proud.

At the intercession, Lord, of all the Saints and of the Mother of God, give us your peace and have mercy on us, as you alone are full of pity.

Joy of the heavenly hosts, mighty defence of humans upon earth, immaculate Virgin, save us who have recourse to you, for, after God, we have placed all our hope in you.

ON MONDAY EVENING

AT VESPERS

Wholly drowned in a sea of sins and held fast in an abyss of offences, I cry to you, Master supremely good, ‘Ransom me from troubles and from trials of many different kinds, and from the unquenchable fire’.

Sunk deep in despair and full of hostile thoughts, in my wretchedness I have put all my hopes in you, O Word of God: ransom me from invisible and visible foes.

You took pity, O Creator, on every creature through your love for humankind, and your ineffable poverty, O Word of God, who take away the sin of the world[7] as you as compassionate. Take away my burden also and lighten my most heavy yoke[8].

Wondrous Prophet, Baptist and Forerunner of Christ, through your prayers make my heart, which is dried up through offences, flow with ever-flowing rivers of tears I beg you, so that I, who am much-pained, may be saved and magnify him who magnified you.

Blest Prophet, I place all my hopes and the life of my expectation in you. You baptized Christ Jesus, the abyss, who takes away the offences of the world; implore him, John, I beg you, to cleanse my heart and save me.

Herald of the grace of Christ, godly Forerunner, who proclaimed repentance [9]beforehand to all the nations, guide my wretched and fevered soul to cleave to repentance and ever to do the wishes of the Lord, that with faith and love I may glorify you.

Pure Virgin, you alone were declared the dwelling of the Light which shone out from the Father[10]; therefore I cry to you: Make bright my soul, darkened by the passions, with the light of the virtues, and make her dwell in tents of light on the day of judgement, O Immaculate.

Because the sea of my faults is great, O Saviour, and I have been drowned deep by my offences, give me your hand as once you did to Peter, save me, O God, and have mercy on me.

Because I have been condemned by evil ideas and deeds, O Saviour, grant me the thought of returning, O God, that I may cry, ‘Good Benefactor, save me, and have mercy on me’.

Your confession in the stadium, O Saints, routed the power of the demons and freed humankind from error. And so, as your heads were cut off, you cried, ‘May the sacrifice of our lives be acceptable to you, O Lord, because longing for you we despised this temporary life, O Lover of humankind’.

Accepting the supplications of sinners and not despising the groaning of the afflicted, intercede with the One who came from your pure womb, All-holy Virgin, that we may be saved.

ON TUESDAY EVENING

AT VESPERS

You stretched out your immaculate palms on a Tree, O Christ, and covered your fingers with blood, for you wished, O Lover of humankind, to redeem the work of your hands: Adam who by his transgression was held fast by the kingdom of death and whom you raised by your all-mighty power.

By being nailed to the Cross as man, Christ our God, you made human nature divine; by slaying the serpent you freed us from the curse which came from the tree[11], as you are compassionate becoming a curse[12] yourself and granting the world blessing and your great mercy.

All honour being your due in that other world, compassionate Master, you were well-pleased to be dishonoured, undergoing the shameful death on the Tree, through which the human race plucked immortality and regained its former life, when you died in the flesh, O All-powerful.

From agonising pain in the feet, paralysis of knees, fracture of limbs and joints, weakness of hands and feet, rescue me, O All Pure, and from the harm that comes from different fluxes, keeping me undefiled by all of these by the love of my God and Fashioner.

Wretch that I am, I bowed down beneath dreadful passions, and I have done wholly profligate deeds of shame, whose base images and fantasies even now batter, confuse and turn me to sensual enjoyment of them in the sensations of my heart. But do you, O Pure one, save me.

My life has become full of many temptations, O All-pure, from the many evils with which I have offended; but ransom me from both and give me both a mind and a life that are without offence and a sober reason, that in faith I may call you blessed and glorify your godly name.

The Virgin, when she saw your unjust slaughter, O Christ, cried out to you in bitter grief, ‘My sweetest Child, how are you suffering unjustly? How hanging on the Tree, you that hung the whole earth on the waters? Do not, compassionate Benefactor, leave me alone, your Mother and your servant.

A Cross was fixed on Calvary and flowered with immortality for us from an inexhaustible spring, the Saviour’s side.

The Saviour’s precious Cross is for us an unbreachable wall; for by trusting in it we are all saved.

O the excellence of your deeds, O Saints! For you shed your blood, and inherited heaven; you were tried for a time, and rejoice eternally. Truly excellent your exchange, for you abandoned things corruptible and received things incorruptible, and dancing with the Angels you ceaselessly hymn the consubstantial Trinity.

‘A sword has passed through my heart’ said the Virgin, as she saw Christ hanging on the tree, ‘and it rends me, as Symeon foretold to me of old[13]. But arise, O Immortal, and glorify your Mother and handmaid with yourself, I pray’.

ON WEDNESDAY EVENING

AT VESPERS

Glorious Apostles of Christ, disciples called by God, teachers of the whole world, having found the Lord, the Mediator between God and men, you were divinely joined to him and you proclaimed him clearly in the world as perfect God and perfect man.

All-wise Apostles, intercede that I may shake off the folly of my soul, as you have been declared to be truly initiates and revealers of wisdom. Lighting the light of the Paraclete and burning out the rottenness of my mind, make me worthy to call you blessed.

Apostles, who saw God, flooded the whole round world with divine teachings and dimmed the darkness of the idols, enlighten my soul, darkened by the passions; and now intercede that our souls may be given God’s peace and great mercy.[14]

Flying around the flowers of the Church, like a nestling from the nest of the Angels on high, thrice-blessed Nicolas, you ever cry to God on behalf of all of us in the constraints of dangers and temptations, and you free us by your prayers.

Surveying the beauties of things unseen, you understood that dread glory, O holy of holies. Therefore you make manifest to us the heavenly utterances of those ever-living contemplations, most holy one.

By practical virtues you made the beauty of your sacred vestment more resplendent, god-bearing Father. Therefore you minister to us the wonders of those far-famed contemplations, rescuing us from dangers.

Virgin Mother of God who did not know wedlock, who gave birth to God in the last times and who was revealed again after childbirth to be a pure virgin, throne[15] and gate[16] and mystical table[17] and lampstand[18] formed of light.

The harmonious lyre of the Apostles, struck by the Holy Spirit has abolished the rites of the loathsome demons, and by proclaiming the one Lord has freed the nations from the error of idols and taught them to worship the consubstantial Trinity.

Let us together sing the praises of Peter and Paul, Luke, Matthew, Mark, John, Andrew, Thomas, Bartholomew, Simon the Canaanite, James, Philip; and let us fittingly praise the whole assembly of the Disciples.

All-praised Martyrs, earth did not hide you, but heaven received you; For you the gates of Paradise[19] stood open, and now within you enjoy the Tree of life[20]. Intercede with Christ that there be granted to our souls his peace and his great mercy.

Virgin all-praised, Moses with prophetic eyes saw the mystery that is in you, the bush that though in flames was unburned[21]. For the fire of the Godhead did not burn up your womb, pure Maiden. And so we ask you, as Mother of our God, to grant peace to the world.

Of old the Forefather tasted death through a tree[22]; but now through a precious Tree all the faithful are ransomed from the condemnation of death. All that has breath[23], let us glorify him who was willingly crucified for us, and who has given light to the ends of the earth[24].

Hardened in heart, wholly in despair with evil thoughts and being condemned, I cry out to you: Word of God, alleviate my hidden offences and the disordered movements of my thoughts, for you are compassionate.

We boast in your Cross, O merciful Christ; and, as through it we utterly destroy the enemy’s deceit, we sing your praise without ceasing: for willingly lifted up on it in your goodness, O Compassionate, you have wrought our salvation in the midst of the earth[25].

O All-holy Virgin, I ever declare you to be my salvation; in you I am confident of being saved. Snatch me then from every harm, corruption and passion; from unlooked for evil; and above all from the merciless instinct for avarice.

Again I call on you, Virgin, Sovereign Lady, against this passion of love of money, for truly I fear its attacks more than those of a wild beast. For love of money[26], even in little thrifty things, is condemned for them.

Mother of God, give me mighty strength each day to look with a joyful purpose and generous disposition on paupers and strangers and the multitudes of poor, to embrace non-possession which can make me God’s own.

When the blameless Virgin saw the Lamb suspended on a Cross, she cried out in lamentation, ‘My sweetest Child, what is this new and wondrous sight? How are you, the One who holds all things in the hollow of your hand, nailed in flesh to a tree?’

The Cross was planted on Calvary, and blossomed for us with immortality from the ever-flowing spring of the Saviour’s side.

The Saviour’s precious Cross is an unbreachable wall; for as we have trusted in it we are all saved.

At the prayers of your Saints, O Lord, and of the Mother of God, give us your peace, and have mercy on us, for you alone are compassionate.

‘Lifted up on the Cross as the just judge, my sweetest Child, by tasting vinegar and gall[27] you have made sweet the bitterness that Adam tasted of old; therefore, Master, bring sweetness to me, who taste the bitter potion of your suffering, by rising again as All-powerful’, cried the Virgin as she wept.

At Lord, I have cried we insert Stichera from the Menaion and of the Saint of the Monastery. If there is nothing in the Menaion, the following Prosomia.

Of old I died by eating from a tree, urged on by the advice of a serpent, and was exiled, wretch that I am, from your glory. And so, poor fool, I have been put to death by sin. Then, Lover of mankind, alone easily reconciled, make me an inhabitant of Paradise.

Having abandoned all things, my soul, consider your last hour, and make sure you are prepared for your departure, lest sudden death, finding you unprepared, come and take you. And so, ever watchful, pray[28] to the Lord and weep.

Slay the thought of the passions that trouble me, and calm my disordered movements by your divine authority, my God, for you are easily reconciled, compassionate and lover of humankind, granting me, in your compassion, forgiveness of faults, through the wealth of your loving kindness.

Holy Bride of God, make me holy, sanctified and sober, meek, still, well-ordered, upright and devout, true, courageous, prudent, long-suffering, good, fair and measured, blameless, unblemished and without censure, and beyond all these a partaker in Paradise.

Most pure Virgin, I have become fuel for shameless prodigality, an investigator of transgression, a teacher of passions, a guide to lust, entertainer of licentiousness, advocate of intemperance, and I have also taken pleasure in the thought of them. But deliver me from all destruction.

Dread torrents of sin dreadfully buffet me, pains of Hell[29] surround me, the spiritual snare of death awaits me. Merciful Lady, I cry out to you with grief in my heart, ‘Hasten, snatch me now from the death of despair and from the destruction of Hell.

Let us hymn the whole world’s glory, engendered from humankind and who gave birth to the Master, the Gate of heaven[30], Mary the Virgin, the song of the Bodiless Powers and adornment of the faithful; for she has been proclaimed Heaven and Temple of the Godhead. She, by destroying the middle wall of enmity[31], has brought peace instead and thrown open the King’s palace. Therefore, holding fast to her as anchor of the faith, we have as champion the Lord born from her. Take courage therefore, take courage, people of God[32]; for he will make war on the foe as All-powerful.

Your brave confession in the stadium, O Saints, cowed the power of the demons and freed mankind from error; and therefore, as your heads were being struck off, you cried, ‘May the sacrifice of our lives, Lord, be well-pleasing before you; for longing for you, we despised this temporary life, O Lover of mankind’.

How fair your enterprise, O Saints! For you gave your blood and received heaven as your inheritance. You were tested for a time and now rejoice eternally. Truly your trading was fair! For you abandoned things corruptible and received things incorruptible, and now, as you dance with the Angels, you sing without ceasing the praise of the consubstantial Trinity.

All-praised Martyrs, earth did not hide you, but heaven received you. For you the gates of Paradise stood open, and now within you enjoy the Tree of life. Intercede with Christ that there be granted to our souls his peace and great mercy.

What pleasure in life remains without its share of sorrow? What glory stands on earth unchanged? All things are feebler than a shadow; all things are more deceptive than dreams; one instant, and death supplants them all. But give rest in the light of your countenance to those whom you have chosen, O Christ, and in the sweetness of your beauty, as you love humankind.

Holy Virgin Mother of God we greet you with our ‘Hail!’[33], honoured treasure of the whole inhabited world, unquenchable lamp, place[34] that contained the Uncontainable, temple that cannot be destroyed[35]. Hail to you, from whom was born the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world[36].

[When it is Alleluia, the Martyrika are sung at Lord, I have cried, while at the Aposticha we say the 1st Martyrikon and the two for the Dead.]

[1] Cf. Gen 1,1-3.

[2] Cf. Gen. 2,7.

[3] Matt. 25:10.

[4] This list derives from passages like Romans 8,38 and Colossians 1,16, but its precise form of Nine Choirs comes from Denys the Areopagite, On the Heavenly Hierarchy, 6,2 [PG 3:200-201].

[5] Cf. Ezekiel 1.

[6] Matt. 14:28-30.

[7] John 1:29.

[8] Matt. 11:28-30.

[9] Matt. 3:2.

[10] Cf. Nicene Creed.

[11] Gen. 3.

[12] Deut. 21:23, Gal.3:13.

[13] Luke 2:34-35.

[14] Psalm 50:1.

[15] Exod 1:26.

[16] Eze 44:1-3.

[17] Exod. 25:23-30.

[18] Exod 25:31-35.

[19] Gen 3:24.

[20] Gen 2:29; 3.24.

[21] Exod 3:2.

[22] Gen 1-7.

[23] Psalm 150:6. The only occurrence of the phrase in the Bible.

[24] Cf. Tobit 13:13, following the text of the Codex Sinaiticus, which is followed by some modern translations.

[25] Psalm 73:12.

[26] 1 Tim. 6:10.

[27] Psalm 68:22; Matt. 27:34.

[28] Matt. 26:41.

[29] Psalm 17:6.

[30] Gen. 28:17.

[31] Eph. 2:14.

[32] Baruch 4:5.

[33] Luke 1:28.

[34] Cf. Eze 3:12, where the words, ‘Blessed be the glory of the Lord, from his place’ occur, when the divine Chariot, also used as a type of the Mother of God, at the end of his initial vision and call.

[35] Cf. John 2:19.

[36] John 1:29