The Byzantine office of Small Compline, the evening prayer before sleep.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
Glory to you, our God and our hope, glory to you!
O heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, who are everywhere present and fill all things, treasury of blessings and giver of life, come and dwell in us, cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3 times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
O most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, forgive our sins; Master, pardon our transgressions; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for your name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down before our King and God.
Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ, our King and God.
Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ himself, our King and God.
Psalm 50 (51)
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy; in the abundance of your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you alone have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right in your words and prevail when you are judged.
See, I was conceived in iniquity, and in sin my mother bore me.
For you love truth; you have shown me the hidden and secret things of your wisdom.
You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; you will wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. You will let me hear joy and gladness, and my humbled bones will rejoice.
Turn your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create a pure heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
Give me back the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a guiding spirit.
Then I will teach the wicked your ways, and the ungodly will turn back to you.
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation, and my tongue will rejoice in your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
Had you wanted sacrifice, I would have given it; but you take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and humbled heart God will not despise.
In your good pleasure, O Lord, do good to Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be rebuilt.
Then you will delight in the sacrifice of righteousness, in offerings and burnt offerings.
Then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Psalm 69 (70)
O God, come to my aid; O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let those who seek my life be put to shame and confounded.
Let those who wish me harm be turned back and disgraced.
Let those who mock me be turned away at once in shame.
Let all who seek you, O God, rejoice and be glad in you.
And let those who love your salvation say always: “May the Lord be magnified!”
But I am poor and needy; O God, help me.
You are my helper and my deliverer, O Lord; do not delay.
Psalm 142 (143)
O Lord, hear my prayer; in your truth give ear to my pleading; answer me in your righteousness.
Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living will be found righteous before you.
For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground.
He has made me sit in darkness like those long dead; my spirit is weary within me, and my heart is troubled inside me.
I remembered the days of old, I meditated on all your works, I pondered the work of your hands.
I stretched out my hands to you; my soul longs for you like a land without rain.
Answer me quickly, O Lord, for my spirit fails.
Do not turn your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down into the pit.
Let me hear your mercy in the morning, for in you I have put my trust.
Make known to me, O Lord, the way I should walk,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I have fled to you for refuge; teach me to do your will, for you are my God.
Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
For your name’s sake, O Lord, give me life.
In your righteousness bring my soul out of distress, and in your mercy destroy my enemies.
And destroy all those who afflict my soul, for I am your servant.
The Great Doxology
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among people. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory. O Lord, King, heavenly God, Father almighty; O Lord, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who bear 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, and have mercy on us. For you alone are holy, you alone are the Lord, Jesus Christ, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. Every day I will bless you, and praise your name for ever and ever. Lord, you have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: Lord, have mercy on me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you. Lord, I have fled to you for refuge; teach me to do your will, for you are my God. For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we shall see light. Extend your mercy to those who know you. Grant, O Lord, that we may be kept this night without sin. Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is your name for ever. Amen. Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have put our hope in you.
Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes.
Blessed are you, O Holy One; enlighten us with your statutes.
Lord, your mercy endures for ever; do not despise the work of your hands. To you belongs praise, to you belongs song, to you is due glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
The Creed
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, through whom all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried. He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke through the prophets.
In one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen.
It is truly right to call you blessed, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and all-immaculate, the Mother of our God. More honourable than the cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, true Theotokos, we magnify you.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3 times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
O most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, forgive our sins; Master, pardon our transgressions; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for your name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us; for, at a loss for any defence, we sinners offer you this supplication, O Master: have mercy on us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have put our trust in you; do not be very angry with us, and do not remember our iniquities. But look on us now, since you are compassionate, and deliver us from our enemies; for you are our God and we are your people; we are all the work of your hands, and we call on your name.
Now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
Open to us the door of compassion, O blessed Theotokos; hoping in you, we shall not be disappointed; through you may we be delivered from all adversity, for you are the salvation of Christians.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us and save us, only-begotten Son of God, who at all times and at every hour, in heaven and on earth, are worshipped and glorified; Christ God, long-suffering, rich in mercy and abounding in compassion, who love the righteous and have mercy on sinners, who call all to salvation through the promise of blessings to come. O Lord, receive our prayers at this hour, and direct our lives towards the keeping of your commandments. Sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, set our thoughts right, cleanse our intentions; deliver us from all sorrow, evil and pain. Surround us with your holy angels, so that, guarded and guided by their host, we may attain to the unity of the faith and to the knowledge of your unapproachable glory, for you are blessed for ever and ever. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
More honourable than the cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, true Theotokos, we magnify you.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Most holy Theotokos, save us
Spotless Lady, pure Virgin, unblemished Bride of God, free from every stain, who by your wondrous child-bearing united God the Word with mankind and joined the outcast nature of our race to the heavenly ones; hope of those who have no hope but you, help of those who struggle, ready aid of those who run to you, refuge of all Christians: do not reject me, a guilty sinner, wholly defiled by shameful thoughts, words and deeds, who through laziness have become a slave to the pleasures of this life. But since you are the Mother of God who loves mankind, bend down in compassion over me, an exceeding sinner, and accept the prayer I offer you from my unclean lips. With the motherly boldness you have before your Son, our Lord and Master, entreat him to open to me the depths of his love for mankind, his compassion and his goodness, to overlook my countless faults, to bring me back to repentance, and to make me a tried and faithful doer of his commandments. Be always near me, merciful, compassionate and loving one. In this present life, by your fervent intercession and help, ward off from me the evil assaults of the adversary and lead me to salvation. At the departure of my wretched soul, come to my aid and drive far from me the dark visions of evil spirits. And on the dreadful day of judgment, deliver me from eternal punishment and make me an heir of the ineffable honour and glory of your Son and our God, which may I obtain through your mediation and help, O most holy Theotokos, my Lady, by the grace and kindness of your only-begotten Son, our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ, and his love for mankind; to him belong all glory, honour and worship, with his Father who is without beginning and his all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever.
And grant us, O Master, as we go to sleep, rest of soul and body; keep us from the dark sleep of sin and from every dark desire. Calm the surge of the passions, quench the fiery darts of the evil one that are craftily hurled against us; still the unrest of our flesh and lull to sleep every earthly and fleshly thought. Grant us, O God, a watchful mind, a pure thought, a wakeful heart, and a light sleep, free from every satanic fantasy. Raise us up at the hour of prayer, steadfast in your commandments and holding always within us the remembrance of your judgments. Grant us to sing your glory all night long, to praise, bless and glorify your all-honoured and majestic name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
O most glorious, ever-virgin, blessed Theotokos, present our prayer to your Son and our God, and plead with him to save our souls through you.
The Father is my hope, the Son is my refuge, the Holy Spirit is my protection: O Holy Trinity, glory to you.
All my hope I place in you, O Mother of God: keep me under your protection.
Prayer to the guardian angel
Holy angel, who stand by my wretched soul and my lowly life, do not abandon me, a sinner, and do not depart from me because of my excesses. Give no opportunity to the evil demon to rule this mortal body of mine by his power; but take hold of my wretched and feeble hand and guide me on the way of salvation. Yes, holy angel of God, guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me for everything by which I have grieved you all the days of my life; and if I have sinned this day, protect me this night and guard me from every snare of the adversary, so that I may not anger God by any sin. Intercede for me with Christ God, that he may make me steadfast in his fear and make me a servant worthy of his goodness. Amen.
We, your servants, O Theotokos, inscribe to you songs of victory, O invincible Champion, and offer you thanksgiving as the one who delivers us from dangers. Since you have power that cannot be overcome, free us from every kind of danger, so that we may cry to you: Rejoice, O Bride unwedded!
O Theotokos, we take refuge under the shelter of your compassion; do not disregard our prayers in our need, but deliver us from dangers, O only pure and blessed one.
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
