The First Hour

Priest: Blessed is our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

    O Heavenly King, the Comforter the Spirit of Truth; Who art everywhere present and fillest all things; Treasury of blessings and Giver of Life; come and abide in us and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

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    From Pascha to the Apodosis of Pascha, the following is chanted thrice:

    Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

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Reader: Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal! Have mercy upon us. (3x)

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 upon us. O Lord: cleanse us from our sins. O Master pardon our transgressions.O Holy One: visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.

Lord have mercy. (3x)

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.

Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory: now and ever and unto the ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. Lord have mercy. (12x) Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Come, let us worship God, our King!
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and our God!
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself our King and our God!

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From Pascha to the Apodosis of Pascha, the following is chanted thrice:

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

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Psalm 5

    Unto my words give ear, O Lord; hear my cry.
    Attend unto the voice of my supplication, O my King and my God; for unto Thee will I pray, O Lord.
    In the morning Thou shalt hear my voice.
    In the morning shall I stand before Thee, and Thou shalt look upon me; for not a God that willest iniquity art Thou.
    He that worketh evil shall not dwell near Thee, nor shall transgressors abide before Thine eyes.
    Thou hast hated all them that work iniquity; Thou shalt destroy all them that speak a lie. A man that is bloody and deceitful shall the Lord abhor. But as for me, in the multitude of Thy mercy shall I go into    Thy house; I shall worship toward Thy holy temple in fear of Thee.
    O Lord, guide me in the way of Thy righteousness; because of mine enemies, make straight my way    before Thee, for in their mouth there is no truth; their heart is vain.
    Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues have they spoken deceitfully; judge them, O God.
    Let them fall down on account of their own devisings; according to the multitude of their ungodliness, cast them out, for they have embittered Thee, O Lord.
    And let all them be glad that hope in Thee; they shall ever rejoice, and Thou shalt dwell among them.
    And all shall glory in Thee that love Thy name, for thou shalt dwell among them.
    And all shall glory in Thee that love Thy name, for Thou shalt bless the righteous.
    O Lord, as with a shield of Thy good pleasure hast Thou crowned us.

Psalm 89

    Lord, Thou hast been our refuge in generation and generation.
    Before the mountains came to be and the earth was formed and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art.
    Turn not man away unto lowliness; yea, Thou has said: Turn back, ye sons of men.
    For a thousand years in Thine eyes, O Lord, are but as yesterday that is past, and as a watch in the night.
    Things of no account shall their years be; in the morning like grass shall man pass away.
    In the morning shall he bloom and pass away, in the evening shall he fall and grow withered and dry.
    For we have fainted away in Thy wrath, and in Thine anger have we been troubled.
    Thou has set our iniquities before Thee; our lifespan is in the light of Thy countenance.
    For all our days are faded away, and in Thy wrath are we fainted away; our years have, like a spider, spun out their tale.
    As for the days of our years, in their span they be threescore years and ten.
    And if we be in strength, mayhap fourscore years; and what is more than these is toil and travail.
    For mildness is come upon us, and we shall be chastened.
    Who knoweth the might of Thy wrath?
    And out of fear of Thee, who can recount Thine anger?
    So make Thy right hand known to me, and to them that in their heart are instructed in wisdom.
    Return, O Lord; how long?
    And be Thou entreated concerning Thy servants.
    We were filled in the morning with Thy mercy, O Lord, and we rejoiced and were glad.
    In all our days, let us be glad for the days wherein Thou didst humble us, for the years wherein we saw evils.
    And look upon Thy servants, and upon Thy works, and do Thou guide their sons.
    And let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us, and the works of our hands do Thou guide aright upon us, yea, the work of our hands do Thou guide aright.

Psalm 100

    Of mercy and judgment will I sing unto Thee, O Lord; I will chant and have understanding in a blameless path.
    When wilt Thou come unto me?
    I have walked in the innocence of my heart in the midst of my house.
    I have no unlawful thing before mine eyes; the workers of transgressions I have hated.
    A crooked heart hath not cleaved unto me; as for the wicked man who turned from me, I knew him not.
    Him that privily talked against his neighbour did I drive away from me.
    With him whose eye was proud and his heart insatiate, I did not eat.
    Mine eyes were upon the faithful of the land, that they might sit with me; the man that walked in the blameless path, he ministered unto me.
    The proud doer dwelt not in the midst of my house; the speaker of unjust things prospered not before mine eyes.
    In the morning I slew all the sinners of the land, utterly to destroy out of the city of the Lord all them that work iniquity.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
        Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory be to Thee O God. (thrice)

        Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)

Here we say the first Troparion, if there be two.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Here we say the appointed Troparion (or second if there be two).

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

What shall we call thee, O thou that art full of grace? Heaven: for thou hast dawned forth the Sun of Righteousness. Paradise: for thou hast blossomed forth the Flower of immortality. Virgin: for thou has remained incorrupt. Pure Mother: for thou has held in thy holy embrace the Son, the God of all. Do thou entreat Him to save our souls.

My steps do Thou direct according to Thy saying, and let no iniquity have dominion over me. Deliver me from the false accusation of me, and I will keep Thy commandments. Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant, and teach me Thy statutes.

Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise, O Lord, that I may him Thy glory and Thy majesty all the day long.

Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal! Have mercy upon us. (3x)

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 upon us. O Lord: cleanse us from our sins. O Master pardon our transgressions.O Holy One: visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.

Lord have mercy. (3x)

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.

Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory: now and ever and unto the ages of ages.

Reader: Amen. And he saith the kontakion of the feast, or of the saint of the day. If there be two kontakia, he saith the kontakion with was chanted after the Third Ode at Matins.

Lord, have mercy. (12x)

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 tot eh unity of the faith and the knowledge of Thine unapproachable glory; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

More honorable than the cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim! Without defilement thou gavest birth to God the word; true Theotokos, we magnify thee.

In the name of the Lord, father (master), bless.

Priest: God be bountiful to us and bless us. Show the light of Thy countenances upon us and be merciful unto us.

Reader: Amen.

Priest: O Christ the true light, Who enlightenest and sanctifiest every man that cometh into the world; Let the light of Thy countenance be signed upon us, that in it we may see the unapproachable Light, and guide our steps in the doing of Thy commandments, through the intercessions of Thy most pure Mother, and of all Thy saints. Amen.

Choir: To Thee victorious leader, we, thy servants dedicated a feast of victory and of thanksgiving as ones rescued out of sufferings, O Theotokos; but as thou art one with might which is invincible, from all dangers that can be do thou deliver us, that we may cry to thee: Rejoice! thou Bride unwedded.

Priest: Glory to Thee, O Christ God, our Hope, glory to Thee.

Choir: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord. have mercy. (Thrice)

And the priest saith the Dismissal.

Choir: Amen. Lord, have mercy. (Thrice).

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