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Midnight 2

Midnight

The Second Watch

INTRODUCTION TO EVERY HOUR

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.

Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord bless us. Amen.

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

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Make us worthy to pray thankfully:

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 evil, in Christ Jesus our Lord. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Let us give thanks to the beneficent and merciful God, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for He has covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us unto Him, spared us, supported us, and brought us to this hour. Let us also ask Him, the Lord our God, the Almighty, to guard us in all peace this holy day and all the days of our life.

O Master, Lord, God the Almighty, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, we thank You for every condition, concerning every condition, and in every condition, for You have covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us unto You, spared us, supported us, and brought us to this hour.

Therefore, we ask and entreat Your goodness, O Lover of mankind, to grant us to complete this holy day, and all the days of our life, in all peace with Your fear. All envy, all temptation, all the work of Satan, the counsel of wicked men, and the rising up of enemies, hidden and manifest, take them away from us, and from all Your people, and from this holy place that is Yours.

But those things which are good and profitable do provide for us; for it is You Who have given us the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, by the grace, compassion and love of mankind, of Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, through Whom the glory, the honor, the dominion, and the adoration are due unto You, with Him, and the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giver, Who is of one essence with You, now and at all times, and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.

PSALM 50

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your great mercy; and according to the multitude of Your compassions blot out my iniquity. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I am conscious of my iniquity; and my sin is at all times before me.

Against You only I have sinned, and done evil before You: that You might be just in Your sayings, and might overcome when You are judged. For, behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins my mother conceived me.

For, behold, You have loved the truth: You have manifested to me the hidden and unrevealed things of Your wisdom. You shall sprinkle me with Your hyssop, and I shall be purified: You shall wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. You shall make me to hear gladness and joy: the humbled bones shall rejoice.

Turn away Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit in my inward parts. Do not cast me away from Your face; and do not remove Your Holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of Your salvation: and uphold me with a directing spirit. Then I shall teach the transgressors Your ways; and the ungodly men shall turn to You.

Deliver me from blood, O God, the God of my salvation: and my tongue shall rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You shall open my lips; and my mouth shall declare Your praise. For if You desired sacrifice, I would have given it: You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit: a broken and humbled heart God shall not despise.

Do good, O Lord, in Your good pleasure to Zion; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then You shall be pleased with sacrifices of righteousness, offering, and burnt sacrifices: then they shall offer calves upon Your altar. ALLELUIA.

Then the worshipper says :

Arise, you, O children of the light, to praise the Lord of Hosts, that He may grant us the salvation of our souls. When we stand in the flesh before You, take away from our minds the sleep of forgetfulness, and grant us alertness, in order that we understand how to stand up before You at the time of prayer, and send up to You the appropriate doxology, and win the forgiveness of our many sins.

Zoxa si Philanthrope.

Glory to You, the Lover of mankind.

PSALM 133

Behold, bless the Lord, O you the servants of the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. In the nights lift up your hands unto the Holies, and bless the Lord. The Lord shall bless you out of Zion, He who made heaven and earth. ALLELUIA.

Zoxa si Philanthrope.

Glory to You, the Lover of mankind.

Let my supplication come near before You; give me understanding according to Your word. Let my petition come before You; revive me according to Your word. Let my lips flow with praise, when You have taught me Your ordinances. Let my tongue speak of Your words; for all Your commandments are righteous. Let Your hand be for saving me; for I have desired Your commandments. I have longed for Your salvation, O Lord; and Your law is my meditation. My soul shall live, and praise You; and Your judgments shall help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant; for I have not forgotten Your commandments.

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

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

Glory to You O the good and lover of mankind. Hail to Your mother the Virgin and to all Your Saints. Glory to You, O Holy Trinity; have mercy upon us.

Let God arise, and let His enemies be dispersed; and let all who hate His holy name flee before His face. But let Your people be in blessing, thousands of thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousands, doing Your will. O Lord, You shall open my lips; and my mouth shall declare Your praise. Amen. ALLELUIA.

The worshipper says:

The service of the second watch of the blessed Midnight Hour, we offer unto Christ our King and our God, beseeching Him to forgive us our sins.

From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be upon us all. Amen.

PSALM 119

In my own affliction I cried to You, O Lord, and You heard me. O Lord, You shall deliver my soul from unjust lips, and from a deceitful tongue. What should be given to you, and what should be added to you, a crafty tongue?! The weapons of the mighty are sharpened with coals of the desert! Woe to me, that my sojourning is prolonged; I have lived among the dwellings of Kedar. My soul has long been a sojourner; I was peaceable among those who hated peace; when I spoke to them. they warred against me without a cause. ALLELUIA.

PSALM 120

I lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from where my help shall come. My help shall come from the Lord, who made the heaven and the earth. He will not let your foot be moved; and your keeper will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall not slumber nor sleep. The Lord shall keep you: the Lord shall cast a shelter upon your right hand. The sun shall not burn you by day, neither the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from every evil: the Lord shall keep your soul. The Lord shall keep your coming in and your going out, from this time and forever. ALLELUIA.

PSALM 121

I was glad for those who said to me, “We will go into the house of the Lord.” Our feet stood in the courts of Jerusalem, Jerusalem which is built as a city that is closely compacted together. For there the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord, as a testimony for Israel, confessing the name of the Lord. For there are set thrones for judgement, even thrones for the house of David.

Ask for the things which are for the peace of Jerusalem: and for the prosperity to those who love you. Let peace be within your strength, and prosperity in your heavy towers. For the sake of my brothers and my companions, I have indeed spoken peace concerning you. Because of the house of the Lord our God, I have diligently sought good things for you. ALLELUIA.

PSALM 122

Unto You I have lifted up my eyes, O You who dwell in heaven. Behold as the eyes of servants are unto to the hands of their masters, and as the eyes of a maidservant to the hands of her mistress; so our eyes are toward the Lord our God until He has pity on us. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. And our soul has been exceedingly filled: give the reproach to those who prosper, and contempt to the proud. ALLELUIA.

PSALM 123

If it had not been that the Lord is among us, let Israel say; if it had not been that the Lord is among us when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us. Then the water would have drowned us. Our soul would have gone under the raging flood; then our soul would have gone under the unlimited water. Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us for a prey to their teeth. Our soul has been delivered as a sparrow from the snare of the hunters. The snare has broken, and we were delivered. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. ALLELUIA.

PSALM 124

Those who trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion: he who dwells in Jerusalem shall never be moved. Mountains are round about her, and the Lord is round about His people, from this time and forever. For the Lord shall not allow the rod of sinners to be upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous might stretch forth their hands to iniquity.

Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their heart. But those who turn to stumbles, the Lord will banish with the workers of iniquity; peace be upon Israel. ALLELUIA.

PSALMS 125

When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we became as those who were comforted. Then our mouth was filled with joy, and our tongue with exultation. Then they shall say among the Gentiles, “The Lord has done great things among them.” The Lord has done great things for us, we became joyful. O Lord, You shall bring back our captivity, as the streams in the south. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. They went on and wept as they were carrying their seeds; but they shall surely come with exultation, carrying their sheaves. ALLELUIA.

PSALMS 126

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it have labored in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchmen have watched in vain. It is vain for you to rise early: rise up after your sitting, you who eat the bread of grief; while He gives sleep to His beloved.

Behold, children are the inheritance of the Lord, the reward of the fruit of the womb. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gates. ALLELUIA.

PSALMS 127

Blessed are all who fear the Lord; who walk in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of your labors: you shall be blessed, and goodness shall be unto you. Your wife shall be as a fruitful vine on the sides of your house, your children as young olive-plants round about your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed, who fears the Lord. The Lord shall bless you out of Zion; and you shall see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of your life. And you shall see the children of your children. Peace be upon Israel. ALLELUIA.

PSALMS 128

Many times they have warred against me from my youth, let Israel now say. Many times they have warred against me from my youth, and yet they have not prevailed against me. The sinners scourged me on my back, and prolonged their iniquity. The Lord is righteous; He has broken the necks of sinners. Let all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back. Let them be as the grass of the house-tops, which withers before it is plucked up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand, nor he who gathers up sheaves, his bosom. Neither do they who pass by say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you, we have blessed you in the name of the Lord.” ALLELUIA.

THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE (CH. 7 : 36-50)

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went unto the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. And, behold, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat to eat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke within him­self, saying “This man, if He were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is who touch Him: for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he said, “Master, say it.” “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he freely forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose­ that he, to whom he forgave more.” And He said unto him, “You have rightly judged.” And He turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, you gave Me no water for My feet: but she has washed My feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. You gave Me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in has not ceased to kiss My feet. My head with oil you did not anoint: but this woman has anointed My feet with ointment. Therefore I say unto you, `Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” And He said unto her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And they who sat to eat with Him began to say within themselves, “Who is this who forgives sins also?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Glory to God forever. Amen.

Tenoo oasht emmok o piekhristos nem pekyot en aghathos nem pi epnevma ethowab je akee ak soati emmon nai nan

We worship You O Christ with Your Good Father and the Holy Spirit, for You have come and saved us.

1. Give me, O Lord, many fountains of tears, as You gave, in the past, the sinful woman. Make me worthy to wash Your Feet which liberated me from the path of straying, and to offer you a precious fragrant oil, and gain, through repentance, a pure life, so that I may hear that voice full of joy: “Your faith has saved you.”

Doxa Patri ke Eioa ke Agio Pnevmati

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

2. When I realize my many wicked deeds, and the thought of that awesome judgment comes to my heart, a tremble takes hold of me, and I take refuge in You, O God, the Lover of mankind. So do not turn away Your face from me, I entreat You, Who alone are without sin. Grant humbleness to my poor soul before the end comes, and save me.

Ke nin ke a ee ke ees toos e onas toan e oa noan ameen.

Now and forever and unto the ages of all ages, Amen.

3. The Heavens bless you, O full of grace, the Bride who was never married. And we, too, glorify your incomprehensible giving birth. O Theotokos, the mother of mercy and salvation, intercede for the salvation of our souls.

Ke nin ke a ee ke ees toos e onas toan e oa noan ameen.

Now and forever and unto the ages of all ages, Amen.

4. O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who is present in all places and fills all, the treasury of good things and the Life-Giver, graciously come, and dwell in us and purify us from all defilement, O Good One, and save our souls.

Doxa Patri ke Eioa ke Agio Pnevmati

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

5. Just as You were with Your disciples, O Savior, and gave them peace, graciously come also and be with us, and grant us Your peace, and save us, and deliver our souls.

Ke nin ke a ee ke ees toos e onas toan e oa noan ameen.

Now and forever and unto the ages of all ages, Amen.

6. Whenever we stand in Your holy sanctuary, we are considered standing in heaven. O Theotokos, you are the gate of heaven, open for us the gate of mercy.

Then the worshipper prays:

Lord, hear us and have mercy on us and forgive us our sins. Amen.

(Lord have mercy) 41 times

HOLY HOLY HOLY

Holy Holy Holy. Lord of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory and honor. Have mercy on us, O God the Father, the Almighty O Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, God of hosts, be with us. For we have no helper in our hardships and tribulations but You. Absolve, forgive, and remit, O God, our transgressions; those which we have committed willingly and those we have committed unwillingly, those which we have committed knowingly and those which we have committed unknowingly, the hidden and manifest, O Lord forgive us, for the sake of Your Holy name which is called upon us.

Let it be according to Your mercy, O Lord, and not according to our sins.

Make us worthy to pray thankfully:

Our Father Who art in heaven ...

THE CONCLUSION OF EVERY HOUR

Have mercy on us, O God, and have mercy on us, who, at all times and in every hour, in heaven and on earth, is worshipped and glorified, Christ our God, the good, the long suffering, the abundant in mercy, and the great in compassion, who loves the righteous and has mercy on the sinners of whom I am chief; who does not wish the death of the sinner but rather that he returns and lives, who calls all to salvation for the promise of the blessings to come.

Lord receive from us our prayers in this hour and in every hour. Ease our life and guide us to fulfill Your commandments. Sanctify our spirits. Cleanse our bodies. Conduct our thoughts. Purify our intentions. Heal our diseases. Forgive our sins. Deliver us from every evil grief and distress of heart. Surround us by Your holy angels, that, by their camp, we may be guarded and guided, and attain the unity of faith, and the knowledge of Your imperceptible and infinite glory. For You are blessed forever. Amen.