The Ninth Hour
Priest: Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
Reader: Amen. Glory to You, our God, glory to You.
| O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth Who art everywhere 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. |
| Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (three times) |
| 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. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake. |
| Lord, have mercy. (three times) |
| 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.
Reader: Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (12 times) Glory, and now.
| 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! |
Psalm 83
How desirable are Your abodes, O Lord of hosts! My soul thirsts and yearns, longing for the courts of the Lord, my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. For the bird has found a home for itself, and the turtledove has found a nest for itself, where it will lay its young: Thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will praise You forever and ever. Blessed is the man for whom You have intercession; he has arranged the ascent in his heart, in the valley of tears, to the place that God has appointed, for the Lawgiver will give the blessing. They will go from strength to strength, the God of gods will appear in Zion. Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer, give ear, O God of Jacob. Our Protector, O God, look and behold the face of Thy anointed One. For one day in Your courts is better than thousands; I chose better to be despised in the house of God than to dwell in the dwellings of sinners, for the Lord loves mercy and truth, God will give grace and glory: the Lord will not deprive those who walk in goodness of blessings. Lord God of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You.
Psalm 84
You have shown favor, O Lord, to Your land, You have returned the captivity of Jacob, You have forgiven the iniquities of Your people, You have covered all their sins. I have ceased all Your anger, I have restrained myself from the fury of Your anger. Bring us back, O God of our salvation, and turn away Your wrath from us. Will you be angry with us forever, or will you extend your wrath from generation to generation? God, when You turn, You will revive us, and Your people will rejoice in You. Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy and give us Thy salvation. I will hear what the Lord God will say in me, for He will speak peace to His people, and to His saints, and to those who turn their hearts to Him. Thus, His salvation is near to those who fear Him, to bring glory to our land. Mercy and truth met, truth and peace kissed each other: truth arose from the earth, and truth bowed down from heaven. For the Lord will give goodness, and our land will give its fruit; righteousness will go before Him and set its steps in the way.
Psalm 85
Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear me, for I am poor and needy. Save my soul, for I am pious; save Your servant, O my God, who trusts in You. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I will cry to You all day long. Make glad the soul of Your servant, for I have exalted my soul to You. For You, O Lord, are good, and meek, and abundant in mercy to all who call on You. Hear, O Lord, my prayer and listen to the voice of my prayer. In the day of my tribulation I cried out to You, for You heard me. There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, and there is none equal in Your deeds. All nations, as many as You have created, will come and worship You, O Lord, and glorify Your name. For You are great and You work wonders, You are the only God. Guide me, O Lord, on Your path, and I will walk in Your truth. Let my heart rejoice in the fear of Your name. I will confess to You, O Lord, my God, with all my heart and I will glorify Your name forever, for great is Your mercy towards me, and You have delivered my soul from the deepest hell. God, the transgressors rose up against me, and the assembly of the mighty sought my soul, and did not present Thee before them. And You, O Lord my God, generous and merciful, long-suffering and abundantly merciful and true, look at me and have mercy on me, give Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your handmaid. Do a sign for good on me, so that those who hate me will see and be ashamed, for You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Do a sign for good on me, so that those who hate me will see and be ashamed, for You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Glory, and now: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God. (three times) Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Glory, troparion of the feast.
And now, Theotokos: For our sake, born of the Virgin:
If fasting and “Alleluia” were sung, the troparion of the hour is sung three times with verses (Ps 118:169, 170) and three bows to the ground.
Troparion, tone 8
At the ninth hour, for our sakes, / who tasted death in the flesh, / put to death our carnal thoughts, / Christ our God, and save us.
Verse 1: Let my prayer come near before You, O Lord; give me understanding according to Your word.
Verse 2: Let my petition come before You, O Lord; deliver me according to Your word.
Priest: Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Reader: And now, and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
Theotokos
For our sake, born of the Virgin, / and endured crucifixion, / overthrew death with death, / and revealed the resurrection as God, / do not despise, O Good One, those created by Thy hand; / Show Your love for mankind, O Merciful One, / Accept the Mother of God who gave birth to You, who intercedes for us, / And save, O our Savior, people in despair.
Do not betray us completely for the sake of Your name, and do not destroy Your covenant. Take not Thy mercy from us for the sake of Abraham, Thy beloved, for the sake of Isaac, Thy servant, and Israel, Thy holy one. (Dan 3:34–35)
| Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (three times) |
| 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. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake. |
| Lord, have mercy. (three times) |
| 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.
Reader: Amen.
Kontakion of the feast.
If “Alleluia” was sung, the following kontakia are read, tone 8.
Seeing the Director of life / hanging on the Cross, the thief said: / “If He who was crucified with us had not been God incarnate, / the sun would not have hidden its rays / and the earth would not have shook in trembling. / But, Lord, who endures everything, / remember me in Your Kingdom!”
Glory: Between two thieves, Your Cross / was revealed as the balance of justice: / the one was dragged down to Hades by the weight of his blasphemy, / while the other was lightened of his sins through the knowledge of God. / O Christ God, glory to You!
And now: Beholding upon the Cross the Lamb, Shepherd, and Savior of the world, / She who gave birth to Him said with tears: / “The world rejoices, receiving redemption, / but my heart burns as I behold Your crucifixion, / which You endure for all, / my Son and my God!”
Lord, have mercy. (40 times)
At every time and at every hour, Christ God, who accepts worship and glorification in heaven and on earth, long-suffering, abundantly merciful, most merciful, loving the righteous and merciful to sinners, calling everyone to salvation with the promise of future blessings! You, Lord, accept our prayers at this hour and direct our lives to Your commandments: sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, cleanse our thoughts and deliver us from all sorrow, troubles and torment. Protect us with Your holy Angels, so that, guarded and instructed by them, we may achieve unity in faith and understanding of Your unapproachable glory, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (three times) Glory, and now:
It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God. / 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.
Bless in the name of the Lord, father.
Priest: God, have mercy on us and bless us; Show us the light of Your face and have mercy on us.
Reader: Amen.
If fasting and “Alleluia” are sung, the priest says the prayer to St. Ephraim the Syrian with 3 (Lent) or 16 bows.
Lord and Master of my life! Do not betray me to the spirit of idleness, vanity, lust for power and idle talk. (Bow)
Grant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to me, your servant. (Bow)
Yes, Lord the King, let me see my sins and not condemn my brother, for You are blessed forever and ever. Amen. (Bow)
Prayer of St. Basil the Great
Master Lord, Jesus Christ, our God, long-suffering towards our sins and even bringing us to this hour, when You, hanging on the life-giving Tree, opened the way to the entrance to paradise for a prudent thief and destroyed death with death. Be merciful to us, sinful and unworthy servants of Yours, for we have sinned and committed iniquity and are not worthy to lift up our eyes and look at the heights of heaven, for we have left the path of Your righteousness and began to walk according to the desires of our hearts. But we beg Your immeasurable goodness: have mercy on us, O Lord, according to the abundance of Your mercy and save us for the sake of Your holy name, for our days have become impoverished in vanity. Deliver us from the hand of the enemy, and forgive us our sins, and put to death our carnal thoughts, so that, having put off the old man, we put on the new and begin to live for You, our Lord and Benefactor. And so, following Your commands, we reached the place of eternal rest, where all those who rejoice are the home of all who rejoice. For You are truly the true gladness and joy of those who love You, Christ our God, and we send up glory to You with Your beginningless Father and Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
And we begin Vespers or, if fasting, Fine.