Psalter. Kathisma 4

Psalm 24

A Psalm of David.

To thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. O my God, I have trusted in thee: let me not be confounded, neither let mine enemies laugh me to scorn. For none of them that wait on thee shall in any wise be ashamed: let them be ashamed that transgress without cause. Shew me thy ways, O Lord; and teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art God my Saviour: and I have waited on thee all the day. Remember thy compassions, O Lord, and thy mercies, for they are from everlasting. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my sins of ignorance: remember me according to thy mercy, for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he instruct sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: the meek will he teach his ways. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that seek his covenant and his testimonies. For thy name’s sake, O Lord, do thou also be merciful to my sin; for it is great. Who is the man that fears the Lord? he shall instruct him in the way which he has chosen. His soul shall dwell in prosperity; and his seed shall inherit the earth. The Lord is the strength of them that fear him; and his covenant is to manifest truth to them. Mine eyes are continually to the Lord; for he shall draw my feet out of the snare. Look upon me, and have mercy upon me; for I am an only child and poor. The afflictions of my heart have been multiplied; deliver me from my distresses. Look upon mine affliction and my trouble; and forgive all my sins. Look upon mine enemies; for they have been multiplied; and they have hated me with unjust hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I have hoped in thee. The harmless and upright joined themselves to me: for I waited for thee, O Lord. Deliver Israel, O God, out of all his afflictions.

Psalm 25

A Psalm of David.

Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in my innocence: and hoping in the Lord I shall not be moved. Prove me, O Lord, and try me; purify as with fire my reins and my heart. For thy mercy is before mine eyes: and I am well pleased with thy truth. I have not sat with the council of vanity, and will in nowise enter in with transgressors. I have hated the assembly of wicked doers; and will not sit with ungodly men. I will wash my hands in innocency, and compass thine altar, O Lord: to hear the voice of praise, and to declare all thy wonderful works. O Lord, I have loved the beauty of thy house, and the place of the tabernacle of thy glory. Destroy not my soul together with the ungodly, nor my life with bloody men: in whose hands are iniquities, and their right hand is filled with bribes. But I have walked in my innocence: redeem me, and have mercy upon me. My foot stands in an even place: in the congregations will I bless thee, O Lord.

Psalm 26

Psalm of David, before the anointing, 26.

The Lord is my light and my Saviour; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the defender of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evil-doers drew nigh against me to eat up my flesh, my persecutors and mine enemies, they fainted and fell. Though an army should set itself in array against me, my heart shall not be afraid: though war should rise up against me, in this am I confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, this will I earnestly seek: that I should dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, that I should behold the fair beauty of the Lord, and survey his temple. For in the day of mine afflictions he hid me in his tabernacle: he sheltered me in the secret of his tabernacle; he set me up on a rock. And now, behold, he has lifted up mine head over mine enemies: I went round and offered in his tabernacle the sacrifice of joy; I will sing even sing psalms to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, my voice which I have uttered aloud: pity me, and hearken to me. My heart said to thee, I have diligently sought thy face: thy face, O Lord, I will seek. Turn not thy face away from me, turn not thou away from thy servant in anger: be thou my helper, forsake me not; and, O God my Saviour, overlook me not. For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord has taken me to himself. Teach me, O Lord, in thy way, and guide me in a right path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over to the desire of them that afflict me; for unjust witnesses have risen up against me, and injustice has lied within herself. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and let thy heart be strengthened: yea wait on the Lord.

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 to Thee, O God. (three times)

Lord, have mercy. (three times)

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

Add Commemoration of the Living
Save, O Lord, and have mercy upon: my spiritual father (name), my parents (names), my relatives, supervisors, teachers, and benefactors (names), and all Orthodox Christians. (bow)
Deliver them from every affliction, wrath, and need, (bow)
and from every sickness of soul and body. (bow)
Forgive them every transgression, voluntary and involuntary, (bow)
and do what is profitable for our souls. (bow)
Hide Commemoration of the Living

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

Psalm 27

A Psalm of David.

To thee, O Lord, have I cried; my God, be not silent toward me: lest thou be silent toward me, and so I should be likened to them that go down to the pit. Hearken to the voice of my supplication, when I pray to thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy temple. Draw not away my soul with sinners, and destroy me not with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace with their neighbours, but evils are in their hearts. Give them according to their works, and according to the wickedness of their devices: give them according to the works of their hands; render their recompense unto them. Because they have not attended to the works of the Lord, even to the works of his hands, thou shalt pull them down, and shalt not build them up. Blessed be the Lord, for he has hearkened to the voice of my petition. The Lord is my helper and my defender; my heart has hoped in him, and I am helped: my flesh has revived, and willingly will I give praise to him. The Lord is the strength of his people, and the saving defender of his anointed. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: and take care of them, and lift them up for ever.

Psalm 28

Psalm of David, on the removal of the tabernacle, 28.

Bring to the Lord, ye sons of God, bring to the Lord young rams; bring to the Lord glory and honour. Bring to the Lord glory, due to his name; worship the lord in his holy court. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory has thundered: the Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. There is the voice of the Lord who breaks the cedars; the Lord will break the cedars of Libanus. And he will beat them small, even Libanus itself, like a calf; and the beloved one is as a young unicorn. There is a voice of the Lord who divides a flame of fire. A voice of the Lord who shakes the wilderness; the Lord will shake the wilderness of Cades. The voice of the Lord strengthens the hinds, and will uncover the thickets: and in his temple every one speaks of his glory. The Lord will dwell on the waterflood: and the Lord will sit a king for ever. The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

Psalm 29

Psalm, Song for the Renewal of the House of David, 29.

I will exalt thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and not caused mine enemies to rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to thee, and thou didst heal me. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from Hades, thou hast delivered me from among them that go down to the pit. Sing to the Lord, ye his saints, and give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness. For anger is in his wrath, but life in his favour: weeping shall tarry for the evening, but joy shall be in the morning. And I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. O Lord, in thy good pleasure thou didst add strength to my beauty: but thou didst turn away thy face, and I was troubled. To thee, O Lord, will I cry; and to my God will I make supplication. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to destruction? Shall the dust give praise to thee? or shall it declare thy truth? The Lord heard, and had compassion upon me; the Lord is become my helper. Thou hast turned my mourning into joy for me: thou hast rent off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; that my glory may sing praise to thee, and I may not be pierced with sorrow. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee for ever.

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 to Thee, O God. (three times)

Lord, have mercy. (three times)

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

Add Commemoration of the Departed
Remember, O Lord, the souls of Thy departed servants: my parents (names), my relatives and benefactors (names), and all Orthodox Christians. (bow)
And forgive them every transgression, voluntary and involuntary, (bow)
and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven. (bow)
Hide Commemoration of the Departed

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

Psalm 30

Finally, the Psalm of David, in a frenzy, 30

O Lord, I have hoped in thee; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness and rescue me. Incline thine ear to me; make haste to rescue me: be thou to me for a protecting God, and for a house of refuge to save me. For thou art my strength and my refuge; and thou shalt guide me for thy name’s sake, and maintain me. Thou shalt bring me out of the snare which they have hidden for me; for thou, O Lord, art my defender. Into thine hands I will commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. Thou has hated them that idly persist in vanities: but I have hoped in the Lord. I will exult and be glad in thy mercy: for thou hast looked upon mine affliction; thou hast saved my soul from distresses. And thou hast not shut me up into the hands of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a wide place. Pity me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with indignation, my soul and by belly. For my life is spent with grief, and my years with groanings: my strength has been weakened through poverty, and my bones are troubled. I became a reproach among all mine enemies, but exceedingly so to my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that saw me without fled from me. I have been forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am become as a broken vessel. For I heard the slander of many that dwelt round about: when they were gathered together against me, they took counsel to take my life. But I hoped in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God. My lots are in thy hands: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me in thy mercy. O Lord, let me not be ashamed, for I have called upon thee: let the ungodly be ashamed, and brought down to Hades. Let the deceitful lips become dumb, which speak iniquity against the righteous with pride and scorn. How abundant is the multitude of thy goodness, O Lord, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee! thou hast wrought it out for them that hope on thee, in the presence of the sons of men. Thou wilt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the vexation of man: thou wilt screen them in a tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues. Blessed be the Lord: for he has magnified his mercy in a fortified city. But I said in my extreme fear, I am cast out from the sight of thine eyes: therefore thou didst hearken, O Lord, to the voice of my supplication when I cried to thee. Love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord seeks for truth, and renders a reward to them that deal very proudly. Be of good courage, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.

Psalm 31

Psalm of David, for instruction, 31.

Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and who sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin, and whose mouth there is no guile. Because I kept silence, my bones waxed old, from my crying all the day. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: I became thoroughly miserable while a thorn was fastened in me. Pause. I acknowledged my sin, and hid not mine iniquity: I said, I will confess mine iniquity to the Lord against myself; and thou forgavest the ungodliness of my heart. Pause. Therefore shall every holy one pray to thee in a fit time: only in the deluge of many waters they shall not come nigh to him. Thou art my refuge from the affliction that encompasses me; my joy, to deliver me from them that have compassed me. Pause. I will instruct thee and guide thee in this way wherein thou shalt go: I will fix mine eyes upon thee. Be ye not as horse and mule, which have no understanding; but thou must constrain their jaws with bit and curb, lest they should come nigh to thee. Many are the scourges of the sinner: but him that hopes in the Lord mercy shall compass about. Be glad in the Lord, and exult, ye righteous: and glory, all ye that are upright in heart.

Glory:

After the 4th Kathisma:

Trisagion through the Our Father
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.

Troparia, Tone 7:

Visit my lowly soul, O Lord, / that has spent its whole life in sins; / as Thou didst receive the harlot, receive me also, / and save me.

Sailing across the abyss of this present life, / I consider the abyss of my many evils, / and, having no helmsman for my thoughts, / I cry to Thee with the words of Peter: / “Save me, O Christ; save me, O God, / as the Lover of mankind!”

Glory: Let us quickly together enter the bridal chamber of Christ, / kindling our lamps with faith; / may we all hear the blessed voice of Christ our God: / “Come, ye that love heavenly glory, / ye who have become companions of the wise virgins!”

Now and ever: O soul, repent before thine exodus: / the judgement is incorruptible for sinners and unbearable. / Cry out to the Lord with a contrite heart: / “Sinned have I before Thee, O Merciful One, in knowledge and in ignorance; / by the prayers of the Theotokos, have compassion and save me!”

Lord, have mercy. (40 times) and the prayer:

Prayer

To Thee, O Lord, the only Good One who rememberest no evil, I confess my sins. I fall down before Thee, unworthy as I am, crying out: “Sinned have I, O Lord, sinned, and I am not worthy to look upon the heights of heaven because of the multitude of my transgressions.” But, O my Lord, my Lord, grant me tears of contrition, O only Good and Merciful One, that with them I may entreat Thee and be cleansed before the end of every sin. For a fearful and terrible place awaits me when my soul parts from the body, and a multitude of dark and merciless demons shall meet me, and there will be no one to help: no companion, no deliverer. Therefore I fall down before Thy goodness: deliver me not to my oppressors, and let not my enemies boast over me, O Good Lord, and let them not say: “Into our hands hast thou fallen, and to us hast thou been given over.” Nay, O Lord, forget not Thy mercies and repay me not according to my iniquities, and turn not Thy face from me. But do Thou Thyself chasten me, O Lord, only with mercy and compassion. And let my enemy not rejoice over me, but quench his threats against me and bring all his works to naught. Grant me an unblamable path to Thee, O good Lord, for even having sinned, I have not turned to another physician, nor stretched forth my hands to a strange god. Reject not, then, my supplication, but hear me in Thy goodness, and strengthen my heart with Thy fear; and may Thy grace be upon me, O Lord, like fire consuming my impure thoughts. For Thou, O Lord, art the Light above every light; the Joy above every joy; the Rest above every rest; the true Life and Salvation, abiding unto ages of ages. Amen.