Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Priest: Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
Reader: Amen.
Come, let us worship God our King and bow down before Him.
Come, let us worship Christ God our King and bow down before Him.
Come, let us worship Christ, our King and our God, and bow down before Him.
Psalm 103/104
Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord, my God, you are great indeed! Clothed in pomp and brilliance, arrayed with light as with a cloak, stretching out the sky as a tent-cloth, establishing your lofty halls on water. You make the clouds your conveyance, you surge on the wings of the wind. You make the winds your messengers, and flaming fires your attendants.
You settled the earth on its foundation: it shall stand unmoved from age to age. The abyss covered it like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke, they take to flight, at the peal of your thunder, they flee. They hurdle the hills and run down the dales to the place you have chosen for them. You have set up a boundary not to be passed: they shall never return to cover the earth.
Down in the gullies, you make springs to rise; waters shall flow between the mountains. They shall give drink to the beasts of the field; wild asses will seek them to quench their thirst. The birds of the sky shall abide by them; from among the rocks, they will raise their song. From your lofty halls you refresh the hills; the earth shall be fed with the fruit of your works.
You make green pastures for the cattle and food-plants for the service of man, so that bread may be drawn from the earth, and wine that gladdens the heart of man; so that oil may put a gleam on his face, and that bread may strengthen the heart of man. The trees of the plain shall be satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. Sparrows shall build their nests in them, herons shall call them their home. To the deer belong the high mountains; to rodents, the shelter of the rock.
You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows the time of its setting. You establish darkness, and it is night, wherein the forest creatures prowl. Young lions roar for their prey, and call out to God for their meat. As the sun rises, they will come together, and lay themselves down in their dens. Man will go out to his labor, and work until eventide.
How great are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have wrought them all. The earth is filled with your creatures, even the wide and open sea. Within it are countless creeping things, living beings small and large. Upon it there are ships a-sailing, and the great beast you made to have fun. All of them look to you to give them their food in due season. You provide and they gather up; you open your hands, and they are full. You hide your face, and they cringe; you suspend their breath, and they die and return to their dust. You send forth your breath, and they live; you renew the face of the earth.
May the Lord's glory endure forever, may the Lord rejoice in his works. He looks upon the earth, and makes it quake; he touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live, I will praise my God as long as I last. Would that my thoughts be pleasing to him, and I will rejoice in the Lord. May the sinners vanish from the earth, and the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul!
The sun knows the time of its setting. You establish darkness and it is night.
How great are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have wrought them all.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to you, O God. (2) Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to you, O God. O Lord our hope, glory to you.
The Great Litany of Peace
Deacon: In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For heavenly peace and the salvation of our souls let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For peace in the whole world, the stability of God's Holy Churches and for the oneness of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this holy house, and all who enter it with faith, reverence and godly fear, let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our Archbishop (Name), our Bishop (Name), the worthy priesthood, the deacons in Christ, for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our country, the President, and all in public service, let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this city and this Parish, for every city and land, and for the faithful who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For temperate weather, abundance of the goods of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For those who travel, by land, sea and air, for those who are sick or suffering or in captivity, and for their safekeeping, let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: That we may be spared all affliction, violence, danger and want, let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, in Your grace.
Remembering our most holy, pure, blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life to Christ our God.
Cantor: To You, O Lord.
The Prayer of the First Antiphon
Priest: (inaudibly) Gracious and merciful Lord, forbearing and generous in mercy, hear our prayer and heed the voice of our entreaty. Give us a sign of Your favor. Lead us in Your way, that we may walk in Your truth; gladden our hearts, that we may be in awe of Your holy name, for You are great in the wonders You perform. You alone are God, and among all deities none is Your like, O Lord: mighty in mercy and benevolent in might, helping and comforting and saving all who trust in Your holy name.
Priest: For all glory, honor and worship are Your due, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
Cantor: Amen.
After which the gates of the Royal doors are closed and the Reader reads the eighteenth division of the Psalter.
While the first stasis of the Kathisma is being read, the Priest, making three deep prostrations, opens the Tabernacle (Artophorion) and censing the gifts, he places the paten (diskarion) on the open antimension on the Holy Altar. With great reverence he places a "Lamb " upon it. Then, covering it with the veil, and led by the censer, he proceeds to the Prothesis.
There he pours wine and water into the chalice in the usual way, covers it with the second veil, then both vessels with the aer. These actions are accompanied simply by the "Through the prayers of the Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and save us. " When the Presanctified Gifts have been covered, he proceeds to the Little Synapte, or short petition.
The First Setting
Psalm 119/120
In my distress, I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me. O Lord, save me from lying lips, and from a treacherous tongue. What shall be given you and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue? The sharpened arrows of a warrior with firebrands made of the broom tree. Woe is me that my exile has been so long; that I have set up tent in the camp of Kedar. Too long have I stayed among those who hate peace. I was peaceable, but when I spoke to them, they warred against me without cause.
Psalm 120/121
I lifted up my eyes to the hills whence help shall come to me. My help is from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer your foot to stumble; nor shall the Guardian fall asleep. Behold, he will neither sleep nor slumber, the Watcher over Israel. The Lord will keep watch over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not scorch you by day, nor shall the moon fail you by night. The Lord will preserve you from every evil, the Lord will safeguard your life. The Lord will guard your coming and your going henceforth and for evermore.
Psalm 121/122
I was happy when they said to me: "Let us go to the house of the Lord." Our feet stood within your courts, Jerusalem, Jerusalem built as a city whose people are as one. For there did the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord as it was decreed to Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord. For there have been placed thrones for judgment, thrones for the house of David. Pray, then, for the peace of Jerusalem, and may prosperity be with those who love you. May peace be within your walls, and prosperity upon your towers. For the sake of my brethren and my friends, I have indeed asked peace for you; for the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I have earnestly sought your good.
Psalm 122/123
I have lifted up my eyes to you who dwell in heaven. As the eyes of the servants are on the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maid are on the hands of her mistress, so our eyes are on the Lord our God until he has mercy on us. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us; for we have had more than our fill of contempt: yes, our soul has been more than glutted. May disgrace fall on the prosperous, and contempt on the proud.
Psalm 123/124
Had not the Lord been with us, let Israel now say, had not the Lord been with us at the time men rose against us, truly, they would have swallowed us alive when their fury was inflamed against us; truly, the water would have drowned us, the torrent would have swept over us. Truly, the raging waters would have overwhelmed us. Blessed be the Lord who has not abandoned us as prey to their teeth. Like a bird of passage we were rescued from the fowler's net. The snare was torn asunder, and we escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3)
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 forever and ever. Amen.
Deacon: Again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, in Your grace.
Remembering our most holy, pure, blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life to Christ our God.
Cantor: To You, O Lord.
The Prayer of the Second Antiphon
Priest: (inaudibly) O Lord, do not rebuke us in Your anger; do not chastise us in Your wrath; but deal with us according to Your loving kindness, as Healer and Physician of our souls. Guide us to the harbor of Your will; enlighten the eyes of our hearts that we may know Your truth; and grant that the rest of this day may be peaceful and without sin, as may our whole life, through the prayers of the Theotokos and of all tile saints.
Priest: For Yours is the dominion, and Yours the kingdom and the power and the glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
Cantor: Amen.
The Second Setting of the Psalter
Psalm 124/125
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Sion which cannot be moved, which shall stand forever. Mountains are all around Jerusalem, as the Lord is around his people, now and forever. For the Lord will not let the scepter of the wicked rule over the land of the just, lest the just themselves apply their hands to iniquities. Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those whose heart is upright. But those who stray into crooked ways, the Lord will expel with evildoers. Peace upon Israel!
Psalm 125/126
When the Lord returned the captives of Sion, we were like men dreaming. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing. Then it was said among the Gentiles, "The Lord has done great things for them. " The Lord has done great things for us: we have been made to rejoice. O Lord, return our captives as streams return to the south. Those who weep as they sow shall rejoice as they reap. Though they went forth shedding tears as they scattered their seeds, they shall return rejoicing, bearing with them their sheaves.
Psalm 126/127
Unless the Lord build the house, in vain do the builders toil; unless the Lord guard the city, in vain does the watchman keep watch. In vain do you rise early: you get up after rest only to eat the bread of grief, for he provides for his beloved while they sleep. Behold, the Lord's inheritance is his children, and his reward, the fruit of the womb. As arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior, so are the children of the exiles. Blessed the man who will be able to fill his quiver with them: they shall never be put to shame when they meet their foes at the gates.
Psalm 127/128
Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. You shall eat of your hand's labor: blessed are you, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your house: your children like olive shoots around your table. Behold, in this way shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Sion, and may you see the wealth of Jerusalem all the days of your life. And may you see your children's children. Peace upon Israel!
Psalm 128/129
Often have they assailed me since my youth: let Israel say it! Often have they assailed me since my youth, but they have not prevailed over me. The wicked plowed my back: they increased their iniquity. But the righteous Lord has cut asunder the neck of the sinners. Let them all be confounded and turned back, those who hate Sion: let them become like grass on the house-tops which withers before it can sprout; with which the reaper fills not his hand, nor the binder of sheaves his arms, while those who pass by do not say, "The blessing of the Lord be upon you!" We have blessed you in the name of the Lord.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (3)
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 forever and ever. Amen.
Deacon: Again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, in Your grace.
Remembering our most holy, pure, blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life to Christ our God.
Cantor: To You, O Lord.
Prayer of the Third Antiphon
Priest: (inaudibly) Lord our God, be mindful of us sinners and Your unfit servants, even as we call upon Your holy name; and do not put us to shame for having placed our hope in Your mercy; but grant, O Lord, all that we ask for our salvation; and make us worthy to love and fear You with all our heart, and in all things to do Your wilt.
Priest: For You are a good and loving God, and to You we offer the glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
Cantor: Amen.
The Third Setting of the Psalter
Psalm 129/130
Out of the depths I have cried out to you: Lord, Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my plea. If you retain sins, Lord, O Lord, who can stand? With you there is forgiveness. For your name's sake, O Lord, I have waited for you. My soul has waited for your promise, my soul has hoped in the Lord. My soul has trusted in the Lord, from the morning watch till night. Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is steadfast love and in him is full redemption, and he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Psalm 130/131
O Lord, my heart is not uplifted, nor are my eyes upraised. I have not busied myself with lofty pursuits, nor with wonders too great for me. If I have failed to remain humble, but instead have exalted my soul, as a weaned child is treated by its mother, so will you deal with my soul. Let Israel hope in the Lord, henceforth and forever.
Psalm 131/132
O Lord, remember David and all his forbearance, how he swore to the Lord, and made a vow to the God of Jacob: "I will not enter the tent, my abode, nor get up on the couch of my repose; I will give no sleep to my eyes, nor to my eyelids any slumber, nor to my temples any rest, until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. " Behold, I have heard of it in Ephrata: we found it in the forest clearings. Let us enter into his tabernacles, let us worship where his feet once stood. Arise, O Lord, and go to your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.
May your priests be clothed in righteousness, and your faithful ones rejoice. For the sake of David your servant, turn not away the face of your anointed one. The Lord swore to David a promise which he will not retract: "One of your own flesh I will place on your throne. If your sons will keep my covenant and the revelations I will offer them, their sons also shall be seated upon your throne for evermore. " For the Lord has elected Sion, he has chosen it for his dwelling:
"This is my home for ever and ever; here I will dwell because I have chosen it. I will bless abundantly her provisions; I will feed her poor with bread; I will clothe her priests with salvation, and the faithful shall exult with joy. There will I raise the pride of David; I have readied a lamp for my anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with shame, but on him my crown shall shine.
Psalm 132/133
Behold how good and pleasant it for brothers to dwell in unity. It is as ointment upon the head, which runs down over the beard, the beard of Aaron, runs down to the hem of his garment. It is like the dew of Hermon which falls on the mountains of Sion, for there the Lord has ordained the blessing: life for evermore.
Psalm 133/134
Behold now, bless the Lord all you servants of the Lord who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. By night, lift up your hands to the holy places and bless the Lord. May the Lord who made heaven and earth bless you out of Sion.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (2)
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. Lord our hope, glory to You.
Deacon: Again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
Cantor: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, in Your grace.
Remembering our most holy, pure, blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life to Christ our God.
Cantor: To You, O Lord.
The Prayer of the Fourth Antiphon
Priest: (inaudibly) Praised by the heavenly powers with hymns that are never silent and doxologies that never cease, fill our lips with praise of You, that we may fitly magnify Your holy name. And grant us a portion and share with all who truly fear You and keep Your commandments; at the intercession of the holy Theotokos and of all the saints.
Priest: For You are our God, a God who shows mercy and saves, and to You we offer up glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
Cantor: Amen.
He then sings the opening verses of Psalm 140/141 in the appointed tone: