Evening Prayers (longer rule)
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Trisagion Prayers
Through the prayers of our holy brothers and sisters, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
Glory to You, O God, glory to You!
O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, everywhere present and filling 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!
Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy on us!
Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy on us!Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us.
O Lord, cleanse us from our sins.
O Master, pardon our transgressions.
O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your Name’s sake.
Lord have mercy! (3 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.
If prayer is said at the beginning of the evening, the following may be said:
Evening Troparia
The day is over; I thank You, O Lord! Grant me to pass this evening and this night without sin and save me, O Saviour!
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
The day is over; I glorify You, O Master! Grant me to pass this evening and this night without offence and save me, O Saviour!
Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The day is over; I sing to You, O Holy One! Grant me to pass this evening and this night without temptation and save me, O Saviour!
Or, if prayer is said before retiring, the following may be said:
Troparia of Repentance
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for laying aside all excuse, we sinners offer to You, as to our Master, this supplication: Have mercy on us!
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
O Lord, have mercy on us, for in You have we put our trust. Do not be angry with us, nor remember our iniquities, but look down on us even now, since You are compassionate and deliver us from our enemies; for You are our God and we are Your people; we are all the work of Your hands and we call on Your Name.
Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O blessed Theotokos, open the doors of compassion to us whose hope is in you, that we may not perish but be delivered from adversity through you who are the salvation of the Christian people.
Lord have mercy! (12 times)
First Prayer, by St. Macarius the Great
O eternal King and God of all creation, who have granted me to reach this hour, forgive me the sins which I have committed during this day in thought, word or deed, and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from all stain of flesh and spirit.
Grant that I may sleep through this night in peace, O Lord; and, arising from my humble bed, let me please Your all-holy Name every day of my life and trample underfoot all the enemies, visible and invisible, which wage war against me. Deliver me, O Lord, from useless thoughts which defile me and from all evil desires.
For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory: of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Second Prayer, of St. Antioch
O almighty and perfect Word of the Father, Jesus Christ, in Your abundant compassion, do not separate Yourself from me, Your servant; instead, ever rest within me, O Jesus, Good Shepherd of Your sheep.
Do not give me over to the temptations of the serpent or leave me to the desires of Satan, for the seed of corruption is in me. O Lord God whom we worship, holy King, Jesus Christ, guard me in my sleep with the unfading light, Your Holy Spirit, by whom You granted sanctification to Your Apostles.
Though I am unworthy, grant me Your salvation on my bed, for I am Your servant. Illumine my mind with the light of the understanding of Your holy Gospel; my soul with the love of Your Cross; my heart with the purity of Your Word; my body with the invincibility of Your Passion.
Keep my thought in Your humility and raise me up in due time to glorify You, for You are most-glorious, together with Your Father who has no beginning and Your all-holy Spirit, unto all ages. Amen.
Third Prayer, to the Holy Spirit
O Lord, Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, show Your compassion to me, Your sinful servant; have mercy on me and forgive me, the unworthy one, for all the sins which I have committed against You today as a man and not only as a man but even worse than a beast.
Forgive all my sins committed voluntarily or involuntarily, in knowledge or in ignorance, whether from immaturity or from bad habits, whether from weakness or from laziness:
if I have sworn by Your Name or blasphemed it in thought,
if I have rebuked anyone or in my anger have spoken ill of another or provoked anyone,
if I became angry or lied or slept too much or if a poor man came to me and I did not receive him,
if I have provoked my brother or quarrelled with him,
if I condemned anyone or exalted myself,
if I have boasted or lost my temper or while in prayer my mind turned to vain worldly cares,
if I rebelled in thought or if I have overeaten or drunk too much,
if I have laughed foolishly or thought evil or if I have seen the beauty of another and been wounded by it in my heart,
if I have spoken unnecessarily or laughed at my brother’s sin while my own sins are countless,
if I have neglected to pray or committed some other sin which I do not remember, (for I have done all this and much more),
O my Master and Creator, have mercy on me, Your lazy and unworthy servant. Loose, remit and forgive me, for You are good and the Lover of mankind.
Thus, wretched, impure and sinner that I am, I may lie down in peace and worship, sing, and glorify Your all-honourable Name, together with the Father and His only-begotten Son, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Fourth Prayer
O Lord our God, forgive all my sins committed this day in thought, word or deed for You are good and the Lover of mankind.
Grant me peaceful and undisturbed sleep.
Send me Your guardian angel to protect and keep me from all evil.
For You are the Guardian of our souls and bodies and to You we send up glory: to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Fifth Prayer
O Lord our God, in whom we believe and whose Name we call upon above every name; as we prepare for sleep,
grant us relaxation of soul and body and keep us from all dreams and dark pleasures; calm the onslaught of the passions;
quench the burning of bodily tensions that arise in the flesh.
Grant that we may live in purity of thought and deed, that in obtaining a life of virtue, we may not fall away from Your promised blessing, for You are blessed forever. Amen.
Sixth Prayer, to the Holy Theotokos
O immaculate and blessed Theotokos, Mary, good Mother of the good King: pour out the mercy of Your Son and our God upon my inflamed soul; guide me to good works by your prayers that I may pass the rest of my life without sin and obtain paradise through you, O Virgin Theotokos, who alone are pure and blessed. Amen.
A Prayer to One’s Guardian Angel
O angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me everything in which I have offended you this day, and deliver me from all the evil wiles of the enemy, that I may not anger my God by any sin.
Pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, that I may be counted worthy of the kindness and mercy of the All-holy Trinity, of the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and of all the saints. Amen.
Kontakion and Prayers to the Holy Theotokos
O Victorious Leader of triumphant hosts, we your servants delivered from evil, sing our grateful thanks to you, O Theotokos.
As you possess invincible might, set us free from every calamity so that we may sing:
Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride! O ever-glorious Virgin Theotokos, Mary, Mother of Christ our God,
accept our prayers and offer them to your Son and our God that through you He may illumine and save our souls.
All my hope is in you, O Mother of God, keep me under your protection.
O Virgin Theotokos, do not overlook me, a sinner, in need of your help and protection, but have mercy on me, for my soul hopes in you.
A Prayer to the Holy Trinity, by St. Ioanichius
The Father is my hope, the Son is my refuge, the Holy Spirit is my protection! O Holy Trinity, glory to You!
Final Prayers
It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos, ever blessed and most pure and the Mother of our God!
More honourable than the cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim:
without defilement you gave birth to God the Word.
True Theotokos, we magnify you!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! (3 times)
Through the prayers of our holy brothers and sisters, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
The following are to be said immediately before retiring:
Loose, forgive, remit, O God, our transgressions committed voluntarily and involuntarily;
of word and of deed; those done in knowledge and in ignorance; those of the night and of the day; those of the mind and of thought:
forgive them all, for You are good and the Lover of mankind.
Lord, forgive those who hate us and persecute us.
Do good to those who are good to us.
Grant all the petitions of our brothers, sisters and kinfolk which are for their salvation and eternal life.
Grant visitation and healing to those who are ill.
Guide those who travel by land, by sea, and by air.
Direct our civil authorities to do good.
Forgive the sins of those who serve us and who have mercy on us.
Be merciful according to Your great mercy on those who have asked us, unworthy though we be, to pray for them.
Remember, O Lord, those who have fallen asleep before us: our brothers and sisters, and grant them rest where the light of Your countenance shines on them.
Remember, O Lord, those who bring offerings and do good in Your holy churches, and grant them all their petitions which are for their salvation and eternal life.
Remember us, O Lord, Your unworthy and sinful servants.
Illumine our minds with the light of Your knowledge and guide us along the way of Your precepts, through the intercessions of our most pure Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary and of all Your saints, for You are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer of St. John of Damascus
which is to be said pointing at your bed:
O Lord Jesus Christ, Lover of mankind, is this bed to be my grave, or will you shine upon my wretched soul with the light of another day?
Behold the grave lies before me and death confronts me: I fear Your judgment, O Lord, and the eternal torments, but still I do not cease from my evil ways, continually angering You, my Lord God, together with Your immaculate Mother, all the Heavenly Hosts, and my holy Guardian Angel.
I know, O Lord, that I am unworthy of Your love for mankind and that I deserve every condemnation and torment;
but I implore You, O Lord, save me according to the abundance of Your goodness; for it is no great deed if You grant salvation to the righteous, nor is it a miracle for You to have mercy on those who are pure, for they deserve Your lovingkindness.
But work the wonder of Your mercy on me, a sinner, and thus reveal Your love for mankind, that my wickedness may not prevail over Your unspeakable goodness and mercy.
Order my life as You will. Amen.
And when about to lie down on your bed, make the Sign of the Cross over it and say:
Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, let those who hate Him flee from before His Face.
As smoke vanishes, so let them vanish; as wax melts before the fire, so let the demons perish before those who love God and sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross, saying with joy:
Rejoice, most precious and lifecreating Cross of the Lord;
you cast out demons by the might of Him who was crucified on you, our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled on the power of the devil and gave you, His honourable Cross, to us, to banish all our enemies.
Help me, O glorious and life-creating Cross of the Lord, together with the holy Lady Theotokos and all the saints, unto all ages. Amen.
As you give yourself up to sleep, say:
Into Your hands, O Lord Jesus Christ my God, I commend my spirit: bless me, have mercy on me and grant me eternal life. Amen.