Fourth Kathisma

A Psalm of David, 24.

Unto Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. O my God, in Thee have I trusted; let me never be put to shame, nor let mine enemies laugh me to scorn. Yea, let none that wait on Thee be put to shame; let them be ashamed which are lawless without a cause. Make Thy ways, O Lord, known unto me and teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, for Thou art God my Saviour; for on Thee have I waited all the day long. Remember Thy compassions; O Lord, and Thy mercies, for they are from everlasting. The sins of my youth and mine ignorances remember not; according to Thy mercy remember Thou me, for the sake of Thy goodness, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore will He set a law for them that sin in the way. He will guide the meek in judgement, He will teach the meek His ways. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth, unto them that seek after His covenant and His testimonies. For the sake of Thy name, O Lord, be gracious unto my sin; for it is great. Who is the man that feareth the Lord? He will set him a law in the way which He hath chosen. His soul shall dwell among good things, and his seed shall inherit the earth. The Lord is the strength of them that fear Him, and His covenant shall be manifested unto them. Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He it is that will draw my feet out of the snare. Look upon me, and have mercy on me; for I am one only-begotten and poor. The afflictions of my heart are multiplied; bring me out from my necessities. Behold my lowliness and my toil, and forgive all my sins. Look upon my enemies, for they are multiplied, and with an unjust hatred they have hated me. Keep my soul and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I have hoped in Thee. The innocent and the upright have cleaved unto me, for I waited on Thee, O Lord. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his afflictions.

David’s, 25.

Judge me, O Lord, for in mine innocence have I walked; and hoping in the Lord I shall not grow weak. Prove me, O Lord, and try me; prove with fire my reins and my heart. For Thy mercy is before mine eyes, and I have been well-pleasing in Thy truth. I have not set with the council of vanity, nor shall I go in with them that transgress the law. I have hated the congregation of evil-doers, and with the ungodly will I not sit. I will wash my hands in innocency and I will compass Thine altar, O Lord, that I may hear the voice of Thy praise and tell of all Thy wondrous works. O Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth. Destroy not my soul with the ungodly, nor my life with men of blood, in whose hands are iniquities; their right hand is full of bribes. But as for me, in mine innocence have I walked; redeem me, O Lord, and have mercy on me. My foot hath stood in uprightness; in the congregations will I bless Thee, O Lord.

David’s. Before He was Anointed, 26.

The Lord is my light and my saviour; whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the defender of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? When the wicked draw nigh against me to eat my flesh, they that afflict me and are mine enemies, they themselves became weak and they fell. Though a host should array itself against me, my heart shall not be afraid; though war should rise up against me, in this have I hoped. One thing have I asked of the Lord, this will I seek after: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may behold the delight of the Lord, and that I may visit His holy temple. For He hid me in His tabernacle in the day of my troubles, He sheltered me in the secret place of His tabernacle, upon a rock hath He exalted me. And now, behold, He exalted my head above mine enemies. I went round about and I sacrificed in His tabernacle a sacrifice of praise and jubilation; I will sing and I will chant unto the Lord. Hearken, O Lord, unto my voice, wherewith I cried; have mercy on me, and hearken unto me. My heart said unto Thee: I will seek the Lord. My face hath sought after Thee; Thy face, O Lord, will I seek. Turn not Thy face from me and turn not away in wrath from Thy servant. Be Thou my helper; cast me not utterly away, and forsake me not, O God my Saviour. For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord hath taken me to Himself. Set me a law, O Lord, in Thy way, and lead me in the right path because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the souls of them that afflict me, for unjust witnesses are risen up against me, and injustice hath lied to itself. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be thou manful, and let thy heart be strengthened, and wait on the Lord.

Glory.

David’s, 27.

Unto Thee, O Lord, will I cry; O my God, be not silent unto me, lest, if Thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Hearken, O Lord, unto my supplication when I pray unto Thee, when I lift up my hands toward Thy holy temple. Draw me not in with sinners, and with the workers of unrighteousness destroy me not, who speak peace with their neighbours, but evils are in their hearts. Give unto them, O Lord, according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours; according to the work of their hands, give unto them. Render their reward unto them. For they have not understood the works of the Lord, and the works of His hands. Thou shalt destroy them, and shalt not build them up. Blessed is the Lord, because He hath heard the voice of my supplication. The Lord is my helper and my defender; my heart hath hoped in Him, and I am helped and my flesh hath flourished again, and out of my desire will I confess Him. The Lord is the strength of His people, and the champion of salvation for His anointed one. Save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance; shepherd them and bear them up unto eternity.

A Psalm of David. A Processional of the Tabernacle, 28.

Bring unto the Lord, ye sons of God, bring unto the Lord the sons of rams; bring unto the Lord glory and honour. Bring unto the Lord the glory due unto His name, worship the Lord in His holy court. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory hath thundered, the Lord is upon the many waters. The voice of the Lord in might, the voice of the Lord in majesty, the voice of the Lord Who breaketh the cedars, yea, the Lord will break the cedars of Lebanon. And He will break them small like the calf of Lebanon, and His beloved is like a son of the unicorns. The voice of the Lord Who divideth the flame of fire, the voice of the Lord Who shaketh the wilderness, yea, the Lord will shake the wilderness of Kaddis. The voice of the Lord gathereth the harts, and shall reveal the thickets of oak, and in His temple every man uttereth glory. The Lord dwelleth in the flood, yea, the Lord shall sit as king for ever. The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

For the End: A Canticle Psalm at the Dedication of the House of David, 29.

I will exalt Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast upheld me, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me. O Lord, Thou hast brought up my soul out of hades; Thou hast saved me from them that go down into the pit. Chant unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness. For wrath is in His anger, but in His will there is life; at evening shall weeping find lodging, but in the morning rejoicing. And I said in my prosperity: I shall remain unshaken for ever. O Lord, by Thy will hast Thou granted power to my beauty, but Thou hast turned away Thy face, and I am become troubled. Unto Thee, O Lord, will I cry, and unto my God will I make supplication. What profit is there in my blood when I go down into corruption? Shall dust confess Thee, or declare Thy truth? The Lord hath heard me and hath had mercy on me; the Lord became my helper. Thou hast turned my mourning into joy for me, Thou didst rend my sackcloth and didst gird me with gladness, that my glory may chant unto Thee, and that I may not be pierced with sorrow; O Lord my God, I will confess Thee for ever.

Glory.

For the End: A Psalm of David. In Time of Sudden Fear, 30.

In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me not be put to shame in the age to come; in Thy righteousness deliver me, and rescue me. Bow down Thine ear unto me, make haste to rescue me, be Thou unto me a God to defend me and a house of refuge to save me. For my strength and my refuge art Thou, and for Thy name’s sake wilt Thou guide me and nourish me. Thou wilt bring me out of this snare which they have hid for me, for Thou art my defender, O Lord. Into Thy hands I will commit my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. Thou hast hated them that cling to empty vanities; but I have hoped in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in Thy mercy, for Thou hast regarded my lowliness; Thou hast saved my soul out of necessities, and hast not shut me up in the hands of enemies; Thou hast set my feet in a spacious place. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted; mine eye is troubled with anger, as also my soul and my belly. For my life is spent with grief, and my years with groanings; my strength hath grown weak in poverty, and my bones are troubled. I am become a reproach among all mine enemies, and greatly for my neighbours also, and a fear to mine acquaintances. They that saw me without fled from me. I am forgotten by the heart like a dead man. I am become like a broken vessel. For I have heard the reproach of many that dwell round about; when they assembled together against me, they devised to take away my life. But as for me, I have hoped in Thee, O Lord; I said: Thou art my God; in Thy hands are my lots. Deliver me from the hands 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 put to shame, for I have called upon Thee; let the ungodly be put to shame and let them be brought down into hades. Speechless be the deceitful lips which speak iniquity against the righteous man with arrogance and contempt. How great is the multitude of Thy goodness, O Lord, which Thou hast hid for them that fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought for them that hope in Thee before the sons of men. Thou shalt hide them in the secrecy of Thy presence from the disturbance of men; Thou shalt shelter them in the tabernacle from contradiction of tongues. Blessed is the Lord, for He hath made His mercy wondrous in a fortified city. But as for me, I said in mine ecstasy: I am cast away from the presence of Thine eyes. Therefore hast Thou heard the voice of my supplication when I cried unto Thee. O love ye the Lord, all ye His saints, for the Lord requireth truth; and unto them that act with exceeding pride, He rendereth them their due. Be ye manful, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.

David’s. Concerning Instruction, 31.

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not sin, and in whose mouth there is no guile. Because I kept silence, my bones are waxed old through my crying all the day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me, I was reduced to misery whilst the thorn stuck fast in me. Mine iniquity have I acknowledged, and my sin have I not hid. I said: I will confess mine iniquities before the Lord against myself. And Thou forgavest the ungodliness of my heart. For this shall every one that is holy pray unto Thee in a seasonable time; moreover, in a flood of many waters shall they not come nigh unto him. Thou art my refuge from the affliction which surroundeth me; O my Rejoicing, deliver me from them which have encircled me.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in this way which thou shalt go; I will fix Mine eyes upon thee. Be ye not as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding; whose jaws thou must hold with bit and bridle, lest they come nigh unto thee. Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mercy shall encircle him that hopeth in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and glory, all ye that are upright of heart.

Glory.

After The Fourth Kathisma

Trisagion through Our Father, and these Troparia, in the Seventh Tone:

O Lord, visit Thou my lowly soul, which hath wasted its whole life in sins; accept me as Thou didst the harlot, and save me.

Navigating the deep of this present life, I ponder the abyss of my many evils; but lacking a helmsman for my thoughts, I utter unto Thee the cry of Peter: Save me, O Christ! Save me, O God, in that Thou lovest mankind!

Glory: Together we shall soon enter the bridal-chamber of Christ, that we may all hear the divine voice of Christ our God. Come, O ye who love the glory of heaven, and having lighted our lamps with faith, with the wise virgins let us receive it.

Both Now: O my soul, repent before thy departure, for the judgment pronounced on sinners is impartial and inexorable; but cry out to the Lord in compunction of heart: I have sinned against Thee in knowledge and in ignorance, O Compassionate One! At the supplications of the Theotokos take pity on me, and save me!

Then, Lord, have mercy! forty times, and this Prayer:

To Thee, O Lord, Who alone art good and not mindful of the evils [I have committed], do I confess my sins: I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and am not worthy to lift up mine eyes to the heights of heaven because of the multitude of mine unrighteous deeds. But, O Lord, my Lord, Who alone art good and merciful, grant me tears of compunction, that therewith I may entreat Thee to cleanse me of every sin before the end; for fearsome and dreadful is the place whither I shall go when [my soul] is separated from the body, and a dark and inhuman horde of demons shall I encounter, and I shall have no companion to help and deliver me. Wherefore, I fall down before Thy goodness [and cry]: Give me not over to those who will oppress me, neither let mine enemies boast over me, O good Lord, nor let them say: “Thou hast come into our hands and hast been given over to us!” Forget not Thy compassions, O Lord, neither reward me according to mine iniquities, nor yet turn Thy face away from me; but do Thou, O Lord, chasten me, though with mercy and compassion. And let not mine enemy rejoice over me, but put an end to his threats against me, set at nought all his activity, and grant me a clear path unto Thee, O good Lord; for though I have sinned, I have not had recourse to any other physician, nor have I stretched out my hands toward [any] strange god. Reject not, therefore, my supplication, but hearken unto me in Thy goodness, and establish my heart in the fear of Thee. And may Thy grace, O Lord, be upon me like fire, utterly consuming the impure thoughts within me. For Thou, O Lord, art Light transcending all other light, joy surpassing all joy, peace beyond all peace, and true life and salvation abiding unto the ages of ages. Amen.