Midnight
The Third Watch
INTRODUCTION TO EVERY HOUR
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord bless us. Amen.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and
unto the ages of all ages. Amen.
THE LORD'S PRAYER
Make us worthy to pray thankfully:
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 evil, in Christ Jesus our Lord. For
Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Let us give thanks to the beneficent and merciful God, the Father of our Lord,
God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for He has covered us, helped us, guarded us,
accepted us unto Him, spared us, supported us, and brought us to this hour. Let
us also ask Him, the Lord our God, the Almighty, to guard us in all peace this
holy day and all the days of our life.
O Master, Lord, God the Almighty, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus
Christ, we thank You for every condition, concerning every condition, and in
every condition, for You have covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us
unto You, spared us, supported us, and brought us to this hour.
Therefore, we ask and entreat Your goodness, O Lover of mankind, to grant us to
complete this holy day, and all the days of our life, in all peace with Your
fear. All envy, all temptation, all the work of Satan, the counsel of wicked
men, and the rising up of enemies, hidden and manifest, take them away from us,
and from all Your people, and from this holy place that is Yours.
But those things which are good and profitable do provide for us; for it is You
Who have given us the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and upon all
the power of the enemy.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, by the grace,
compassion and love of mankind, of Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord, God and
Savior, Jesus Christ, through Whom the glory, the honor, the dominion, and the
adoration are due unto You, with Him, and the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giver, Who
is of one essence with You, now and at all times, and unto the ages of all ages.
Amen.
PSALM 50
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your great mercy; and according to the
multitude of Your compassions blot out my iniquity. Wash me thoroughly from my
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I am conscious of my iniquity; and my
sin is at all times before me.
Against You only I have sinned, and done evil before You: that You might be just
in Your sayings, and might overcome when You are judged. For, behold, I was
conceived in iniquities, and in sins my mother conceived me.
For, behold, You have loved the truth: You have manifested to me the hidden and
unrevealed things of Your wisdom. You shall sprinkle me with Your hyssop, and I
shall be purified: You shall wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. You
shall make me to hear gladness and joy: the humbled bones shall rejoice.
Turn away Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a
clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit in my inward parts. Do not cast me
away from Your face; and do not remove Your Holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy
of Your salvation: and uphold me with a directing spirit. Then I shall teach the
transgressors Your ways; and the ungodly men shall turn to You.
Deliver me from blood, O God, the God of my salvation: and my tongue shall
rejoice in Your righteousness. O Lord, You shall open my lips; and my mouth
shall declare Your praise. For if You desired sacrifice, I would have given it:
You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifice of God is a broken
spirit: a broken and humbled heart God shall not despise.
Do good, O Lord, in Your good pleasure to Zion; and let the walls of Jerusalem
be built. Then You shall be pleased with sacrifices of righteousness, offering,
and burnt sacrifices: then they shall offer calves upon Your altar. ALLELUIA.
Then the worshipper says :
Arise, you, O children of the light, to praise the Lord of Hosts, that He may
grant us the salvation of our souls. When we stand in the flesh before You, take
away from our minds the sleep of forgetfulness, and grant us alertness, in order
that we understand how to stand up before You at the time of prayer, and send up
to You the appropriate doxology, and win the forgiveness of our many sins.
Zoxa si Philanthrope.
Glory to You, the Lover of mankind.
PSALM 133
Behold, bless the Lord, O you the servants of the Lord, who stand in the house
of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. In the nights lift up your
hands unto the Holies, and bless the Lord. The Lord shall bless you out of Zion,
He who made heaven and earth. ALLELUIA.
Zoxa si Philanthrope.
Glory to You, the Lover of mankind.
Let my supplication come near before You; give me understanding according to
Your word. Let my petition come before You; revive me according to Your word.
Let my lips flow with praise, when You have taught me Your ordinances. Let my
tongue speak of Your words; for all Your commandments are righteous. Let Your
hand be for saving me; for I have desired Your commandments. I have longed for
Your salvation, O Lord; and Your law is my meditation. My soul shall live, and
praise You; and Your judgments shall help me. I have gone astray like a lost
sheep; seek Your servant; for I have not forgotten Your commandments.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and
unto the ages of all ages. Amen.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and
unto the ages of all ages, Amen.
Glory to You O the good and lover of mankind. Hail to Your mother the Virgin and
to all Your Saints. Glory to You, O Holy Trinity; have mercy upon us.
Let God arise, and let His enemies be dispersed; and let all who hate His holy
name flee before His face. But let Your people be in blessing, thousands of
thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousands, doing Your will. O Lord, You
shall open my lips; and my mouth shall declare Your praise. Amen. ALLELUIA.
The worshipper says:
The service of the third watch of the blessed Midnight Hour, we offer unto
Christ our King and our God, beseeching Him to forgive us our sins.
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings
be upon us all. Amen.
PSALM 129
Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord. O Lord, hear my voice: let Your
ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If You, O Lord, should mark
iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? For through You is forgiveness. For Your
name's sake I have waited for You, O Lord. My soul has waited for Your law. My
soul has hoped in the Lord, from the morning watch till night. From the morning
watch, let Israel hope in the Lord. For with the Lord is mercy, and great is His
redemption; and He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. ALLELUIA.
PSALM 130
O Lord, my heart was not exalted, neither have my eyes been haughtily raised:
neither have I walked in great matters, nor in wonders greater than me. If I
have not humbled myself, but raised my soul, as a weaned child with his mother,
so is the recompense upon my soul. Let Israel hope in the Lord, from now and
forever. ALLELUIA.
PSALM 131
Lord, remember David and all his meekness: how he swore to the Lord, and vowed
to the God of Jacob, saying, “I will not go into the dwelling of my house, or go
up to the bed of my couch; I will not give sleep to my eyes, nor slumber to my
eyelids, nor rest to my temples, until I find a place for the Lord, and a
dwelling place for the God of Jacob. Behold, we heard of it in Ephratha; we
found it in the fields of the wood. Let us enter into His dwelling, and worship
at the place where His feet stood.
Arise, O Lord, into Your rest; You, and the ark of Your holy place. Your priests
shall clothe themselves with righteousness; and Your righteous shall exult. For
the sake of Your servant David, do not turn away Your face from Your anointed.
The Lord has sworn in truth to David, and He will not turn from it, “Of the
fruit of your loins I will set upon your throne. If your children keep My
covenant and My testimonies which I will teach them, their children also will
sit upon your throne forever.”
For the Lord has selected Zion, He has chosen her a dwelling for Himself: “This
is My resting place forever. Here I will dwell; for I have desired it. In
blessing I shall bless her hunting. Her poor I shall satisfy with bread. Her
priests I shall clothe with salvation; and her saints with rejoicing shall
rejoice. There I shall raise a horn to David. I have prepared a lamp for My
anointed. His enemies I shall clothe with shame, and My holiness shall flourish
upon Him.” ALLELUIA.
PSALM 132
Behold! What is so good, or what so pleasant, as for brothers dwelling together?
It is as ointment upon the head, that came down upon beard, the beard of Aaron
that came down to the fringe of his clothing; as the dew of Aermon, that comes
down upon the mountain of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing and
the life forever. ALLELUIA.
PSALM 133
Behold, bless the Lord, O you the servants of the Lord, who stand in the house
of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. In the nights lift up your
hands unto the Holies, and bless the Lord. The Lord shall bless you out of Zion,
He who made heaven and earth. ALLELUIA.
PSALM 136
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. We hung
our harps on the willows in the midst of it. For there those who had taken us
captive asked of us the words of a song; and those who had carried us away asked
a hymn, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
How will we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? If I forget you, O
Jerusalem, I shall forget my right hand. My tongue shall cling to my throat, if
I did not remember you; if I did not prefer Jerusalem as the head of my joy.
Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, “Tear
it down, tear it down, even to its foundations.” Wretched daughter of Babylon!
Blessed is he who will reward you with the reward you have given us. Blessed is
he who will seize and bury your infants by the rock. ALLELUIA.
PSALM 137
I will confess You, O Lord, with my whole heart, for You have heard all the
words of my mouth. Before the angels I will chant to You. I will worship toward
Your holy temple, and confess Your name, on account of Your mercy and Your
truth; for You have magnified Your holy name above all. The day in which I call
upon You, hear me speedily; You shall exceedingly look upon my soul with power.
Let all the kings of the earth, O Lord, confess You; for they have heard all the
words of Your mouth. And let them sing in the ways of the Lord; for great is the
glory of the Lord.
The Lord is high, and He regards the lowly; and He knows the existing things
from afar off. If I walk in the midst of affliction, You shall revive me; You
have stretched forth Your hands against the wrath of enemies, and Your right
hand has saved me. O Lord, You shall reward on my behalf: Your mercy, O Lord,
endures forever: do not overlook the works of Your hands. ALLELUIA.
PSALM 140
O Lord, I have cried to You, hear me. Attend to the voice of my supplication
when I cry to You. Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense, and the
lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. O Lord, set a watch on my mouth
and a strong door for my lips. Do not incline my heart to words of evil, to
employ excuses for sins with men who work iniquity; and I shall not agree with
their choices. The righteous shall chasten me with mercy, and reprove me: but do
not let the oil of the sinner anoint my head: for yet my prayer also is in their
pleasures.
Their mighty ones have been swallowed up near the rock: they shall hear my
words, for they are delightful. As a lump of earth, they are broken upon the
ground, their bones have been scattered at Hades. For my eyes are to You, O
Lord: O Lord, I have hoped in You; do not take away my soul. Keep me from the
snare which they have set for me, and from the stumbling blocks of those who
work iniquity. Sinners shall fall by their own net: I am alone until iniquity
passes by. ALLELUIA.
PSALM 141
With my voice to the Lord I cried; with my voice to the Lord I made
supplication. I will pour out before Him my supplication. My affliction I will
pour out before Him, when my spirit was fainting within me, and You knew my
paths. In the way in which I was walking, they hid a snare for me. I looked on
my right hand, and beheld, for there was no one who noticed me. Refuge failed
me, and there was no one who cared for my soul. I cried unto You, O Lord, and
said, “You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living. Attend to my
supplication, for I am brought very low; deliver me from those who persecute me,
for they are stronger than me. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may confess
Your name, O Lord. The righteous wait for me until You reward me.” ALLELUIA.
PSALM 145
Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord in my life. I will sing
praises to my God as long as I exist. Do not trust in the princes, nor in the
children of men, in whom there is no salvation. Their spirit shall go forth, and
they shall return to their earth. In that day all their thoughts shall perish.
Blessed is he whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his
God: who made heaven and earth, the sea and all things in them; who keeps truth
forever: who executes judgement for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord looses the bound; the Lord sets up the broken down. The Lord gives
wisdom to the blind; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord preserves the
strangers; He accepts the orphan and widow: but He will destroy the way of
sinners. The Lord shall reign forever, and your God, O Zion, from generation to
generation. ALLELUIA.
PSALM 146
Praise the Lord for a psalm is good; let praise be sweet unto our God. The Lord
builds up Jerusalem; and He will gather together the dispersed of Israel. He
heals the broken‑hearted, and binds up all their fractures. He numbers the
multitudes of stars, and calls them all by names. Great is the Lord, and great
is His strength; His understanding is infinite. The Lord lifts up the meek, but
brings sinners down to the ground.
Begin the song to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises to our God on the
harp: He who covers the heaven with clouds; who prepares rain for the earth; who
causes grass to spring up on the mountains, and green herb for the service of
men; who gives food to the cattle, and to the young ravens that call upon Him.
He will not take pleasure in the strength of a horse, nor will He be
well‑pleased with the legs of man. The Lord will take pleasure in those who fear
Him, and in those who hope in His mercy. ALLELUIA.
PSALM 147
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion: for He has strengthened
the bars of your gates. He has blessed your children within you. He makes your
borders peaceful, and fills you with the fatness of wheat. He sends His word to
the earth: His word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool: He scatters the mist
like ashes. He casts out His ice like morsels: who will be able to stand before
His frost? He will send out His word, and melt them. His wind will blow, and the
waters shall flow. He declares His word to Jacob, His ordinances and judgements
to Israel. He has not done so with every nation; and He has not revealed to them
His judgements. ALLELUIA.
THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE (CH 12 : 32-64)
“Do not fear, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you
the kingdom. Sell what you have, and give alms, provide yourselves money bags
which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fails, where no
thief approaches, nor moth corrupts. For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also. Let your loins be girded, and your lamps burning; And you
yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the
wedding; that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately.
Blessed are those servants, whom their master, when he comes will find them:
Assuredly I say to you, that he shall gird himself, and have them sit down to
eat, and will come and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or
come in the third watch, and finds them so, blessed are those servants. But know
this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come,
he would have watched, and not have allowed his house to be broken into. You
therefore be ready also: for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not
think.” Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do you speak this parable only to us, or
to all people?” And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward,
whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion
of food in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his master when he comes
will find so doing. Truly I say to you, that he will make him ruler over all
that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, `My master is delaying his
coming;' and begins to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink,
and be drunk; The master of that servant will come in a day when he is not
looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two,
and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.”
Glory to God forever. Amen.
Tenoo oasht emmok o piekhristos nem pekyot en aghathos nem pi epnevma ethowab je
akee ak soati emmon nai nan
We worship You O Christ with Your Good Father and the Holy Spirit, for You have
come and saved us.
1. With a compassionate eye, O Lord, look at my weakness, for shortly my life
will end, and in my deeds I shall have no salvation. Therefore, I beseech, O
Lord, with a merciful eye look at my weakness, my humility, my poverty and my
sojourn, and save me.
Doxa Patri ke Eioa ke Agio Pnevmati
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
2. As the Judge is present, take heed, O my soul, awake and consider that
awesome hour; for in the day of judgment, there will be no mercy on those who
were not merciful. Therefore, have compassion on me, O Savior, for You alone are
the Lover of mankind.
Ke nin ke a ee ke ees toos e onas toan e oa noan ameen.
Now and forever and unto the ages of all ages, Amen.
3. O the reasonable gate of life, the honored Theotokos, deliver from hardships
those who, in faith, take refuge in you, so that we might glorify your
immaculate birth of Christ for the salvation of our souls.
Ke nin ke a ee ke ees toos e onas toan e oa noan ameen.
Now and forever and unto the ages of all ages, Amen.
4. O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who is present in all
places and fills all, the treasury of good things and the Life-Giver, graciously
come, and dwell in us and purify us from all defilement, O Good One, and save
our souls.
Doxa Patri ke Eioa ke Agio Pnevmati
Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
5. Just as You were with Your disciples, O Savior, and gave them peace,
graciously come also and be with us, and grant us Your peace, and save us, and
deliver our souls.
Ke nin ke a ee ke ees toos e onas toan e oa noan ameen.
Now and forever and unto the ages of all ages, Amen.
6. Whenever we stand in Your holy sanctuary, we are considered standing in
heaven. O Theotokos, you are the gate of heaven, open for us the gate of mercy.
Then the worshipper prays:
Lord, hear us and have mercy on us and forgive us our sins. Amen.
(Lord have mercy) 41 times
THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE (CH. 2 : 29-32)
Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to Your word: For my eyes
have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of people; A
light to be revealed to the Gentiles and a glory of Your people Israel.
Glory to God forever. Amen.
THE ORTHODOX CREED
We believe in one God, God the Father, the Almighty, Who created heaven and
earth, and all things seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God, begotten of
the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not
created, of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for
us, men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnated of the
Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us
under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried. And on the third day He rose from
the dead, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into the heavens; and sat at
the right hand of His Father, and also He is coming again in His glory to judge
the living and the dead, whose kingdom has no end.
Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giver, Who proceeds from
the Father, Who, with the Father and the Son, is worshipped and glorified, Who
spoke by the prophets. And in one holy, catholic and apostolic church. We
confess one baptism for the remission of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the coming age. Amen.
Then the worshipper prays:
Lord, hear us and have mercy on us and forgive us our sins. Amen.
(Lord have mercy) 41 times
HOLY HOLY HOLY
Holy Holy Holy. Lord of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory and
honor. Have mercy on us, O God the Father, the Almighty O Holy Trinity, have
mercy on us. O Lord, God of hosts, be with us. For we have no helper in our
hardships and tribulations but You. Absolve, forgive, and remit, O God, our
transgressions; those which we have committed willingly and those we have
committed unwillingly, those which we have committed knowingly and those which
we have committed unknowingly, the hidden and manifest, O Lord forgive us, for
the sake of Your Holy name which is called upon us.
Let it be according to Your mercy, O Lord, and not according to our sins.
Make us worthy to pray thankfully:
Our Father Who art in heaven ...
ABSOLUTION
O Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, the Living and Eternal Son of God, enlighten
our minds to understand Your life-giving words. Raise us up from the darkness of
sin which ruins the soul.
Make us worthy to become upright in good deeds. And at the time of Your coming
to judge the world, make us worthy of hearing that voice full of joy saying,
“Come to Me you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you
before the foundation of the world.”
Yes, Lord, grant us in that Hour to be without fear, anxiety or condemnation;
and do not judge us according to our many iniquities. For You alone are
compassionate, longsuffering and exceedingly merciful.
We ask this, through the intercession of our Lady the Theotokos, Saint Mary, and
the intercession of all the choir of Your saints. Amen.
THE CONCLUSION OF EVERY HOUR
Have mercy on us, O God, and have mercy on us, who, at all times and in every
hour, in heaven and on earth, is worshipped and glorified, Christ our God, the
good, the long suffering, the abundant in mercy, and the great in compassion,
who loves the righteous and has mercy on the sinners of whom I am chief; who
does not wish the death of the sinner but rather that he returns and lives, who
calls all to salvation for the promise of the blessings to come.
Lord receive from us our prayers in this hour and in every hour. Ease our life
and guide us to fulfill Your commandments. Sanctify our spirits. Cleanse our
bodies. Conduct our thoughts. Purify our intentions. Heal our diseases. Forgive
our sins. Deliver us from every evil grief and distress of heart. Surround us by
Your holy angels, that, by their camp, we may be guarded and guided, and attain
the unity of faith, and the knowledge of Your imperceptible and infinite glory.
For You are blessed forever. Amen.