The Midnight Office

(For Sundays)

As a Reader Service

Note: The translation used is primarily that of Fr. Lawrence of Jordanville. The order of service is based primarily on the Reader Service Typikon by Bishop Daniel (the Old Rite Bishop of the ROCA) and translated by Fr. George Lardas. All the psalms are from The Psalter According to the Seventy, © Copyright Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. Some other material, such as prayers and hymns, are also Copyright HTM, used by permission. All rights reserved. These works may not be further reproduced, beyond printing out a single copy for personal non-commercial use, without the prior written authorization of Holy Transfiguration Monastery.

Senior Reader: Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come and dwell in us, and cleanse us of all impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. Thrice.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name's sake.

Lord have mercy. Thrice.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, Who art in the Heavens, 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Senior Reader: O Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen. Lord, Have mercy. Twelve times.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O come, let us worship God our King.

O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King and God.

O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and God.

Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of Thy compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know mine iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee only have I sinned and done this evil before Thee, that Thou mightest be justified in Thy words, and prevail when Thou art judged. For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me. For behold, Thou hast loved truth; the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom hast Thou made manifest unto me. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be made clean; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Thou shalt make me to hear joy and gladness; the bones that be humbled, they shall rejoice. Turn Thy face away from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and with Thy governing Spirit establish me. I shall teach transgressors Thy ways, and the ungodly shall turn back unto Thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in Thy righteousness. O Lord, Thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise. For if Thou hadst desired sacrifice, I had given it; with whole-burnt offerings Thou shalt not be pleased. A sacrifice unto God is a broken spirit; a heart that is broken and humbled God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Thy good pleasure unto Zion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be builded. Then shalt Thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offerings. Then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar.

And immediately we say the Canon to the Most Holy Trinity, of the occurring Tone (i.e., from the Octoechos).

And after the Canon, we sing these Hymns to the Trinity. the Megalynaria found in the Slavonic Horologion differ somewhat from those in the Greek Horologion. Both are presented here. The Slavonic translation is that of the Jordanville Horologion, the Greek (in Tahoma Type) is that of the Boston Horologion]:

Slavonic Order:

It is truly meet * to glorify Thee, God the Word, * before Whom the Cherubim quake and tremble, * and Whom the heavenly hosts doxologize; * the One Who arose on the third day from the tomb, * Christ the Life-giver, in fear let us glorify.

Let us all in divine songs befitting God, * hymn the Father, and the Son, and the Divine Spirit, * the tri-personed Dominion, * One kingdom and Sovereignty.

Thou Whom all the earth-born hymn, * and the heavenly hosts doxologize, * art faithfully worshipped by all, * O Unity in essence, in Three persons.

O Thou Who art Lord of the Cherubim, * and from whom the incomparable Seraphim received their beginning, * indivisible Trinity in Unity, * the very Godhead, Thee do we magnify.

The unoriginate Father and God, * the co-unoriginate Word together with the Spirit, I worship; * the inseparable only-united Essence, * the Three-fold Unity let us honor in hymns.

Thy resplendent lightnings do Thou shine upon me, * O my God in Three Persons, the Creator of all; * and show me forth as the abode of Thine unapproachable glory, * shining and light-bearing and unchanging.

Him before Whom the Cherubim quake and tremble, * and whom angelic hosts doxologize, * Who of the Virgin was ineffably incarnate, * Christ the Life-giver, with fear let us glorify.

Greek Order*

It is truly meet to praise the Trinity, God transcendent: the beginningless Father Who created all things that came to be; the co-eternal Word born of the Father without change and before the ages; and God the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father past speech and timelessly.

It is truly meet to glorify Thee, O God the Word, the God of all things. Hence, to Him before Whom the Cherubim stand with fear and trembling; Whom the Heavens’ hosts glorify; and Who on the third day rose from the tomb and Hades: let us with fear give glory to the Life-giver, Christ.

With inspired songs befitting God, let us offer praises to the Father and to the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Singular Dominion, the Kingship in Three Persons, and Single Sovereignty.

When creation saw thy Son risen up from the dead in Hades with divine dignity and strength, then its joy was endless; and as it glorified Him, it honored thee, His mother, O spotless Virgin Maid.

* (The Great Horologion, Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Boston, Mass: 1997, p. 54)

Reader: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. Thrice.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name's sake.

Lord have mercy. Thrice.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Senior Reader: O Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen. And the Hypakoe of the Tone (from the Octoechos).

Lord, have mercy. Forty times.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim; who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify.

Senior Reader: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.

Reader: Amen.

Choir: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. Thrice.

O Lord, bless.

Senior Reader (Facing the East, rather than facing the people): O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, our holy and God-bearing fathers, and all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, for Thou art good and the Lover of mankind.

Choir: Amen.

Senior Reader: Remit, pardon, forgive, O God, our offenses, both voluntary and involuntary, in deed and word, in knowledge and ignorance, by day and by night, in mind and thought; forgive us all things, for Thou art good and the Lover of mankind.

Choir: Amen.

Senior Reader: O Lord, Lover of mankind, forgive them that hate and wrong us. Do good to them that do good. Grant our brethren and kindred their saving petitions and life eternal; visit the infirm and grant them healing. Guide those at sea. Journey with them that travel. Help Orthodox Christians to struggle. To them that serve and are kind to us grant remissions of sins. On them that have charged us, the unworthy, to pray for them, have mercy according to Thy great mercy. Remember, O Lord, our fathers and brethren departed before us, and grant them rest where the light of Thy countenance shall visit them. Remember, O Lord, our brethren in captivity, and deliver them from every misfortune. Remember, O Lord, those that bear fruit and do good works in Thy holy churches, and grant them their saving petitions and life eternal. Remember also, O Lord, us Thy lowly and sinful and unworthy servants, and enlighten our minds with the light of Thy knowledge, and guide us in the way of Thy commandments; through the intercessions of our most pure Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and of all Thy saints, for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages.

Choir: Amen. Lord, have mercy. Thrice.

Senior Reader: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.

Choir: Amen.

The End of the Midnight Office