First Hour

The Beginning of the First Hour


Priest: Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. (For private prayers begin, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”.)


Reader: Amen.


Glory to You, our God, glory to You!


O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who are everywhere present and fill all things; Treasurer of Blessings and Giver of life, come and dwell within us, and cleanse us from every blemish, and save our souls, O blessed One!


Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us! [3]


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


O most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; O Lord, cleanse us of our sins; O Master, forgive our transgressions; O Holy One, come to us and heal our infirmities, for Your Name's sake.



Lord, have mercy! [3]


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 evil.


Priest: For Thine 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.


Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy. [12]


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


Come, let us worship God our King! Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ, our King and our God! Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ Himself, our King and our God!


Psalm 5


O LORD, GIVE EAR TO MY WORDS; hear my cry. Attend to the voice of my supplication, O my King and my God; for to You will I pray, O Lord.


In the morning You shall hear my voice. In the morning I will stand before You and You shall look upon me; for You are not a God who wills iniquity.


He who works evil shall not dwell near You, nor shall transgressors abide before Your presence.


*You have hated all those who work iniquity; You shall destroy all those who speak lies.


A man that is bloody and deceitful, the Lord shall abhor.


*As for me, because of the abundance of Your mercy, I shall go into Your house; I shall worship You in reverence, directed toward Your holy temple.


O Lord, guide me in the way of Your righteousness; because of my enemies, make my path straight toward You.


*For there is no truth in their mouth; their heart is arrogant.


Their throat is an open tomb, with their tongues, they have spoken deceitfully; judge them, O God.


*Let them fail because of their own scheming; because of their great ungodliness, cast them out, for they have embittered You, O Lord.


And let all those who trust in You be glad; they shall always rejoice, and You shall dwell with them.


*And all who love Your name, shall find glory in You, because You shall bless the righteous.


O Lord, You have crowned us, as with the shielding of Your good pleasure.


Psalm 89


O LORD, YOU HAVE BEEN OUR REFUGE from generation to generation.


Before the mountains came into being, even before the earth and the cosmos were formed, from everlasting to everlasting You are.


Do not turn mankind away to oblivion; truly, You have said: Turn back, O sons of men! all of you who have been born.


*For You consider a thousand years, O Lord, as but yesterday, which is past, as though it were only a night watch.


All their years shall be as though they were nothing; mankind shall pass away in the morning like grass.


*In the morning we shall bloom, and grow full blown, by evening we shall have fallen away, grown withered and dry.


For we have collapsed from Your wrath, and by Your anger we have been troubled.


*You have ordered our iniquities in Your presence; our life span is scrutinized in the light of Your countenance.


For all our days are faded away, and in Your wrath we are broken down; our years have, like a spider, spun out their tale.


*As for the number of days our years shall span, they may perhaps be seventy years.


If we happen to be strong, perhaps even eighty; any more than these are full of struggle and suffering.


*For mildness has come upon us, and we shall be reproved.


Who could know the force of Your wrath? And in terror of Your condemnation, who could reckon Your anger?


*So show Your strength to me and to those who have learned wisdom in their hearts.


Return to us, O Lord; how long shall You delay? And consider the entreaty of Your servants.


*We were filled in the morning with Your mercy, O Lord, and we rejoiced and were glad.


In all our days, let us be glad for the days in which You humbled us, for the years in which we saw evils.


*Look upon Your servants, upon Your creation, and guide their offspring.


Let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper the works of our hands for us, yes, prosper the work of our hands.


Psalm 100


To You, I will sing, of mercy and judgment, O Lord; I will chant and have understanding in a blameless path. When will You come to me?


I have walked in the innocence of my heart in the midst of my house.


I have no unlawful thing before my eyes; the workers of transgressions I have hated.


*A crooked heart has not clung to me; the wicked man who turned from me, I have forgotten him.


I drove away from me, him who secretly gossiped against his neighbor.


*With him whose bearing was arrogant and his heart unappeasable, I did not eat.


Rather my eyes sought the faithful of the land, that they might sit with me; the man who was irreproachable, he accompanied me.


*The haughty man was not a guest in my house; he who spoke injustice was unfortunate in my eyes.


In the morning I killed all the sinners who had lived in this land, completely eradicating from the city of the Lord all those whose work had been iniquity.


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


Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia; glory to You, O God. [3]


Lord, have mercy. [3]


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


The Tropar of the Day


What shall we call you, O Full of Grace? Heaven, for from you has arisen the Sun of Righteousness? Paradise, for from you has blossomed forth the Flower of Immortality? Virgin, for you have remained undefiled? Pure Mother, for you have held in your holy embrace the Son, the God of all? Beseech Him to save our souls.


Direct my steps according to Your saying, and let no iniquity have dominion over me. Deliver me from the false accusations of mankind, and I will keep Your commandments. Make your face to shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes.


Let my mouth be filled with Your praise, O Lord, that I may sing Your glory and Your majesty all the day long.


Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us! [3]


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


O most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; O Lord, cleanse us of our sins; O Master, forgive our transgressions; O Holy One, come to us and heal our infirmities, for Your Name's sake.



Lord, have mercy! [3]


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 evil.


Priest: For Thine 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.


Reader: Amen.


The Kondak of the day


Lord, have mercy. [40]


The Prayer of the Hours: O Christ God, who at all times and at every hour, in heaven and on earth, are worshiped and glorified, who are long suffering, plenteous in mercy, most compassionate, who love the righteous and have mercy on sinners, who call all to salvation through the promise of good things to come: Receive, O Lord our prayers at this hour, and guide our life toward your commandments. Sanctify our souls, make chaste our bodies, set aright our minds, cleanse our thoughts, and deliver us from every sorrow, evil, and pain. Encompass us with your holy angels, so that guarded and guided by their watch, we may attain to the unity of the faith and to the knowledge of Your ineffable glory: for You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.


Lord, have mercy. [3]


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


More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who as a virgin gave birth to God the Word, true Birthgiver of God, we magnify you.


In the name of the Lord, father, bless. (For private prayers, say,“By the intercession of Your saints, O Lord, bless.)


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


Reader: Amen.


O Christ the True Light, which enlightens and sanctifies every one coming into the world, let the light of Your countenance be signed on us, that in it we may see the unapproachable Light; and guide our steps to the doing of Your commandments, through the prayers of Your most pure Mother, and all Your saints. Amen.


The End of the First Hour