Prayers before Confession

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

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

O Heavenly King…,

Holy God…,

Glory…, Both now…

O Most Holy Trinity…

Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)

Glory…, Both now…

Our Father… (see the Morning Prayers).

O come, let us worship… (thrice), and Psalm 50… (see the Morning Prayers).

Woe is me, for my sins are more than the sand of the sea, and I am bound by them as with fetters of iron, and I have no boldness to look up to the height of heaven. To whom shall I flee but to Thee, O merciful Lord? For Thou rememberest not evil; to Thee do I flee, and fall down before Thy many mercies. Against Thee, O Lord, have I rebelled, and to Thee I hasten, O Thou who rememberest not evil; to Thee I flee for Thy great goodness, and with compunction I cry: Turn away Thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities, for the sake of Thy name alone. For I have nothing to offer Thee, neither good works nor a pure heart, but only the hope of Thy mercy; and I lay down my soul before Thy love for mankind, that Thou mayest create in me a clean heart, O God, and establish me with Thy Holy Spirit, that I may fall no more, nor be drawn again into the perdition of sin, but henceforth serve Thee in righteousness and truth all the days of my life. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

O Lord God of our salvation, who through Thy prophet Nathan didst rebuke David, and he repented of his transgressions, and Thou didst grant him forgiveness; and who didst accept Manasseh after his prayer: I entreat Thee, O merciful Master, accept now also from me, Thine unworthy servant, my supplication in repentance for my transgressions, and in Thy goodness overlook all my transgressions. For Thou, the Lord, didst command forgiveness seventy times seven for those who fall into sin; for great is Thy mercy, for Thou art the God of the penitent, and Thine is the power and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

I have sinned and have not departed from sin, and I entreat Thy mercy: shelter me, O Good One; judge me and make me holy, O Sweet One; relieve me, for I am wounded; save me, for I have died through sin; make me fragrant, for my wounds have grown foul and shame hath covered me. Raise me up, who am sunk in the pit and fallen; raise me up. I am he who transgressed the law and defiled it: enlighten me who am darkened, turn me back who have gone astray, and seek me out who am lost. Woe is me, O Lord, defiled as I am, who am not worthy to look up to heaven.

O Lord Jesus Christ our God, who in Thy mercy didst weep over Lazarus and didst shed upon him in compassion Thy holy tears: accept also these tears of my bitterness. By Thy holy passion relieve my soul of the passions; by Thy holy wounds heal my soul of its wounds; by the fragrance of Thine incorrupt body make fragrant the stench of my body; and by the gall which Thou didst receive from Thy creatures sweeten my soul of the bitterness which I have received from my enemies. By the lifting up of Thy holy Cross lift up my mind, bowed down by the demons; by the bowing of Thy holy head upon the Cross lift up my head, trampled by the enemies; by Thy holy hands, stretched out upon the Cross, bring me up out of the depths of my sins. By the blows and the spitting upon Thy holy face cleanse my face, defiled by my sin and my iniquity; and by Thy holy spirit, which Thou didst commit to the Father upon the Cross, lead me, that I may come to Thee from the ways of my iniquity. For I have not, O Saviour, a sorrowing heart to seek Thee; I have not repentance and compunction, which bring the lost back to hope; I have not, O Master, tears for the consolation of my soul. Darkened, O Master, is my mind, and it cannot turn to Thy fear; my heart hath grown cold to the warmth of Thy holy love, and my heart hath not the washing of tears that is pleasing to Thee. But do Thou, O Jesus Christ, my Master and my God, who hast purchased me with Thy holy blood, grant me now repentance and a contrite heart, that I may go forth with all my heart to seek Thee, the good Shepherd and the Physician of the lost; for without Thee these wounds of my soul will not be healed, and I am a stranger to every good thing, unless Thou grant it me by Thy grace from Thy holy Father, who before the ages begat Thee to share His throne. Renew in my soul the beauty of Thine image, and by Thy Holy Spirit enlighten my soul, darkened by sin. My Master, grant me Thy grace, O Good One; O Good One and Lover of mankind, though I have forsaken Thee, do not Thou in Thy goodness forsake me; though by my own will I have lost myself from Thy flock, do Thou in Thy mercy come forth to seek me, and lead me into Thy holy fold, and number me with the sheep of Thy blessed flock, and nurture me with them on the pasture of Thy holy Mysteries; and may I, Thine unworthy servant, be counted worthy to behold the light of Thy countenance. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

O Lord God, Creator of all, hear the prayer of Thy Christ-loving people, who are called by Thy name, and remember Thy holy, catholic and apostolic Church, which Thou hast purchased with Thy blood; bind up the wounds dealt her from within by heretics, and give oneness to Thine Orthodox; fence them about with help from on high and strengthen them with the ranks of the angels, to sing and glorify Thine all-holy and incorrupt name. Preserve our people in steadfastness, and grant it everlasting victory over its enemies; bestow understanding and Thy peace upon the world, and grant the land abundance of fruits, and the people food at little cost, that we the poor may be filled with Thy bread, and may ever offer the hymn of thanksgiving to Thee, our God, the Lover of mankind, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

He that dwells in the help of the Highest, shall sojourn under the shelter of the God of heaven. He shall say to the Lord, Thou art my helper and my refuge: my God; I will hope in him. For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunters, from every troublesome matter. He shall overshadow thee with his shoulders, and thou shalt trust under his wings: his truth shall cover thee with a shield. Thou shalt not be afraid of terror by night; nor of the arrow flying by day; nor of the evil thing that walks in darkness; nor of calamity, and the evil spirit at noon-day. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou observe and see the reward of sinners. For thou, O Lord, art my hope: thou, my soul, hast made the Most High thy refuge. No evils shall come upon thee, and no scourge shall draw nigh to thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up on their hands, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread on the asp and basilisk: and thou shalt trample on the lion and dragon. For he has hoped in me, and I will deliver him: I will protect him, because he has known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will hearken to him: I am with him in affliction; and I will deliver him, and glorify him. I will satisfy him with length of days, and shew him my salvation.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, of our venerable and God-bearing fathers and of all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.

O all-merciful Lord Jesus Christ our God, forgive me all my countless sins, whereby I have offended Thee, my God, the beginnings of which I have confessed before Thee.

O most holy Theotokos, Ever-Virgin Mary, entreat thy Son and our God that He forgive me all my transgressions, as He is good, merciful and the Lover of mankind.