Stichera of Repentance

From my youth unclean passions war mightily against me; therefore I entreat Thee: be my helper and save me, O Good One.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

With the heavenly powers we praise Thee, O Father, and say: Holy God, have mercy on us; in the church of the saints we sing to Thee, O Christ, and say: Holy Mighty, have mercy on us; to the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, we sing with a sweet voice and say: Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

Accept, O Lord, the song of glorification of Thy servants, and overlook our transgressions, as Thou alone art good and the Lover of mankind.

Turn not away, O Master, this supplication of us who sing to Thee (names), but have mercy on us, O Lover of mankind, and grant to these who ask in faith the forgiveness of sins.

Hear me, O Lord, for sweet is Thy mercy; according to Thy great mercy look upon me and have mercy on me.

Though none hath sinned as I, yet have mercy on me, O sweet Saviour, who repent in fear and cry with trembling: I have sinned against Thee; have mercy, O Most Merciful.

O Thou who sittest upon the Cherubim, with tears I fall down before Thy mercy: have mercy on me.

Defiled by sins, wounded and condemned, and fallen through the passions, have mercy on me, O merciful God, and deliver me from my sins, as Thou art the Lover of mankind, that I may magnify Thee unceasingly in song.

Drowned in my sins, bring me up, O my God, and have mercy on me.

Thou knowest my open and hidden things, O Lord; to me who have sinned against Thee beyond count be merciful in Thy sweetness, O Saviour, and grant me a time of repentance to cleanse my faults.

On that dread day of judgement shelter me, O Good One, and have mercy on me.

Thou who didst justify the harlot by a word and cleanse the leper, O Christ, cleanse my soul also, O Master, from the ugliness and abomination of sins, and adorn it with a radiant garment.

I have no defence and am hopeless of salvation, O Lord: have mercy on me.

The Lord is near; understand, O soul, awake and take thought, and sleep not, and cry fervently to God: Have mercy on me, a sinner, O Good One, and save me by Thy mercy.

Blot out the multitude of my sins by Thy great mercy, O Lord, and have mercy on me.

Behold, the judgement is at hand and I am in despair, for I have done deeds worthy of condemnation. O righteous Judge, Christ, condemn me not, who am self-condemned and ashamed.

O Lord, make haste and guide me to the haven of Thy will, and have mercy on me.

As the Mother of God, having boldness before thy Son, O Theotokos, deliver us who sing to thee with longing from evil sins, infirmities and temptations.

Through the Theotokos have mercy upon my sins, O God, and save me.

Like the barren fig tree, cut me not down, O Saviour, sinner that I am, but grant me forgiveness for a long time yet, and water my soul with tears of repentance, that I may bring Thee the fruit of mercy.

Before the end, O my soul, hasten to repentance.

O my wretched soul, this temporal life passeth, but that eternal one passeth not. I see the judgement seat and the Judge upon the throne, and I tremble at the sentence. Now therefore hasten to turn in repentance, O my soul, for that punishment too is without end.

At that dread judgement be merciful to me, O Lord, as Thou art the Lover of mankind.

Look, O God, upon my downcast and enfeebled soul, and have mercy on me, who have spent my life in sin. Like the harlot I fall down before Thee: receive me, O Saviour, and save me.

O Lord, blot out my sins and renew Thy Holy Spirit within me, O Lover of mankind.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me — so David lamented for two sins; but I fall down before Thee for ten thousand sins. He watered his bed with tears, but I have not even one drop; therefore, despairing, I cry: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy.

O Lord, hear my prayer and, as with David, have mercy on me and blot out my sins.

A dread judgement awaiteth me, O Lord; for though I keep silent, my deeds bear witness against me. But turn me back who have gone astray, O Christ God, and save me.

O most merciful God, be gracious unto our transgressions and have mercy on us.

I have no repentance, nor yet tears; therefore I entreat Thee, O Saviour, turn me before my death and grant me repentance, that I may be delivered from torments.

Through the multitude of my sins I have fallen, and I entreat Thee: have mercy on me, O God.

Like the prodigal son I too have come, O Saviour: receive me who fall down before Thee as one of Thy hired servants, and have mercy on me, O Lover of mankind.

O Lord, who knowest my transgressions and awaitest repentance, have mercy on me.

O Lord Almighty, Thou knowest how powerful tears are unto salvation; for Thou didst bring Hezekiah up from the gates of death, and didst free the harlot from countless transgressions, and didst justify the publican more than the Pharisee; and we entreat Thee: cleanse us also with them and have mercy on us.

O Lord, justify me as the publican, cleanse me as the harlot, and have mercy on me as the thief.

My iniquity, O Lord, is not of the flesh, but I am weak in soul; driven by the error of this world I flee to Thee, who art the Physician and Sanctifier of souls: have mercy on me and heal me.

Thou who knowest the secrets of all, deliver me from my iniquities and have mercy on me.

O wretched soul, what weeping there will be then, when the righteous go up to the kingdom of heaven, while thou art punished in the eternal fire for thy deeds! Sigh and weep, and fall down before Christ thy Deliverer, and cast away thine iniquity.

Grant me forgiveness of sins and a multitude of mercies, O Saviour, and have mercy on me.

Whither shall I flee, O Lord, when Thou pronouncest judgement upon my soul and deliverest me into the hands of the wrathful angel? Then shall I lament and weep and say like Job: Why did I not die in my mother’s womb? O merciful Saviour, renew my soul as Thou didst Job’s, and have mercy on me.

I have a multitude of sins, and I entreat Thee, O Christ: look upon me and have mercy on me.

Understand, O my soul, the difference between the publican and the Pharisee: hate the voice of pride of the one, and imitate the supplication of the other with compunction, and say: O God, be gracious to me a sinner, and have mercy on me.

Take not Thy mercy from me, but grant us repentance and forgiveness of sins.

Accept my repentance, as that of the prodigal son, O Jesus Christ my God, for I have spent my days in slothfulness, and in my folly have angered Thee, my Deliverer.

O Saviour, Lover of mankind, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Like the thief I cry: Remember me; like the publican I fall down before Thee: O God, be gracious to me a sinner; and like the prodigal receive me, and forgive all my sins, O merciful Master, that I may sing of the abyss of Thy goodness.

Like the publican and the harlot I cry and entreat Thee: have mercy on me, O God.

Let us fall down and weep bitterly, O faithful, before that judgement, when the heavens shall pass away, the stars shall fall, and the earth shall tremble and quake, that we may find full mercy from Christ the Lord.

Remember me, a sinner, O Saviour, when Thou comest in glory to the earth, and have mercy on me, O my God and Deliverer, and save me.

I have defiled my flesh wickedly and corrupted my soul, and my heart with defiled thoughts; I have wounded all my senses, defiled my eyes and sullied my ears; with my words I have stained my tongue, and all I have is shameful; wherefore, falling down, I cry to Thee, O Master Christ: I have sinned, I have sinned against Thee: forgive me and save me.

Thou art the hope of sinners, and from Thee is the fountain of life, O Lord, Lover of mankind: have mercy on me.

Often when I sing with my tongue, I find myself working sin in my mind; for with my mouth I spoke hymns, but in my soul I tasted evils; but heal both, O Christ God, through repentance, and have mercy on me.

O Lord, wash me with Thy mercy and save me.

Thou knowest my deeds, known and unknown, O my Creator: condemn me not at the time of judgement, when Thou comest to judge creation, O Deliverer, but grant me forgiveness of faults.

O Lord, turn away Thy face from my iniquities, and blot out all my sins, I entreat Thee.

Job showed wondrous patience under the assault of trials, and like a tower stood unshaken; become his imitator, O soul, and faint not in thy trials, nor grow weak before the ranks of the demons.

Deliver me from the sleepless worm and from Gehenna, through repentance and struggle, O Christ.

The wealth Thou gavest me I have scattered, O Christ, and stripped of good things I have clothed myself in the evil works of darkness: adorn me with adornment and clothe me in that first honour.

I tremble at my many transgressions and cry to Thee with tears: O only Physician, have mercy on me.

I am become like him who fell among thieves, O Lord of all, fallen through my sins and mercilessly stripped by them; but send me not away without healing; for Thou art not a Samaritan, but didst come forth from the incorrupt Mary, O Jesus our Saviour: have mercy on us.

My sins and iniquities have angered Thee, but as Thou art the Lover of mankind, be gracious and have mercy on me.

While there is still time to cry to the Lord and the doors of repentance are open, I said in supplication: I have sinned, O Saviour; forgive me and remember not my iniquities.

We sinners cry to Thee in supplication: take not Thy mercy from us, O Lord.

O Cherubim and Seraphim, Authorities, Archangels, Thrones, Dominions, Powers, holy Angels and Principalities, who stand before the Holy Trinity, ask for us forgiveness of sins and a good life, that we may be counted worthy of the kingdom of heaven.

We sing to Thee, our God, Creator of the ages, whom the angels serve on high; and with them we cry: O Lord, glory to Thee.

Give me tears, O my God, as once to the sinful woman, and make me worthy to wash Thy feet, that Thou mayest deliver me from the way of error, and that I may offer Thee a fragrant ointment — a blameless life and holy repentance gained — that I too may hear Thy longed-for voice: Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace!

Grant us, O Lord, Thy peace, and deliver us from our many sins; O life-giving Spirit, have mercy on us.

It is truly meet that we should magnify thee, O Theotokos, who art ever-blessed and all-immaculate and the Mother of our God. Thee, more honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the only Theotokos, we magnify in song.

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