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Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Traditional Language

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Please note: Daily Prayer provided by the official Church of England web site, © The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2002-2004.

    Evening Prayer from
    The Book of Common Prayer
    Friday, 17 May 2024
  The introduction to the service is used on Sundays, and may be used on any occasion. If the Introduction is not used, the service begins with the opening responses.
  Introduction
   
  The minister may use a seasonal sentence before using one or more of the penitential sentences.
   
  The minister introduces the service
     
    Dearly beloved [brethren],
    the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge
       and confess our manifold sins and wickedness;
     
    [and that we should not dissemble nor cloak them before
       the face of almighty God our heavenly Father;
    but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent and
       obedient heart;
    to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same
       by his infinite goodness and mercy.
    And although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge
       our sins before God;
    yet ought we most chiefly so to do,
    when we assemble and meet together
    to render thanks for the great benefits that we have
       received at his hands,
    to set forth his most worthy praise,
    to hear his most holy word,
    and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary,
    as well for the body as the soul.]
     
    Wherefore I pray and beseech you,
    as many as are here present,
    to accompany me with a pure heart, and humble voice,
    unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying [after me]:
     
    (or)
     
    Beloved, we are come together in the presence of almighty God and of the whole company of heaven to offer unto him through our Lord Jesus Christ our worship and praise and thanksgiving; to make confession of our sins; to pray, as well for others as for ourselves, that we may know more truly the greatness of God's love and shew forth in our lives the fruits of his grace; and to ask on behalf of all men such things as their well-being doth require.
     
    Wherefore let us kneel in silence, and remember God's presence with us now.
   
All
   Almighty and most merciful Father,
    we have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep.
    We have followed too much the devices and desires
       of our own hearts.
    We have offended against thy holy laws.
    We have left undone those things
       which we ought to have done;
    and we have done those things
         which we ought not to have done;
    and there is no health in us.
    But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders.
    Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults.
    Restore thou them that are penitent;
    according to thy promises declared unto mankind
       in Christ Jesu our Lord.
    And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
    that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
    to the glory of thy holy name.
  Amen.
   
  A priest says
     
    Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
    who desireth not the death of a sinner,
    but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live;
    and hath given power, and commandment, to his ministers
    to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent,
    the absolution and remission of their sins:
    he pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent
       and unfeignedly believe his holy gospel.
    Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true repentance,
       and his Holy Spirit,
    that those things may please him which we do at this present;
    and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy;
    so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy;
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All
   Amen.
   
  or other ministers may say
     
    Grant, we beseech thee, merciful Lord,
    to thy faithful people pardon and peace,
    that they may be cleansed from all their sins,
    and serve thee with a quiet mind;
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All
   Amen.
   
All
   Our Father, which art in heaven,
    hallowed be thy name;
    thy kingdom come;
    thy will be done,
    in earth as it is in heaven.
    Give us this day our daily bread.
    And forgive us our trespasses,
  as we forgive them that trespass against us.
    And lead us not into temptation;
    but deliver us from evil.
    For thine is the kingdom,
    the power and the glory,
    for ever and ever.
    Amen.
  Evening Prayer
     
    The introduction to the service is used on Sundays, and may be used on any occasion. If the Introduction is not used, the service begins with the opening responses.
     
    These responses are used
     
    O Lord, open thou our lips
All
   and our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
     
    O God, make speed to save us.
All
   O Lord, make haste to help us.
     
    Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
    and to the Holy Ghost;
All
   as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
    world without end. Amen.
     
    Praise ye the Lord.
All
   The Lord's name be praised.
     
  Psalmody  
   

Psalm 89

  
 

  
1
 My song shall be alway of the loving kindness of the Lord *
 with my mouth will I ever be shewing thy truth from one generation to another.
  
 
  
2
 For I have said, Mercy shall be set up for ever *
 thy truth shalt thou stablish in the heavens.
  
 
  
3
 I have made a covenant with my chosen *
 I have sworn unto David my servant;
  
 
  
4
 Thy seed will I stablish for ever *
 and set up thy throne from one generation to another.
  
 
  
5
 O Lord, the very heavens shall praise thy wondrous works *
 and thy truth in the congregation of the saints.
  
 
  
6
 For who is he among the clouds *
 that shall be compared unto the Lord?
  
 
  
7
 And what is he among the gods *
 that shall be like unto the Lord?
  
 
  
8
 God is very greatly to be feared in the council of the saints *
 and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him.
  
 
  
9
 O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto thee *
 thy truth, most mighty Lord, is on every side.
  
 
  
10
 Thou rulest the raging of the sea *
 thou stillest the waves thereof when they arise.
  
 
  
11
 Thou hast subdued Egypt, and destroyed it *
 thou hast scattered thine enemies abroad with thy mighty arm.
  
 
  
12
 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine *
 thou hast laid the foundation of the round world, and all that therein is.
  
 
  
13
 Thou hast made the north and the south *
 Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy Name.
  
 
  
14
 Thou hast a mighty arm *
 strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
  
 
  
15
 Righteousness and equity are the habitation of thy seat *
 mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
  
 
  
16
 Blessed is the people, O Lord, that can rejoice in thee *
 they shall walk in the light of thy countenance.
  
 
  
17
 Their delight shall be daily in thy Name *
 and in thy righteousness shall they make their boast.
  
 
  
18
 For thou art the glory of their strength *
 and in thy loving-kindness thou shalt lift up our horns.
  
 
  
19
 For the Lord is our defence *
 the Holy One of Israel is our King.
  
 
  
20
 Thou spakest sometime in visions unto thy saints, and saidst *
 I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
  
 
  
21
 I have found David my servant *
 with my holy oil have I anointed him.
  
 
  
22
 My hand shall hold him fast *
 and my arm shall strengthen him.
  
 
  
23
 The enemy shall not be able to do him violence *
 the son of wickedness shall not hurt him.
  
 
  
24
 I will smite down his foes before his face *
 and plague them that hate him.
  
 
  
25
 My truth also and my mercy shall be with him *
 and in my Name shall his horn be exalted.
  
 
  
26
 I will set his dominion also in the sea *
 and his right hand in the floods.
  
 
  
27
 He shall call me, Thou art my Father *
 my God, and my strong salvation.
  
 
  
28
 And I will make him my first-born *
 higher than the kings of the earth.
  
 
  
29
 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore *
 and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
  
 
  
30
 His seed also will I make to endure for ever *
 and his throne as the days of heaven.
  
 
  
31
 But if his children forsake my law *
 and walk not in my judgements;
  
 
  
32
 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments *
 I will visit their offences with the rod, and their sin with scourges.
  
 
  
33
 Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him *
 nor suffer my truth to fail.
  
 
  
34
 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips *
 I have sworn once by my holiness, that I will not fail David.
  
 
  
35
 His seed shall endure for ever *
 and his seat is like as the sun before me.
  
 
  
36
 He shall stand fast for evermore as the moon *
 and as the faithful witness in heaven.
  
 
  
37
 But thou hast abhorred and forsaken thine Anointed *
 and art displeased at him.
  
 
  
38
 Thou hast broken the covenant of thy servant *
 and cast his crown to the ground.
  
 
  
39
 Thou hast overthrown all his hedges *
 and broken down his strong holds.
  
 
  
40
 All they that go by spoil him *
 and he is become a reproach to his neighbours.
  
 
  
41
 Thou hast set up the right hand of his enemies *
 and made all his adversaries to rejoice.
  
 
  
42
 Thou hast taken away the edge of his sword *
 and givest him not victory in the battle.
  
 
  
43
 Thou hast put out his glory *
 and cast his throne down to the ground.
  
 
  
44
 The days of his youth hast thou shortened *
 and covered him with dishonour.
  
 
  
45
 Lord, how long wilt thou hide thyself, for ever *
 and shall thy wrath burn like fire?
  
 
  
46
 O remember how short my time is *
 wherefore hast thou made all men for nought?
  
 
  
47
 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death *
 and shall he deliver his soul from the hand of hell?
  
 
  
48
 Lord, where are thy old loving-kindnesses *
 which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?
  
 
  
49
 Remember, Lord, the rebuke that thy servants have *
 and how I do bear in my bosom the rebukes of many people;
  
 
  
50
 Wherewith thine enemies have blasphemed thee, and slandered the footsteps of thine Anointed *
 Praised be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
  
 
     
    At the end of each psalm these words are said or sung
     
    Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
    and to the Holy Ghost;
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
    world without end. Amen.
     
    Old Testament Reading  
 
   

First Reading: Deuteronomy 33

 

And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.
 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
 And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
 Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.
 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.
 And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
 Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.
 They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.
 Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.
 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.
 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.
 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments with Israel.
 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.
 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord: possess thou the west and the south.
 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

       
  Magnificat  
     
    Either the Magnificat (as follows) or Cantate Domino (Psalm 98) is said or sung.
     
1
   My soul doth magnify the Lord :
    and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
     
2
   For he hath regarded :
    the lowliness of his handmaiden.
     
3
   For behold, from henceforth :
    all generations shall call me blessed.
     
4
   For he that is mighty hath magnified me :
    and holy is his Name.
     
5
   And his mercy is on them that fear him :
    throughout all generations.
     
6
   He hath shewed strength with his arm :
    he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
     
7
   He hath put down the mighty from their seat :
    and hath exalted the humble and meek.
     
8
   He hath filled the hungry with good things :
    and the rich he hath sent empty away.
     
9
   He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel :
    as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.
   
Luke 1.46-55
     
    Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
    and to the Holy Ghost;
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
    world without end. Amen.
     
  New Testament Reading  
 
   

Second Reading: 1 John 4.7-end

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
 We love him, because he first loved us.
 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

     
  Nunc dimittis  
     
    Either the Nunc dimittis (as follows) or Deus misereatur (Psalm 67) is said or sung.
     
1
   Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace :
    according to thy word.
     
2
   For mine eyes have seen :
    thy salvation;
     
3
   Which thou hast prepared :
    before the face of all people;
     
4
   To be a light to lighten the Gentiles :
    and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
   
Luke 2.29-32
     
    Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
    and to the Holy Ghost;
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
    world without end. Amen.
     
  The Apostles' Creed  
     
All
   I believe in God the Father almighty,
    maker of heaven and earth:
    and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
    who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
    born of the Virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, dead, and buried.
    He descended into hell;
    the third day he rose again from the dead;
    he ascended into heaven,
    and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty;
    from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
    I believe in the Holy Ghost;
    the holy catholic Church;
    the communion of saints;
    the forgiveness of sins;
    the resurrection of the body,
    and the life everlasting.
    Amen.
     
  Prayers  
     
    The Lord be with you.
All
   And with thy spirit.
     
    Let us pray.
     
    Lord, have mercy upon us.
All
   Christ, have mercy upon us.
    Lord, have mercy upon us.
     
All
   Our Father, which art in heaven,
    hallowed be thy name;
    thy kingdom come;
    thy will be done,
    in earth as it is in heaven.
    Give us this day our daily bread.
    And forgive us our trespasses,
    as we forgive them that trespass against us.
    And lead us not into temptation;
    but deliver us from evil. Amen.
     
    O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us.
All
   And grant us thy salvation.
     
    O Lord, save the King.
All
   And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.
     
    Endue thy ministers with righteousness.
All
   And make thy chosen people joyful.
     
    O Lord, save thy people.
All
   And bless thine inheritance.
     
    Give peace in our time, O Lord.
All
   Because there is none other that fighteth for us,
    but only thou, O God.
     
    O God, make clean our hearts within us.
All
   And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.
     
    Three Collects are said.
     
  The Collect of the Day  
     
    O God the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless; but send to us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.
All
   Amen.
     
     
  The Collect for Peace  
     
    O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels,
         and all just works do proceed;
    give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give;
    that both, our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments,
    and also that, by thee,
    we being defended from the fear of our enemies
    may pass our time in rest and quietness;
    through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour.
All
   Amen.
     
  The Collect for Aid against all Perils  
     
    Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord;
    and by thy great mercy defend us
         from all perils and dangers of this night;
    for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
All
   Amen.
     
    The order for the end of the service may include:
     
    hymns or anthems
       a sermon
    further prayers (which may include prayers from here)
     
    This prayer may be used to conclude the service
     
    The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
    and the love of God,
    and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost,
    be with us all evermore.
All
   Amen.
     
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