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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
    Sunday, 23 February 2025
Sexagesima
  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 147.[1-12] 13-end]

  
 

[

  
1
 Praise the Lord, for it is a good thing to sing praises unto our God *
 yea, a joyful and pleasant thing it is to be thankful.
  
 
  
2
 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem *
 and gather together the out-casts of Israel.
  
 
  
3
 He healeth those that are broken in heart *
 and giveth medicine to heal their sickness.
  
 
  
4
 He telleth the number of the stars *
 and calleth them all by their names.
  
 
  
5
 Great is our Lord, and great is his power *
 yea, and his wisdom is infinite.
  
 
  
6
 The Lord setteth up the meek *
 and bringeth the ungodly down to the ground.
  
 
  
7
 O sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving *
 sing praises upon the harp unto our God;
  
 
  
8
 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, and prepareth rain for the earth *
 and maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains, and herb for the use of men;
  
 
  
9
 Who giveth fodder unto the cattle *
 and feedeth the young ravens that call upon him.
  
 
  
10
 He hath no pleasure in the strength of an horse *
 neither delighteth he in any man’s legs.
  
 
  
11
 But the Lord’s delight is in them that fear him *
 and put their trust in his mercy.
  
 
  
12
 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem *
 praise thy God, O Sion.
  
 ]
  
13
 For he hath made fast the bars of thy gates *
 and hath blessed thy children within thee.
  
 
  
14
 He maketh peace in thy borders *
 and filleth thee with the flour of wheat.
  
 
  
15
 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth *
 and his word runneth very swiftly.
  
 
  
16
 He giveth snow like wool *
 and scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes.
  
 
  
17
 He casteth forth his ice like morsels *
 who is able to abide his frost?
  
 
  
18
 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them *
 he bloweth with his wind, and the waters flow.
  
 
  
19
 He sheweth his word unto Jacob *
 his statutes and ordinances unto Israel.
  
 
  
20
 He hath not dealt so with any nation *
 neither have the heathen knowledge of his laws.
  
 
     
    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: Genesis 1.1 - 2.3

 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

 

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

       
  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: Matthew 6.25-end

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

     
  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 Lord God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do; Mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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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