Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
At Psalm 140
In Tone 8
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
Having come to the end of the forty days,
we beseech You, O Lord and Lover of humankind:
May we also behold the holy week of Your passion,
and glorify in it Your lofty deeds
and Your ineffable work of salvation,
as we sing with one voice:
O Lord, glory to You.
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
Having come to the end of the forty days,
we beseech You, O Lord and Lover of humankind:
May we also behold the holy week of Your passion,
and glorify in it Your lofty deeds
and Your ineffable work of salvation,
as we sing with one voice:
O Lord, glory to You.
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
O martyrs of the Lord,
we entreat you to beseech our God,
and ask great mercy for our souls
and forgiveness of our many offences.
In Tone 6
Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Desiring to see the tomb of Lazarus, O Lord,
since You were soon going to dwell willingly in the tomb,
You asked: Where have you placed him?
And, when You learned that which You already knew,
You called to the one whom You loved:
Lazarus, come forth from the tomb!
And Death obeyed the Giver of life,
the Saviour of our souls.
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Desiring to see the tomb of Lazarus, O Lord,
since You were soon going to dwell willingly in the tomb,
You asked: Where have you placed him?
And, when You learned that which You already knew,
You called to the one whom You loved:
Lazarus, come forth from the tomb!
And Death obeyed the Giver of life,
the Saviour of our souls.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Having arrived at the tomb of Lazarus on the fourth day,
You wept for Your friend, O Lord.
You gave life to the one who had been dead four days;
Death was bound up by Your voice,
and the grave-clothes were unbound by Your hands.
Therefore, the company of apostles were filled with joy,
and all the choirs sang with one voice:
Blessed are You, O Saviour; have mercy on us.
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Having arrived at the tomb of Lazarus on the fourth day,
You wept for Your friend, O Lord.
You gave life to the one who had been dead four days;
Death was bound up by Your voice,
and the grave-clothes were unbound by Your hands.
Therefore, the company of apostles were filled with joy,
and all the choirs sang with one voice:
Blessed are You, O Saviour; have mercy on us.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
The kingdom of Hades was demolished at the sound of You voice, O Lord;
Your powerful word awakened from the tomb one who had been dead for days.
Lazarus becomes a saving prelude of our regeneration.
Nothing is impossible for the King of the universe;
O Lord, grant to Your servants forgiveness and great mercy.
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Desiring to assure Your disciples of Your own Resurrection from the dead,
You came to the tomb of Lazarus.
And when You called him, Hades was despoiled,
and it gave up the one who had been dead four days;
and he cried out to You, O Saviour:
Blessed are You, O Lord, glory to You!
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Taking Your disciples with You, O Lord,
You came to Bethany to awaken Lazarus from the dead;
and, weeping over him in accordance with your human nature,
as God, You raised the one who had been dead four days;
and he cried out to You, O Saviour:
Blessed are You, O Lord, glory to You!
In Tone 8, Glory…
You have come to the tomb of Lazarus, O Lord,
and You called the dead one to awaken as from his sleep.
He shook off the dust of the tomb at Your immortal words;
and, still bound by the grave-clothes,
he came forth at the sound of Your voice.
For You have power and lordship over all things,
and You are the Master of the whole world, O Lover of humankind:
O Lord, glory to You.
Now…
Having come to the end of the forty days, we cry out:
Rejoice, O city of Bethany, the home of Lazarus.
Rejoice, Martha and Mary, for Christ shall come to you tomorrow;
by His word, He shall give life to your departed brother.
Hearing His voice, the cruel and insatiable Hades will give up Lazarus after four days.
Struck with admiration, the Hebrew people will carry palms and branches,
and they shall go before Him.
The children shall praise the One whom their parents looked upon with envy:
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!
Prokeimenon I, Tone 6
Our help is in the name of the Lord,* who made heaven and earth.
verse: “If the Lord had not been on our side,” this is the song of Israel.
Reading I
Genesis 49:33-50:26
When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel; forty days were required for it, for so many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days. And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favour in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, ‘I am about to die: in my tomb which I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.’ Now therefore let me go up, I pray you, and bury my father; then I will return.” And Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.” So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household; only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; it was a very great company. When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he made a mourning for his father seven days. When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan. Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them; for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field at Mach-pelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a burying place. After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil which we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, ‘Say to Joseph, Forgive, I pray you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, we pray you, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him, and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Fear not, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he reassured them and comforted them. So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s house; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation; the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born upon Joseph’s knees. And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph took an oath of the sons of Israel, saying, “God will visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
Those who put their trust in the Lord* are like Mount Sion.
verse: They cannot be shaken, for it stands unmoved forever.
Reading II
Proverbs 31:8-31
Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all who are left desolate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, maintain the rights of the poor and needy. A good wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and tasks for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She girds her loins with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes herself coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers girdles to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.