Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great on Great Thursday

Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great

There is no kathisma reading

At Psalm 140

In Tone 2

Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.

The Jewish Council gathers to deliver to Pilate* the Author and Creator of all.* O what iniquity and infidelity!* They prepare for judgement* the One who comes to judge the living and the dead;* they prepare to make suffer the One who heals all suffering:* therefore, O long-suffering Lord, great is Your mercy.* Glory be to You.

The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!

At the supper Judas the transgressor dipped his hand into the dish with You, O Lord,* yet reached out to the transgressors to receive the money.* He calculated the value of the oil of myrrh,* yet was not afraid to sell You, the One beyond all price.* He stretched out his feet to be washed,* yet deceitfully kissed the Master and betrayed Him to the lawless ones.* Cast out of the company of the apostles,* he threw away the thirty pieces of silver,* and did not see Your Resurrection on the third day.* Through this Your Resurrection have mercy on us.

Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.

If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.

With a kiss that was deceitful* Judas, the deceitful traitor,* betrayed the Lord and Saviour,* selling the Master of all as a slave to the transgressors;* the Lamb of God, the Son of the Father, went as a sheep to the slaughter:* for He alone is rich in mercy.

I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.

From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.

Judas showed himself by his deeds* to be a servant yet deceiver,* a disciple yet betrayer,* and a friend yet a devil.* For as he followed the Master* he concealed the betrayal, saying to himself:* I will betray this One and gain much wealth.* He sought to sell the spice that he might trap the Lord.* He gave a kiss and betrayed Christ,* who like a lamb was led to the slaughter* and who alone has compassion and love for mankind.

For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.

The Lamb proclaimed by Isaiah* goes of His own will to the slaughter.* He gives His back to be scourged, and His cheeks to be slapped;* He does not turn His face from the shame of their spitting;* He is condemned to a disgraceful death.* Though sinless, He accepts all these things willingly,* that He may grant to all resurrection from the dead.

Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.

In Tone 6, Glory… Now…

Truly, Judas is the son of those ungrateful* who ate the manna in the wilderness,* and murmured against the Nourisher;* for, while food was still in their mouths,* those ingrates murmured against God.* Likewise this wicked one,* while the Holy Bread was still in his mouth,* conspired to betray the Saviour.* O, what greedy purpose!* What bold inhumanity!* For he betrayed the Nourisher* and delivered to death the Master who loved him.* In truth, this lawbreaker is a son of unbelievers,* and inherited destruction with them.* Save our souls, O Lord, from such unkindness;* for You alone can endure such long-suffering.

Prokeimenon, Tone 1
Deliver me, O Lord, from an evil person from the unrighteous man keep me safe.
verse: From those who plan evil in their hearts all the day.

Reading
Exodus 19:10-19

Prokeimenon, Tone 7
O God, deliver me from my enemies; redeem me from those who rise up against me.
verse: Rescue me from those who work iniquity, and from men of blood save me.

Readings
Job 38:1-23; 42:1-5

Isaiah 50:4-11

Small Litany and Trisagion Hymn

Prokeimenon, Tone 7
The rulers have gathered together against the Lord and His anointed.
verse: Why have the nations grown insolent, and peoples contemplated vain things?

Epistle
1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Alleluia, Tone 6
verse: Blessed is he who considers the poor and needy; the Lord will deliver him on the day of evil.
verse: My enemies spoke evil against me: “When will he die and his name perish?”
verse: He who ate My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.

Gospel
Matthew 26:2-20; John 13:1-17; Matthew 26:21-39; Luke 22:43-45; Matthew 26:40-27:2

Instead of the Cherubic Hymn, the following troparion is sung:
Accept me this day, O Son of God, as a partaker of Your mystical supper. I will not tell the mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief I confess to You: remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom.

After the Great Entrance, the following is sung:
Remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Hymn to the Mother of God
Come, you faithful, let us lift up our minds on high,* and enjoy the Master’s hospitality,* and the Table of Immortal Life in the upper room;* and let us hear and learn the exalted teaching* of the Word, Whom we magnify.

Communion Hymn
Accept me this day, O Son of God, as a partaker of Your mystical supper. I will not tell the mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief I confess to You: remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom.

Instead of “Let our mouths be filled with Your praise, O Lord” we sing:
Accept me this day, O Son of God, as a partaker of Your mystical supper. I will not tell the mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief I confess to You: remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom.