THE OFFICE OF SMALL COMPLINE
Small Compline is used every evening after supper when there is no All-Night Vigil and when Great
Compline is not appointed instead.
Priest: Blessed is our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Reader: Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who art everywhere and fill-
est all things; Treasury of blessings and Giver of life: come and abide in us and
cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and
unto ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, cleanse us from our sins. O Mas-
ter, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for
Thy Name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and
unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy
will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and for-
give us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Reader: Amen. Lord, have mercy. (12x)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and
unto ages of ages. Amen.
Come, let us worship God our King. Come, let us worship and fall down before
Christ, our King and our God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ
Himself, our King and our God.
PSALM 50
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Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy; according to the
multitude of Thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me
thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my
transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee, Thee only, have I
sinned, and done that which is evil in Thy sight, so that Thou art justified in Thy
sentence and blameless in Thy judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sins did my mo-ther conceive me. Behold, Thou desirest truth in the
inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with
hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Fill me
with joy and gladness; let the bones which Thou hast broken rejoice. Hide Thy
face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O
God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy
presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy
salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors
Thy ways, and sinners will return to Thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O
God, Thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of Thy
deliverance. O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy
praise. For Thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offer-ing,
Thou wouldst not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a
broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. Do good to Zion in Thy
good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, then wilt Thou delight in right
sacri-fices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered
on Thine altar.
PSALM 69
Be pleased, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! Let them be
put to shame and confusion who seek my life. Let them be turned back and
brought to dishonor who desire my hurt. Let them be appalled because of their
shame who say, “Aha, Aha!” May all who seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee.
May those who love Thy salvation say evermore, “God is great!” But I am poor
and needy; hasten to me, O God! Thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do
not tarry!
PSALM 142
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications. In Thy faithfulness
answer me, in Thy righteousness. Enter not into judgment with Thy servant; for
no man living is righteous before Thee. For the enemy has pursued me; he has
crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long
dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. I
remember the days of old, I meditate on all that Thou hast done; I muse on what
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Thy hands have wrought. I stretch out my hands to Thee; my soul thirsts for
Thee like a parched land. Make haste to answer me, O Lord. My spirit fails. Hide
not Thy face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the Pit. Let me hear in
the morning of Thy steadfast love, for in Thee I put my trust. Teach me the way I
should go, for to Thee I lift up my soul. Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies. I
have fled to Thee for ref-uge. Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God. Let
Thy good spirit lead me on a level path. For Thy Name's sake, O Lord, preserve
my life. In Thy righteous-ness bring me out of trouble. And in Thy steadfast love
cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am Thy servant.
THE LESSER DOXOLOGY
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men. We
praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to
Thee for Thy great glory. O Lord, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O
Lord, the Only-Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit; O Lord God,
Lamb of God, Son of the Father, Who takest away the sin of the world, have
mercy on us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of the Father have mercy on us. For Thou alone
art holy, Thou alone art Lord, Jesus Christ, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Every night will I give thanks to Thee and praise Thy Name for ever and ever.
Lord, Thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: Lord,
have mercy on me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee. Lord, I have fled
unto Thee. Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God. For with Thee is the
fountain of life, and in Thy light shall we see light. O continue Thy mercy unto
those who know Thee.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this night without sin. Blessed art Thou, O Lord,
God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy Name forever. Amen. Let
Thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, as we have set our hope on Thee. Blessed art
Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes. Blessed art Thou, O Master, make me to
understand Thy commandments. Blessed art Thou, O Holy One, enlighten me
with Thy pre-cepts. Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever: despise not the works
of Thy hands. To Thee belongeth worship, to Thee belongeth praise, to Thee
belongeth glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and
ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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THE SYMBOL OF FAITH
I believe in one God, the Father almighty; Maker of heaven and earth, and of all
things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-Begotten, begotten of the
Father before all ages. Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made;
of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men
and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy
Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under
Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He rose again,
according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand
of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the
dead; Whose King-dom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the
Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified;
Who spoke by the Prophets.
In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the
remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world
to come. Amen.
Here, one or more canons or akathists may be read, followed by:
It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and most pure and the
Mo-ther of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious
beyond compare than the Seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God
the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify thee.
Reader: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and
unto ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, cleanse us from our sins. O Mas-
ter, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for
Thy Name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and
unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy
will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and for-
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give us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
R. Amen.
Then, on Sunday through Thursday nights, the troparia and kontakia of the day are
sung, followed by “O God of our Fathers…” (see p. 8). The troparia for each weekday
are presented here, pointed according to the Obikhod (L’vov/Bakhmetev) tones. On
Friday nights, however, only the troparion “O Apostles, Martyrs, and Prophets…”,
and the troparia that follow, are sung (see p. 8). On Saturday nights, the troparion and
kontakion of the Resurrection are sung in the appointed tone (the Resurrectional troparia
and kontakia are not presented here).
ON SUNDAY NIGHT: THE BODILESS HOSTS
Tone 4 Troparion
O Commanders of the heavenly hosts,
we who are unworthy beseech you:
by your prayers encompass us beneath the wings of your immaterial glory,
and faithfully preserve us who fall down and cry out to you://
“Deliver us from all harm, for you are the Commanders of the Powers on high!”
Tone 2 Kontakion
Commanders of God’s armies
and ministers of the divine glory,
princes of the bodiless angels
and guides of mankind;
ask for what is good for us, and for great mercy,//
O Supreme Commanders of the Bodiless Hosts.
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ON MONDAY NIGHT: ST. JOHN THE FORERUNNER
Tone 2 Troparion
The memory of the righteous is celebrated with hymns of praise,
but the Lord’s testimony is sufficient for thee, O Forerunner.
Thou wast shown in truth to be the most honorable of the Prophets,
for thou wast deemed worthy to baptize in the streams of the Jordan Him Whom
they foretold.
Therefore, having suffered for the truth with joy,
thou didst proclaim to those in hell God Who appeared in the flesh,
Who takes away the sin of the world//
and grants us great mercy.
Tone 2 Kontakion
O Prophet of God and Forerunner of Grace,
we have found thy head as a sacred rose.
Therefore we always receive healings from it,//
and, as in times past, now thou preachest repentance to the world.
ON TUESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY NIGHT: THE HOLY CROSS
Tone 1 Troparion
O Lord, save Thy people,
and bless Thine inheritance!
Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians
over their adversaries;
and by virtue of Thy Cross,//
preserve Thy habitation!
Tone 4 Kontakion
As Thou wast voluntarily raised upon the Cross for our sake,
grant mercy to those who are called by Thy Name, O Christ God;
make all Orthodox Christians glad by Thy power,
granting them victories over their adversaries//
by bestowing on them the invincible trophy, Thy weapon of peace!
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ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT: THE HOLY APOSTLES AND ST. NICHOLAS
Tone 3 Troparion (Apostles)
O holy Apostles,
entreat the merciful God//
to grant our souls forgiveness of transgressions!
Tone 4 Troparion (St. Nicholas)
In truth thou wast revealed to thy flock as a rule of faith,
an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence;
thy humility exalted thee;
and thy poverty enriched thee.
O Hierarch Father Nicholas,
entreat Christ our God//
that our souls may be saved!
Tone 2 Kontakion (Apostles)
Today Christ the Rock glorified with highest honor
Peter, the rock of faith and leader of the apostles,
together with Paul and the company of the Twelve,
whose memory we celebrate with eagerness of faith,//
giving glory to the One Who gave glory to them.
Tone 3 Kontakion (St. Nicholas)
Thou didst appear as a priest in Myra, O Saint Nicholas,
fulfilling the Gospel of Christ, O venerable one;
thou didst lay down thy life for thy people
and didst rescue the innocent from death.//
Therefore, thou hast been blest as a great initiate of the grace of God.
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On Sunday through Thursday nights, the reader continues:
O God of our fathers, Who at all times showest loving-kindness to us, take not
Thy mercy away from us, but through the prayers of Thy saints guide our lives
in peace.
As with fine porphyry and royal purple, Thy Church has been adorned with Thy
martyrs’ blood shed throughout all the world. She cries to Thee, O Christ God:
“Send down Thy bounties on Thy people, grant peace to Thy habitation and
great mercy to our souls!”
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
With the saints give rest, O Christ, to the souls of Thy servants, where there is
neither sickness nor sorrow, and no more sighing, but life everlasting!
Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Through the prayers of all the saints and of the Theotokos, grant us Thy peace,
and have mercy on us, O Lord, for Thou alone art compassionate!
But on Friday nights, the reader instead reads:
O Apostles, Martyrs, and Prophets, Hierarchs, Holy Monks, and Righteous Ones,
who completed well the fight and kept the faith, you have boldness before the
Sav-ior. We pray: “Intercede for us with Him, as He is good, that He may save
our souls!”
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
With the saints give rest, O Christ, to the souls of Thy servants, where there is
neither sickness nor sorrow, and no more sighing, but life everlasting!
Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The universe offers Thee the God-bearing Martyrs as the first fruits of creation, O
Lord and Creator. By their prayers keep Thy Church, Thy habitation, in abiding
peace through the Theotokos, O most Merciful One!
Then, regardless of the day of the week, the reader continues:
Lord, have mercy. (40 times)
Thou Who at every season and every hour, in Heaven and on earth, art wor-
shipped and glorified, O Christ our God, long-suffering, merciful and compas-
sionate; Who lovest the just and showest mercy upon the sinner; Who callest all
men to salvation through the promise of blessings to come: O Lord, in this hour
receive our supplications and direct our lives according to Thy commandments.
Sanctify our souls, hallow our bodies, correct our thoughts, cleanse our minds;
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de-liver us from all tribulations, evil, and distress. Surround us with Thy holy
Angels, that guided and guarded by their host, we may attain to the unity of the
Faith, and to the knowledge of Thine unapproachable glory; for Thou art blessed
unto ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and
unto ages of ages. Amen.
More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the
Seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word: true
Theotokos, we magnify thee.
In the Name of the Lord, Father, bless.
Priest: Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on us.
R. Amen.1 Then the following:
A PRAYER TO THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS
by Paul, a monk of the Evergetis (Benefactress) Monastery
O spotless, undefiled, incorrupt, immaculate, and pure Virgin; Queen of heaven
and Bride of God; who through thy most glorious birthgiving hast united God
the Word to men, and hast joined the outcast nature of our race to heavenly
things; who alone art the hope of the hopeless, the help of the embattled, the
ready protec-tor of those who flee unto thee, and the refuge of all Christians: do
not abhor me, a wretched sinner, even though I have made myself altogether
useless through shameful thoughts, words, and deeds, and through my laziness
in understanding have become a slave to the pleasures of this life. Inasmuch as
thou art the Mother of the God Who loves mankind, show thy loving-kindness
toward me, a sinner and prodigal, and accept my prayer, though it be offered
unto thee from defiled lips. And making use of thy boldness as a Mother, pray to
thy Son, our Master and Lord, that He open even unto me the goodness and
compassions of His heart and turn me to repentance, overlooking my countless
transgressions and revealing me to be a skillful doer of His commandments. And
since thou art full of mercy, lov-ing-kindness, and tenderness, in this present life
stand by me always; and as my fervent intercessor and helper, drive away the
assaults of enemies and guide me toward salvation. At the time of my exodus
from this life, take care for my wretch-ed soul and drive far from it the dark
forms of evil demons; and on the fearful Day of Judgment, deliver me from
1
On Sunday nights in Great Lent, here the Prayer of St. Ephraim is said twice, with four prostrations and twelve
bows.
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eternal torments and show me to be an heir of the ineffable glory of thy Son and
our God. May I obtain all this, my Lady, most holy Theotokos, through thy
mediation and protection: through the grace and love for mankind of thine Only-
begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, to Whom is due all
glory, honor, and worship, together with His Father Who is without beginning,
and His all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of
ages. Amen.
A PRAYER TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
by Saint Antiochus
And grant, O Master, when we go to sleep, repose of body and soul, and keep us
from the gloomy slumber of sin and from every dark and passionate pleasure of
the night. Calm the impulses of the passions; quench the flaming arrows of the
evil one that are craftily loosed against us. Still the rebellions of our flesh and lull
to sleep all our earthly and material reasonings. And grant us, O God, a watchful
mind, chaste thoughts, a sober heart, and a tranquil sleep, free of every fantasy of
Satan. Raise us up at the time of prayer confirmed in Thy commandments and
with the memory of Thy judgments held firmly within us. Grant that we may
offer Thee glory all through the night, and that we may sing and bless and
glorify Thy most honorable and majestic Name: of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.2
Most glorious, ever-virgin Mother of Christ our God, present our prayer to thy
Son and our God, that through thee He may save our souls.
THE PRAYER OF ST. JOANNICIUS
My hope is the Father. My refuge is the Son. My protection is the Holy Spirit. O
Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.3
Priest: Glory to Thee, O Christ our God and our hope, glory to Thee.
R. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever
and unto ages of ages. Amen. Lord, have mercy (thrice). Father, bless.
Priest: May Christ our true God, through the prayers of His most pure Mother, of
our venerable and God-bearing Fathers, and of all the saints, have mercy on us
and save us, for He is good and loves mankind.
2
In some places, the Prayers before Sleep are said here, beginning with the troparia, “Have mercy on us, O Lord,
have mercy on us…”
3
In some places, the prayer “All my hope I place in thee, O Mother of God…” is read here, followed by “All of cre-
ation rejoices in thee…”, the Prayer to the Guardian Angel, and “Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos…”, sung thrice.
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And immediately the priest, still facing the people, bows and says:
Bless, holy fathers and brethren, and forgive me a sinner all wherein I have
sinned this day in deed, word, and thought, and by all my senses.
The people respond:
May God forgive and have mercy on thee, holy father. And bowing, they say: Bless
me, holy father, and forgive all wherein I have sinned this day in deed, word,
and thought, and by all my senses, and pray for me a sinner.
And the priest:
Through His grace, may God forgive and have mercy on us all.
Then the priest, facing the holy doors, says this Litany:
Let us pray for our Metropolitan N., for our Bishop [or Archbishop] N., and
for all our brethren in Christ: R. Lord, have mercy.4
For this country, its President [or the title of the highest civil authority], for all
civil authorities, and for the armed forces: R.
For those who hate us and those who love us: R.
For those who are kind to us and serve us: R.
For those who have asked us to pray for them, unworthy though we be: R.
For the deliverance of captives: R.
For our absent fathers and brethren: R.
For travelers by land, by sea, and by air: R.
For those who are lying in sickness: R.
Let us pray also for the abundance of the fruits of the earth: R.
And for every Orthodox Christian soul: R.
Let us bless God-fearing rulers, Orthodox bishops, the founders of this holy
church [or monastery], and our parents and teachers, and all our fathers and
breth-ren gone before us, the Orthodox who here and in all the world lie asleep
in the Lord: R.
Let us say also for ourselves: R. Lord, have mercy. (thrice)
Priest: Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on us.
R. Amen.
4
In practice, the choir continuously sings Lord, have mercy slowly and softly, while the priest reads through the
petitions without interruption.
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THE END OF SMALL COMPLINE
© 2022 The Orthodox Church in America. Permission is granted to duplicate for liturgical use only. All other
rights reserved. Portions of this service were taken from the Hieratikon, © St. Tikhon’s Monastery Press, 2017,
and Orthodox Christian Prayers, © St. Tikhon’s Monastery Press, 2020, and are used with permission.
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