O Lord my God, as Good and Lover of mankind, Thou hast done many mercies to me, which I do not hope to see, and what shall I repay Thy goodness, O my Lord, Lord? I thank Thy much-sung name, I thank Thy inscrutable kindness upon me, I thank Thy unapplied longsuffering.

For Thou art the Light and the Truth and the Life, and to Thee we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages, Amen.

KATHISMA EIGHTH

In the end, O people, who are far removed from the saints, to David in the pillar, when he also restrained the foreigners in Gath, Psalm 55.

2 Have mercy on me, O God, for man hath trampled upon me, all day long struggling with the cold. 3 My enemies have trampled upon me all the day, as many are struggling with me from on high. 4 In the day I will not fear, but I trust in Thee. 5 In God I will praise my words, I trust in God, I will not fear what the flesh will do to me? 6 All day long I abhor my words, all their thoughts are against me for evil. 7 They shall dwell and hide them, they shall keep my heel, as they have suffered my soul. 8 Thou shalt not deny it, Thou hast brought down men with wrath. 9 O God, my life has declared unto Thee, Thou hast laid down my tears before Thee, as also in Thy promise. 10 Let my enemies turn back, if I call upon thee in the day, behold, I know that thou art my God. 11 In God I will praise the word, in the Lord I will praise the word. 12 In God I trust, I will not fear, what shall man do to me? 13 Prayers are in me, O God, that I will give Thy praises, 14 for Thou hast delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my nose from encroachment, I am pleased with the Lord in the light of the living.

In the end, that thou shalt not corrupt David into the pillar, when he flees from the presence of Saul into the cave, 56

2 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in Thee my soul trusts, and in Thy shadow I trust, until iniquity shall pass away. 3 I will call upon the Most High God, the God who has done me good. 4 Send from heaven and save me, give me a reproach to those who trample on me, God has sent His mercy and His truth, 5 and deliver my soul from the midst of the Skim. His eyes are confused, sons of mankind, their teeth of weapons and arrows, and their tongue is sharp. 6 Thou art taken up into heaven, O God, and thy glory is over all the earth. 7 Thou hast prepared a snare for my feet, and has slush my soul, and has dug a pit before me, and has fallen into it. 8 My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready, I will sing and sing in my glory. 9 Arise my glory, arise the psalter and the harp, I will rise early. 10 Let us praise thee among men, O Lord, I will sing unto thee in tongues, 11 for thy mercy shall be magnified unto heaven, and even unto the clouds shall thy truth. 12 Ascend into heaven, O God, and Thy glory is over all the earth.

In the end, that thou shalt not corrupt, to David in the pillar, 57