O loving Father, my folly has stripped me bare of all Your gifts. I have gone far from You and have enslaved myself to a strange citizen. I led unclean beasts to pasture; and eating from their food, I was not filled. Knowing Your tender mercy, I run now to You: in Your tender love for mankind, cover my nakedness and save me!
To You I have lifted up my eyes, to You who live in heaven. Behold; the eyes of the servants are turned to the hands of their masters, and the eyes of the maid-servants to the hands of their mistresses: thus do our eyes watch the Lord our God until He takes pity on us.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we have been filled with shame: our soul has been filled to overflowing. May scorn befall detractors, and humiliation come to the proud.
Since the holy martyrs are interceding for us and celebrating Christ in their hymns, every error has been ended and the human race is saved by faith.
Through your word, the Word has shown as a light upon the world from your virginal womb. O most holy Theotokos, pray to Him that our souls may be delivered from the snares of the Enemy.
