The Twentieth Kathisma

Antiphon One

Psalm 144(143)

A blessing for the Lord, my rock, who trains my arms for war, my hands for battle. 2) My faithful one and my fortress, my stronghold and my refuge: He is my shield, in whom I trust, who subdues peoples at my feet. 3) Lord, what is man, that you should care about him, the son of man, that you should think of him? 4) Man is like vapor, his days like a passing shadow.

5) Lord, part the heavens and come down; touch the mountains so that they smoke! 6) Flash your lightning and scatter them; fire your arrows and put them to flight! 7) Stretch forth your hands from above; snatch me and rescue me from the raging waters of the world beneath, from the hands of foreigners, 8) whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are filled with deceit.

9) O God, let me sing you a new song; on the ten-stringed lyre let me play to you; 10) it is you who gave victory to your king, who rescued David, your servant. From the sword of the evil one snatch me, 11) and rescue me from the hands of foreigners, whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are filled with deceit.

12) May our sons then be blessed like saplings, carefully trained from their youth; our daughters like pillars, trimmed to give shape to a palace. 13) May our barns be filled to overflowing with crops of every kind. May our sheep bear lambs by the thousands; may they increase by tens of thousands in our fields; 14) may our cattle be well cared for. Let there be no break in our walls, no going into captivity, no cries of terror in our streets. 15) How happy the people of whom this is true, how happy the people whose God is the Lord!

Psalm 145(144)

I will extol you, my God and king! I will bless your name, to eternity and beyond! 2) Every day I will bless you and praise your name unto ages of ages. 3) Great is the Lord; worthy of praise is the great one, since his greatness knows no limit. 4) Age after age will praise your works, proclaim your mighty deeds. 5) Majestic Lord, your glorious splendor will they describe, and of your wonders shall I sing. 6) O mighty one, your awesome acts will they announce, and I shall recount your great deeds. 7) They will celebrate your abundant goodness, O master, and joyfully acclaim your justice. 8) Gracious and compassionate is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness. 9) The Lord is good to all, and his compassion extends to all he has made.

10) All you have made will praise you, O Lord, and those devoted to you will bless you. 11) They will tell the glory of your kingdom and declare your might, 12) making known to the children of men your mighty works and the glorious splendor of your reign. 13) Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations.

14) The Lord is faithful in all his words and gracious in all his deeds. 15) Those who stumble the Lord supports; those bent over he raises up! 16) The eyes of all look hopefully to you, and you give them their food in its season. 17) You open wide your hand, feeding every creature to its heart's content.

18) The Lord is just in all his ways and kind in all his works. 19) The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in purity of heart. 20) He carries out the will of those who revere him; he hears their cry for help and saves them. 21) The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he destroys! 22) The praise of the Lord will my mouth tell out, and all flesh shall bless his holy name, unto ages of ages.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: Both now and forever, and unto ages of ages, amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to you, O God.

Antiphon Two

Psalm 146(145)

Alleluia! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2) I will praise the Lord throughout my life; I will rejoice in my God as long as I live! 3) Put no trust in men of power, or in any mortals, for they cannot help you. 4) Take away their breath, and they return to the dust they came from, and all their plans for that day come to nothing! 5) Happy, rather, is he who has Jacob's God to help him, who puts his trust in the Lord God, 6) in the very one who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all they contain.

For he is ever true to his word: 7) He avenges those who are oppressed; he provides bread for the hungry. He is the Lord who sets prisoners free, 8) who gives sight to the blind. He is the Lord who comforts those who are burdened, who protects the stranger, 9) who upholds the orphan and the widow. He is the Lord who loves the just, who foils the plans of the wicked. 10) The Lord it is who reigns forever, and he is your God, Sion, unto all generations! Alleluia!

Psalm 147(146)

Alleluia! How good to sing to our God! How pleasant to praise the glorious one! 2) The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem. He gathers together the exiles of Israel; 3) he heals their broken hearts and binds their wounds. 4) He assigns a number to the stars: to each of them he gives a name. 5) Great is our Lord, surpassing in power; beyond reckoning is his wisdom. 6) The Lord reassures the humble; he consigns the wicked to the world beneath.

7) Sing to the Lord in gratitude; on the lyre make music to our God, 8) for he makes the sky overcast with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes the mountains sprout grass and provides plants for man's use; 9) he gives cattle their grain and the young ravens what they cry for; 10) he does not delight in the strength of horses nor value the fleetness of men. 11) But the Lord values those who revere him, those who rely on his strength.

12) O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! Sion, praise your God! 13) He has strengthened the bolts of your gates; He has blessed the children within you. 14) He grants peace on your borders; he feeds you with the finest wheat. 15) He sends his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word. 16) He spreads out snow like fleece and scatters frost like ashes. 17) He hurls down his hail like pebbles -- who can endure his icy blast! 18) He sends out his word and melts them. He stirs up the breezes and the waters flow. 19) He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. 20) He has done this for no other nation, for they know nothing of his law. Alleluia!

Glory: Both now:
Alleluia:

Antiphon Three

Psalm 148

Alleluia! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! 2) Praise him, all his angels; praise him all his hosts! 3) Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you glittering stars! 4) Praise him, heavens of heavens, and the waters above the heavens! 5) Let them praise the name of the Lord: He gave the word, and they took form. 6) He fixed them for all eternity, with a law that will never change.

7) Praise the Lord from the earth, sea monsters and all the depths. 8) Fire and hail, snow and mist, hurricane winds, the work of his word. 9) Mountains and all the hills, fruit trees and all cedars. 10) Wild beasts, and tame ones, too, creeping reptile, the bird that flies.

11) Kings of the earth and all their peoples, princes, and all the judges of the land. 12) Young men and maidens, too, young and old alike. 13) Let them praise the name of the Lord; his name alone is great; his majesty is far above both heaven and earth. 14) He exalts his people's might, -- the boast of all his friends, of Israel, the people of his favored ones! Alleluia!

Psalm 149

Alleluia! Sing the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his own! 2) Joy for Israel in its maker; for Sion's children, happiness in their king. 3) Praised be his name in dancing; for him the music of the harp and timbrel! 4) For the Lord is pleased with his people; with redemption he adorns the humble.

5) His own exult in glory; they sing for joy from their beds. 6) God's praise fills their throats; in their hands, the two-edged swords! 7) Vengeance on the peoples; on the nations chastisement. 8) Chains for their kings; for their nobles iron fetters. 9) To carry out on them the written sentence, this is the glory of all his friends. Alleluia!

Psalm 150

Alleluia! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him for his vast, unshaking strength. 2) Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him for all his grandeur. 3) Praise him with the trumpet blast; praise him with harp and lyre. 4) Praise him with dance and timbrel; praise him with strings and flutes. 5) Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with clanging cymbals. 6) Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Alleluia!