Orthodox prayers before sleep

Many Orthodox Christians end the day with the prayers before sleep in their prayer book. They ask forgiveness for the day and give the night into God’s hands.

Picture: Arkhip Kuindzhi, Moonlit Night on the Dnieper, 1880

5 prayers and 1 to the saints

To close the day

Evening prayer of St Macarius

Eternal God, King of all creation,You have brought me to this hour.Forgive the sins I have done todayin deed, in word and in thought.Lord, cleanse my lowly soulfrom everything that defiles body and spirit.

Lord, let me pass this night’s sleep in peace,so that when I rise from my lowly bedI may please Your most holy nameall the days of my life,and trample down the enemies that fight against me,both those of the flesh and those without flesh.

Lord, deliver me from empty thoughts that defile me,and from evil desires.For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory,of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,now and always,and for ever and ever. Amen.

Traditional wording, 1982

O Eternal God and King of all Creation,Who hast granted me to reach this hour:forgive the sins I have committed this day in deed, word and thought.Cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from every defilement of flesh and spirit.

Grant, Lord, that I may pass through this night in peace.When I rise from my humble bed,may I please Thy most holy Name all the days of my lifeand trample under foot the physical and bodiless enemies that wage war against me.

Deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts which defile me and from evil lusts.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. Amen.

In the Russian prayer book this is the first of the prayers before sleep. It asks forgiveness for the day’s sins in deed, word and thought, and a night of peaceful sleep.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic of the Russian prayer book. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: St Tikhon’s Seminary Press, Orthodox Daily Prayers, 1982.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic

As you lie down

Into Your hands, O Lord

Into Your hands, O Lord Jesus Christ, my God,I commit my spirit.Bless me, have mercy on me,and give me eternal life. Amen.

Traditional wording, 2011

Into Thy hands, O Lord Jesus Christ my God, I commit my spirit.Do Thou bless me, do Thou have mercy on me, and grant me life eternal. Amen.

The prayer book keeps these words for last, to say as you lie down. They take up the words Jesus prayed on the cross (Luke 23:46) and speak them to Christ Himself.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic, with the Jordanville Prayer Book’s translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, Prayer Book, 2011.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic

A Church Father’s bedtime prayer

St Ephrem’s prayer before sleep

Lord, if I stay awake to pray,let me stand before You pure;and if I sleep, my Saviour,let my sleep be free from sin.If I do wrong while I am awake,Lord, forgive me by Your grace;if I sin while I am asleep,let Your kindness be my atonement.

Through the cross on which You were humbled,give me sleep that refreshes me,and deliver me from disturbing dreamsand from unholy imaginings.Let the whole night lead mein sleep that is full of peace.Do not let evil beings rule over me,or thoughts full of wickedness.

Through Your living body, which I have eaten,deliver me from hateful desire,and I will lie down and sleep in peace.Let Your blood protect me.To my soul, which You made,give the freedom of Your likeness,and let Your right hand watch overthe body that Your hands have formed.

Let the wall of Your mercy surround melike a shield to defend me,and when my body lies still in sleep,let Your kindness guard it.Do not let the evil one come near my bed,through the prayers of the mother who bore You.By Your sacrifice for all people,drive Satan away, so that he does not pursue me.

Lord, keep Your promise to me,and guard my life by Your cross,and when I wake I will praise You,because You have shown Your love to me, lowly as I am.Let those who sleep, filled with rest,and the watchers who have armed themselves,give glory to You, O living Watcher,Who made me a watcher for Your praise.

Traditional wording, 1853

Grant, Lord, that if I keep my vigils,I may stand in purity before Thee;And if, oh my Saviour, I slumber,Let my sleep be free from sin.If in my watching I commit iniquity,Oh Lord by Thy grace forgive me;If I sin when sleeping,Let Thy kindness be my expiation.

And through the cross of Thy humiliation,Afford me refreshing slumber;And deliver me from disturbing dreams,And from profane imaginations;And in sleep full of peace,Let all the night conduct me;Let not evil beings have dominion over me,Nor thoughts full of iniquity.

And from hateful concupiscence deliver meThrough Thy living body which I have eaten;And I will lie down and sleep in peace.And let Thy blood be a protector to me:—And to the soul which is Thy productionGrant the freedom of Thy likeness;And let Thy right hand watch overThe body which Thy hands have formed.

Let the wall of Thy mercy encompass meLike a buckler of defence;And when my body is still, and slumbers,Let Thy kindness be its guard.Let not the evil one approach my couch,Thro’ the supplication of the mother who bare Thee;And by Thy sacrifice on behalf of all men,Put Satan to flight that he persecute me not.

And, Lord, perform Thy promise to me,And protect my life by Thy cross;And when I awake I will praise Thee,Because Thou hast displayed Thy love to my lowliness.From the sleepers, satisfied with rest,And the watchers who have put on their arms,Be glory to Thee, Thou guardian Spirit!Who hast made me a watcher for Thy praise!

Show the whole prayer

This bedtime prayer is credited to St Ephrem the Syrian. It asks forgiveness for wrongs done awake or asleep, and promises to praise God on waking.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from Henry Burgess’s 1853 English of the Syriac, with his notes on the Syriac words. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Henry Burgess, Select Metrical Hymns and Homilies of Ephraem Syrus, 1853.

Where the plain wording calls Christ the “living Watcher”, Burgess’s verse has “guardian Spirit”. His own note gives the Syriac as “Thou living watcher”, meaning Christ.

Where it comes from, and the original

With the sign of the cross over your bed

Let God arise

Make the sign of the crossLet God arise,let His enemies be scattered,and let those who hate Him flee from before His face.As smoke vanishes, so let them vanish.As wax melts before the fire,so let the demons perish before those who love God,who sign themselves with the sign of the Crossand say with joy:

Rejoice, most precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord!You drive away the demonsby the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified on you.He went down to Hadesand trampled on the power of the devil,and He gave you to us, His precious Cross,to drive away every enemy.

O most precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord,help me, together with the holy lady, the Virgin Mother of God,and with all the saints,for ever. Amen.

Traditional wording, 2011

Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered,and let them that hate Him flee from before His face.As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish;as wax melteth before the fire,so let the demons perish from the presence of them that love Godand who sign themselves with the sign of the Crossand say in gladness:

Rejoice, most venerable and life-giving Cross of the Lord,for Thou drivest away the demonsby the power of our Lord Jesus Christ Who was crucified on thee,Who went down to hades and trampled on the power of the devil,and gave us thee, His venerable Cross,for the driving away of every adversary.

O most venerable and life-giving Cross of the Lord,help me together with the holy Lady Virgin Theotokos,and with all the saints, unto the ages. Amen.

Near the end of the night prayers comes this prayer to the Cross. The prayer book asks you to kiss your cross first, then sign your bed from head to foot and from side to side as you say it.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic of the Russian prayer book, with the Jordanville translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, Prayer Book, 2011.

It gives the Cross a capital “Thou”. The plain wording keeps capitals for God alone.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic

One line of trust

Prayer of St Ioannikios

My hope is the Father,my refuge is the Son,my shelter is the Holy Spirit.O Holy Trinity, glory to You.

Traditional wording, 1906

The Father is my hope;the Son is my refuge;the Holy Spirit is my protector.O Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.

These words come near the end of Compline, the Church’s short service after supper. Russian prayer books put them among the prayers before sleep too.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Greek, with Hapgood’s 1906 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Isabel F. Hapgood, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church, 1906.

Where it comes from, and the Greek

To the guardian angel · For protection in the night

Prayer to your guardian angel

Angel of Christ, my holy guardian,protector of my soul and body,forgive me every sin of this day.Deliver me from all the cunning of the enemy who fights me,so that I may not anger my God by any sin.

Pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant,so that you may show me worthyof the goodness and mercy of the All-holy Trinity,of the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ,and of all the saints. Amen.

Traditional wording, 1982

Angel of Christ, my holy guardian,the protector of my soul and body:forgive me for all the sins I have committed this day.Deliver me from all the evil of my militant enemy,that I may not anger my God by any sin.

Pray for me, your sinful and unworthy servant,that you may show me worthyof the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity,the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christand all the Saints. Amen.

In Russian prayer books it is the eleventh of the prayers before sleep. It asks the angel who guards your soul and body for protection from the enemy and for the angel’s prayers.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic of the Russian prayer book. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: St Tikhon’s Seminary Press, Orthodox Daily Prayers, 1982.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic

Scripture for this

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.

Psalm 3:5 David wrote this psalm while fleeing from his own son, Absalom. Even then he slept and woke, because the Lord held him up.

³He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. ⁴Behold, the Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

Psalm 121:3-4 You can close your eyes tonight, because the One Who keeps you never sleeps.

May my prayer be set before You like incense; my uplifted hands, like the evening offering.

Psalm 141:2 David asks that his prayer rise before God like incense, and his lifted hands like the evening offering.

⁶When I remember You on my bed, I think of You through the watches of the night. ⁷For You are my help; I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.

Psalm 63:6-7 David remembers God as he lies on his bed, and sings for joy in the shadow of His wings.

¹It is good to praise the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High, ²to proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning and Your faithfulness at night

Psalm 92:1-2 The psalm gives each end of the day its praise, God’s loving devotion in the morning and His faithfulness at night.

⁹For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 Paul writes that Christ died for us so that, awake or asleep, we live together with Him.

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.

A psalm for this

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8

Psalm 4 ends with this verse. It is the first psalm of Great Compline, the Orthodox Church’s longer night service in Lent.

Psalm 4 Read the whole psalm, with St Athanasius’s advice on when to pray it.

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