When it is said
It is not a set prayer of any service. Anyone can say it after a long stretch of work with nothing to show for it, before trying one more time.
In the Greek churches the Sunday readings from Luke begin after the feast of the Cross on 14 September, and this story is the first of them.
Where it comes from
Author known
A night with nothing
Simon Peter and his partners had worked all night on the Lake of Gennesaret and caught nothing. They had come ashore and were washing their nets when a crowd pressed around Jesus to hear Him. He got into Simon’s boat and taught the people from it. When He had finished, He told Simon to put out into deep water and let down the nets (Luke 5:1-4).
So many fish the net began to tear
Simon let down the net as Jesus said, and they caught so many fish that the net began to tear. They signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help. Together they filled both boats so full that the boats began to sink (Luke 5:6-7).
“Do not be afraid”
When Simon Peter saw the catch, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Jesus told him, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” They brought their boats to land, left everything and followed Him (Luke 5:8-11).
What the words mean
Net or nets?
This prayer follows the Greek that the Orthodox Church reads, where Peter says he will let down “the net” and it is the net that begins to tear. The King James Version has the singular too. The Berean Standard Bible has “the nets” in both verses (Luke 5:5-6).
Luke’s Gospel in Greek, on Elpenor; Luke’s Gospel in the Berean Standard Bible
The Scripture in it
“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.
In Greek
Ἐπιστάτα, δι᾿ ὅλης τῆς νυκτὸς κοπιάσαντες οὐδὲν ἐλάβομεν·
ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ ρήματί σου χαλάσω τὸ δίκτυον.
From Luke’s Gospel in Greek (5:5), on Elpenor (ellopos.net).