The Little office of the Blessed Virgin Mary/Dead Lauds
LAUDS
PSALM L
Ant. The bones that are humbled.
Have mercy on me, O God, * according to Thy great mercy.
And according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies * blot out my iniquity.
Wash me yet more from my iniquity, * and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my iniquity; * and my sin is always before me.
Against Thee only have I sinned and I have done evil before Thee: * that Thou mayst be justified in Thy words, and mayst overcome, when Thou art judged.
For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, * and in sins did my mother conceive me.
For behold, Thou lovest truth: * the secret and hidden things of Thy wisdom Thou hast made manifest to me.
Thou wilt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: * Thou wilt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
To my hearing Thou wilt give joy and gladness: * and the bones that are humbled shall rejoice.
Turn away Thy face from my sins,* and blot out all my iniquities.
Create a clean heart in me, O God: * and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy face; * and take not Thy holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation; * and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.
I will teach the unjust Thy ways; * and the wicked shall be converted to Thee.
Deliver me from blood, O God, Thou God of my salvation: * and my tongue shall extol Thy justice.
O Lord, Thou wilt open my lips: * and my tongue shall declare Thy praise.
For if Thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: * with burnt-offerings Thou wilt not be delighted.
A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: * a contrite and humble heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
Deal favorably, O Lord, in Thy good will with Sion; * that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.
Then shalt Thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations, and whole burnt-offerings: * then shall they lay calves upon Thy altar.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,* and let perpetual light shine on them.
Ant. The bones that are humbled shall rejoice in the Lord.
PSALM LXIV
Ant. Hear my prayer.
A hymn, O God, becometh Thee in Sion: * and a vow shall be paid to Thee in Jerusalem.
O, hear my prayer, * all flesh shall come to Thee.
The words of the wicked have prevailed against us: * and Thou wilt pardon our transgressions.
Blessed is he whom Thou hast chosen, and taken to Thee; * he shall dwell in Thy courts.
We shall be filled with the good things of Thy house; * holy is Thy temple, wonderful in justice.
Hear us O God, our Saviour,* Who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and in the sea afar off.
Thou Who preparest the mountains by Thy strength, being girded with power: * Who troublest the depths of the sea, the noise of its waves.
The Gentiles shall be troubled, and they that dwell in the uttermost borders shall be afraid at Thy signs: * Thou shalt make the outgoings of the morning and of the evening to be joyful.
Thou hast visited the earth, and hast plentifully watered it; * Thou hast many ways enriched it.
The river of God is filled with water, Thou hast prepared their food: * for so is its preparation.
Fill up plentifully the streams thereof, multiply its fruits; * it shall spring up and rejoice in its showers.
Thou shalt bless with Thy goodness the crown of the year: * and Thy fields shall be filled with plenty The beautiful places of the wilderness shall grow fat; * and the hills shall be girded about with joy.
The rams of the flock are clothed, and the vales shall abound with corn: * they shall shout, yea, they shall sing a hymn.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,* and let perpetual light shine on them.
Ant. Hear my prayer, O Lord, all flesh shall come to Thee.
PSALM LXII
Ant. Thy right hand.
O God, my God: * to Thee I watch from the morning light.
For Thee my soul hath thirsted: * for Thee my flesh, O how much!
In a desert land, and where there is no way, and no water: * so in the sanctuary have I come before Thee, to see Thy power and Thy glory.
For Thy mercy is better than life:* Thee my lips shall praise.
Thus will I bless Thee my life long: * and in Thy name I will lift up my hands.
Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness: * and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips.
If I have remembered Thee upon my bed, I will meditate on Thee in the morning: * because Thou hast been my helper.
And I will rejoice under the covert of Thy wings: my soul hath stuck close to Thee: * Thy right hand hath upheld me.
But they have sought my life in vain, they shall go into the lower parts of the earth: * they shall be put to the sword, they shall be the portions of foxes.
But the king shall rejoice in God, all they that swear by Him shall be praised: * because the mouth of them that speak wicked things is stopped.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, * and let perpetual light shine on them.
Ant. Thy right hand, O Lord, hath received me.
CANTICLE OF EZECHIAS
Is. xxxviii. 10
Ant. From the gate of hell.
I said: In the midst of my days,*
I shall go to the gates of hell.
I sought for the residue of my years. * I said: I shall not see the Lord God in the land of the living.
I shall behold man no more,* nor the inhabitant of rest.
My generation is at an end; and it is rolled away from me, * as a shepherd's tent.
My life is cut off as by a weaver: whilst I was yet but beginning, He cut me off; * from morning even to night Thou wilt make an end of me.
I hoped till morning: * as a lion, so hath He broken all my bones.
From morning even to night Thou wilt make an end of me: * I will cry like a young swallow; I will meditate like a dove.
My eyes are weakened, * looking upward.
Lord, I suffer violence, answer Thou for me. * What shall I say, or what will He answer for me, whereas He himself hath done it?
I will recount to Thee all my years, * in the bitterness of my soul.
O Lord, if man's life is such, and the life of my spirit in such things as these, Thou wilt correct me and make me live. * Behold, in peace is my bitterness most bitter.
But Thou hast delivered my soul, that it should not perish; * Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back.
For hell will not thank Thee: neither will death praise Thee: * nor will they that go down into the pit, look for Thy truth.
The living, the living, he shall give praise to Thee, as I do this day: * the father shall make Thy truth known to the children.
O Lord, save me,* and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life, in the house of the Lord.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,* and let perpetual light shine on them.
Ant. From the gate of hell, deliver my soul, O Lord.
PSALM CL
Ant. Let every spirit,
Praise ye the Lord in His holy places: * praise ye Him in the firmament of His power.
Praise ye Him for His mighty acts: * praise ye Him according to the multitude of His greatness.
Praise Him with sound of trumpet: * praise Him with psaltery and harp.
Praise Him with timbrel and choir: * praise Him with strings and organs.
Praise Him on high-sounding cymbals: praise Him on cymbals of joy: * let every spirit praise the Lord.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,* and let perpetual light shine on them.
Ant. Let every spirit praise the Lord.
V. I heard a voice from heaven, saying to me,
R. Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord.
Ant. I am the resurrection.
CANTICLE OF ZACHARIAS
Luke i. 68
Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel;
* because He hath visited and
wrought the redemption of His people.
And He hath raised up for us a horn of salvation * in the house of David His servant.
As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, * who are of old.
Deliverance from our enemies,* and from the hand of all who hate us.
To perform mercy to our fathers: * and to remember His holy covenant.
The oath which He swore, to Abraham, our father, * that He would grant to us.
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies,* we may serve Him without fear,
In holiness and justice before Him,* all our days.
And Thou, child, shall be called the Prophet of the Most High; * for Thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to prepare His ways:
To give knowledge of salvation to His people, * unto the remission of their sins:
Through the tender mercy of our God: * in which the Orient, from on high, hath visited us:
To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: * to direct our feet into the way of peace.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,* and let perpetual light shine on them.
Ant. I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he be dead, shall live; and every one that liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.
Our Father, etc., in silence. V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.
PSALM CXXIX
Out of the depths I have cried unto Thee, O Lord, * Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive; * to the voice of my supplication.
If Thou, O Lord, wilt observe iniquities; * Lord, who shall stand it?
For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness; and by reason of Thy law I have waited for Thee, O Lord.
My soul hath relied on His word; * my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night; * let Israel hope in the Lord.
For with the Lord there is mercy; * and with Him plentiful redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel; * from all his iniquities.
Grant them eternal rest, etc.
V. From the gates of hell.
R. Deliver their souls, O Lord.
V. May they rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee*
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
V. From the gates of hell.
R. Deliver his soul, O Lord.
V. May he rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.