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sinless and all the time of our sojourning, the angel of peace, a Christian end, God merciful and gracious; let us commend ourselves and one another to the living God through His only-begotten. And let the bishop, praying over them, say: O God of spirits and of all flesh, who are beyond compare and without need, who has given the sun for dominion over the day, and the moon and the stars for dominion over the night; do Thou now also look upon us with gracious eyes and receive our morning thanksgivings, and have mercy on us; for we have not stretched out our hands to a strange god; for there is no new god among us, but Thou, the eternal and endless one; who has given us our being through Christ, and granted us our well-being through Him, do Thou Thyself, through Him, deem us worthy also of eternal life, through whom to Thee be glory, honor, and adoration in the Holy Spirit for ever; Amen. And let the deacon say: Bow for the laying on of hands. And let the bishop pray, saying: O God, the faithful and true, who shows mercy to thousands and ten thousands of them that love Thee, the friend of the humble and defender of the poor, of whom all things stand in need, for all things are your servants; look upon this Thy people, who have bowed their heads to Thee, and bless them with a spiritual blessing, guard them as the apple of an eye, preserve them in piety and righteousness, and deem them worthy of eternal life in Christ Jesus, Thy beloved Son, through whom to Thee be glory, honor, and adoration in the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages; Amen. And let the deacon say: Go in peace. And over the first-fruits that are offered, let the bishop give thanks thus: We give thanks to Thee, O Lord Almighty, creator and provider of all things, through Thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, for the first-fruits offered to Thee, not as we ought, but as we are able. For what man is able to give Thee thanks worthily for the things Thou hast given them for their partaking? The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and of all the saints, who has brought all things to fruition through Thy Word, and commanded the earth to bring forth all manner of fruits for our gladness and nourishment, who has given to the more sluggish and bleating creatures fodder,

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ἀναμάρτητον καὶ πάντα τὸν χρόνον τῆς παρεπιδημίας ἡμῶν, τὸν ἄγγελον τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς εἰρήνης, χριστιανὰ τὰ τέλη, ἵλεω καὶ εὐμενῆ τὸν Θεόν· ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἀλλήλους τῷ ζῶντι Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ παραθώμεθα. Καὶ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἐπευχόμενος λεγέτω· Ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πνευμάτων καὶ πάσης σαρκός, ὁ ἀσύγκριτος καὶ ἀπροσδεής, ὁ δοὺς τὸν ἥλιον εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς ἡμέρας, τὴν δὲ σελήνην καὶ τὰ ἄστρα εἰς ἐξουσίαν τῆς νυκτός· αὐτὸς καὶ νῦν ἔπιδε ἐφ' ἡμᾶς εὐμενέσιν ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ πρόσδεξαι τὰς ἑωθινὰς ἡμῶν εὐχαριστίας καὶ ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς· οὐ γὰρ διεπετάσαμεν τὰς χεῖρας ἡμῶν πρὸς θεὸν ἀλλότριον· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν θεὸς πρόσφατος, ἀλλὰ σὺ ὁ αἰώνιος καὶ ἀτελεύτητος· ὁ τὸ εἶναι ἡμῖν διὰ Χριστοῦ παρασχόμενος καὶ τὸ εὖ εἶναι δι' αὐτοῦ δωρησάμενος, αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς δι' αὐτοῦ καταξίωσον καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, δι' οὗ σοὶ δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ σέβας ἐν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν. Καὶ ὁ διάκονος λεγέτω· Κλίνατε τῇ χειροθεσίᾳ. Καὶ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ἐπευχέσθω λέγων· Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός, ὁ ποιῶν ἔλεος εἰς χιλιάδας καὶ μυριάδας τοῖς ἀγαπῶσίν σε, ὁ φίλος ταπεινῶν καὶ πενήτων προστάτης, οὗ πάντα ἐν χρείᾳ καθέστηκεν, ὅτι τὰ σύμπαντα δοῦλά σου· ἔπιδε ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου τοῦτον, τοὺς κεκλικότας σοι τὰς ἑαυτῶν κεφαλάς, καὶ εὐλόγησον αὐτοὺς εὐλογίαν πνευματικήν, φύλαξον αὐτοὺς ὡς κόρην ὀφθαλμοῦ, διατήρησον αὐτοὺς ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ καταξίωσον αὐτοὺς τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ σου Παιδί, δι' οὗ σοὶ δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ σέβας ἐν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν. Καὶ ὁ διάκονος λεγέτω· Προέλθετε ἐν εἰρήνῃ. Ἐπὶ δὲ ταῖς προσφερομέναις ἀπαρχαῖς οὕτως εὐχαριστείτω ὁ ἐπίσκοπος· Eὐχαριστοῦμέν σοι, Κύριε παντοκράτορ, δημιουρ γὲ τῶν ὅλων καὶ προνοητά, διὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς σου Παιδὸς Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, ἐπὶ ταῖς προσενεχθείσαις σοι ἀπαρχαῖς, οὐχ ὅσον ὀφείλομεν, ἀλλ' ὅσον δυνάμεθα. Τίς γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ἐπαξίως εὐχαριστῆσαί σοι δύναται ὑπὲρ ὧν δέδωκας αὐτοῖς εἰς μετάληψιν; Ὁ θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων, ὁ πάντα τελεσφορήσας διὰ τοῦ λόγου σου καὶ κελεύσας τῇ γῇ παντοδαποὺς ἐκφῦσαι καρποὺς εἰς εὐφροσύνην καὶ τροφὴν ἡμετέραν, ὁ δοὺς τοῖς νωθεστέροις καὶ βληχώδεσιν χιλόν,