The Order of Confession

The Order of Confession

Chapter 11

If someone comes with pure heart to repent of their sins and truly promising to stop doing evil, our Lord Jesus Christ will make them holy. A priest comes to a church, and the repentant follows him. The priest sets the repentant before the Royal Doors. If there is no church there, then in a pure room, alone, before the icon of the Sovereign Christ. If it happens outside a room in some place, also alone.

If in the church, then the priest puts on the holy vestments, takes the holy Gospel and the Venerable Cross and puts it upon the lectern before the Holy Altar, opposite the Royal Doors. The one who wishes to confess, enters with fear and with humility, and with the contrite heart, having hands bended to the chest, with open head, even if it is a king himself, or a prince, or someone from nobility. And if it is a woman, then she does not open her head. The priest sets a man on the right side and a woman of the left side. If a priest or a deacon is confessing, then he puts on all the holy vestments and makes the confession inside the altar before the Holy Table. If at home, he just puts on the epitrachelion.

And the spiritual father says to the penitent:

Fall down before God and bow to him, before whom you have sinned and to whom you have come for help.

The penitent makes three bows with their head touching the podrushnik lying on the floor (bow with a podrushnik) before the Holy Gospel, saying:

God, cleanse me a sinner and have mercy on me. Bow.

Lord, who created me, have mercy on me. Bow.

I have sinned beyond measure, Ο Lord, forgive me. Bow.

Lord, accept me repentant and have mercy on me.

Then he or she lays down their head upon the lectern, crying with tears about their sins.

And the priest says. Blessed is our God – always, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Heavenly King, comforter, true Spirit, omnipresent, filling everything with yourself, treasure of all good, giver of life, come and settle in us. And cleanse us of any contamination, and save our souls, O Good one.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy on us.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy on us.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy on us.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Most holy Trinity have mercy on us, Lord cleanse us from sins. Sovereign forgive our iniquity. Holy visit and heal our weakness for the sake of your name.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Our Father, who are in heavens. Let your name be glorified.[1] Let your kingdom come. Let your will be on earth as in heavens. Give us today our bread for tomorrow.[2] And release us from our debts, as we also release our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but help us avoid[3] the deception.[4]

Priest proclaims: For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and ever and in the ages of ages.

Amen.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Come let us bow to the king our God.

Come let us bow to Christ our king and God.

Come let us bow and fall down before the very Lord Jesus Christ our king and God.

Psalm 50.

God, be merciful to me because of your great mercy.

Because of your great generosity, cleanse me from iniquity.

Above all, wash me from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

For I am aware of my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.

I have sinned against you, the One, I have acted unfairly before you.

So that you are justified in your words, and you will win when you judge.[5]

See, I am conceived in iniquity, my mother gave birth to me in sins.

See, you have loved, the truth.

You have revealed to me unknown and secret things of your wisdom.

You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed, wash me, and I will become whiter than snow.

Give gladness and joy to my hearing, the humble bones will rejoice.

Turn away your face from my sins, and cleanse me from all iniquity.

Create a pure heart in me, O God, and renew the right spirit in my womb.

Do not reject me from your face and do not bereave me of your Holy Spirit.

Repay me with the gladness of your salvation, and strengthen me with the sovereign Spirit.

I will teach your ways to the lawless, and the ungodly will turn to you.

Deliver me from the blood, God, God of my salvation: my tongue will rejoice about your fairness.

Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

For if you wanted a sacrifice, I would have given it: you do not favour a burnt offering.

The sacrifice to God is the contrite spirit: you will not neglect a contrite and humble heart.

Lord, do good to Zion, showing favour to it, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built up.

Then you will favour the sacrifice of fairness, the offering that is raised up, and the burnt offering.

Then they will place the calf upon your altar.

Psalm 4.

When I called, you heard me, God of my fairness.

When I was sorrowful, you have given me space.

Be generous to me, and hear my prayer.

Sons of man, how long are you hardened in your heart, why do you love vanity and look for lie.

You will know that the Lord has made wondrous his devout one.

The Lord will hear me, when I call upon him.

Be angry and do not sin.

When you are on your beds, be moved by what you speak in your hearts.

Offer the sacrifice of fairness, and rely on the Lord.

Many say: Who will show us the good things? Lord, the light of your face  has shone upon us.

You have given joy in my heart.

From the fruit of wheat, wine, and oil they have grown abundant.

I will fall asleep and sleep, for you have settled me alone in hope.

Prayer, 1.

Lord God of our salvation, who has shown mercy to us by your generosity, the one great in mercy. Who has tilted the heavens and came down for the salvation of the human race. Who does not want the death of sinners, but that they turn to life and salvation. You Sovereign Lord, give perfect repentance to your slave, name. You who alone know the secrets, and forgive sins, and cleanse from iniquities. Release him from all the sins, voluntary and involuntary. And make him a participant in the salvation, and join him to you holy church. For yours is the might, and yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, with the father and with the holy spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Psalm, 6.

Lord, do not expose me by your rage, nor instruct me by your anger.

Lord, have mercy on me, for I am feeble.

Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaken, and my soul is brought into great confusion, and you, O Lord, how long?

Lord, turn and deliver my soul, save me because of your mercy.

For there is no one remembering about you in death, who will confess to you.

I am exhausted of my groaning, I wash my bed with my tears every night, my eye is confused because of the rage, I am ruined because of all my enemies.

Get away from me all those who do iniquity, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping, the Lord has heard my entreaty, the Lord has accepted my prayer.

Let all my enemies be shamed and shaken, let them come back and be ashamed very soon.

Prayer, 2.

Sovereign Lord our God, calling the righteous for sanctity, and sinners for acquittal, accept the confession of your slave, name, who is falling down before your greatness. The good one, release him from what he has sinned and deliver him transgressions of flesh and all evil, and forgive him all transgressions, and cleanse him from all impure consciousness. Strengthen him to do your commandments. Endow him with standing at the holy altar, and participating in the divine mysteries. So that bringing fruits with pure soul and body and returning back, he will unite with your holy Spirit. And become a heir to your heavenly kingdom, but grace and love of man of you only begotten Son. With whom you are blessed, and with the most your holy, and good, and life-creating Spirit, in the ages, amen.

Prayer, 3.

Lord our God, who granted forgiveness to David, when he repented of his transgressions, through your prophet Nathan. Who accepted the repentance and prayer of Menashe, also now accept your slave, name, who repents of his sins, with your usual love of man, ignoring all his transgressions. For you, O Lord, are the one who ordered to forgive those who fell into sins seventy times seven. For your mercy is as your greatness. For you are the God of those who repent, and you repent of our evils and unfairness. It is yours – to have mercy and save us, and we proclaim glory to you, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Psalm, 12.

Lord, how long will you completely forget me.

How long are you turning your face away from me.

How long will I reason in my soul, having pain in my heart day and night.

How long will my enemy prevail over me.

Pay attention to me and hear me, O Lord my God.

Give light to my ears, so that I never sleep unto death, so that my enemy never says, I have strengthened over him.

Those who oppress me, will rejoice, if I move from my place, but I rely on your mercy.

My heart will rejoice about your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord my benefactor, and to the most high Name of the Lord.

Prayer, 4

Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ our God, who entrusted your supreme apostle Peter with the keys of your kingdom and built your church upon him, and gave him the power to bind and loose on earth by your grace. Hear us now, the unworthy ones, who are calling you. To cleanse this slave of yours, name. Show your miraculous mercy on him, the one who saves those who rely upon you. For you said, O Lord, by the God-bearing mouths of your prophets, turn to me, and I will turn to you. And also, I do not wish death to a sinner with my will, but that he converts and is alive. So, O you who love humans, do not turn away also from this slave of yours, name, who is turning to you from the deception of his way, and asking cleansing from you. But visit him by your mercy, and raise by your generosity. For you are the God of the repentant, and you save those who turn to you. And we proclaim glory to you, together with your Father, who does not have a beginning, and with the most holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Psalm, 69

God pay attention and help me, O Lord, try hard to help me.[6]

Let those who seek for my soul be ashamed and disgrace themselves.

Let those who scheme evil against me return back, and be ashamed.

Let them immediately return in shame, those who say to me well, well.

Let all those who seek you, O God, be glad and rejoice about you.

And those who love your salvation always say, let the Lord be exalted.

As for me, I am destitute and miserable, O God help me.

You are my helper, and my deliverer, O Lord, do not be slow.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy on us.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy on us.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy on us.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Most holy Trinity have mercy on us, Lord cleanse us from sins. Sovereign forgive our iniquity. Holy visit and heal our weakness for the sake of your name.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Our Father, who are in heavens. Let your name be glorified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will be, on earth as in heavens. Give us today our bread for tomorrow. And release us from our debts, as we also release our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but help us avoid the deception.

Priest proclaims: For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and ever and in the ages of ages.

Amen.

Troparia, voice, 6.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us. We are not sure of receiving any answer, but bring you this prayer, as your sinful slaves to the sovereign. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.

Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Lord, have mercy on us, for we rely upon you, do not be very angry with us, nor remember our iniquities. But pay attention now as the merciful one, and deliver us from our enemies. For you are out God, and we are your people, everything is done by your hand, and we invoke your name.

Now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Blessed Virgin Mother of God, open for us the doors of mercy. Putting our trust in you we will not perish, but let us avoid troubles. For you are the salvation for the Christian kin.

Then the priest raises the penitent and exhorts him with love and calmness and humility, setting God as a witness and calling himself a sinner, and saying:

It is good that you, my child, have come to repent of your sins before the merciful Lord Jesus Christ, who takes upon himself the sins of all the world, he will take your sins as well. This is the first thing I will ask you, my child, do you want to[7] do God’s will with love, and will you accept the commandments of the holy fathers firmly, and do you want to listen to me your father in everything?

The penitent says. I want to do the commandments of God and his saints with gladness, and I will listen to you, father, in everything.

The priest says. If you, my child, do God’s will, and accept with love the commandments of his saints, then you will not only receive the forgiveness of sins, but will also be a heir to the kingdom of heavens. Child, do not be ashamed before the human face, for we are all sinners. Do not hide in yourself any sin, which you have sinned from youth and till this hour not only done with action, but with word and thought as well. For no one who hides his bodily injury from a doctor, will be healed. In the same way also you, child, confess your injuries of sin, which injure our souls. So that God gives you the healing by me, a sinner, and forgives your sins.

See, child, now you are going to be renewed by this holy confession, and get back your first fatherland, and become participant in its sonship, from which you have fallen off because of your many sins. Hear, child, how much God looks for our repentance: for he says through the prophet, turn to me, and I will heal you. And take away knavery from your souls, telling your sins, and learn to do good, for I am good. I will accept gladly those who repent before me in truth, and will give them release from sins. Child, if you want to get rid of the evil that you have done, and accept the forgiveness of all your sins, do not be ashamed before my face, and do not hesitate, but confess everything to me, and do not hide anything. For everything is known by the Lord God, and is naked before his eyes. For if a Christian dies without confession, it is not right[8] for a priest to sing over him, nor bring an offering for him, for he has not fulfilled the law of God and the Christian faith. And you, child and brother and lord, do not hide anything, that you sinned after the baptism. Do not be dare to hide even one sin, but confess everything to God. And I will be a witness for you, child, and warrantor for your salvation.

And again the priest says calmly. See, child, now the angels of God are standing here invisibly, erasing your sins, that you confess. But if you do not tell me even a small thing knowingly, you will be condemned for it. And in the second and dreadful coming of Christ they will appear written upon you, and then you will be exposed before angels and men, and receive dreadful and terrible torments, which will have no end. Child, emulate the former fornicators and robbers, tax collectors and sinners, who repented in one hour, and entered the paradise for the non-ending age. For thus the savior said, there is joy in the heaven about the repentance of a sinner. So also you, child, create joy in the heaven by your repentance, not only for angels, but for God as well. It will also make yourself a heir of the eternal joy.

And if the penitent is taught books, the priest tests him about faith, and asks him with attention, how he thinks about God.

Question. Do you believe in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit?

Answer. I believe in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Question. Do you profess one God in the Trinity, not mixed and not divided and co-eternal?

Answer. I profess, honourable father.

Question. Do you profess Christ in two natures, that is, in divinity and humanity, and in one person, and do you believe him?

Answer. I profess and believe, honourable father.

Question. Do you revere the honourable cross of the Lord?

Answer. I revere, honourable father.

Question. Do you profess the most pure Mother of God, who is the mother of our true God Jesus Christ, creator of all creation?

Answer. I profess, honourable father.

Question. Do you revere saint John the forerunner baptizer of Christ, and holy apostles, and holy prophets, and martyrs, and hierarchs, and the venerable, and the righteous, and all saints, and do you believe that they have pleased God?

Answer. I revere and believe, honourable father.

Question. Do you venerate their relics, and do you revere their memory honourably?

Answer. I venerate and revere, honourable father. Bow.

Question. Do you venerate the image of the Holy Trinity, and the honourable image of Christ, and his honourable cross represented on the icons?

Answer. I venerate, honourable father. Bow.

Question. Do you venerate the image of the Holy Mother of God, and the images of all the saints, represented on the icons?

Answer. I venerate, honourable father. Bow.

Question. Do you hold on to any heresies, or any witchcraft, or anything like these?

Answer. I do not hold on to any of these, honourable father.

Question. Do you accept the teachings of the holy apostles, and of the holy fathers of the seven ecumenical councils?

Answer. I accept, honourable father.

Then, the penitent says the symbol of faith.

I believe in one God Father ruler of all, creator to the heaven and the earth, everything visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ the only-begotten Son of God, who was born of the Father before all ages. Light of light, true God, of true God, born and not created, of one essence with the Father, by whom everything came into being. Who came down from the heaven for the sake of us, men, and for our salvation, and incarnated from the Holy Spirit, and from Mary the virgin became one of men. Who was crucified for us in the times of Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day according to the scriptures. Who ascended into the heavens, and sits on the right hand of the Father. And is coming again with glory, to judge the living and the dead, for whose kingdom there is no end. Of the second council. And in the Holy Spirit, true and life-creating Lord, proceeding from the Father. Who is worshipped and glorified together with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets. And in the one holy universal and apostolic church. I profess one baptism for the release from sins. I look forward to the resurrection for the dead, and the life of the future age, amen.

Then ask him with love and calmness:

Tell me, child, whether you have defiled your body in a natural or unnatural way?

And if the penitent rejects the guilt, then do not offer him questions about the fallings of flesh, so that not to tempt him. But if he says that there has been a sin, then inquire him: With whom have you corrupted yourself, with wives or with widows, or with virgins, or with animals, pure or impure, or in a sodomite way, with youths; and if he is married, then ask, haven’t you make fornication before, or from your wife, with anybody? And haven’t you climb over your friend, or allowed him to climb upon yourself? And haven’t you make fornication with a church woman, or a nun, or with anybody in any kind of blood, matrimonial or baptismal kinship? Did you laugh in church during holy singing? Did you speak vain words with anyone? Did you do whispers? Did you have unbelieving thoughts about holy objects of God? Have you blasphemed the craft of icon-painters? Have you judged a priest, or a deacon, or other members of the clergy about reading and singing or anything else? Or have you judged any man in anything? Have you gone out of church before the dismissal, without any necessity, but out of lack of fear of God? Or have you taken wax or candles, or prosphora and anything else from church in secret without asking the one who holds the church? Have you took the communion of the Most Holy Mysteries of Christ without the pure confession to the spiritual father? Have you copulated with your wife in the night after your or her communion? Have you vomited on the day when you took communion, or ate dora or the little bread of the Mother of God, or a prosphoron, from overeating or drunkenness? Have you fasted the epitimion after taking the communion? Have you lied about any promises and about prayer services (moleben) and alms, about which you had given promise to God or his saints? Have you kissed the cross in lie or truth, have you brought anyone to the cross? Have you given false testimony? Or have you taken someone’s property and rejected it? Have you raised an icon in hands with an oath? Have you robbed churches, or tombs, or a monk, or a nun, or a spiritual father, or other people? Have you incited someone, telling him to steal? Have you killed a baptised person, or a pagan in a war, or being drunk in a fight, or on a way in a struggle, or as a robber? Have you told anyone to kill, or drown, or poison, or kill in some other way? Have you beaten a spiritual father, or other priests, and deacons, or a monk, or a nun, or your own father, or mother, or brothers, or a sister? Have you beaten anyone without a cause? Have you quarrelled with someone and someone died in your anger, with whom you have not asked forgiveness after the quarrel? Do you believe in sneezing, meeting, omen, birds’ croaking, and any other growling of animals? Do you interpret dreams? Have you gone to wizards and sorcerers? Or have you brought them to your place, or to someone else? Do you practice sorcery yourself? Have you bewitched with some sorcery or some root, a wife or a virgin, or an adolescent to fornicate with them?

Have you permitted your wife, son and daughter to fornicate?

Have you kept a tavern with prostitutes?

Have you been a traitor to Christians and betrayer to bring suffering to someone?

Have you drunk in a tavern at the heterodox?

Have you eaten with a wizard, or a heretic, or an unbaptised, or have you drunk with them, or from their vessel? Have you eaten blood of animals, and colostrum, which is the milk of the first days, when a cow calves?

Have you eaten anything defiled: strangled hares and black grouses, or something else?

Have you made a banquet with laughs and dancing? Have you smoked, or sniffed tobacco? Have you shaved your beard? Have you listened to skomorokhs, or gusli players?

Have you sung demons’ songs, or listened others singing because of the pleasantness?

Have you pissed on a friend, or spit on someone?

Have you called a Christian a heretic, or even a pagan? Have you cursed anyone obscenely? Have you laughed at a blind, a deaf, a dumb, a lame, and a sick? Have you put someone’s yard, stack or something else to fire? Have you stolen anything during a fire? Have you robbed, or undressed someone, bereaving of his last clothes? Have you envied someone? Are you angry with someone, and if you are, go and become reconciled with him. Have you torn your face, or hairs, weeping for a dead? Have you asked death for yourself, have you cursed yourself?

This say to the married and widowed. Is it your first wife, second or third, have you taken her from your relatives or family? Have you married her in church, do you live with her according to the law? Have you been with her during the Great Lent, and on the Holy Week, and on Sunday, and on great feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God and famous saints, or on Wednesday, or on Friday? Have you copulated with her when she menstruated? Have you had sex with her in the sodomite way, in the anus, or in the vagina like cattle from behind; have you let your wife to be upon you? Have you copulated with the sleeping wife? Have you fornicated  with her through linen? Have you sinned by mouth, putting your tongue into the wife’s mouth, or accepting her tongue into your mouth, have you sucked her nipples? Have you defiled your mouth with some kind of inappropriate kissing? Have you fornicated with another’s wife, or with adolescents in a sodomite way? Have you told your wife, or your female slave to kill your child, or have you yourself pressed a child out of your wife’s womb being drunk and falling upon her? Have you tormented your wife without a reason?

Do you promise to not do these afterwards?

This say to the powers and officials, and omit with the others.

Have you betrayed your oath to your sovereign in something?

Have you appropriated any state incomes for yourself?

Have you impose any taxes on anyone, besides what was ordered by the sovereign, wanting to gain his favour in some way?

Have you judged someone being bribed or out of love or enmity?

Have you slandered someone before the sovereign to put him for execution?

Have you taken any property from churches and monasteries by force?

Have you deprived any members of the clergy of any tributes, or put some tax on them?

Have you tormented your servants by undressing and wounding them?

Have you committed violence to all men, hoping on your wealth and the greatness of your rank?

Have you despised anyone asking anything from you, and in some particularity in justice?

If you have anything from unrighteous acquisition, spend and renounce it.

Then he says.

Sir brother and son, I do not know any other sins committed by you. But you know in yourself, what you have sinned before God who created you and knows our committed sins, by word, by act and by thought. For there is no sin, into which man does not fall. But God, who loves the humankind, forgives those who repent wholeheartedly. So also you, child, confess your sins for the sake of your salvation.

RESUMPTION OF THE CONFESSION OF LAYMEN

The penitent says himself, or repeats after the priest, if he does not know how to read scriptures.

I, the one having many sins, name, confess to the Lord God the All-Powerful, and to his Most Pure Mother the Most Holy Mother of God and Ever Virgin Mary, and the holy heavenly forces, and all his saints, and to you, father. All my transgressions, and all evil deeds, that I committed in all days of my life, that I thought, and that I said, that I committed willingly or unwillingly. That I remember and do not remember. That I committed from the beginning since I am baptised, and until this day. I confess these all to the All-Powerful God, and to you, father.

I have sinned by lying about people and slandering them, by envy, lie, rage, anger and remembering evil, pride, vainglory, harsh and impudent words, interest, flattery and love of money, gluttony and drunkenness, sorcery and enchantment, and the like.

I have sinned by early eating in improper time, in fasting, and on feasts. And on Wednesdays, and Fridays. In day and in night. From youth to this hour.

I have sinned by lying with adolescents and adultery, murder and all wounds, violence and robbery, unrighteous plunder and enmity towards all men.

I have sinned in quarrels and in beatings, stealing, fornication and all impurity, and all fleshly different mixings.

I have sinned, loving games, dancing and all demonic acts. Rejoicing in the things of this life, regretting for the dead.

I have sinned by lack of mercy and stinginess towards the poor and the beggars, I have not welcomed them in my home, nor warmed them, nor fed them, nor given them something to drink, nor visited the sick and those in prison, nor gave them alms, I despised the naked and the barefoot and did not have mercy on them.

I have sinned in all days of my life, and in all time and hour, judging all people in all sins, doing all kinds of evil myself.

I have sinned by act and word, and thought, knowingly and unknowingly, craftiness and knavishness, people-pleasing and pleasing my flesh in everything. That I remember and do not remember. That was renounced in the holy baptism, and in all holy scriptures, in all that I have sinned and lied, and transgressed. But I repent about all these. Forgive me holy father and bless me, and pray for me a sinner.

If the penitent is sick, speak until here. If he is healthy and has confessed to you prior to this, add the following.

I have sinned, I have not kept the promise of the holy baptism.

I have sinned, I have not kept anything of that which was given to us in the law of God, and in the grace of the holy gospel commandments.

I have sinned, I swore with God’s name in lie.

I have sinned, I swore in lie by the Most Holy Mother of God and the Church of God, and the honourable cross, holy angels and archangels, prophets and apostles, and martyrs, holy hierarchs and venerables, and all saints.

I have sinned, I swore by heaven and earth in lie, and all creation of God, and all holy objects.

I have sinned, I swore in lie by the most pure blood of the Lord, and the last confession, so that I would not accept it.

I have sinned, I swore in lie by soul and body, and all my senses.

I have sinned, I blasphemed the creation of God.

I have sinned by laziness and weakness, and negligence of the commandments of God, and the holy scriptures.

I have sinned, promising to bring some kind of offering to the holy church, or give as alms to the clergy or to the beggars, and feed the hungry, and in that I lied and transgressed.

I have sinned, I have not visited those in prisons and the sick, and given nothing to them.

I have sinned by being disobedient to the spiritual father, and not keeping his commandments.

I have sinned by contradicting all men and evil-speaking, judging, lying, and slandering of the ranks of priests and monks, and all men.

I have sinned, by disobedience to my parents and evil-speaking about them, judging and annoying them.

I have sinned, by hurting and annoying widows and beggars, and all men.

I have sinned, I stood in the God’s church in impure thoughts, in lack of fear, in laugh, whisper and idle talk, in the time of the holy church singing.

I have sinned by stealing holy objects and all kinds of stealing.

I have sinned by lying and envy, hate and anger, rage and malice, pride and profane words, playing, dancing and skipping. In demonic songs, and clapping of hands, and all kinds of satanic games.

I have sinned, listening with pleasure the sound of gusli and other musical instruments, and pipes, and all kinds of skomorokh plays, demonic frenzy, and paid them for those.

I have sinned by vainglory and love of glory, accepting bribes and interest.

I have sinned by love of gold, love of silver, love of money and decorating of clothes.

I have sinned having taken the holy communion unworthily, and the holy bread of the Mother of God, and prosphora, and vomited from drunkenness and overeating.

I have sinned having fornicated and not purified entered the church and the holy sanctuary.

I have sinned by remembering evil, saying, I will not forget until death.

I have sinned by making poisons, sorcery and going to wizards, making amulets and witchcraft. And I connived at such evildoers, giving them payments and gifts.

I have sinned by love pf pleasure and overeating, eating in the wrong time, sleeping too much and laziness, drunkenness and drinking in the wrong time, demonic possession of the belly and vomiting on holy days of fasting, and all feasts of the Lord, and Holy Mother of God, and great saints.

I have sinned by thoughts and lustful looks on the female sex and the male sex, and all animals with lust up until the spilling of semen.

I have sinned by masturbation and all fornication, with male sex, and female sex.

I have sinned by ejaculation in sleep and in waking, and fornicating with animals who do not have reason.

I have sinned, in defiled, blasphemous and impure thoughts, not manifested and not spoken.

I have sinned, being captured by drunkenness I fornicated and committed adultery, on the feasts of Christ and the Most Pure Mother of God, and great saints, and during the Great Lent, and on other days of fasting, and on the holy bright week, and on Wednesdays and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

I have sinned, arranging and ordering to commit fornication and adultery, and all improper soul-ruining things, to men and women, adolescent men and virgins. Husbands from wives and wives from husbands.

I have sinned, I ate and drank with people of other faiths, loving and honouring them, and rejoiced with them, and wishing them good health as to Christians. And from the mindless madness I praised their mores and customs many times, and learned many cursed evildoings from them.

I have sinned by bad language and looking in an evil way, and touching of hands and feet, of female and male nature and my own, and kissing with lust up until ejaculation.

I have sinned, being friends with thieves and robbers, adulterers and usurers and bribe takers, drunkards and slanderers, and evildoers, and pleasing them, and partaking with them and doing what is pleasing to them, even until now.

I have sinned by murder and wounds, beating of all kinds, also up until blood, tearing hairs and biting with my teeth.

I have sinned by snitching and evil scheming, and knavish designs and kissing the cross in lie and untruth I have ruined myself.

I have sinned by lack of mercy and stinginess, extolling myself and humiliating others, seducing and being harsh, annoying and unruliness, calumny, being fast to do evil, reproaching and blaspheming. Stealing someone else’s property, locking and hiding it, and making someone swear in lie.

I have sinned by blaspheming, and judging all men, living and dead.

I have sinned in evil-speaking, calling Christians heretics and pagans, and giving over a faithful to demon by word.

I have sinned by improper thoughts about the Divinity, and about icons, and all holy objects.

I have sinned by laziness and negligence about church singing, and in the feasts of Christ and Most Pure Mother of God, and great saints, and in the holy 40 days, and in other holy fasting days, being slow to all church singing.

I have sinned, I cursed a priest, and fell into his and my own curse, or my father’s, or my mother’s, or spoke in an evil way about them, or behaved violently, or hit them.

I have sinned, violently and unrightfully tormenting and killing my servants, and making them suffer by being naked, hungry and barefoot.

I have sinned falling in slanders and quarrels.

I have sinned, in blasphemies and fables, and foul language, and teaching many to do evil and sin, and laughing at someone else’s sin.

I have sinned, teaching my children and household to do all kinds of sin, especially demonic songs, and to dance and to use foul language.

I have sinned, I blasphemed and judged kings and princes, hierarchs and all priestly rank, and all clergy.

I have sinned, I blasphemed and judged all men, and laughed at an old one, a stranger, a beggar, a dumb, a deaf, a lame, a madman, a wretched, a poor, and all men.

I have sinned, I quarrelled and fought, and having anger for someone, did not ask forgiveness with him, and impure, in defiled clothes, and without forgiveness, and without prayer going to the church.

I have sinned by boasting improperly, and in envy, and in hatred.

I have sinned with lust lying down on earth and in water.

I have sinned by taking bribes and judging in a wrong way, false testimony and not preserving love, and in not paying a hireling.

I have sinned, in earthly joys and praises, in magniloquent thoughts and words.

I have sinned in fornication with my neighbours.

I have sinned in quarrel and slander, merciless punishments, winking, vanity, hardening of heart and gnashing of teeth, in mockery and wanting glory, voluptuosness and love of ranks, and in self-love.

I have sinned, in not submitting to my parents from my youth, in hatred towards brothers, in contempt and lack of mercy towards neighbours.

I have sinned in remembering evil, evil self-conceit, and seducing.

I have sinned, I thought lustfully about the monastic rank, about female sex and male sex.

I have sinned by envy and hatred, multi-acquisitiveness, self-love and love of property, stealing and unrighteousness, criminal profit and improperly acquiring property, grumbling and hatred towards brothers, and hurting them. Eating in secret, and all kinds of evil-doing, scheming and satanic intrigues, craftiness, molestation and softening, advising to sin, grasping offices and arousing by tickling.

I have sinned, having defiled, molested, polluted, and made useless all my sense and all member. Having been a working place of the devil in all ways. I have sinned a lot, I made a lot of iniquity and defilement, I provoked the wrath of the Holy Spirit, and saddened the human-loving womb of my Creator and God by my shameful deeds, words, and thoughts, manifest and not manifest, by my soul and body, hearing and seeing, tongue and throat, and all my senses, and all my composition. There is no sin, that I have not committed, but I repent in all of them, forgive me holy father and bless me, and pray for me a sinner.

Add this for grandees, princes and noblemen, and all judges of the land and officials. Do not say this to other people.

I have sinned, when I went to battle during war, and for the sake of the fear of death took communion unworthily.

I have sinned, having kissed the cross to the sovereign and transgressed, profited myself from the tsar’s tributes, and managed what was entrusted to me not according to the tsar’s order many times.

I have sinned by envy and hatred towards my brother, for the sake of wealth and power. And sold many by violence without reason, and ordered others to sell. And imposed heavy taxes upon Christians, not according to the order of the sovereign, but wanting to become loved by him for that.

I have sinned, I attracted many servants to my house, poor and helpless, and made them my slaves, and knavishly confirmed their serfdom. And was a helper to my parents and neighbours, and my friends in such violence.

I have sinned by taking bribes, and judged unrighteously for the sake of the bribes, love or enmity. And pleased those I loved in the court, and accused others because of enmity. And reported to the sovereign about the trial wrongly.  I made the right wrong, and the wrong right, and gave over the innocent to punishment and death.    

I have sinned, I slandered many before the sovereign, and they were tortured without reason, or even put to death.

I have sinned, offended churches of God, and took away from them villages and properties. I offended monasteries, and took from their necessary things  by force. I offended the clergy, depriving them of tributes and imposing taxes on them.

I have sinned, I tormented my servants by nakedness and wounds, and was violent towards all people.

I have sinned, in harsh disfavour, sending the innocent to prisons and dungeons, not judging righteously because of slander, and taking bribes and tormenting beyond measure.

I have sinned, going hunting birds and beasts, and behaved violently towards the poor people, and made many bad things and a lot of damage. And instead of spiritual celebration, made fun vainly in fields and oak groves.

I have sinned, by having unrighteous profits from thieves and robbers, from taverns and usury, from snitches and whorehouses, from murderers and wizards. And all my wealth I have acquired by violence and unrighteous judging and unrighteousness and evil-doing.

I have sinned, knowing the knavish conspiracy and treason by some, wishing to spill blood, and did not report about this to the sovereign, also being an accomplice to their evil design.

I have sinned, I partook with thieves and robbers, and with adulterers, and for the sake of the bribes covered up their evildoings, and they, having trust in me, added evil to evil.

Confession of children.

Chapter 12

I, having many sins, confess to the Lord God the All-Powerful, and the Most Pure Mother of God, and the holy heavenly forces, and all the saints, and to you, father, all my sins and evil deeds, which I sinned in all days of my life. That I thought and spoke. That I committed willingly, or unwillingly, that I remember and do not remember, that I committed from the beginning, since I was baptised, even until this day. I confess all these to the All-Powerful God, and to you father.

I have sinned by lying, breaking an oath, swearing by God’s name in lie, evil-speaking, slandering, disobedience, rebellion against parents, and evil-speaking, annoying, eating the stolen, gourmandising, eating the non-fasting food, concealing the alms. Stealing and foul language. Defiled touching. Fornication with adolescents, and virgins, and in myself. And I went to church impure, and touched all holy objects.

I have sinned by thinking about fornication, defilement in sleep and in waking state, and temptation. By anger and rage, and judging all men in all sins.

I have sinned by reproaching and laughing, eating in secret, too early, and in the wrong time, by drunkenness and vomiting. By swindle and knavery. By demonic songs and all satanic games, and shameful words. By mockery, blasphemy and idle talk, laziness, weakness, pride, hatred, remembering evil, beating up until blood, tearing of hairs and not forgiving.

I have sinned, I broke all God’s commandments, and committed all sins, willingly and unwillingly. By reason and unreasonableness. By word, and act, and thought. And there is no sin, that I have not committed, but I repent in them all, forgive me holy father and bless me, and pray for me a sinner.

Questions to virgins and women.

Chapter 13

Lady sister and daughter, tell me from the beginning, since you were born and came into memory, into what sins have you fallen? Either in infant’s unreasonableness, or in the age, and in all your life, and until this day. Confess everything clearly.

Do you believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit?

Do you believe in the Most Pure Mother of God, and all the saints?

Do you venerate the image of Christ and the Most Holy Mother of God, and all saints painted on icons?

Do you hold any heresy?

Child, have you played from unreasonableness improperly with girlfriends, or with small boys? Did you kiss with them with lust, or commit anything improper with brothers, or with sisters, or someone defiled you by rape, or when you slept, or were drunk?

To women. And have you preserved your virginity until lawful marriage?

If she had preserved her virginity before husband, you omit this, do not say

And how did you corrupt your virginity? Have you fornicated with virgins? Have you climbed upon them, or let them upon yourself? And have you fornicated with women, odious before God? Or have you fornicated into your own nature by a finger, or anything else? Have you defiled a schema-monk? Have you been with a monk, or with widower, or with a married man, or with a priest, or with a deacon, or with a verger, or any other member of clergy? Was there any fornication with your own brother, or with a cousin, or second cousin, or a called brother, or with a cross brother, or with father-in-law, or brother-in-law, or a step-father, or a baptism relative, or in your family with close ones, or with matrimonial relative, or have you committed fornication with someone sleeping, or went to church impure, or stepped on someone’s foot for the sake of fornication, or winked your eye for the sake of fornication, or nodded, or held someone by his shame, or looked at someone’s shame in secret, or when they slept? Or looked at someone with lustful thought? Or have you been in a gathering with fornicators, or fornicatresses? And with how many have you been? And have you put your tongue into someone’s mouth, or have you taken someone’s else tongue? Have you kissed someone in his shame, and have you given your shame to kiss?

This say to married and widows, and omit with virgins.

Is it your first husband, or the second, or the third? Have you married according to the law? Not a relative? Have you married with your husband in church? Have you copulated with him during the Great Lent, and on the Holy Week? On Sundays, Wednesday, Friday, feasts of the Lord, and of the Mother of God, and days of commemoration of great saints? Have you mixed with him during menstruation up until 8 days, or after giving birth up until 40 days? Have you husband fornicated you in a sodomite way into anus, or in an animal way from behind into vagina, or having taken communion you were with your husband? Have you climbed upon your husband? Have you taken his tongue into your mouth, and given your tongue to your husband’s mouth? Have you kissed your husband’s shame, or having been with the husband you forgot to wash, and touched a holy object? Have you fornicated with someone from your husband, drunk, or sober, or urinated in the present of someone else’s husband? Or have you rebuked your husband, or someone else for shame; have you thought anything evil on him, or done evil to him? Have you given poisonous potions and roots with sorcery to your husband, or someone else for the sake of love; have you fornicated and killed a child in yourself, or told a female slave to kill, or brought your children to wizards and witches? Or having drunk potion, threw a child out, or killed an unbaptised one? Have you bewitched children in yourself? Have you drunk potion and roots with sorcery wanting children? Have you washed yourself with milk and honey and given it to someone to drink, or given your own milk to someone? Have you separated wife with husband, or cooled off husband from wife, or wife from husband? Have someone died from your hands, or from sorcery? Or have you done anything improper wit holy icons?

And this is common to virgins, married and widows.

In the church of God, during holy singing, have you laughed, or spoke idle and shameful words with someone, or whispered, ot thought unbelief on the holy objects of God, or blasphemed icons? Or judged a priest, and deacon, and other members of the clergy, in reading, and singing? Or have you judged all people? Have you been to confession before? Have you taken communion without having confessed to a spiritual father?

Do not ask pure virgins.

Or having taken the holy communion, did you commit fornication that night, or vomit that day? Or having eaten dora or prosphoron, did you vomit, or having vomited, did you eat dora or prosphoron? Have you fasted epitimion after communion? Have you lied about any promises and prayer services, and about alms, having promised to God and his saints? Have you gone to oath, or brought someone, and gave false testimony? Have you rejected when you had someone else’s property? And if you have something from unrighteous acquisition, spend it  and reject from yourself. Have you slandered someone, have you stolen anything from anyone? Have you told anyone to steal? Have you quarrelled with someone, and haven’t asked forgiveness? Or have you had anger at someone, and they died in your anger? Do you believe in sneezing, meeting and omen, or something else? Have you believed in a dream? Have you gone to wizards, or brought them to your place? Or practice witchcraft yourself? Have you kept a tavern with prostitutes for the sake of wealth? Have you eaten squirrel, beaver, strangled hare and black grouse, or something else? Have you eaten blood of animals, and colostrum? Have you eaten non-fasting foods on fasting days, or anything else defiled? Or danced, or sung songs? Have you drunk up until loss of memory? Or listened to skomorokhs and all demonic games? Or gave them payment? Or spoiled a girlfriend, or someone else? Or spit on someone? Or called a person a heretic or a pagan? Or cursed someone obscenely, and in all improper ways? Or laughed at someone blind, deaf, lame, and sick? Or envied someone? Or have anger against someone, go and ask forgiveness with him. Have you torn your face and hairs, weeping for a dead in indecent manner? Have you cursed yourself? Have you asked for death to yourself?

Then the priest says.

Do you promise to not do those afterwards? Lady sister and daughter, I do not know any other sins, committed by you, to ask from you. But you yourself confess everything.

Resumption of confession of women.

I, having many sins, name, confess to you, Lord God the All-Powerful, and to his Most Pure Mother Most Holy Mother of God, and holy heavenly forces, and all his saints, and to you father, all my sins, and all evil deeds, that I have committed in all my life. What I committed willingly, and unwillingly, what I remember and do not remember. What I committed from the beginning, since I was baptised, and up until this day. I confess these all to the Almighty God, and to you father. I have sinned, by female monthly infirmity, and forgetfulness in church by appearing of blood, I was impure, and because of shame did not go out of the church.

I have sinned by lying on people and slandering, envy and lie, rage and anger, pride, disorderly and shameless words, interest and flattery, vainglory and love of money, gluttony and drunkenness, and remembering evil. Sorcery and making poison, witchcraft and charms, and the like.

I have sinned, in early eating in improper time, in fasting and feasts. In Wednesdays and Fridays. In day and night, from youth till this hour.

I have sinned, by lying with adolescents and adultery, murder and all wounds, violence and robbery, and unrighteous acquisition, and enmity towards all people.

I have sinned, in quarrel and beating, stealing and fornication, and all impurity, and various fleshly mixings.

I have sinned, loving games and dances, and all demonic deeds, rejoicing for the things of this life, regretting for the dead.

I have sinned by lack of mercy and stinginess towards the poor and beggars, did not let them into my house, did not warm them, did not feed them, did not give them something to drink, and to the sick and imprisoned I did not give alms, I did not have mercy on a naked and a barefoot, and gave them no alms.

I have sinned in all days of my life, and in all time and hour judging all people, about all sins, and I myself committed more evil.

I have sinned by act and word, and thought, knowingly and unknowingly, by craftiness and knavery, pleasing people and pleasing my flesh in everything. That I know and don’t know. That I remember and don’t remember. And what is renounced in the holy baptism, and in all holy books. In all that I sinned, and lied, and transgressed. But I repent of all these, forgive my holy father and bless me, and pray for me a sinner.

If she is sick unto death, speak up until here. If she is healthy say this.

I have sinned, I haven’t kept the promise of the holy baptism.

I have sinned, I have kept nothing of what is passed to us in the law of God, and the grace of the holy gospel commandments.

I have sinned, swearing in lie by the name of God, and the Most Holy Mother of God, and the church of God, and the honourable Cross, and holy angels and archangels, and prophets, and apostles, and martyrs, and hierarchs, and venerables, and all saints.

I have sinned, I swore in lie by heaven and earth, and all creation of God, and all holy objects.

I have sinned, I swore in lie by the most holy body and blood of the Lord, and the last confession – to not receive it.

I have sinned, I swore in lie by soul and body, and all my senses.

I have sinned, I blasphemed the creation of God.

I have sinned by not believing the holy commandments of Christ our God.

I have sinned by laziness and weakness, and neglecting the holy scriptures.

I have sinned by disobedience and contradicting all people, judging all people, saying lies about and slandering spiritual fathers, and all priestly rank, and brothers, and all people.

I have sinned by disobedience to my parents, evil-speaking about them and annoying them.

I have sinned by hurting and annoying widows and beggars, and all people.

I have sinned, I stood in the church of God in impure thoughts and laugh up until tears, whispers and idle talk.

I have sinned by lying and envy, and hatred, anger and rage, malice and pride, self-magnifying and vanity talk, and words disgusting for God. By dancing and in demonic songs, clapping of hands, and all satanic games.

I have sinned, I taught my children and household to do all sins, especially to sing demonic songs and dance, and use foul language.

I have sinned by vainglory and love of glory, usury and robbing someone else’s property.

I have sinned by love of gold and love of silver, and decorating clothes.

I have sinned, having taken the Holy Christ’s mysteries, and holy bread of the Mother of God, and from overeating and drunkenness vomited and fornicated.

I have sinned by remembering evil, saying, I will not forget it till death.

I have sinned, accepting from witches and wizards sorceries with poisons, and knots with whisperings and charms, and giving payment and gifts to such evildoers, witches and wizards.

I have sinned by eating early and eating in improper time, overeating and hard drinking, and drinking in wrong time.

I have sinned by all heresies, by reason and reasonlessness, believing in dream and meeting, sneezing and bird’s croaking, sorcery and demonic fables.

I have sinned, listening to the sound of gusli, and all games of skomorokhs’ demonic frenzy.

I have sinned, by loving please and lack of satiety, and demonic possession of belly.

I have sinned before the lawful marriage, by fornication corrupted my virginity and from my husband with other, fornicated according to nature and against nature.

I have sinned, I was friends with evildoers and drunkards, and did what is pleasing to them even until now.

I have sinned by adultery, in dream and in wake, in defiled thoughts and those which are not manifest.

I have sinned, I taught my children to do evil and sin by my behaviour, and evil manners, as well as by ordering, and when they did evil, I was a damned encourager, and I solicited eternal torment for them.

I have sinned by pandering, ordering men and women, adolescent boys and virgins to commit fornication and adultery, and all inappropriate soul-corrupting things. Husbands from wives, and wives from husbands.

I have sinned by touching male and female nature by hands and feet, of my relatives, and my own shameful nature.

I have sinned by murder and wounding, all kinds of beatings even until blood, tearing of hairs and biting with teeth.

I have sinned by self-extolling, humiliating and seducing, evil harshness and annoying, rebellion, slandering, running to do evil, reproaching and blaspheming, breaking oath and locking someone else’s property, and hiding, and asking to swear in lie.

I have sinned by blaspheming, and judging alive and dead, priestly rank and all people.

I have sinned, calling a Christian a heretic and a pagan, and giving over a faithful to demon.

I have sinned, in improper thoughts about holy icons and the Cross of the Lord, and all holy objects, and the creation of God, unruly reasoning and blaspheming, or deified something of creation.

I have sinned by laziness and neglect of church singing, in the feasts of the Lord and the Most Holy Mother of God, and great saints, and in the Great Lent, and other holy fasting days, being slow to all church singing.

I have sinned evil-speaking and cursing the priestly rank, and falling under his or my curse, and of my mother’s, or father’s, and I judged the priestly and monastic rank, was violent to them, and did not fulfil the commandments of my spiritual fathers.

I have sinned by violence and unrighteousness tormenting and killing my servants, making them suffer by nakedness and hunger and barefootness.

I have sinned in blaspheming and telling fables, and foul language, learned many to do evil and sin, and laughed at someone else’s sin.

I have sinned, I blasphemed and judged tsars and princes, and hierarchs, and all priestly rank, and all members of the clergy.

I have sinned, I blasphemed and judged all people and laughed at an old, stranger, beggar, dumb, deaf, lame, mad, destitute and poor, and all people.

I have sinned, quarreling and fighting, having anger against someone and not asking forgiveness, or impure, in defiled clothes, and without forgiveness, and without prayer went into church.

I have sinned in improper boasting and jealousy, and flattery.

I have sinned by kindling in improper times and lustful thoughts in church, and improper words, and lustful looking at male sex.

I have sinned, from thoughts and improper looking I leaked impurity with lustful wetness, and by forgetfulness, and unreasonableness went to God’s church. And sometimes the defiled leak appeared in church, and I did not go out of the church because of shame.

I have sinned in false testimony and bribery (usury), in not preserving love and retaining a hireling’s payment.

I have sinned in earthly joys and praises, in magniloqueny thoughts and words, winking and vanity.

I have sinned in quarrelling and slander, hardness and gnashing of teeth, in mocking and wanting of glory, voluptuousness and self-love, rebellion against parents, hatred towards brothers and lack of mercy for neighbours.

I have sinned in remembering evil, and evil self-conceit.

I have sinned, having thought against the monastic rank.

I have sinned, promising to bring some offering to church, or alms to church people or beggars, and feed the hungry, and give something to drink to the thirsty, and lied and transgressed in that.

I have sinned by all my senses, willingly and unwillingly.

I have sinned more than all other people, and more that the number of the sand of the sea, and what is renounced by the holy books, and what I renounced in the holy baptism, in all that I lied and transgressed before God and before you, honourable father. Forgive me and bless me, and pray for me a sinner.

Question for priests.

Chapter 14

How, brother and sir, and father, but first of all a child, name, have you become a priest, without a fault and worthy? Have you transgressed your priesthood and teachings and traditions of the holy apostles, and laying of hands being drunk, or sober? Have you sung liturgy, not having performed your rule? Have you lied in your rule, or in the prayers in infant baptism, or in seeing off the dead? Have you drunk up until the loss of memory, and sung liturgy in the morning? Or after you sang, have you drunk up until loss of memory? Or having drunk, did you vomit? Or not having fulfilled epitimion until 40 days did you serve in church? Did you drink early on great days, or feasts, of during the Great Lent, or in other fasting days? Have you seduced people? Have you told anyone to eat and drink early? Have you given communion to the unworthy, or to a dead? Have you left a sick, not having given him communion? Have you baptised children with neglect? Have you rotten the body of Christ, have you spilled the blood of the Lord, or dropped by neglect, or forgetfulness? Have you kept icons in church with dust and cobwebs? Have you sung secular songs, have you listened or watched with attention any games, have you played chess, or zern, or watering cans, or gusli, or any other games? Have you thought about fornicating with a spiritual daughter, or son an adolescent? Have you rejected the one who came to you for confession? Have you defiled your priestly image with someone? Have you fallen with male sex, or cattle, or with a monk? Have you fallen with a husband’s wife, or a widow, or a female slave? Have you corrupted a virgin? Have you defiled a Christ’s bride, that is a schema-nun, or a nun? Have you fallen with a spiritual daughter, or on a day you served, or that night, before the sunrise with your wife, or you had a temptation in the night and dared to serve? Or you had a temptation, and you didn’t know, and after a service you saw semen on your clothes? Have you been during the great Lent or holy week with your wife, or when she menstruated, or 40 days after she gave birth? Have you blasphemed in a banquet, or in a wedding? Have you gone to a banquet without being called, or drunk in a tavern? Have you left the church without singing by drunkenness and neglect, and have you gone to wizards and sorcerers, or brought them to your house? Have you read rejected or magic book, and did something improper? Have you spilled someone’s blood, have you beaten an orphan, have you been violent without a reason? Have you retained a hireling’s payment? Have you killed a human being? Have any child died unbaptised because of your neglect? Have you slaughter cattle or bird? Have you mocked in church, or spoken? And have you ordered to marry a close relative? Have you said prayers for the one who married for the fourth time, or more? Have you kept books with neglect? Have you profited from anything of the church, or from property of your friend a priest, or someone else? Or have you missed to perform the 40-days prayers and prayer services, and don’t commemorate your spiritual children, who are dead? Have you boasted before someone that you are so good in performing church singing, or your rule, or service? Have you scolded, or judged a priest, or a deacon in his service, or his rule, or any other sin? Have you quarrelled with someone and served without asking forgiveness, holding anger and enmity for him? Have you told your spiritual children to take oath, or kiss the cross, or have you no forgiven them to do any other evil deeds? Have you slandered your bishop, or a member of the clergy? Have you eaten strangled animals? Have you kept fasting during the Great Lent, and other fasting periods, and on Wednesdays and Fridays? Have you left the church that you were ordained for without necessity for the sake of profit? Have you washed with a woman in a bathhouse? Have you united with others to make a banquet? Have you drunk or eaten in a tavern? Have you baptised children in one immersion, or by pouring? And I do not know any other sins committed by you, Sir, what to ask of you. But you confess everything yourself.

Resumption of confession,

that is said by repenting hegumens, priest-monks and deacon-monks. The secular priests and deacons must first say the confession of lay people in resumption, then also this.

I have sinned Sir father, before God and you, that I accepted the ranks of priesthood unworthily. For I did not deserve Sir father to accept that high rank, for the sake of my many evil deeds and countless sins, fleshly and spiritual, impure and shameful words, and improper thoughts. And I, damned, did not confess purely to my spiritual father and accepted the rank of priesthood. And what the hierarch passed to me the rank of priesthood, and I damned have not kept the holy laying of hands, and have not preserved my priesthood pure. But defiled it by many sins, and fornications against nature.

I have sinned Sir father, I practiced my priesthood unworthily. In priesthood I fell inventing many ways to do it. I committed leak in sleep and wake. And when only a few days passed, and served as a priest without having repented.

I have sinned Sir father, many times eating and drinking the whole night, and in the morning without performing the rule, the evening service, the methimon, the midnight office, the early morning service, hours or canons, I celebrated liturgy. And again indulged in drinking, and vomited in the evening, and sometimes in the night, and celebrated liturgy in the morning. And on that day I vomited from hard drinking, and dogs ate what I vomited, and I myself walked over that place, and many others. They even defecated in these places, and I damned have not asked forgiveness for this. I beat and quarrelled, didn’t ask forgiveness and served. For the Lord’s sake, father, forgive me a sinner.

I also sinned Sir father, in fleshly impurities approaching the holy Table, without fear accepting the Mysteries of Christ. And many times I kissed the cross and the gospel and holy icons, and all holy objects being unworthy. And many times I went to church and to the holy sanctuary impure, having not changed my clothes, and taking all church holy objects, and the relics of saints, into my defiled unwashed hands.

I have sinned Sir father, I accepted dora and the bread of the Mother of God, and raising Panagia, and ate prosphora, and kollyba unworthy.

I have sinned Sir father, I vomited many times because of overeating and drunkenness, and only a few days late, and having carried out no epitimion, I served again, and did not ask forgiveness for this.

I have sinned Sir father, I spilled the Gifts many times upon earth and prothesis, and the altar. Also I dropped the pieces of the body of Christ, and when I slaughtered the Lamb, I didn’t say the prescribed verses, didn’t pour wine into chalice, and didn’t turn the Lamb before the holy of holies, sometimes by forgetting, sometimes by neglect.

I have sinned Sir father, I gave communion to the unworthy, forgiving for bribe and being ashamed of the greatness of rank, I did not strengthen my spiritual son by epitimion or forbid him.

I have sinned Sir father, many have died without confession and communion because of my neglect. And many of them wanted to become monks, others schema-monks, and I did not tonsure them because I wanted money, or was lazy.

I have sinned Sir father, I had enmity against a brother, and celebrated liturgy without asking forgiveness, and some even died, against whom I had enmity. I swore my spiritual children because of neglect and unreasonableness.

Do not say this to deacons.

I have sinned Sir father, in forgetfulness and neglect served as a priest without epitrachelion. And many times I said with an oath that I would leave priesthood, and transgressed it and served as a priest again.

I have sinned Sir father, by locking someone else’s property and all stealing, and hiding of church things, and monastic ones, money and bread, and other things.

I have sinned Sir father, offending the church rank, priests and deacons, rich and poor, widows and orphans, and all people, talking away their properties by unrighteousness and violence, and all kinds of evil tricks.

I have sinned Sir father, in pride and self-magnifying, and decorating of clothes, showing myself chaste and cleverer than all. And annoyed many, and judged unrighteously. And never made peace with those who hurt me, and I myself hurt many and have not accepted forgiveness.

I have sinned Sir father, loving relatives, and friends in vanity, more than God.

I have sinned Sir father, in inquiring of depths and unknown mysteries about the Divinity, and rewrote Divine scriptures according to my wish. And I didn’t correct the Divine scriptures written by myself.

I have sinned Sir father, in blaspheming the creation of God, and in unreasonableness I thought a blasphemy on the Holy Spirit, and on the creation of the Lord my God.

I have sinned Sir father in remembering evil, and in rebuking brothers for sins and in quarrelling and bickering, in envy and hate, breaking oath and pressing to swear, in  scolding and laughing, in judging and jealousy, and rage. In wish of fleshly things and laziness, in hardening of heart. I laughed at a blind, a lame, a dumb, and a deaf.

I have sinned Sir father, I accepted infants from the font, being impure, I blessed brothers and people, being impure. A had temptation in sleep many times, and I, damned, served that day, sometimes because of necessity, at other times for profit.

I have sinned in not performing Divine service, in harshness and forgetfulness, and unknowing. Sometimes I forgot to pour wine into the chalice, sometimes water, sometimes dropped the Lamb, sometimes forgot to say holy to the holy.

I have sinned Sir father, I kept the Divine mysteries the reserved Lamb in neglect. Sometimes I rotted it, sometimes mice ate it. Forgive me for the Lord’s sake.

I have sinned Sir father, I was under a priest’s curse, and cursed myself. I was under my father’s and mother’s curse. And annoyed my parents and evil-spoke of them. I cursed many in unreasonableness and in reason, not having received their forgiveness.

I have sinned Sir father, watching performances in the games, and skomrakhs, and watching all demonic games attentively, and did them myself. And I ordered to make games, and chess, and watering cans, and zern, and other demonic initiatives I did and I watched.

I have sinned Sir father, judging tsars and princes, archbishops and bishops, archmandrites and hegumens, priests and deacons, monks and nuns, I judged alive and dead unrighteously.

I have sinned father, in evil-speaking calling a Christian a heretic, a Jew, and a foreigner, and giving over a faithful to demon by word, and evil-spoke in all improper talk, and cursed obscenely.

I have sinned Sir father, by judging unrighteously and taking bribes, by false testimony because of payment, friendship, and malice.

I have sinned father, in not performing and contempt of the church singing, and the cell rule, and being at the church singing and cell rule in impure thoughts and improper talk. In laughing and lack of fear, and neglect for prayer. Also I did not teach all sheep who were entrusted to me by God, I didn’t teach them from the holy scriptures because of neglect and laziness, lack of understanding, and drunkenness, and cares of this life. And if I taught someone from the holy scriptures, and they, seeing my sinful acts, all again died in weakening and sinful laziness.

I have sinned by early eating and eating in the wrong time, overeating and drunkenness up until vomiting, before singing my rule. I went to banquets without being called and blasphemed at the banquet. I fell into fornication, I corrupted children, I kissed with married wives, virgins, widows, nuns and schema-nuns, and monks. I touched impurely with lust. I touched their shameful members, and fornicated with them. Forgive me Sir father.

I have sinned Sir father, I transgressed all commandments of God, since I was baptised, even until this hour, I transgressed the promises of baptism and did not preserve my priesthood. I neglected the church and held holy icons with gunpowder and cobwebs, and holy books with neglect. Forgive me Sir father.

I have sinned father, I accepted alms to pray for the living and 40 days for the dead, and I did not perform prescribed prayers and services for them, I did not distribute the alms for church services and members of the clergy, but kept for myself.

I have sinned Sir father, I ruined my soul, and not only one, mine, but also souls of many others. Woe to me a sinner, for I have not kept the law of my Sovereign.

Add this for priests and deacons.

I have sinned Sir father, since my youth and until now, on the same day when I served, I fell. Sometimes I fell in the night, and in the morning I served. Sometimes in the day I vomited, and in the morning I served. And in the night I had temptation in sleep, and in the morning I served, forgive me Sir father.

I have sinned, many times I fornicated with my wife in the animal way and in the sodomite way, and committed fornication by hand. Many times I fornicated during the Great Lent and other fasting days in Wednesdays and Fridays, on Sundays and feasts of the Lord and the Holy Mother of God.

I have sinned Sir father, I fornicated after birth until 40 days, during the monthly menstruation. And I washed in bathing house with a woman and fornicated, and committed all improper mixing.

I have sinned, I married the one who was marrying for the third time, or blessed the one who was marrying the fourth time, or I told to marry without investigating the closeness of kinship.

I have sinned father, I beat up until blood, or slaughtered an animal, or taught my spiritual children weakness, overeating and drunkenness and fleshly lusts. Or something entered my house by unrighteousness.

I have sinned Sir father, many time I entered the holy church and holy sanctuary unworthily, and baptised children, and blessed kollyba, and performed all priestly acts being impure, and being drunk I contaminated holy church and holy sanctuary in holy vestments and epitrachelion with lepra. And why I am saying much, I was a place for devil’s work in everything. Now I confess to the Lord God, and to you, honourable father, these are written and spoken things, all, that I’ve done. In fact I committed more than these by word and deed, and unspoken thoughts, that I cannot confess because of their multitude and shame. And there is no sin, that I haven’t committed, but I repent in all. Forgive me holy father and bless, and pray for me a sinner.

Then the spiritual father says the prayers of unbinding.

Chapter 15

Master Lord our God, who made me, wicked, lacking likeness and unworthy, name, according to your great mercy, a servant of the rank of your holy priesthood, and intercessor about those who sin and turn to repent before you. The one who wants that every human being would know truth and be saved, who doesn’t want death for a sinner, but that he is converted and be alive. Accept my prayer, that I pour out before your goodness, about the sins of this slave of yours, name, who came to repent and have confessed, straighten him, and forgive all sins, his and our, so that we are worthy to serve you with pure heart and become honoured by eternal rejoicing.

So that we are always guarded under your power, O Lord our God, and we send you the glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

After the confession, this is done to every penitent.

If it is a man or an adolescence, woman or virgin, a nobleman, monk or priest-monk, or a secular priest, or deacon.

The spiritual father, seeing him repenting by contrite heart, and throwing himself to the ground with tears, and promising to stop sinning, and demanding forgiveness with deep emotion, orders him to kneel down on the ground, until he says the prayers.

And the confessor says, bowing down

God, purify me a sinner and have mercy on me.

O Lord, the one who created me, have mercy on me.

I have sinned without number, O Lord, forgive me.

Lord, forgive me my many sins, for the sake of your holy name, and your Most Pure Mother Most Holy Mother of God, and the honourable cross, and the three-day resurrection, and holy heavenly powers, and holy prophet and forerunner baptiser John, and all your saints.

And then the priest orders the penitent to bow down to the ground. And laying on the ground the penitent says the Jesus prayer in himself in secret.

And the priest says the prayers of forgiving.

Prayer, 1^st.

Lord our God, who granted the remission of sins to Peter and the fornicatress by tears, and acquitted the tax collector who knew his sins, accept the confession of your slave, name, his sins that he sinned before you willingly and unwillingly, by word and act, or thought, disregard them as a Good one. For you are the only one who has power to forgive sins. For you are God merciful in generosity, and we send you the glory, together with you beginningless Father, and the Most Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Prayer, 2^nd.

Lord God of our salvation, merciful and generous, long-patient and having a lot of mercy Jesus Christ, who tilted the heavens, and came down for the salvation of the humankind. Now wanting the death of a sinner, but the turning of life. You yourself, O Sovereign, having been entreated by your slaves, and because you gave them time for repentance by your mercy, grant them also the remission of all sins, committed willingly and unwillingly. Make peace with them, and unite them with your holy church. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Prayer, 3^rd.

God, who forgave David the prophet by Nathan, after he had confessed his evils, and Peter, who wept bitterly because of his denial, and the fornicatress who shed tears before your most holy feet, and Menashe and the tax collector, and saved the prodigal son and had mercy on the fornicatress. Who said, confess your sins to each other. And if we confess our sins, you are faithful and righteous, O Saviour. Forgiving us our sins, and purifying us from all sin. You yourself Lord Jesus Christ our God, forgive this person everything, what he confessed before you to my unworthiness, and already in this age, and also in the future one, honour him to stand up before your judgement without being condemned. Being blessed forever, amen.

After this the priest raises the penitent, and reads from the Apostle to Timothy, passage 280.

Child Timothy, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst, but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, first, Jesus Christ might show all patience, as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the eternal, immortal, invisible King, the only wise God, be honour and glory forever. Amen.

Then he reads the Gospel, from Matthew, passage 30.

In that time, as Jesus passed on from Capernaum, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s station. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he rose and followed Him. While Jesus sat at supper in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Then, Psalm, 31.

Blessed are the ones who iniquities have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man, to whom the Lord does not reckon his sin, not is there any deceit in his mouth. For I kept silence, my bones grew old from my crying all day long. day and night your hand was heavy upon me, I returned to suffering, when the thorn pierced me. I have known my iniquity, and have not covered my sin. I said, I will confess iniquity to the Lord against myself, and forgave the ungodliness of my heart. For that every pious person will pray to you, in well-fitting time. However in the flood of many waters they will not come near him. You are my refuge, from the sorrow which surrounds me. O my joy, deliver me from those surrounding me. I will instruct you, and teach you on this path, that you will go, I will set my eyes on you. Do not be like horse and mule, who do not have intelligence. You will squeeze their jaws with bridle and muzzle, when they do not come near to you. Many wounds to the sinner. But the mercy will surround the one, who hope in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord, and be glad, O righteous, and boast, all righteous in heart.

Then. It is right. 3 holies, and up until Our Father, these troparia. Voice, 1.

Try to open to me your embrace, O Father, for I have spent my life as a prodigal son, but I look up at your inexhaustible wealth of your bounty, O Saviour, now do not despise my impoverished heart. For to you, O Lord, I call out with affection, I have sinned, O Father, against heaven and before you.

I have fallen into robbers, been robbed in my mind by thoughts, they wounded my soul with sins, and I lie unhealed, O Jesus who have a lot of mercy, but pour your mercy for the sake of the prayers of the Forerunner, and heal the fierce sores of my soul.

Glory. Give me tears, O God, as in the ancient times you gave to the woman sinner, and honour me to wet your feet, that saved me from the deceit of hell. And bring you the myrrh of fragrance, pure life, which I will have acquired by my repentance, so that I may hear your good voice, your faith have saved you, go into peace.

Now, the priest says, wisdom. Then more honourable. And dismissal.

And the penitent, bowing down to the ground, says.

Forgive me holy father, what I have sinned in all days of my life. And in this day and hour I sinned without number by soul and body, sleep and laziness, by demonic obscuration, in impure thoughts, in forgetting of mind and all senses, by hearing and vision, heart and mouth, willingly and unwillingly, and there is no sin on earth, which I have not committed, but I repent of all. Forgive me holy father and bless me, and pray for me a sinner.

And they both consider the matter. If the penitent is worthy to accept the holy mysteries, then the priest teaches and instructs him a lot, and forgives him saying: Child Christ invisibly forgives you, and I, a sinner. And if he is unworthy of the holy communion.

He orders him to sit next to himself, and gives him yoke according to his strength, about alms, and fasting, and bows, how much he can bear and perform.

O priest, be attentive to yourself, so that you don’t hear the Saviour saying to you: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, blind guides, for you load men with burdens difficult to carry, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

Let it be known, that the one who takes communion unworthily, dies an evil death. The priest instructs those who repent sincerely in the law, and teaches them thoroughly, that these are the deeds by which one can avoid sins.

First repentance, to not sin again.

Second repentance,  tears, to weep about sins, and not about things of this life.

Third repentance, to give alms in secret, and not to perform alms wanting glory, but with love.

Fourth repentance, to forgive debts to the debtors: I someone scolds someone, forgive him, do not give him evil for evil.                              Of all

Fifth repentance, love to all people, not only to the one you love and your neighbour, but the one who annoys you in something small and big.

Sixth repentance humility, to forgive all sins.

Seventh repentance, to not judge anyone, for this is salvation without labour.

When someone fulfils the epitimion from a spiritual father, the rule of their interdiction of those, who want to take communion of the Divine and Life-giving Mysteries of Christ.

The priest says this prayer, about the penitent.

Lord our God, who showed the highest apostle Peter to be the pillar of the church, and foundation of all creation, saying to him: blessed are you  Peter, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. You yourself Sovereign Lord, look down at your slave, name, loose his defilement and temptation of soul, and interdiction. For the interdiction was given to him from the mouth of me, a sinner. And forgive him all sins. For you are the God of mercy and bounty and love of humankind, and we send you the glory together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Second prayer, which is said by a bishop or a spiritual father, for the one who wants to take communion of the Divine and life-giving Mysteries, forgiving him all transgressions, voluntary and involuntary, and all oaths.

Lord Jesus Christ our God, Son and Word of the Living God, shepherd and lamb, who takes the sins of the world, who forgave the debt to the two debtors, and granted healing to the paralytic, as well as the remission of his sins. You yourself Lord who love humankind, loosen, free, and forgive sins and iniquities, and voluntary and involuntary transgressions, known and unknown, the ones, which have been from your slave, name, and what he, as a human being wearing the flesh, being in this world, transgressed, or sinned by word or deed, or thought, in reason and unreasonableness. In night or in day. Or fell into the curse and oath of a bishop, and also fell into his own curse. Or with a word of rage, or improper anger cursed someone from Christians, or spoke unruly words, or reproached, or humiliated, or judged, or slandered, or evil-spoke, or spoke foul words, or envied, or lied, or remembered evil, or got angry or enraged, or angered someone, or became proud, or lazy for the prayer of church singing, or was knavish, or took a bribe, or showed vanity, or fell into love of money, or vomited from overdrinking. Or went to sorcerers and wizards, and the like of them. Or overate, or gourmandized and was insatiable. Or fornicated, or committed murder, or adultery, or fornication by hand, or incest, or corrupted a child, or fell into buggery, the sodomite deeds, or fornicated with an animal, or a bird. Or wounded someone, or hit in the ear, or kidnapped, or stole, or hit someone, or being possessed by lack of mercy and stinginess, did not have mercy on beggars, and did not give them alms according to his power, or blasphemed anything in his thought. Or thought impure thoughts. Or offended someone. Or having taken someone else’s property, rejected it. Or lied on someone, or offended a brother, or despised, or hurt. Or was standing at the prayer and singing, his mind went away into knavish things and things of this world. Or he was self-loving or a slave to belly, or fed himself above the measure, or ate something defiled. Or spoke impudently, or used foul language against someone, or used words about fornication, mentioning mother, or laughed mindlessly, or saw vain beauty, and the heart was wounded by wanting it, or idle talked in vanity, or touched someone else’s body, or one’s own, or committed evident leak from looking and thinking. Or having seen a brother’s sin, laughed and judged him, while neglecting and overlooking his own sins. Or neglected his prayer and was lazy, and did not keep commandments of his spiritual father. Or became despondent. Or spoke impertinently about himself considering himself chaste, or committed anything else knavish. And why do I speak, remembering much, about all these evils and similar to these, known and unknown of your slave, name, O Lord who love the humankind, and what else he sinned as a human being. But for the sake of your ineffable lack of malice and your goodness, have mercy and forgive him everything. Yes, Sovereign Lord our God, hear me a sinner, praying to your goodness about your slave, name, ignore, being good and not having malice, all his impure and countless sins, that he committed as a human being, or thought. And now this unworthy slave have confessed before your kingdom, that he committed these and other more than these. But for the sake of your mercy hear him, your unworthy slave, and deliver him from eternal torment, and make him heir to your eternal good things, together with those who pleased you in good deeds from the beginning of age. And honour him to partake in your fearsome, immortal, most pure, Divine and making-alive mysteries. For you yourself said, O Sovereign, that whatever you bind on earth will be[9] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. For you are the only one without sin, and the one who can forgive sins. And you are worthy of all glory, honour and power, and worship, greatness and great beauty, with your beginningless Father, and the Most Holy, good and making-alive Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Then, the priest says the prayer for himself.

Lord our God, the one who knows all that we committed, and yourself performing mysteries for us. And for the sake of our salvation, acting through all. And so that also now by action of your Divine power, I, your slave, sinful and unworthy, and good for nothing, would not be put to shame before your eyes, for already in this life I repent for my many sins, and still cannot repent worthily. But because your generosity is the reason of the salvation of the whole humankind, be also for me the helper for salvation, having mercy on me and giving me strength, favour and strengthen me with righteousness and faith for your service, O Lord, you are the only one who came into the world to deliver sinners, be saving me and delivering me, O Christ God Son of the Father, taking the sins of the world. As you want, do to me your slave, O Lord merciful God, will to help me your slave. For you alone know, O Lord, what are my troubles. To your mercy, O Lord, I have surrendered my heart and my thought, in your love fortify my life, and put aside your righteous anger. And bring to conclusion my words, and my deed. And manifest your mercy in me, your sinful servant. And deliver me, O Lord, from all evil for the sake of your name, O God glorified in endless ages, amen.

Prayer 1^st, to unbind the penitent.

Almighty pre-eternal God, forgive sins to your slave, name, who have confessed, for the sake of your most pure holy thing, so that you can teach him more for knowing you, and instruct him how to free himself from the torment, and come to your mercy, by the help and grace of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom you live and reign, O God, by the union of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Prayer 2^nd.

Lord the All-Powerful Almighty, eternal merciful God, who gives to people forgiveness of sins through repentance, have mercy on this slave of yours, name, unbind him of all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and make him a partaker of your most pure mysteries, and give him wings to avoid all adversary’s nets, so that having kept the pure confession with your help, like the tax-collector and fornicatress, and as Peter wept, and received mercy, he will be the partaker of the glory of your kingdom, with all saints who pleased you from the beginning of age. By the prayers of the Most Pure Mother of God, and all your saints. For you are the one forgiving sins, O our God, and we send glory to you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Prayer 3^rd, to unbind the penitent.

Merciful good Lord who love the humankind, who, for the sake of your generosity, sent your only-begotten Son into the world, so that he tears apart the manuscript of our transgressions, and unbinds those who are bound by sins. And preaches the letting go of the captives. Also now, O Sovereign, free this slave of yours, name, who came, by your grace from the bonds of sin, which lie upon him, and grant him to approach your majesty at any place and any time without sin, with boldness and clear conscience, and ask rich mercy from you. For your name, most honourable and of the greatest beauty, is blessed and glorified, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Then in private he will teach the penitent about what is useful for the soul, saying:

Child, let it not be heavy for you, the penitent, that I excommunicate you to stand outside the church. For it is the rule passed from God by the holy apostles and venerable fathers. So that having purified ourselves properly, we would be worthy to partake in the body and blood of the Lord. For thus holy apostle Paul teaches, saying: who accepts the body of Christ unworthily, accepts sin on himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. And the Lord himself teaches, Do not give the holy to the dogs. And so that we are not enslaved by lusts of the belly, but acquire a spiritual fruit. Resist bodily gourmandising. For no bodily harm will be healed in drunkenness and overeating. If someone abstains firmly, he will receive joy soon. As sin is sweet in tasting, and then is found more bitter than bile. Repentance, and fasting, and bowing down, appear sorrowful for a short time, but grant joyful fruits for ever. The apostle says, through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. For the kingdom of heaven has forcefully advanced, and the strong take it by force. And the Lord also said, Strive to enter through the narrow gate, leading to life, and there are few who find it. The sorrowful way of the narrow gate is the following deeds: hunger and thirst, lying on the ground, bowing down, sleeping little, humility, obedience, patience, bearing insults, love for beggars. Tears, to weep for one’s sins, for it’s impossible to repent without tears. And the most of all is the true repentance, which is once having abandoned sins, never come back to the same again. So that he is not become similar to a dog, who returns to his vomit, and a pig who washes and then gets dirty again. Let’s strive to imitate the first holy men, who renounced sin once, and never came back to the same again.

Also you child compel yourself to be like this: instead of eating meals, a dry-eater. Instead of drinking wine, water-drinker. Instead of a laugher, a weeper. Instead of self-magnifying, humbling yourself. Instead of lying on soft surfaces, lying on hard ones. Instead of quarreller, the one who loves. Instead of making enemies, peacemaker. Instead of robber, the one who loves beggars. If you repent in this way, you will be a child of light, and a son of day. And by these ways you will enter the Kingdom of heaven without labour.

For the Lord said, be ready, for you don’t know the day and the hour, when the end comes. We do not know how long is our life. If the death finds us in sins, then what were we even born for? But let’s strive to shake off the burden of our sins soon, so that in the resurrection we will meet God, being filled with light and caught up in the clouds on the air, when he will come to the earth in the glory of his father, to judge the living and the dead, and give everyone according to his deeds.

Questions of saint Anastasius. If someone promises to himself to do a good deed, with the oath to perform it, let’s say for some period of time, do not drink wine, or fast, or renounce something with oath, or being forced to swear by someone else, and then is not able from weakness and laziness and infirmity to finish what he started, and wants to be unbound, what is proper to do in this case?

Answer. Our blessed fathers, who composed the holy prayers for us, created also prayers for such reasons, so that a human being may be unbound by a priest. For to the true priests of God it is said: whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. However this person should also reproach his infirmity and worthlessness, confessing to the Lord, that he is lazy and damned. For if someone promises to keep something to the corruptible tsar, he will not transgress it until death. However everything is possible for the one who repents.

If some excommunicated themselves mindlessly, or worthily bound themselves, or swore out of necessity, the priest prays for them with this prayer.

O God, fearsome and loving the humankind, who by your generosity sent your only-begotten Son into the world, to destroy the manuscripts of our transgressions, to unbind the bonds of those who are bound by sin. And preach letting go of captives, and easing for those in bonds. You yourself, O Sovereign, free this slave of yours, name, by your grace, and ease the yoke which lies upon him and unbind the bonds laid upon him, O the one who unbind all and tearing the bounds of heavy interlacings. The one who create all and change, as you want by your power. You, O Lord, unbind him now, and make all mindless bounding weak, or the cursing of any oath, or excommunication, which was made for your slave in vain by lack of attention, or forgetfulness, or audacity, and malice, or from mindless anger someone cursed him. Or he bound himself in mindlessness and audacity, or was bound by someone else mindlessly, free him from all these burdens, to be innocent, O Lord who love humankind. If he was himself the reason, being caught mindlessly, return him to your fear. The one who want everyone to be saved and come into true understanding. So that we all bless you always with fear and love, glorifying your Divinity, and together receive your kingdom, for you are blessed for ever, amen.

Prayer, 2^nd about the same.

Sovereign Lord God the All-Powerful, who for the sake of salvation of the human kind deigned to descend onto earth, who said, whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. And we hoping for your commandments, unbind your slave, name, from the oath by which he swore. And for this we bow down to you, praying, so that you forgive him, and not impute him these transgressions. But grant him and us the forgiveness of transgressions. For you are the only one who does not have sin and having power, to forgive sins, and we send you the glory, with your beginningless Father and with the Most Holy and Good and Making-alive Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Prayer for those who in under epitimion or have bound themselves with an oath, or out of necessity.

Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Word of the Father, who tore all bonds of our sins by your great passion, and who breathed into the faces of his apostles, and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. You yourself, O Sovereign, who for the sake of the prayers of your holy apostles granted, to those who serve in time in your holy church, to forgive sins and to bind worthily, and unbind all bonds of unrighteousness, therefore we pray now about our brother, name, who stands before you, that you send your mercy upon him, to tear to pieces the bonds of his sins, that unknowingly, or by weakness of mind, or said by audacity, or committed from faintheartedness. And seeing, O Lord, the human infirmity, being the one who love humankind and good God and merciful Sovereign, forgive him all known and unknown sins. For you are the only one who unbind the shackled, and raise the fallen down, O Christ Son of God, hope of those who have no hope and raising of the falling. And we send you the glory with your beginningless Father, and the Most Holy and Making-alive Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Prayer for the one who swore by audacity in vain.

Great God Lord, who know the infirmity of the human kind and how easy it is to stumble , who clearly know the mind of our thoughts and deliberations, the memories which we have because of audacity. And being the one who do not remember evil, ignore all his sins, of the one who fell into the dirt of curse, and forgive you slave, name, who swore by audacity. For you are the only one who know the secrets of our hearts. For his sake we pray to you, grant forgiveness and mercy to him and to us, for the sake of your ineffable goodness. For your name, most honourable and full of great beauty, is blessed and glorified, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Prayer, to unbind a spiritual son.

Holy God, source of mercy, abyss of goodness and immense deep of benevolence, who commanded your disciples and apostles to forgive sins. Saying to them: Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. And offering by them such grace and authority also to us unworthy, I ask and pray to your love of humankind, forgive this son of mine according to spirit, name, all sins, that he has done in this age, that he said before you to my unworthiness, and what he confessed to other spiritual fathers, and what he has left because of forgetfulness, or their great amount, or shame, or in some other way, and was not in time to confess, forgive him also these, O merciful God, by me a sinner, name, by imploration of your Most Pure Mother Most Holy Mother of God, and all the saints, and put him uncondemned before you fearsome judgement. For you are the one who are able to forgive transgressions, being blessed for ever, amen.

Then the priest says the exhortation to the spiritual children.

Chapter 16

Now, son, I, a sinner, command you: first of all fear God with all soul and heart, and thought, and his Most Pure Mother, and all saints, and without laziness come to church for the beginning of the evening and early morning services, and the liturgy. And listen to the Divine singing with attention in silence. And do not go out of the church before the dismissal.

And if you are far from a church, or you don’t have time, still hold to your rule before icons, singing and bowing according to your strength, and do not become lazy, and hence fruitless, as a dry tree. And doing this without laziness, you will receive great reward from God and forgiveness of sins. Honour the feasts of the Sovereign and of his Most Pure Mother, and his saints with respect, and celebrate spiritually, not bodily. Give alms, candle, prosphoron, and incense according to your strength. Give rest from work to slaves on feasts. Celebrate the feasts not by overeating and drinking, but by prayer and purity. Live meekly. Have unhypocritical love in Christ to each true Christian, for the love covers many sins. Do not hold anger for any person. If something happens because of the devil’s intrigues, a quarrel or just an annoying word, then ask forgiveness soon, from the one you offended. And do not drink up until lack of memory, and do not make anyone drink like this, even if he is your friend: for you will receive epitimion for this.

Honour all priests, being the servants of God, and give honour to all members of the church clergy. Love your enemies, and pray for them to God, and also love all Orthodox Christians, as yourself. Do not envy, do not hurt anyone, do not lend in interest.

Honour your father and mother, visit the sick, bring what is necessary to the prisoners and needy and those in bonds. Feed and give something to drink to the beggars, and dress them, for all this you put into the hands of God. Do not despise a widow. Most of all flee the soul-ruining fornication.

Live with your wife according to the law, on Wednesday and Friday, Sunday and the feasts of the Lord, and pf the Most Holy Mother of God, and other saints abstain from wife, and teach your children and servants the fear of God, and to avoid fornication and drunkenness, stealing and all evil. And  also order them to go to church, to every service, on the days mentioned before. Keep yourself away from craftiness and all knavery and love of gain, because for all this you will receive torment in the future life. If due to the devil’s action something happens, confess it soon to your spiritual father, so that the devil does not take root in your soul, and the death does not catch you without repentance. First of all be humble and not arrogant, and do not talk idly. Avoid foul talks. Do not reproach or annoy a friend. Be quiet and meek, and welcoming to all. Completely avoid dancing and demonic songs, and skomorokhs, and all games. Stand with fear in church on prayer, do not talk with anyone, do not think anything evil in your heart, but only pray for the remission of sins. Avoid evil people, and converse with the good ones. Accept the fear of God into your heart, and pray about your sins. If you start to do this, you will be a child of light and day, and by this wat you will enter the kingdom of heavens without labour.

Always think about the hour of death and the separation of soul and body, and eternal woeful torment of sinners. For the Lord said, be ready, for you do not know day and hour, when the end comes. We don’t know how long is our life. If death finds us in sins, then what for have we been born.

But try, good obedient child, to shake off the burden of sin soon, so that in resurrection we meet God, being filled with light and caught up in the clouds on the air, when he will come to the earth in the glory of his father, to judge the living and the dead, and give everyone according to his deeds.

Exhortation to priests and deacons

Chapter 17

Father and son, brother and master, let’s think about the height of life we were taken to. And we have accepted the serving of the fearsome and ineffable mysteries, where the holy angels want to delve into. How the Lord entrusted us to shepherd the sheep having reason, that is the Christian souls, whom he redeemed by his blood. For it is to us that the Lord says, you are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how shall it be made salty? It is from then on good for nothing but to be thrown out and to be trampled underfoot by men. It is right for a bishop to be deified, as the Divine servants, adorned by all reason. It is right, apostle said, for a bishop to be blameless, since he manages God’s household, he must be hospitable, God-loving, chaste, righteous, holy and abstinent. He must be firm to encourage others by sound doctrine and denounce those who oppose it. For the Lord said, the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Harvest is the salvation of men. Teachers he calls labourers, for they must labour a lot for the sake of the people. This is the kind of labourers the Lord wants: faithful, irreproachable, blameless, lamps of the universe, rightly teaching the word of his truth, labouring not for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life. Assisting his gospel, working for the salvation for men. For the Lord does not want a death of a sinner, but that he returns and is alive. Therefore he says to Ezekiel, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, his blood I will require at your hand.But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your soul. And again says, the shepherds did not search for my sheep, they did not graze my sheep, I will hold them accountable for my sheep.

The deed of a righteous shepherd is to lay down his soul for the people. And when the Lord comes, he will rejoice about him, and rejoice about the sheep, for they are all healthy and not one of them fallen away. And if he finds some of the sheep fallen away, woe to those shepherds. If even those shepherds are found fallen away because of negligence, as I, damned, what will they have to answer about the flock to the Master of the flock, they will be tormented more, and tormented for ever. Therefore priests should be good, merciful, loving brothers, loving beggars, hospitable, with good heart towards all and charitable. Converting those who went astray, visiting the infirm, not despising widows and orphans, and beggars, thinking good before God and men. Avoiding all anger or hypocrisy, and love of money, not accepting vain hearing fast. First of all priests must pray to God about themselves, then also about people, according to the commandment of the Lord, saying, first clean the inside, then the outside. Bring your offering, and you will receive what you pray for, for yourself and your house, and you will make offering also for the people, and will receive what you pray for, for them. With pure conscience, and God’s fear serve before the altar. Fulfil the proper rule without laziness in God’s fear. Do not teach your children weakness. Interdict those who sin, take great care about the salvation of their souls, not only about yourself, but about these as well. Instruct not only with word, but with act and life, giving yourself as image. This makes a teacher honourable, and prepares a disciple to obey. If you teach with words, and not do the deeds yourself, and this one says, you order me that which is above my strength. If he sees you doing virtues, he will not say this, but pays attention to your way of life. The virtue of teachers is to not look for honour and glory from those over whom they have authority, but to take care about the salvation of their souls. To teach not by authority, but by meekness and love. For to teach by anger with rage, or denounce, is not to deliver the other from sin, but to put yourself into sin, and the other – into despondency. But you treat the sinner with quietness, and be attentive to him, and remind him of his transgressions, and raise him towards virtue. Show excellent way of life. Offer quiet and blameless word, and not distorted. And beseech him in the gathering, and alone, and weep for him. And if he listens to you, you have acquired your brother, and if he does not listen, after the first and the second exhortation entrust him to God, for he is the one who can instruct us all. The one who did not listen will give answer to God about his sin, and you did what was necessary before God. And if you live in this way, you will not only be helpful for others, but first of all you will calm yourself, and be a heir to the heavenly kingdom with all the saints, in countless ages, amen.

The order of partaking of the holy water, of the great consecration of the Appearing of God.

Chapter 18

When it is not possible for someone to partake of the holy and making-alive most pure mysteries of Christ, his flesh and blood, with the advice of the spiritual rector, when time comes, let him partake of the holy water of the Appearing of God, after the usual preparation as for the Communion, let him say the following prayers.

Priest, having performed the beginning according to custom, Blessed is our God. Then, Heavenly Spirit, 3 holies. And after Our father. Priest. For yours is the Kingdom. Lord have mercy, 12. Glory. Now, come let us bow, 3. Psalm, 50. God be merciful to me, I believe in one God.

Then these Troparia, voice, 5.

The one who have the chalice of inexhaustible treasures, let me draw this water for the remission of sins, for I am pressed by thirst, benevolent Lord, and save me.

Glory, now. Of the Mother of God. Virgin pure chamber of the Word, show my soul to be the house of the Most Holy Spirit, let me, drink water from the life-starting font, for I melt from burning of sin, so that I glorify you according to obligation.

Then, prayer before the Holy Communion, of John Chrysostom.

Lord our God, who is known together with your beginningless Father, and being with the ever-existing and immortal Spirit, who is the giver of all sanctification, who sanctified waters before by your own baptism. And also now always sanctifying them when you holy name is called over them, make this slave of yours, name, partake, by the action of the Holy Spirit, into enlightenment of soul, sanctification of body, mortification of passions, rejecting of knavish thoughts, laying aside of knavish perseverance, preserving him useful for good in all occurrences. So that being covered by its grace he will stay unharmed by any encroachment, for the glory of your most good and holy name, through the prayers of your Most Holy Mother, our Lady Mother of God and all the saints, amen. Then make 3 bows, saying the troparion to the Baptism, voice, 1.

When you, O Lord, were baptised in Jordan, the worship of the Trinity appeared. For the voice of the Parent testified to you, naming you the beloved Son. And the spirit in the vision of a dove, certified the confirmation of the word, O Christ God, who appeared, and enlightened the world, glory to you.

Glory, now, kontakion, voice, 4.

You appeared today to the universe. Your light, O Lord marked us, who sing you in understanding. You came and appeared, O light untouchable. Then he partakes with fear of the holy water, being afraid in a good way.

Then the prayer after the communion of the holy water, of John Chrysostom.

Glory to your ineffable, and unsearchable goodness. Glory to your benevolence. For now you have honoured me, your sinful and unworthy slave, with sanctification, by the communion of this consecrated water.  Strengthen my life for its sake, and keep me all unharmed. Make me uncatchable by adversaries, show me unenslaved to impure thoughts. Renovate me all, make me wholly desire good deeds. Direct me wholly to wish you. For you are the sweetness of our souls, and we send you the glory with your beginningless Father, and most holy and good and making-alive Spirit, now and ever, and in the ages to ages, amen. Priest, wisdom. It is right. Glory, now. Lord have mercy, 2, Lord bless. Dismissal for Baptism. The one who was baptised from John in Jordan Christ our true God, by the prayers of his most pure Mother, and all saints, will have mercy on us and save us, for he is good and loves the humankind.

Order how to give communion to a sick, for the sake of the fear of death.

Chapter 19

Priest says Blessed is our God. Heavenly King. 3 holies, and up until Our Father. Exclamation. For yours is the kingdom. Lord have mercy, 12. Glory, now. Come let us bow, 3. Psalm, 50. Lord be merciful to me.

I believe in one God. Then.

Son of God, accept me today as a partaker, to your Mysterious Supper. For I will not report your mystery to your enemies, nor give you a kiss like Judas, but like a robber, confessing call to you, remember about me, O Lord, in your kingdom.

Glory. Heavenly King, comforter, true Spirit, omnipresent, filling everything with yourself, treasure of all good, giver of life, come and settle in us. And cleanse us of any contamination, and save our souls, O Good one.

Now, of the Mother of God. We understood that the one born from you is God, O Mother of God Virgin, pray to him about the salvation of our souls.

Then. Lord have mercy, 40.

Prayer, 1st.

Let Lord God the most merciful, show his generosity to you slave of God, name, let Lord Jesus Christ grant you all good requests. Let Lord the almighty, deliver you from all adversities. Let the Lord teach you. Let the Lord instruct you. Let the Lord help you. Let the Lord save you. Let the Lord defend you. Let the Lord guard you from all evil. Let the Lord purify you from all defilement. Let the Lord fill your heart with spiritual joy. Let the Lord be the protector for your soul and body. Let the Lord, good and merciful and loving the humankind, grant you the remission of sins, and make you a partaker of his most pure and making-alive mysteries. Let good Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy to you on the day of judgement. Let the Lord bless you in all days of your life. For he is worthy of all glory, honour and worship with his beginningless Father, and most holy and good and making-alive Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Prayer, 2.

Lord, I know that I am neither worthy, nor sufficient, that you enter under my roof into the house of my soul, for it is all empty and fallen, and you do not have a worthy place where to lay your head. But because you want to live in me, and be contained by me. And I, a sinner, name, hoping for your generosity, O Lord, come to you. Purify me from all defilement of flesh and soul, and order me to open the doors, of my unworthy mouth, to accept your most pure body and blood. So that I am sated of you, the only one. Enter me and be my helper and protector in all times, and honour me to stand on the right hand of you, O God, by the prayers of your most pure Mother, and all your saints, who have pleased you from the beginning of age. For you are blessed for ever, amen.

Prayer, 3^rd.

Sovereign Lord our God, the only one having authority to forgive sins, as a good one who loves the humankind, ignoring all transgressions of your slave, name, committed knowingly and unknowingly, honour him to receive your most pure and holy mysteries uncondemned. So that they are not into heaviness, nor into torment, nor into adding of sins, but into purification and betrothal of your future kingdom. Into the wall and help, into banning the adversary, and purification of his transgressions, for you are the God, merciful and loving the humankind, and we send you the glory, with your beginningless Father and with the most holy and good and making-alive Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

Prayer from defilement

Lord our God, the only good and loving the humankind, the only holy and resting on saints, who showed your superior apostle Peter, through a vision which appeared to him, to consider nothing of what you created for food and pleasure of human beings, defiled or impure. And through your chosen vessel apostle Paul, commanded that to the pure all things are pure. You yourself, O Most Holy Sovereign, by invocation of your fearsome and most pure name, and by the image of the honourable and making-alive cross, bless and purify your slave, name, defiled from various adverse spirit, and from various dreams and poisonous creeping thing, from various iniquity, various sorcery, various lie, various vanity, various ailment, various wound and all adverse evildoing of the devil. Almighty Sovereign, keep now your unworthy slave undefiled and viceless from all nets of the adversary devil, and grant him to serve you in holiness and righteousness, uo until the last day and hour and breath. For you yourself are blessing and sanctifying all, O Christ our God. And we send you the glory, with your beginningless Father, and with the most holy and good and making-alive Spirit, now and ever and in the ages to ages, amen.

The priest also asks the sick about all things, so that nothing would remain unconfessed. Then he reads the resumption of confession in short, which is pointed out to the sick in the confession. And the prayers of unbinding.

He gives to the sick the holy mysteries and a little water, and orders to prepare a pure vessel, so that if the sick vomits, it will then be poured into a river, and the gift of God is not vomited. Then. Sovereign, now you let your servant depart in peace, according to your word;for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all people,a light for revelation to the gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel. Then 3 holies. And up until Our Father. Troparia for the day or the feast. If it is Sunday, then the troparion for Sunday. And Lord have mercy, 12. Then, wisdom. It is right. And the dismissal of the day. And if he gets well, then give the epitimion to the sick.

The instruction about confession of dumb and deaf, and possessed by demon, and the one who came from gentiles into the holy baptism, and cannot speak anything.

Chapter 20

First the priest performs the beginning of the confession according to the custom. And when he says all psalms and prayers. And then the priest says the confession of resumption on behalf of the penitent, which is written in short for the sake of a sick. And performs the rest of the confession, up until the dismissal. And then he says the prayers of unbinding. Lord Jesus Christ our God, Son and Word of the Living God. And the rest in a row. And the dismissal. And for a drunk do not give him communion even near death. And to a possessed, if he does not blaspheme, give him communion near death. And if he blasphemes, do not give communion even near death.

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[1] Златоуст: да святится ‒ да прославится

[2] επιουσιον – ср. επιουσα следующий день

[3] Англ. deliver предполагает, что нами уже обладает лукавый. В рус. и цсл. избавить есть значение «помочь избежать», которое здесь больше подходит.

[4] πονηρός , ά, όν,III. in moral sense, worthless, knavish… past master in knavery, — это значение более соответствует цсл. и рус. лукавый, чем более общее evil

[5] В переводах с LΧΧ you are judged – в греч. пассив.

[6] Возможно, двойной перевод одной греческой фразы.

[7] Или: will you… или: are you going to… Здесь и далее глагол ‘хотѣти’ может употребляться в значении ‘желать’, либо как вспомогательный глагол будущего времени.

[8] возможно, he is not worthy ?

[9] Here and below in this verse: or, will have been.