English prayer text below.

Monday of Ba’utha

In pain and tears and fervent prayer, we cry to you, good Lord above!   Be our healer and our wise guide: deep are our wounds; bitter our pain.   We have no right to plead to you: our faults abound, our malice soars.   The sea and land, and all therein have quaked and raged due to our sin.   In our own time, as Scripture says, the end of days has come upon us.   In mercy, save us from distress, for height and depth have been confused.   O Good Shepherd, come tend your flock, for whose sake you endured the cross.   Make peace for us in Church and world, that we may live a tranquil life.   May we be yours, as is your will: Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost.   From age to age, amen, amen.   Response: Lord, have mercy on us, Lord, accept our supplication, Lord, be pleased with your servants.

b-hash-sha w-dim’e wib-nonetha, k-qarukh illukh Mara tawa.   hwy lan hakkym m-basmana d-mer-e hash-shan w’siqlih kewan.   d-leban kene tad mar-dha-lukh ‘awlan ‘shin-leh wzid-lay gnahan.   w-yama w-yawsha wkul biryatha zi’lay sh-ghish-lay ‘al by-sha-than.   bzaw-nan kmil-lah haya kthyw-ta dhar-theh d-‘alma ‘illan mte-la.   b-rah-mukh mkha-lis-lan m-balaye dim-bul-bil-lay rawma w-‘umqa.   Ra’ya Tawa, mar`y l-`irwukh mbeyd talibay hash-sha t`in-nukh.   wmat-wy l-kul-lan b-‘edta w-‘alma d-khay-ukh ‘umran bshe-na-yutha.   w-hawukh diy-yukh mikh ‘ij-bonukh Baba wBrona wRuha d-Qudh-sha   l-‘alam ‘almyn, amen w-amen.   ‘unaya: Maran, ithraham ‘layn, Maran, qabbil ba’uthan. Maran, ith-ra’a l-‘awdayk.

From the Book of the Prophet Jonah

Chapter 1

[1] Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amit’tai, saying,

[2] “Arise, go to Nin’eveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.”

[3] But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.

[4] But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.

[5] Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god; and they threw the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep.

[6] So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call upon your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we do not perish.”

[7] And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

[8] Then they said to him, “Tell us, on whose account this evil has come upon us? What is your occupation? And whence do you come? What is your country? And of what people are you?”

[9] And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

[10] Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

[11] Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.

[12] He said to them, “Take me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”

[13] Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.

[14] Therefore they cried to the LORD, “We beseech thee, O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood; for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.”

[15] So they took up Jonah and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging.

[16] Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.

[17] And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Chapter 2 (selection)

 [10] And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Chapter 3

[1] Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,

[2] “Arise, go to Nin’eveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.”

[3] So Jonah arose and went to Nin’eveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nin’eveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.

[4] Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he cried, “Yet forty days, and Nin’eveh shall be overthrown!”

[5] And the people of Nin’eveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

[6] Then tidings reached the king of Nin’eveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

[7] And he made proclamation and published through Nin’eveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, or drink water,

[8] but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them cry mightily to God; yea, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands.

[9] Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not?”

[10] When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it.

Chapter 4

[1] But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

[2] And he prayed to the LORD and said, “I pray thee, LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repentest of evil.

[3] Therefore now, O LORD, take my life from me, I beseech thee, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

[4] And the LORD said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

[5] Then Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.

[6] And the LORD God appointed a plant, and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.

[7] But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm which attacked the plant, so that it withered.

[8] When the sun rose, God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah so that he was faint; and he asked that he might die, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

[9] But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”

[10] And the LORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night, and perished in a night.

[11] And should not I pity Nin’eveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Petitions

* Let us all stand composed, in contrition and diligence, let us implore and say: Lord, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us. |  Maran, mrahim illan.

* Eternal God, who from the beginning is good, and whose goodness never changes, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* He who has shown the wisdom of his power and revealed his blessedness in the creatures which he mysteriously fashioned, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* He who made known his great love, separated our nature from other creatures and made us in his own image, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* He who has shown the greatness of his overflowing mercy which does not end for our progress and help, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* He who overflowed the greatness of his goodness in the end times in the glorious appearance of his Son, to redeem our nature and to renew all creation, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* He who sanctified our nature by the holy body which he took from us and which he united to himself through the Person of his Son, our Lord, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* He who painted the image of our going astray and returning in the parable of the prodigal son who was given life, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* He who illumined the lamp of his humanity in the glorious rays of the Person of his Divinity, searched for our lost image in the mud of creation like the lost coin, and gladdened all the angels when he found us, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* He who calls us in his goodness and gave us the courage to offer him our needs at any time with hope in his reply, according to his goodness to which nothing can compare, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* He who lets us call him without end, and continually responds, most especially in the time of our needs, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* Hear our pleading; have mercy on us. (kneel)

Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

                Shmo’ ba’uthan, w-rahim illan.

* Eternally Good, have mercy on us:

(stand) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* Forever Glorious, have mercy on us:

(kneel) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* Maker of Creation, have mercy on us:       

(stand) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* Holy in his Nature, have mercy on us:       

(kneel) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* He who orders all, have mercy on us:        

(stand) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* He who honors us, have mercy on us:

(kneel) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* He who wants us to be saved, have mercy on us:

(stand) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* O our Helper, have mercy on us:       

(kneel) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* Provider for all, have mercy on us:        

(stand) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* O Merciful One, have mercy on us:               

(kneel) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* Turn toward us, have mercy on us:               

(stand) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* O great Support, have mercy on us:    

(kneel) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* Come to our aid, have mercy on us:        

(stand) Hear our pleading; have mercy on us.

* Hear our cry and have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.

                                                                                                      Maran, mrahim illan.

* For the peace and harmony of the whole world and all churches, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* For our country and for all countries, and all the faithful who inhabit them, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* For the health of our holy fathers… and for all our priests, deacons and all those who serve with them, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* O Merciful God, who guides all in his mercy, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* He who is glorified in heaven and worshiped on earth, we implore you: Lord, have mercy on us.

* Save us all, O Christ our Lord, in your grace, increase your peace and tranquility within us and have mercy on us: Lord, have mercy on us.

* Let us pray, peace be with us, and let us bend our knee.

(kneel)

* Arise in the power of God

(stand) Glory to the power of God.  | Shuha l-hayleh d-Alaha.

Mawtwa

Lord, have mercy on us, Lord, accept our supplication, Lord, be pleased with your servants.

Maran, ithraham ‘layn, Maran, qabbil ba’uthan. Maran, ith-ra’a l-‘awdayk.

Hpakhatha

It is time for penitence; let us labor in our prayer.

Leave off the labor of earth; for it makes us earthly ones.

Lift up your eyes to heaven; plead for pity and mercy.

Arise, O you sinful ones; let us become penitent.

Each one confess all his sins; and be absolved of his faults.

As God’s mercies overflow; we must pour out our own souls.

Let us suffer in penance; that creatures may then rejoice.

As earthly beings are glad; in blessings that come from above,

Just so the angels await; the good fruits of the penitent.

Let our voices be one voice; and let us all share one will.

Let us bind up, with one love; our souls as well as our hymns.

Love, like a treasure’s steward; opens the door to our prayer.

Let our mouths be, unto God; like incense filled with sweetness.

Let our fasting be to Christ; hyssop that whitens our hearts.

Let all of us plead to him: O Lord, have mercy on us!

First Qiryana/Reading

You who come to Ba’utha, cleanse your soul from empty thoughts,

And prepare your ears to hear, like the earth prepared for sowing:

For the Seed of life will come, if your soul awakes for him.

Let each of us cleanse his ears, and his eyes before the Light.

For there may be a weak eye, that cannot behold his rays,

Or perhaps a sickly ear, that does not retain his words.

There may be a twisted will, one who needs Life’s medicine.

There may be a body here, but its thoughts are gone astray.

We only his shadow see, while his mind cannot be seen.

It may be he thinks of food; lo, he eats and is not filled!

It may be a time to fast; lo, his heart hungers for food.

Or perhaps he thinks of wine, until he tastes every kind.

It may be one thinks of wealth, and of how much he is owed.

He thinks how he might be paid, and his eyes are filled with greed.

Truly, we do not see him. We only his shadow see.

One may cause another’s need; he himself in need of prayer.

Or another may be here, but his gaze is wickedness.

Or one whose own heart is lost; lo, we only see his face.

One may steal another’s goods, but his silence marvels us.

While his gaze is all impure, he sits with the honored ones.

What bitter destruction waits, when a man sins in this house!

Here, a sin considered small, weighs more than a mountain range,

For a single ruined part, causes the whole flesh to rot,

And one limb that has been lamed, lames the whole people of God.

If the human race was lamed, through the sin of only one,

How will our frail gathering, be victorious with such sin?

Come, let us denounce our sins, and, through them, the evil one.

He is the helper of sin, and deserves our rejection.

Lo, the wrath of God has come: penitents, engage yourselves!

Let us come and take our plows, and bear fruit a hundredfold;

Let us labor in our prayer, and become a well-trimmed vine;

Let us build, within our souls, temples fit to house our God.

If a great man visits you, he brings honor to your door;

How great will your door become, if the Lord of all enters!

Be for him temple and priest, in your heart serve him in faith;

As he became, for your sake, Altar, Priest, and Offering.

When a temple is your soul, do not let it become stained;

Do not let the house of God, contain things against your God;

Ornament the house of God, with the things befitting God.

And if wrath is found in it, evil will dwell there as well;

And if there is jealousy, then the smoke of sin as well;

Put away all enmity, bitterness of evil smell.

Rather, fill your soul with love, incense of a pleasing scent.

Sweep away all filth from it, and habits of wickedness.

Plant within it graceful speech, like a blossom and a rose,

And, like flowers of all kinds, ornament it with prayers.

First Madrasha/Meditation

Come, let us repent now, while we have time,

lest we repent then, without benefit.

Shud tewukh akha, cma d-yth lan zawna,

d-la tewukh tama, tyawa batyla.

Who has patience to speak of your patience with us?

If we sin, we become filled with wickedness,

if we do good, we become filled with pride;

and toward each other, we are cruel, merciless:

we envy one’s success, we despise one who falls.

And though our life is short, our list of sins.

You marked our lifespan to seventy years at best,

but with these seventy, we have sinned seven over.

You cut down our life that our sins not be long.

I marvel at your Mercies, which overcame your Justice:

even an impure man despises one like himself,

yet you, who are holy, have not despised us.

I am humbled by your Justice which does not despise us,

as well as by your Grace, patient in teaching us,

and how you dawn your sun on those who upset you.

You give without limit; we lose without measure.

You taught us order; we act against it.

We have put on mere names, and stripped off good works.

Second Qiryana/Reading

God, have pity on us all, who call you in penitence;

See that, though we have sinned much, we have thanked you even more;

It fits not your Fatherhood, to close up your door in wrath.

A man comforts his own friend; may your friendship comfort us.

Thus, be reconciled to us, for you are our highest hope.

We know of no other door; only yours, O Lord of all.

Where could we go to be safe, if our Lord would let us go?

Who compares to our Maker, who could take the place of God?

Who is gracious as you are, who could wipe away our sins?

Give us time, in your mercy, that we may correct ourselves.

Give us time, in your great grace, that we may punish our sins.

Give us time, O Judge of all, that we may condemn our faults.

Give us time, O Reckoner, to erase our sins with tears.

Give us time, O great High Priest, to be found in purity.

Hear our pleading as we pray, and in mercy, grant our needs.

Prayer is the only key; that opens the door of grace.

Kind One who does not delay: send your salvation quickly.

We confess that we have sinned: may your grace deny us not.

This suffices for our guilt: against you, Kind One, we sinned.

To one with an open mind, guilt is worse than punishment.

To one who knows his own sin, it is worse than any stick.

A free man is more ashamed, knowing the sins he has done;

To one with intelligence, guilt hurts worse than punishment.

He who fears his punishment, will fear for a time, then cease.

He who fears his guiltiness, is protected by his fear.

He who is shamed before men, still may sin when all alone,

He who is shamed before God, may not sin even alone;

There is no place he may sin, for God is in every place.

You do not punish the good; when he sins, he does himself.

He is wise enough alone, to justly punish himself.

His own guilt is pain enough, to keep him from sinning more.

All our guilt is shame enough: we have sinned against our God.

On our face, our penitence; this, the sign of our regret.

Our regret is shame enough; for our crimes against your Grace.

For our sins, it is enough, to be called wretched servants.

All creation, justly so, upbraids us before our eyes:

Though we hid all of our sins, tribulations unveiled them.

When no prophet can upbraid, tribulations fall on us.

As the Spirit has allowed, we have fed on empty wind.

When there is none to upbraid, famine comes to upbraid us.

When none can call out, instruct, our instructor is a storm.

When none strike us with a stick, earthquakes shake us into fear.

Hurricanes of wind that come; chastise us when none instruct.

If we think ourselves something, we become as non-beings;

If we think ourselves as men, beasts understand more than we.

All creatures have turned away, for we turned away our God.

The sun in the sky has veiled; for our vice has scarred the earth.

In embarrassment it hid; turned, in shame, from vicious men.

And the moon, the lamp of night; hid its face behind the clouds.

It was honored like Moses, that our shame be all the more.

When there was a just man’s prayer, it would beat a warrior.

Righteous men had raised the dead; Death tends us like a shepherd.

Houses were blessed by the just; by our sins, our houses fall.

Wind and rain and rivers beat; these enough to silence us.

Fearful things that frighten us, to the just were naught but dreams.

They, awake, were not afraid; we, while dreaming, quake with fear.

Daniel in the lion’s den; Hananiah in the fire;

We, a small fear in our rooms; bad dreams as we lay in bed.

These suffice us for our shame, that we fear a shaking leaf.

These suffice us to be sure, that we have no innocence.

Second Madrasha/Meditation

Plead, O pleaders, do not cease while there is time for pleading,

before the Giver shuts the door, and closes up his treasure.

Tlubu mnonu d-la btala, kma-dyth fursa l-ba’utha.

Dlay-kun gha-liq-leh tar’a, w-makle m-khi-zonteh Marya.

Were you to call in groaning, he would answer you sweetly,

and were you to ask in faith, you would receive abundantly.

The Rich One who is merciful does not become poor when he gives:

his treasure is of mercy, a chasm filled with pity.

Approach, you penitent, ask for mercies while there is time.

Let each one leave off bitterness of heart, ask for mercies and pity.

Let us heal and so be healed, that we may be fit for work.

This is the time to repent! Let us work hard in pleading!

Wrath now runs upon the earth: cut his course, O penitent!

Let us sow seeds in fasting, that our seed bring a hundredfold.

Let us be workers in prayer, for it is a vine of comfort.

Let us be builders of our hearts, that they be temples of God.

Blessings

(After the Rites of Absolution and Communion, pp. 315-328)

O Gracious One who showed his love in creating man:

En, Mar. [Yes, Lord!] [kneel]

Pacify the world so troubled by the sins of man.

Amen. [stand]

Lover of man, sow your peace among the sons of men,

that one man may not be troubled by another.

O King of kings, who gives kings power upon man,

soften their hearts in regard to all the sons of men.

Abolish wars and end all conflicts between men,

that those who hate men may not dare to disturb them.

Uphold your Church, which knocks on the door of mercy,

that she may not be defeated by the rebel.

Bind all her sons together in perfect harmony,

uproot jealousy, lies and hatred from among them.

Guard her shepherd, and increase peace in all his days,

that he be an intercessor of your mercies.

Aid and sustain bishops, who stand as our shepherds,

that they may care for all mankind with great gladness.

Shelter this church, in which your holy Name is glorified,

from the rebel, the hater of all the sons of men.

O God of all, whose love flows upon all mankind,

guard our pastor, give him strength to stand as leader.

Adorn the priests, that they be pure in body and soul,

and accept the Sacrifices that they offer.

Bless the deacons who serve you within your temple,

that they may be found without fault or defilement.

Perfect teachers in their learning and intentions,

and instruct those who learn in their meditation.

Bless the faithful, sealed and signed in your holy sign,

let your holy Name be hallowed in all nations.

Visit the choirs who cry out to you every day;

in your mercy, do not leave them to the evil one.

Encourage all the weak, uphold all the weary,

and give victory and confidence to the oppressed.

Show your way to all the lost on the path of wickedness,

the path that leads unto life that lasts forever.

Grant passage safe to all travelers on land and sea,

rescue them from all straying and all weariness.

Hear, in mercies, this our prayer offered before you,

and accept, in love, this pleading we bring to you.

May your great power be a fortress for this gathering,

that our mouth may praise your Name, now and at all times.

Lord, have mercy on us, Lord, accept our supplication, Lord, be pleased with your servants.

Maran, ithraham ‘layn, Maran, qabbil ba’uthan. Maran, ith-ra’a l-‘awdayk.