Evening Prayer (Evensong) in Contemporary Language

¶ Evening Prayer on Tuesday
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Anskar, Archbishop of Hamburg, Missionary in Denmark and Sweden, 865 [Lesser Festival]

Preparation

O God, make speed to save us.
AllO Lord, make haste to help us.

The Blessing of Light (page 110) may replace the Preparation at Evening Prayer on any occasion.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

A prayer of thanksgiving (page 110),

Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
AllBlessed be God for ever.

or a suitable hymn,

or A Song of Mercy and Truth

1O God, will you not give us life again, ♦
that your people may rejoice in you?

2Show us your mercy, O Lord, ♦
and grant us your salvation.

3Truly, his salvation is near to those who fear him, ♦
that his glory may dwell in our land.

4Mercy and truth are met together, ♦
righteousness and peace have kissed each other;

5Truth shall spring up from the earth ♦
and righteousness look down from heaven.

6Righteousness shall go before him ♦
and direct his steps in the way.

Psalm 85.6, 7, 9-11, 13

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

This opening prayer may be said

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 9

Refrain: You, Lord, have never failed those who seek you.

1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with my whole heart; ♦
I will tell of all your marvellous works.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; ♦
I will make music to your name, O Most High.

3 When my enemies are driven back, ♦
they stumble and perish at your presence.

4 For you have maintained my right and my cause; ♦
you sat on your throne giving righteous judgement. R

5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; ♦
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

6 The enemy was utterly laid waste. ♦
You uprooted their cities;
their very memory has perished.

7 But the Lord shall endure for ever; ♦
he has made fast his throne for judgement.

8 For he shall rule the world with righteousness ♦
and govern the peoples with equity.

9 Then will the Lord be a refuge for the oppressed, ♦
a refuge in the time of trouble.

10 And those who know your name will put their trust in you, ♦
for you, Lord, have never failed those who seek you. R

11 Sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion; ♦
declare among the peoples the things he has done.

12 The avenger of blood has remembered them; ♦
he did not forget the cry of the oppressed.

13 Have mercy upon me, O Lord; ♦
consider the trouble I suffer from those who hate me,
you that lift me up from the gates of death;

14 That I may tell all your praises in the gates of the city of Zion ♦
and rejoice in your salvation.

15 The nations shall sink into the pit of their making ♦
and in the snare which they set will their own foot be taken.

16 The Lord makes himself known by his acts of justice; ♦
the wicked are snared in the works of their own hands. R

17 They shall return to the land of darkness, ♦
all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten ♦
and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.

19 Arise, O Lord, and let not mortals have the upper hand; ♦
let the nations be judged before your face.

20 Put them in fear, O Lord, ♦
that the nations may know themselves to be but mortal.

Refrain: You, Lord, have never failed those who seek you.

Remember, Lord, all who cry to you
from death’s dark gates;
do not forget those whom the world forgets,
but raise your faithful ones to Zion’s gate,
with your all-conquering Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 10*

Refrain: You, Lord, have never failed those who seek you.

1 Why stand so far off, O Lord? ♦
Why hide yourself in time of trouble?

2 The wicked in their pride persecute the poor; ♦
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

3 The wicked boast of their heart’s desire; ♦
the covetous curse and revile the Lord.

4 The wicked in their arrogance say, ‘God will not avenge it’; ♦
in all their scheming God counts for nothing. R

5 They are stubborn in all their ways,
for your judgements are far above out of their sight; ♦
they scoff at all their adversaries.

6 They say in their heart, ‘I shall not be shaken; ♦
no harm shall ever happen to me.’

7 Their mouth is full of cursing, deceit and fraud; ♦
under their tongue lie mischief and wrong.

8 They lurk in the outskirts
and in dark alleys they murder the innocent; ♦
their eyes are ever watching for the helpless.

9 They lie in wait, like a lion in his den;
they lie in wait to seize the poor; ♦
they seize the poor when they get them into their net.

10 The innocent are broken and humbled before them; ♦
the helpless fall before their power.

11 They say in their heart, ‘God has forgotten; ♦
he hides his face away; he will never see it.’ R

12 Arise, O Lord God, and lift up your hand; ♦
forget not the poor.

13 Why should the wicked be scornful of God? ♦
Why should they say in their hearts, ‘You will not avenge it’?

14 Surely, you behold trouble and misery; ♦
you see it and take it into your own hand.

15 The helpless commit themselves to you, ♦
for you are the helper of the orphan.

16 Break the power of the wicked and malicious; ♦
search out their wickedness until you find none. R

17 The Lord shall reign for ever and ever; ♦
the nations shall perish from his land.

18 Lord, you will hear the desire of the poor; ♦
you will incline your ear to the fullness of their heart,

19 To give justice to the orphan and oppressed, ♦
so that people are no longer driven in terror from the land.

Refrain: You, Lord, have never failed those who seek you.

When wickedness triumphs
and the poor are betrayed,
come to your kingdom, strong and holy God,
destroy the masks of evil
and reign in our broken hearts;
through Jesus Christ our Lord

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.

Hosea 10

Israel is a luxuriant vine
   that yields its fruit.
The more his fruit increased
   the more altars he built;
as his country improved,
   he improved his pillars.
Their heart is false;
   now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord will break down their altars,
   and destroy their pillars.

For now they will say:
   ‘We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord,
   and a king—what could he do for us?’
They utter mere words;
   with empty oaths they make covenants;
so litigation springs up like poisonous weeds
   in the furrows of the field.
The inhabitants of Samaria tremble
   for the calf of Beth-aven.
Its people shall mourn for it,
   and its idolatrous priests shall wail over it,
   over its glory that has departed from it.
The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria
   as tribute to the great king.
Ephraim shall be put to shame,
   and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

Samaria’s king shall perish
   like a splinter on the face of the waters.
The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,
   shall be destroyed.
Thorn and thistle shall grow up
   on their altars.
They shall say to the mountains, Cover us,
   and to the hills, Fall on us.

Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel;
   there they have continued.
   Shall not war overtake them in Gibeah?
I will come against the wayward people to punish them;
   and nations shall be gathered against them
   when they are punished for their double iniquity.

Ephraim was a trained heifer
   that loved to thresh,
   and I spared her fair neck;
but I will make Ephraim break the ground;
   Judah must plough;
   Jacob must harrow for himself.
Sow for yourselves righteousness;
   reap steadfast love;
   break up your fallow ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
   that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

You have ploughed wickedness,
   you have reaped injustice,
   you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your power
   and in the multitude of your warriors,
therefore the tumult of war shall rise against your people,
   and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,
as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle
   when mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel,
   because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel
   shall be utterly cut off.

Canticle

A Song of the Holy City, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 72 (page 630), may be said

Refrain:

AllI saw the holy city
coming down out of heaven from God. Alleluia.

1I saw a new heaven and a new earth, ♦
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away
and the sea was no more.

2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, ♦
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3And I heard a great voice from the throne saying, ♦
‘Behold, the dwelling of God is among mortals.

4‘He will dwell with them and they shall be his peoples, ♦
and God himself will be with them.

5‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes, ♦
and death shall be no more.

6‘Neither shall there be mourning,
nor crying, nor pain any more, ♦
for the former things have passed away.’

7And the One who sat upon the throne said, ♦
‘Behold, I make all things new.’

Revelation 21.1-5a

AllTo the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb ♦
be blessing and honour and glory and might,
for ever and ever. Amen.

AllI saw the holy city
coming down out of heaven from God. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.

1 Corinthians 13

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

Open my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.
AllOpen my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.
Lead me in the path of your commandments
Allthat I may see the wonders of your law.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
AllOpen my eyes, O Lord
that I may see the wonders of your law.

from Psalm 119

Gospel Canticle

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary) is normally said,
or Great and Wonderful (page 629) may be said

Refrain:

AllHow beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news and proclaim
the gospel of peace. Alleluia.

1My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; ♦
he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

2From this day all generations will call me blessed; ♦
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his name.

3He has mercy on those who fear him, ♦
from generation to generation.

4He has shown strength with his arm ♦
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

5Casting down the mighty from their thrones ♦
and lifting up the lowly.

6He has filled the hungry with good things ♦
and sent the rich away empty.

7He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, ♦
to remember his promise of mercy,

8The promise made to our ancestors, ♦
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Luke 1.46-55

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

Refrain:

AllHow beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news and proclaim
the gospel of peace. Alleluia.

Prayers

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
¶ for peace
¶ for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 362–363

¶ All who are sick in body, mind or spirit
¶ Those in the midst of famine or disaster
¶ Victims of abuse and violence, intolerance and prejudice
¶ Those who are bereaved
¶ All who work in the medical and healing professions

One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 may be used.

These responses may be used

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer

(or)

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Silence may be kept.

The Collect of the day is said

God of grace and might,
who sent your servant Anskar
to spread the gospel to the Nordic peoples:
raise up, we pray, in our generation
      messengers of your good news
      and heralds of your kingdom
that the world may come to know
      the immeasurable riches of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

AllOur Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

(or)

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

AllOur Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Conclusion

All The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.
Amen.

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.