Prayers Before Retiring to Rest at Night

The Standard Prayer Book, tr. by Simeon Singer, [1915], at sacred-texts.com

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PRAYERS BEFORE RETIRING TO REST AT NIGHT

Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who makest the bands of sleep to fall upon mine eyes, and slumber upon mine eyelids. May it be thy will, O Lord my God and God of my fathers, to suffer me to lie down in peace and to let me rise up again in peace. Let not my thoughts trouble me, nor evil dreams, nor evil fancies, but let my rest be perfect before thee. O lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, for it is thou who givest light to the apple of the eye. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who givest light to the whole world in thy glory.

God, faithful King.

Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One.

Blessed he His name, whose glorious kingdom is for ever and ever.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.

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And let the pleasantness of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

Psalm xci.

He that dwelleth in the shelter of the Most High, abideth under the shadow of the Almighty. I say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in whom I trust.—For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his pinions, and under his wings shalt thou take refuge: his truth shall be a shield and a buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flieth by day; of the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor of the plague that ravageth at noon day. A thousand may fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; it shall not come nigh unto thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou look on, and see the retribution of the wicked.—For thou, O Lord, art my refuge.—Thou hast made the Most High thy dwelling place; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any scourge come nigh thy tent. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee upon their hands, lest thou strike thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder: upon the young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample.—Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he knoweth my name. When he calleth upon me I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him and honor him. With length of days will I satisfy him, and will let him see my salvation. Repeat the last verse.

Psalm iii.

Lord, how are mine adversaries increased! Many are they that rise up against me. Many there are which

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say of my soul, There is no salvation for him in God. (Selah.) But thou, O Lord, art a shield about me; my glory and the lifter up of mine head. I cry unto the Lord with my voice, and he answereth me from his holy mountain. (Selah.) I laid me down and slept; I have awaked, for the Lord sustaineth me. I will not be afraid of the ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing be upon thy people. (Selah.)

Cause us, O Lord our God, to lie down in peace, and raise us up, O our King, unto life. Spread over us the tabernacle of thy peace; direct us aright through thine own good counsel; save us for thy name's sake; be thou a shield about us; remove from us every enemy, pestilence, sword, famine and sorrow; remove also the adversary from before us and from behind us. O shelter us beneath the shadow of thy wings; for thou, O God, art our Guardian and our Deliverer; yea, thou, O God, art a gracious and merciful King; and guard our going out and our coming in unto life and unto peace from this time forth and for evermore.

Blessed be the Lord by day; blessed be the Lord by night; blessed be the Lord when we lie down; blessed be the Lord when we rise up. For in thy hand are the souls of the living and the dead, as it is, said, In his hand is the soul of every living thing, and the spirit of all human flesh. Into thy hand I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth. Our God who art in heaven, assert the unity of thy name, and establish thy kingdom continually, and reign over us for ever and ever.

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May our eyes behold, our hearts rejoice, and our souls be glad in thy true salvation, when it shall be said unto Zion, Thy God reigneth. The Lord reigneth; the Lord hath reigned; the Lord shall reign for ever and ever: for the kingdom is thine, and to everlasting thou wilt reign in glory; for we have no king but thee.

The angel who hath redeemed me from all evil bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.—And he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put. none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord that healeth thee—And the Lord said unto the adversary, The Lord rebuke thee, O adversary; yea, the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?—Behold the bed of Solomon: threescore mighty men are about it, of the mighty men of Israel: they all handle the sword, expert in war; every man hath his sword upon his thigh, because of fear in the night.—The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and he gracious unto thee: the Lord turn his face unto thee, and give thee peace.

To be said three times:—

Behold, he that guardeth Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

To be said three times:—

For thy salvation I hope, O Lord. I hope, O Lord, for thy salvation. O Lord, for thy salvation I hope.

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To be said three times:—

In the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, may Michael be at my right hand; Gabriel at my left; before me, Uriel; behind me, Raphael; and above my head the divine presence of God.

Psalm cxxviii.

A Song of Degrees.—Happy is every one that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his ways. When thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands, happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine, in the recesses of thine house: thy children like olive plants, round about thy table. Behold thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. May the Lord bless thee out of Zion: mayest thou see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, mayest thou see thy children's children. Peace be upon Israel.

To be said three times:—

Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. (Selah.)

He is Lord of the universe, who reigned ere any creature yet was formed:

At the time when all things were made by his desire, then was his name proclaimed King.

And after all things shall have had an end, he alone, the dreaded one, shall reign;

Who was, who is, and who will be in glory.

And he is One, and there is no second to compare to him, to consort with him:

Without beginning, without end; to him belong strength and dominion.

And he is my God—my Redeemer liveth—and a rock in my travail in time of distress;

And he is my banner and my refuge, the portion of my cup on the day when I call.

Into his hand I commend my spirit, when I sleep and when I wake;

And with my spirit, my body also: the Lord is with me, and I will not fear.