In the morning hear my voice,
my King and my God.
O Christ, the True Light,
who enlightenest and sanctifiest every man
that cometh into the world:
let the light of thy countenance shine upon us,
that in it we may behold the unapproachable Light;
and guide our steps to the keeping of thy commandments,
through the prayers of thy most pure Mother
and of all the Saints.
Amen.
ORTHODOX ANCIENT; FORMALIZED BY 4TH-5TH CENTURY AD
The Prayer of the Hours: An Introduction
Also known as The Divine Hours (Orthodox) ยท Fixed Hour Prayer (Orthodox)
About this prayer
The Divine Hours are the set of fixed times of prayer observed in Orthodox monasticism and, in simplified form, by Orthodox laity. They divide the day into periods of prayer corresponding to the hours of Christ's Passion: the First Hour (Prime, 6am) recalls Christ before Pilate; the Third Hour (Terce, 9am) recalls the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; the Sixth Hour (Sext, noon) recalls the Crucifixion; the Ninth Hour (None, 3pm) recalls Christ's death. Vespers is prayed at sunset and Compline before sleep. Matins and Lauds are prayed in the night and at dawn. This cycle of prayer is rooted in the New Testament (Acts 3:1, 10:9) and the Psalms ('Seven times a day I praise thee,' Psalm 119:164). The prayer given here is the troparion of the First Hour, which opens the daily cycle.
When it's said
The troparion of the First Hour is said at the beginning of the First Hour service, which concludes Matins in Orthodox practice and opens the day. In parish settings the Hours are typically read before the Divine Liturgy. In monastic settings all eight hours are observed. Many Orthodox laity read a simplified form of the Hours privately.
Notes on the text
The full cycle of Orthodox Hours includes Matins, First Hour, Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Ninth Hour, Vespers, and Compline, with the Midnight Office in some traditions. Each Hour contains psalms, troparia, and the Trisagion Prayers. The prayer given here is a single troparion representing the opening of the daily cycle rather than a complete Hour.
Source
Orthodox liturgical tradition, formalized by 4th-5th century AD. English text from the Service Book of the Holy Orthodox Church, compiled by Isabel F. Hapgood, 1906. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.