Prayer for one about to die
St Nephon

< O Lord, the God of powers, great and awesome,
abundant in might and transcendent in goodness,
full of mercy and compassion,
incline and hear me who am vile and sinful.
O my Christ, Who saved Jonah out of the belly of the whale
and Daniel from the mouths of lions,
deliver me at the time of death
from the dreadful darkness of the prince of evil.
Do not let the devil come over the deathbed of Thy servant.
May my soul, O Lord, never see the darkness of the demons,
neither in this life, nor in the future one,
neither in the agony of death, nor at my ascent to heaven.
May not the accursed dragon deride my miserable soul
when it abandons this depraved body.
Do not let the filthy spirit of fetor and stench snatch it,
O my Lord, my Christ, my Jesus, my God, my Light,
and carry it away to perdition.
O my Master, God of Heaven and earth,
may my eyes never see his hideous and darksome face.
But at the time of my end,
O my holy, thrice holy and glorified King,
send me Thy mercy and Truth.
O my God, at that time send Michael, the commander-in-chief,
over Thy servant.
Send me Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael,
the great and bright generals,
with all their immaculate and thrice-blessed army,
to crush the insatiable dragon of Hades who gnashes his teeth
and wants to snatch and devour anyone living piously.
O my God, at the time of my departure,
sink him and all his filthy army into the abyss, in Tartarus,
into outer darkness and the 'gnashing of teeth.'
At that time, O my Lord Jesus Christ,
my delight, my Resurrection,
send the merciful and philanthropic Comforter,
the Spirit of Truth,
to receive my own spirit
in His incomparable sweetness and immortal holiness.
Send him to strengthen me with a flaming sword
preceding me and crushing the evil rulers of darkness.
For, if these abominations of iniquity plunge into the fire,
into darkness, into the abyss, into Hades,
I will be able without pain to cross the ethereal spheres
to come close to Thee, the Triune Sun,
to fall before Thy compassion, to kiss Thy immaculate feet,
to be filled with the Deity, with Thy Holy Spirit,
and confess the countless wonders Thou didst for my sake:
How Thou broughtest me to repentance, gave me life, 'and
out of the depths of the earth again Thou broughtest me up'!
I will enumerate them all before the holy angels,
that I may be overcome by the effulgence
of the sweetest and most delightful divine pleasure.
And transported by Thy ineffable fragrance,
grace, and divine beauty,
I shall chant to Thee then the great Song of Songs!. . .

Hear me, O my God,
even though I may transgress Thy law before Thee every day.
Hear me, my King, My Redeemer,
and make me worthy to enter Thy glory,
just as I beseech Thee night and day, and pray to Thee,
and supplicate Thy immortal and life-giving majesty.

O my Lord Jesus Christ,
I ardently beg Thee again and always:
at the time of my departure, send me the resplendent Virgin,
the most pure temple, the sacred treasury of Thy wealth,
O my Christ, to strengthen me.
Send me at that time
the holy Forerunner and Baptist John,
the luminous stars - the Apostles -
the prophets and the martyrs,
the preachers and evangelists,
confessors, ascetics, and righteous,
that Thy creature may be glorified.
Yes, immortal Lord, hear me, the sinner,
and enable me to attain Thy inexpressible, never aging and
thrice blessed glory.
But, my Lord, give rest also
to every servant of Thine in the throes of death,
wherever this prayer will be heard,
that the foul demons be disgraced.
Crush them, O Master, with Thy mighty hand.
Disperse them, O Mighty One, with Thy flaming sword.
Burn them with the lightning of Thy fire-breathing power,
O Thou Who art the plenitude of greatness, loftiness and awe.
My God, may this prayer be for refreshment and comfort,
repose and tranquillity, sweet fragrance and joy,
support and refuge, courage and help
to all those who are on their deathbeds.
Yea, Lord, God of my holy Fathers,
who pleased Thee from the beginning of time to the present,
do not scorn my petition, O Holy One.
Do not turn away from my supplication, O Compassionate One.
But implant within my prayer a double-edged sword,
divine, heavenly, deadly to the demons
and vengeful against the spirits of wickedness;
yet filled with sympathy, forgiveness, compassion and goodness.
If by chance the one dying has many sins
and this prayer is read over him,
may Thou lighten his burden at that time, O Lord,
have mercy on his soul, O Holy One,
and sanctify his ascent toward Thee.
Crown him with Thyr compassions,
inscribe him in the book of Thy mercy,
grant him the bliss of Paradise.
Overlook his iniquities
with the immensity of the wealth of Thy loving-kindness.
Forgive him, have mercy on his miserable soul and save it.
Have pity on him, help him, have mercy on him,
shield and protect him according to Thy great mercy.
Show him Thy love for man.
Send him angels of peace.
Send him Thy immaculate love.
Open to him Thy glorious embrace,
flood him with all the immaterial fragrances, that
the loathsome and deceitful demons may flee from him in shame.
O Lord, turn them into ashes in the fire of Gehenna,
for they dare to disturb and frighten the poor soul.

O Lord, let this take place
wherever my poor supplication is heard.
Yea, O Master, Jesus Christ, Light of light,
hear me, O Good One, and impart grace and mercy to my prayer.
Be a helper and protector for salvation to everyone
who invokes the name of vile Nephon. Hear me, O Lord;
Hear me, O Lover of mankind, Holy One,
and grant my request beseeching Thy mighty Name.
Amen!

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