Ode 8. Irmos.

‘When a tyrant’s word prevailed, the furnace once was heated sevenfold; in which the Youths, trampling on the King’s decree, were not consumed, but cried: All you works of the Lord, praise the Lord, and highly exalt him to all the ages’.

Believers, as we shed floods of tears from our eyes, let us purify every stain of our souls, and in light we shall see the triple light of Christ who is coming to be baptised; to whom the Father will bear witness from heaven, and who will shine by the presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

Christ, who takes every tear from every face, is coming near, painlessly putting an end to most painful sicknesses of souls, and by rebirth renewing humans decayed through time who sing his praise to the ages.

Souls are made holy by the God-given bath of Baptism, and the fire of the Spirit, who cleanses the passions, burns away all the matter of wretched wickedness and gives the grace to cry out in compunction: We highly exalt you, O Christ, to the ages.

Believers, shaking the sleep of wickedness from the eyelids of our souls, let us remove all evils from our hearts, and with hot tears wash our minds as ones who contemplate him who has appeared, that we may be seen glorifying Christ to the ages.

Let us not offer a harmful word of evil thoughts; but meditating on the divine word, let us approach with hymns the Word, who has appeared in flesh for our sake and enlightens those in darkness. All creation blesses him as it gives him glory to the ages.

You refuse, John, what you will swiftly do as you submit to me. Let be then for now; for thus it is fitting for us truly to fulfil all justice, said the Master to the slave. All creation blesses him as it gives him glory to the ages.

‘Holding in contempt the monument to dread Herod’s wickedness, come, let us believers go towards Jordan, that we may see Christ the Redeemer being baptised in the flesh by the Forerunner in its streams. All creation blesses him as it gives him glory to the ages’.