Ode 9. Irmos.

Exapostilarion of the Forefeast.

Glory. Both now.

‘Let all the earth-born bearing torches, in spirit leap for joy; let the nature of the immaterial spirits honour and celebrate the wondrous sacred festival of God’s Mother, and let them cry: Hail, all-blessed Mother of God, pure and ever-virgin!’

See, the Lamb who takes away the faults of humanity, has come, has made his abode; and asking for Baptism he comes like a slave to the slave, as he seeks to free us, who were enslaved to the Boaster and who had lost our former beauty.

God, through goodness, has appeared manifestly in a body, and he who truly wraps the heaven in clouds is coming to wrap himself in the waters of Jordan. Let us all now feast in advance with joy his honoured Appearing.

Leap for joy, and be prepared to receive the Water that springs up to eternal life, O Jordan; you rivers dance as you now see the torrent of delight entering the streams drying up the flood of wickedness.

A day of salvation has shed its rays on us, who ever sleep in the night of the passions; for Christ the Lord, the Sun of justice, in reality and in thought, has come to bow his head to a slave and be baptised in the flesh by his own will.

The Cherubim and every heavenly nature trembles, O All-blameless, at your honoured Offspring, beyond understanding, made like us through his ineffable compassion, and baptised in the flesh. His divine Appearing we all now celebrate rejoicing.

‘The One who was revealed in advance to the Lawgiver on the mountain in fire and bush, the Offspring of the Ever-virgin for the salvation of us believers, let us magnify in never-silent hymns’.

Leaving Bethlehem, the newest wonder, let us run to Jordan with most fervent soul, and there let us contemplate the dread mystery; for in a manner fitting God my Christ has come, stripped naked, as he clothes me in a robe of the Kingdom of heaven.

At Lauds we insert 4 Stichera, and we sing Prosomia .

Tone 6.

The Master, who possesses a heavenly throne, has come on earth, incarnate of the Virgin; and coming to the Jordan he asks of John the cleansing of all. Families of the whole earth, let us sing to him: Blessed are you, our God, who have appeared, glory to you.

Christ, who cleanses sins, has arrived at the streams of Jordan asking for Baptism. Let the whole earth leap for joy. Let the heavens be glad. Rejoice, Church of the Nations, espoused to the King, cry aloud with faith: Blessed are you, our God, who have appeared, glory to you.

Mountains, drop down the sweetness of joy; you nations now mystically clap your hands; let the desert flower; Jordan, receive; come, Baptist, serve with joy the mystery of the Redeemer; peoples, let us chant: Blessed are you, our God, who have appeared, glory to you.

The Light which shone forth from Light beyond time, has appeared to those who sat in night, and purified and enlightened the darkness of sin. Adam, dance; Eve, be glad. Christ, the Redemption, has come; David, cry out: Blessed are you, our God, who have appeared, glory to you.

**Same melody.**

A star has dawned from Jacob for the world, and taking up the flaming sin of mankind he buries it in the waters of Jordan, as he shines with the light of the Godhead and gives to the Nations the illumination of the knowledge of God. Blessed are you, our God, who have appeared, glory to you.

**The same.**

Christ, who is declared the fulfiller of the law, according to the flesh, has come to perfect the first-fruit of salvation upon Jordan, as he is compassionate; and he bows down his head to the Baptist, who cries out in faith: Peoples, let us cry: Blessed are you, our God, who have appeared, glory to you.

Stichera at the Aposticha.

Tone 2. House of Ephratha.

Let us pass over from Bethlehem to Jordan; for there the light for those in darkness already begins to shine.

Therefore I shall remember you from the land of Jordan and Hermonites, from the little mountain. ** **

Land of Zavoulon, you from beyond Jordan, listen: Christ is drawing near, Salvation, Light, Redemption.

The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and were afraid. ** **

Make ready, too, stream of Jordan; for he who baptises with fire is drawing near to make new the crushed vessel he had fashioned.

**The same.**

The brightness of the Father’s glory has appeared in Jordan’s streams, cleansing by Baptism the stain of our souls.

[ 1] In Hebrew the name ‘Malachy’ means ‘My Messenger’, in Greek ‘My Angel’.

[2] The final hexameter is deliberately Homeric. The words for ‘heart’ and ‘limbs’, or ‘members’, are both epic ones. In Iliad 16:856 a person’s soul is said to ‘fly from their limbs’, using the same words as here.

[3] Unusually the second Saint commemorated has a hexameter noting the date. It is also in Homeric language, with tmesis and reversal of the preposition and verb in amphitemno , and an epic phrase, ‘fall in the dust’, for ‘die’.