Christ Saviour, Lover of mankind, who brought all things into existence from nothing, and with ineffable wisdom arranged for each one to accomplish unerringly the goal which you laid down in the beginning, as you are powerful, bless the whole creation which you fashioned.

¶9

Glory. **Tone 4*.***

¶10

**Theotokion.**

¶11

Give peace to all the nations, Lord, and understanding in all things, so that we may lead a tranquil life and always keep your laws, which you laid down for the whole creation for the unalterable maintenance and government of the universe.

¶12

Glory. Both now. **Theotokion. Tone 5*.***

¶13

Lover of mankind, keep unharmed the environment that clothes the earth, through which, by your will, we who inhabit the earth live and move and have our being, so that we, your unworthy suppliants, may be delivered from destruction and ruin.

¶14

Fence round the whole creation, Christ Saviour, with the mighty strength of your love for mankind, and deliver the earth we inhabit from the corruption which threatens it; for we, your servants, have set our hopes on you.

¶15

Put an end, O Saviour, to the evil designs which are being devised against us with senseless intent, and turn aside from the earth every destructive action of the works of human hands which contrive corruption leading to perdition.

¶16

Lord, who wrap creation in clouds, as godly David sang, watch over the environment of the earth, which you created from the beginning for the preservation of mortals, and give us the breath of the winds and the flow of waters.

¶17

Almighty Lord, who created all things with wisdom and who watch over and guide them by your all-powerful hand, grant well-being so that the whole creation may prosper and remain unharmed by hostile elements; for you, Master, commanded that the works of your hands should remain unshaken until the end of the age; for you spoke and they came into being and from you they receive mercy for the turning away of all evil, and for the salvation of the human race that glorifies your name which is praised above all.

¶18

Who will not call you blessed, All-holy Virgin? Who will not sing the praise of your child-birth without labour? For the only-begotten Son, who shone out from the Father beyond time, came forth from you, pure Maiden, ineffably incarnate. By nature he is God, by nature he became man for our sakes, not divided in a duality of persons, but known without confusion in a duality of natures. O honoured and all-blessed, implore him to have mercy on our souls.

¶19

**T**he Lord spoke to the children of Israel saying, ‘If you walk in my ordinances and keep my commandments and do them, I will give you rain in its season and the earth will give its produce and the trees of the plains their fruit. Your threshing time will overtake the vintage, and the vintage will overtake the sowing. You will eat your bread to the full and dwell in safety on your land; and no one shall make you afraid. And I will destroy the evil wild beasts from your lands, and war shall not pass through your land, and enemies will fall before you. Five of you will pursue a hundred and a hundred of you will pursue tens of thousands. And I will look upon you and bless you and make you increase and multiply and I will establish my covenant with you. And you will eat what is old and very old, and bring out the old to make way for the new. And my soul will not abhor you, and I will walk among you, and I will be your God and you shall be my people. But if you will not listen to me, nor observe these ordinances of mine, but disobey them, and if your soul loathes my judgements, so that you do not keep all my commandments, I in turn will treat you like this: I will bring distress upon you, and you will sow your seed in vain and your enemies will devour your labours. And I will set my face against you and you will fall before your foes and they will pursue you and you will flee though no one pursues you; and I will smash the arrogance of your pride. And I will make the heaven like iron for you and your earth like solid bronze. And your strength will be in vain and your land will not give its fruit, and the trees of the field will not give their fruit. And I will send the wild beasts of the earth against you, and they will consume your cattle, and the sword will come against you and make you few in number. And your land will be desert and your farms will be desert; because you have walked against me crookedly, and I will walk against you with crooked rage, says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel’.

¶20

The Reading is from the Prophecy of Isaias.

¶21

**L**ook down, Lord, from heaven and see, from your holy house and your glory. Where is the abundance of your mercy and of your acts of pity, that you have withheld yourself from us? For you are our Father, because Abraham has not known us, nor Israel acknowledged us. But do you, Lord, our Father, deliver us; from the beginning your name is upon us. Why have you made us wander from your way, Lord? Why have you hardened our hearts not to fear you? Return for the sake of your servants, for the sake of the tribes that are your heritage, that in a little while we may inherit your holy mountain. Our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary, we have become as at the beginning when you did not rule over us, nor had your name been invoked upon us. If you open the heaven, trembling from you will seize the mountains and they will melt as wax melts before the fire, and fire will burn up your adversaries, and your name will be manifest among your adversaries; nations will be troubled at your presence. When you do glorious deeds, trembling from you will seize the mountains. From eternity we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen any God but you. And your works are true, and you will perform mercy for those who wait for you. For mercy will meet with those who do right and remember your ways. And now, Lord, you are our Father, while we are clay and you are our Fashioner. We are all the work of your hands. Do not be exceedingly angry with us, Lord, and do not remember our sins for ever. And now, look upon us, Lord, because we are all your people.

¶22

The Reading is from the Prophecy of Jeremias.

¶23

**T**hus says the Lord: ‘I have remembered the mercy of your youth and the love of your marriage, of your following the Holy One of Israel, says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. The beginning of his produce was for the Lord. All those who devoured him will offend and evils will come upon them, says the Lord. Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob, and every family of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord, What offence did your fathers find in me, that they revolted far from me and went after vanities and became vain? And they did not say, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who guided us in the wilderness, in a boundless and trackless land, in a land without water or fruit, and in the shadow of death, in a land through which no man had passed, nor had any son of man dwelt there?‘ And I led you to Carmel to eat its fruits and its good things; and you went in and you defiled my land and made my inheritance an abomination. The priests did not say ‘Where is the Lord?‘ And those who cling to the law did not know me, and the shepherds acted impiously towards me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after that which does not profit. Therefore I will be brought to trial before you again, says the Lord, and I will be brought to trial before your children’s children. Cross to the islands of the Kittim and look, and to Kedar and send and observe carefully; and see if such things have been done; if the nations will change their gods, though they are no gods. But my people have changed their glory for something from which they will gain nothing. Heaven was amazed at this and trembled exceedingly, says the Lord.

¶24

**At the Liti, Idiomela.

¶25

Tone 1.**

¶26

Lord, who created the universe at the beginning and gave to each thing its own rank, do not despise the works of your hands, but with an eye of mercy look from heaven upon this vine and restore it according to your will, turning aside from it every purpose that brings corruption and every destroyer; for you are our Shepherd, Deliverer and Saviour, and from you, Master, we receive help in mercy and acts of compassion, as we glorify you.

¶27

Lord and Master, who fenced about the domain of the earth and made it sure with an enveloping band, deliver its whole structure from harm and disaster; for you are a treasury of strength and the source of life, and all things minister and are subject to your will as your servants, Lord. And so grant us your mercies and turn away from us every disaster, and save our souls for you love mankind.

¶28

Threats and scourges and destruction hang over us, Lord, because of the multitude of our transgressions; for we have sinned and transgressed and gone far from you, and we are affected and afflicted by dire perils; but deliver us, Lord, from the dangers that beset us, and keep the whole structure of the earth unharmed, granting equable breaths of winds and ever-flowing springs of waters for our safe-keeping and salvation, O Lover of mankind.

¶29

Lord, who hold the circle of the earth and make firm its foundations, as the Prophet says, accept our suppliant entreaties, as our guardian, protector and Saviour; for we are your people and the sheep of your pasture and by your infinite mercy we shall be delivered from anticipated dangers. Do not therefore utterly destroy us, Master, but may your goodness conquer the multitude of our offences, that we may all glorify the ocean of your acts of compassion.

¶30

From dangers of every kind protect your servants, blessed Mother of God, that we may glorify you, the hope of our souls.

¶31

**At the Aposticha, Prosomia.

¶32

Tone 5. Hail, of ascetic struggles.**

¶33

Merciful God, who love mankind, look with an eye of compassion on the works of your hands and set free the expanse of the atmosphere from dread destruction and death-dealing emissions and every poisonous pollution, through which death and danger threaten. Take pity then on what you have fashioned and give to all the prudence not to act senselessly, whose result is corruption, and grant to all pardon, salvation and your divine mercy.

¶34

**Verse:** With my voice I cried to the Lord, and he heard me from his holy mountain.

¶35

Saviour, accept the entreaties of your Mother, which she offers for all creation, and the supplications of all your Saints. Grant to all your mercies, and keep unharmed the firmament which you spread out from the beginning with wisdom, Lord, and brought into being for the benefit of mortals. Keep undamaged from harmful influences, O Word, the whole environment which girds the earth, granting to all pardon and salvation and your great mercy.

¶36

**Verse:** When I called you heard to me, O God of my justice; in affliction you set me at large.

¶37

With humility of soul we all entreat you, Lord, and we fall down before you. At your command deliver the earth on which we dwell from every harm and from harsh ruin, and speedily avert from it and abolish by your will destructive emanations, and pour out the fresh dew of life-sustaining air. With your mighty power, Master and Saviour, fence about the whole enclosure of the environment, granting to all pardon and salvation and your divine mercy.

¶38

Through compassionate pity, O Word, you took another form, refashioned corrupted nature and brought it back to incorruption. Now, we beseech you, yield to the supplications of your most pure Mother and grant stability to the inhabited world and well-being to all creation and deliverance from perils, for the salvation of our souls.

¶39

**Apolytikion. Tone 4. Speedily anticipate.**

¶40

Lord and Saviour, who as God brought all things into being by a word, establishing laws and governing them unerringly to your glory, at the prayers of the Mother of God, keep secure and unharmed all the elements which hold the earth together, and save the universe.

¶41

The mystery hidden from all eternity and unknown to Angels has been revealed to those on earth through you, O Mother of God: God being made flesh in a union without confusion, and willingly accepting the Cross for us, through which he raised the first-formed man and saved our souls from death.

¶42

**And Dismissal.**

Translated by Ephrem Lash. Edition lash.en.anastasis.