Canon of the Forefeast. Ode 1. Tone 1. Christ is born.

**Exapostilarion. Of the Forefeast**

Christ made a child in the flesh, Christ willingly become a beggar, Christ made visible, [29] the Virgin now comes to Bethlehem to give birth to him. Let heaven and earth be glad. [30]

Ode 3. Of the Forefeast. To the Son begotten.

**Theotokion**

You hills and mountains, leap for joy; [31] Prophets inspired by God, dance. Peoples and nations, clap your hands. The salvation, the enlightenment of all is close at hand and is coming to be born in the city of Bethlehem.

Ode 4. Of the Forefeast. Rod out of Jesse’s root.

**Theotokion**

The Rich becomes a beggar, and those rich by wickedness beggars. God is recognised as without change the mortal offspring of an unwedded Maiden. Let us all sing to him in praise, for he has been glorified. [32]

Ode 5. Of the Forefeast. As you are God of peace.

He who was begotten of the Father before the ages beyond understanding, in the last times [33] became flesh from the Virgin, as he knows how, for he wished to renew humanity, corrupted by the plot of the evil serpent.

Ode 6. Of the Forefeast. The monster from the deep

The Son of God without beginning, who is seated in the highest with the Father and the Spirit, seeing how human nature had been brought low, takes a beginning and is about to be born in the flesh as man.

Kontakion of the Forefeast. Tone 1. The angelic choir.

She who is holier than the Angels and all creation now bears in the flesh the Angel of the great counsel [34] of the Father for the recalling of all who sing to him unceasingly: Holy are you, O Lord. [35]

The Iko * s. *

Rod out of Jesse’s root, [36] O Virgin, you budded, and blossomed with a flower that does wither, the Creator of all, who as God decks the whole earth with flowers, which cries aloud to him: Glory to your power, O Lord!

Ode 7. Of the Forefeast. The Youths brought up.

O Word of God you came to get me back, who had been stolen through evil eating, had fallen away by my own will and become like the dumb beasts. [37] So you became a babe and were laid in a manger for dumb beasts. Glory to your power, O Lord!

Ode 8. Of the Forefeast. The furnace moist with dew.

Avvakoum foresaw you, Jesu, incarnate of a shaded mountain, [38] the Virgin, crushing the evil mountains and hills and handing over to oblivion the uprisings of the evil one and the rebellions of the demons.

Ode 9. Of the Forefeast. A strange and wonderful mystery.

By nature the Master, you are found with slaves. All-perfect Son of God, you were well-pleased to be called Son of Man, All-merciful; and so you willingly became a beggar and are coming to be born in the Cave, O supremely Good.

Christ our King, by nature uncontainable, how will a little cave receive you? How will a manger, Jesu, be able to contain you? From a Mother who has not known man you come in flesh, Lord, to your own [39] that you may save those who have been banished.

The Ewe-lamb has come forth to bear the Shepherd. Holy Cave, prepare. Shepherds, hasten to behold the Lamb and Shepherd who has been born. Magi with gifts prepare to worship him in the flesh as King.

Sovereign Lady, you are a new heaven. From your womb, as from a cloud, [40] you hasten to make Christ, the sun of glory, dawn in a cave in the flesh, for by his owns bright rays he is going to make all the fullness of the earth cry aloud because of his measureless compassion.

Compassionate Christ, you saw our grief and our trouble, and you did not despise us; but, without parting from your Father, you emptied yourself and dwelt in a womb that knew not wedlock, which now comes to the Cave to give birth to you in the flesh without pangs.

Mountains and hills, plains and valleys, peoples and tribes, nations and everything that has breath, filled with divine joy, shout in exultation: The redemption of all, the timeless Word of God, through pity subject to time, came and dwelt on earth.

Bethlehem rejoice, Ephrata [41] prepare; for see the Ewe-lamb, bearing in her womb the great Shepherd, hastens to give birth. Seeing him the Godbearing Fathers exult as with the Shepherds they hymn a Virgin who gives suck.

Seeing the dazzling radiance of your conceiving, O Virgin, Abraham the friend of God, noble Isaac, Jacob and the whole choir of saints chosen by God rejoice; and they bring creation to meet you with words of joy. For you appeared as the source of joy, since you conceived in your womb him who once appeared in Babylon and beyond all understanding preserved unburned the Youths unjustly cast into the furnace. And so they also raise the song as they hymn a Virgin who gives suck.

The godly vine, which makes the pure cluster ripen, [42] draws near and has come to give birth to the wine of joy which gushes forth and gives drink to us who cry to him: God of our fathers, blessed are you! [43]

The divine casket, bearing within it the sweet-scented myrrh, [44] is coming to pour it out in the cave of Bethlehem, and fill with mystic fragrance those who sing: God of our fathers, blessed are you!

The tong, [45] which the prophet Isaias saw of old, has come carrying in her womb the divine coal, Christ, who burns up all the material of sin and guides the souls of the faithful to the light.

Glory to God in the highest, let us cry in joy with the Angels. The Saviour will be born. The Master, whom a Star shows to the Magi as they hasten to behold him in a manger, will come to make his dwelling. Let all creation bless the Lord, and highly exalt him to all the ages. [46]

Obedient to Caesar’s law, Master, you were willingly enrolled among slaves, [47] that as God you might free humanity from the slavery of the evil one, O most merciful. therefore with joy we raise the song: Let all creation bless the Lord, and highly exalt him to all the ages.

‘O Word without beginning, I carry you as a young babe, yet am wholly without knowledge of man’, said the Virgin. ‘I am at a loss to know whom I should name as your father on earth; therefore with all I raise the song to you: Let all creation bless the Lord, and highly exalt him to all the ages’.

Strange, wonderful and dread mysteries! The Lord of glory [48] came to earth, and as a beggar in a cave he put on flesh, seeking to call back Adam, and to deliver Eve from her pains.

By your swaddling bands [49] you loose the cords of offences, while by your poverty, O Compassionate, you make all rich. Laid in manger for irrational beasts, you free mortals from irrational [50] wickedness, O Word of God ever without beginning.

The proclamations of the Prophets have come to their end, for he whom they prophesied would come at the consummation of the years, [51] has came, has appeared, embodied of a pure Virgin. Let us receive him with pure minds.

Bethlehem, rejoice; and you, Ephrata, prepare, for the Mother of God has come to give birth to God ineffably in a cave and in a manger. O dread mystery! whose divine Nativity Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, all the Patriarchs and Prophets now radiantly feast in anticipation, as mortals do with Angels.