After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the Man…”, the first antiphon.
A Reading from Genesis
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera, in Tone I—
A Reading from the Prophecy of Ezekiel
O wondrous marvel! The wellspring of Life is laid in a tomb, and the grave becometh a ladder to the heavens! Be glad, O Gethsemane, thou holy dwelling-place of the Theotokos! O ye faithful, let us cry aloud, with Gabriel as our leader: Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee, granting great mercy to the world through thee! Thrice
A Reading from Proverbs
Wondrous are thy mysteries, O Theotokos! Thou hast been shown to be the throne of the Most High, O Mistress, and hast been translated from earth to heaven today. Thy glory is majestic, shining with godly miracles! O ye virgins, ascend on high with the Mother of the King! Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee, granting great mercy to the world through thee! Thrice
Wisdom hath built a house for herself and set up seven pillars. She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine in a bowl and prepared her table. She hath sent forth her servants, calling with a loud proclamation to the feast, saying: “Whoso is foolish, let him turn aside to me.” And to those who want understanding, she saith: “Come, eat of my bread, and drink wine which I have mingled for you. Leave folly, that ye may reign forever; and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge.” He that reproveth evil men shall get dishonor to himself; and he that rebuketh an ungodly man shall disgrace himself. Rebuke not evil men, lest they should hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more instruction. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel of the law is the character of a sound mind. For in this way thou shalt live long, and years of thy life shall be added to thee.
The authorities and thrones, the principalities and dominions, the powers, the cherubim and the awesome seraphim glorify thy dormition, and mortal men rejoice, adorned by thy divine glory. Kings fall down in homage with the archangels and angels, and chant: Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee, granting great mercy to the world through thee! Twice
Glory, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone V—
Glory…, Now & ever…, in the same tone—
At the divine behest, the God-bearing apostles were caught up from whence they were, and, coming to thine all-pure and life-creating body, they venerated it with love. And the hosts of heaven above, arriving with their Master, were seized with awe as they accompanied the all-pure body which had received God; and they went forth in beauty and cried aloud invisibly to the hierarchies above: “Behold! the divine Maiden, the Queen of all, is come! Lift up your gates, and receive her above the world, who is the Mother of everlasting Light; for it is through her that salvation hath come to all the human race. We cannot gaze upon her, we are unable to render her fitting honor; for her excellence passeth all understanding!” Wherefore, O all-pure Theotokos, dwelling ever with thy life-bearing King and Offspring, pray thou without ceasing, that He preserve and save thy new people from every attack of the adversary; for we have acquired thine intercession, manifestly blessing thee with splendor forever.
Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. 3 Readings:
Jacob went forth from the well of the oath, and departed into Haran. And he came to a certain place, and slept there, for the sun had gone down; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it at his head, and lay down to sleep in that place, and dreamed: and behold a ladder fixed on the earth, whose top reached to heaven, and the angels of God ascended and descended on it. And the Lord stood upon it, and said: “I am the God of thy father Abraham, and the God of Isaac. Fear not; the land on which thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be like the sand of the earth; and it shall spread abroad to the sea, and the south, and the north, and the east; and in thee and in thy seed shall all tribes of the earth be blessed. And behold I am with thee to preserve thee continually in all the way wherein thou shalt go; and I will bring thee back to this land; for I will not desert thee, until I have done all that I have said to thee.” And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said: “The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.” And he was afraid, and sad: “How fearful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
Thus saith the Lord: “It shall come to pass from the eighth day and onward, that the priests shall offer your wholeburnt-offerings on the altar, and your peace-offerings; and I will accept you,” saith the Lord. Then He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that faceth eastward; and it was shut. And the Lord said to me: “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it; for the Lord God of Israel shall enter by it, and it shall be shut. For the Prince, He shall sit in it, to eat bread before the Lord; He shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go forth by the way of the same.” And He brought me in by the way of the gate that faceth northward, in front of the house: and I looked, and, behold! the house was full of the glory of the Lord.
At Litia, these stichera idiomela—
In Tone I: It was fitting that the servants of the Word, who saw Him with their own eyes, see also the repose of His Mother in the flesh, inasmuch as it was the final mystery concerning her, that they might behold not only the Savior’s ascension from the earth, but also witness the translation of her who gave Him birth. Wherefore, assembled from all parts of the earth by the power of God, they reached Sion and bade farewell to her who is more highly exalted than the cherubim as she passed on to heaven. And we also, with them, bow down to her as one who prayeth for our souls.
The composition of Anatolius, in Tone II: As she was more exalted than the heavens, more glorious than the cherubim and higher in honor than all creation, and in her exceeding purity became the dwelling-place of the ever-existent Essence, she surrendereth her most holy soul into the hands of her Son today. By her are all things filled with joy; and He granteth us great mercy.
The composition of John: The all-immaculate Bride and Mother of Him in Whom the Father was well-pleased, who was foreordained by God to be the habitation of His unconfused Union, doth commit her all-pure soul to God the Creator. Her do the hosts of the incorporeal ones bear aloft, and she passeth over to life, in that she is the Mother of the Life, the light of the Light unapproachable, the salvation of the faithful and the hope of our souls.
The composition of Germanus, in Tone III: Come, all ye ends of the earth, let us praise the honored translation of the Mother of God; for she hath placed her immaculate soul in the hands of her Son. Wherefore, the world hath been given life through her holy dormition; and in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs doth it celebrate splendidly with the incorporeal hosts and the apostles.
Come, ye assembly of those who love the feasts of the Church! Come, let us form a choir! Come, and let us crown the temple of the ark of God with hymns and repose! For today heaven expandeth its bosom, receiving her who gave birth to Him Who is invisible to all, and the earth receiveth the wellspring of Life, who imparteth blessing and is adorned with splendor. The angels form a chorus with the apostles, gazing with awe upon her who gave birth to the Author of life, and who is translated from life to Life. Let us all bow down before her, praying: O Mistress, forget not thy kinship with those who celebrate thy most holy dormition with faith!
Now & ever…, in the same tone—
O ye people, hymn ye, hymn ye the Mother of our God! For today she committeth her most radiant soul into the all-pure hands of Him Who became incarnate of her without seed. And she entreateth Him unceasingly, that He grant peace and great mercy to the whole world.
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.