After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the Man…”, the first antiphon.
A Reading from Genesis
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 5 in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “As one valiant among the martyrs…”—
Troparion, in Tone IV—
A Reading from the Prophecy of Ezekiel
Thou art like a luminous palace and a bower all of gold, O Mistress Theotokos; for thou didst contain within thy womb the Word of God, giving birth for us to the never-setting Sun, the Light that waneth not. And with goodly knowledge thou hast illumined our hearts which before languished in the darkness of ignorance, and hast dispelled the darkness of falsehood.
A Reading from Proverbs
By thy birthgiving the might of hell hath been destroyed, and all mankind hath been saved; and now, by thy supplications, do thou cast down the arrogance of our enemies and destroy their might, and grant victory over the foe to thy people, that all who do evil to thy servants may be put to shame.
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.
O Mistress Theotokos, our mighty ally, strengthen our Orthodox hierarchs against all heresies, and as of old thou didst save the Imperial City from the incursions of pagans, so now save our land from the assaults of the enemy, from civil strife, famine and earthquake, O Virgin who knewest not wedlock. Wherefore, we glorify thee, the helper of men.
Glory..., Now and ever..., in Tone VI—
The land of Russia now boasteth and rejoiceth in thee, having thee as an ally unashamed and an impregnable bulwark, an unshakable foundation for our city, a tireless guardian of our land. Cease thou not to offer entreaties, O Lady, that thy city and people may now be delivered from all misfortunes.
Now and ever…, Theotokion, or this Stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel: “Having set all aside…”—
Before thee, O Lady, do the company and councils of hierarchs fall down in homage, the assembly of all, kings and princes, and all the people, praying with compunction, bowing low before thee, and lovingly kissing thine image; and they pray, saying: From all misfortunes do thou ever save the city which honoreth thee!
And 3 stichera in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “O all-glorious wonder…”—
O all-glorious wonder! He Whom the heavens cannot contain, Who is glorified by the angels and hymned by the seraphim, descending into thy womb, dwelt therein, yet did not break the seal of thy virginity: He hath freed the whole human race, and given thee to us, O Lady, as an ally. Wherefore, cease thou never to preserve and save our souls, in that thou art compassionate.
O all-glorious wonder! Lo! our help hath come, and the opposition hath been cast down. Save thou our city, rout thou our enemies, and gladden us, thy servants, with thy mercy. O dwelling-place of the Word of God, from all misfortunes do thou ever save the human race, which honoreth thee.
Grant consolation, O pure one, unto thy servants who are beset with perils, and exalt the horn of the faithful. O Mary Theotokos, by thy supplications save thy city unharmed, cast down the arrogance of the barbarians, and save us, thy servants, who praise thee, O unwedded one.
Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone VIII—
Come, ye assemblies of Russia! Come, O ye companies of the faithful, to greet the divine Maiden and Queen! For, lo! the Queen cometh in her precious image, to save the city and people assailed by the pagan foe. O great and all-glorious wonder which passeth understanding! O how the adversary is vanquished by the arrival of her precious image, the scepters of kings are made steadfast, night hath been abolished and day hath drawn nigh! Wherefore, our nature receiveth thee as the cause of our salvation, and all creation hymneth thee, crying aloud: Rejoice, O intercessor, helper and salvation of our souls!
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 the Litia, these stichera, idiomela, in Tone II—
As thine icon, O Theotokos, is truly more venerable than the ark of old, before which David danced, having assembled the ranks of Israel, there now stand before with the ranks of the angels it the councils of hierarchs, kings and princes, and all the multitude of the Christian people; and they bless thee, the Mother of God; they glorify thee as befitteth servants, and honor and bow down before thee; and they pray to thee, after God, that thou grant the world peace in Orthodoxy, make steadfast the scepters of kings, and save thy servants from all evils, in that thou art blessed.
Before thine image, O all-pure Lady Theotokos, stand the company of hierarchs, kings and princes, and all the people, monastics and laity, who know thee truly to be a powerful and invincible helper; and they are moved to offer thee supplications with all their soul, and are impelled to pray to God, needful of thine aid, that thou mightest stretch forth thy God-bearing hands and pray for the world. Hearken thou and give ear, O Mistress, and grant consolation to thy servants, lest our heavy and grievous sins gain the victory over us; for we are all ever in need of thine assistance.
In Tone VIII— When first thine icon was painted by Luke, the proclaimer of the mysteries of the Gospel, and was brought to thee, O Queen, that thou mightest make it thine own and impart to it the power to save those who honor thee, thou didst rejoice; and as thou art the merciful collaborator in our salvation, in that once thou didst conceive God in thy womb, thou didst chant a hymn to the icon, giving mouth and voice thereto: “Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed!”, and, gazing at it thou didst say with authority: “My grace and power are with this image!” And we truly believe what thou didst say, O Lady, for in this image thou art with us. Wherefore, standing reverently before it, we thy servants bow down before thee. Visit us with thy maternal compassion.
In Tone VII— A great and all-glorious mountain art thou, O Theotokos, surpassing Mount Sinai. For, unable to bear the descent of the glory of God in types and shadows, it caught on fire, and thunder and lightning struck it; but thou, being all divine light, didst bear the Word of God in thy womb without being consumed, and with the milk of thy breasts didst nurture Him Who holdeth all things in His hand. And now, as thou dost possess maternal boldness toward Him, O Mistress, help those who faithfully celebrate thine honored festival, and visiting us in thy mercy, forget us not; for thou hast received from God the gift of ordering and protecting the Christian flock, thy servants.
To thee do all the generations of men offer gifts of praise, and they entreat thee as Queen and the Mother of God: the prophets proclaimed thee most wisely, the Levites blessed thee, the apostles and martyrs confessed thee, kings and princes bow down before thee, hierarchs proclaim thee, monks and layfolk render thee reverence, rich and poor, orphans and widows, and men of every age and station, old and young, flee beneath thy mighty protection with faith. By thy prayers, O Lady, protect and preserve us, and save our souls from misfortunes.
On the Aposticha, these stichera, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “What shall we call you…”—
What shall we call thee, O Mistress Theotokos? Root of Jesse, for Christ came forth to us through thee like a flower? Manna delighting the hearts of the faithful by thy birthgiving? Fleece of Gideon, for Christ descended upon thee like dew, and hath shown thee to us as a helper? Him do thou entreat, that He save our souls.
Stichos: Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear.
O ye faithful, let us all praise her who hath given us such aid unashamed, an insuperable and invincible triumph over the enemy, salvation to us all, a rampart and protection for our city, an unshakable foundation, an alliance with our pious Orthodox hierarchs and resounding victory over all heresies.
Stichos: The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David, and He will not annul it.
Meet it is for the human race to call thee blessed, O pure one, for thou savest those who honor thee from all misfortunes. For thou, O pure Virgin Lady, hast shown thyself to thy servants as a sure helper, a fervent advocate before God in the midst of the tribulations which assail us. By thee are the incursions of barbarians set at nought and the darts of the enemy destroyed. And we, thy servants, delivered from the woes which beset us, bless thee with hymns, O Mother of God.
Glory…, Now & ever…, idiomelon, in the same tone—
Let the assemblies of Russia rejoice, and let nature dance, O pure one, for our city hath been saved by the arrival of thy precious image, and thy servants, delivered from besetting want, cry aloud to thee, O pure one: Rejoice, thou cause of beauty, sure helper and salvation of our souls!
Today the most glorious city of Moscow is adorned, having received thy wonder-working icon like the radiance of the sun; and we, hastening to it and entreating thee, O Mistress, do thus cry out: O all-wondrous Mistress Theotokos, entreat Christ our God, Who became incarnate through thee, that He deliver this city, and all cities and lands where Christians dwell, unharmed by all the assaults of the enemy, and save thou our souls, in that thou art compassionate.
At “Lord, I have cried…,” these stichera, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel: “As one valiant among the martyrs…”—
Beholding the all-honored suffering and the valiant feats of the martyrs, O glorious one, of thine own will thou gavest thyself over to struggles with manly mind, taking no pity on thy flesh for the sake of divine love. Wherefore, thou didst pass through valorous struggles, laying low the pride of the adversary, O patient-hearted Adrian.
Imprisoned in dungeons, beaten with thongs of oxhide, weighted down with irons, and crushed with stones, together with a multitude of martyrs, O glorious one, with them thou hast received the blessings of heaven, having as companion thy spouse Natalia who trusted in God, O valiant Adrian.
The spouse of Adam caused him to be driven from paradise through the counsel of the serpent; but Natalia all-wisely led Adrian to paradise with her sacred conversations, spurring him on with her teachings to endure painful sufferings, being a mediator for him of heavenly rewards and everlasting glory.
Glory…, in Tone VI—
O holy couple, elect of the Lord! O eminent union blessed of God! O longed-for couple, beloved of Christ! Who doth not marvel, hearing of their deeds which transcend man? How did the female sex stand in manly manner against the arrogant tyrant and strengthen her husband, that he not give in to the wicked, but choose to die for the Faith rather than to live? O the divinely woven words of the all-wise Natalia! O the divine teachings which transcend the heavens and which set the glorious Adrian before the very throne of the great King Whom he acknowledged! O holy couple, pray to God for us who with love keep your memory, that we be delivered from temptations and all tribulations!
O all-pure Mistress, a sword pierced thy heart, as Simeon said, when thou beheldest Him Who shone forth from thee at the ineffable word of the Archangel as one condemned among transgressors, lifted up on the Cross, given vinegar and gall to drink, His side pierced, His hands and feet nailed; and thou didst exclaim, lamenting and crying out maternally: “What is this new mystery, O my Child most sweet?”
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.