Canon to the Three Youths

Exapostilarion of the Resurrection; Glory..., of the Forefathers: Spec. Mel: “Hearken, ye women...”—

Irmos: Thou art the confirmation of those who have recourse to Thee, O Lord; Thou art the light of the benighted; and my spirit doth hymn Thee.

Kontakion, in Tone VI—

Now and ever..., Theotokion—

At the Praises, 4 stichera to the Resurrection, and 4 to the Forefathers, in Tone II: Spec. Mel: “O house of Ephratha...”—

Theotokion: That Thou mightest show us a birthgiving from a virgin’s body, O Master, Thou savest the youths’ virginal bodies in the furnace.

Having acquired divinely imparted understanding, the children of David kept the laws of their fathers in divinely wise fashion, O Master.

Irmos: To Christ God, the Son Who was begotten of the Father without corruption before time began, and in latter times without seed became incarnate of the Virgin, let us cry aloud: O Lord Who liftest up our horn, holy art Thou!

Glory..., the composition of Germanus, in Tone VII—

Let us all now celebrate the memory of the honored forefathers, hymning their life which was pleasing unto God, for Whose sake they have been magnified. Twice

Theotokion: Now doth the Expectation of the nations come forth from the Virgin, and Bethlehem doth radiantly open the shut gates of Eden, receiving the incarnate Word, Who, in the flesh, was laid in a manger.

The fire did not consume the most pure bodies of the pious ones, for they were watered with a spiritually nourishing fast.

Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, the mystery of Thy dispensation; I have understood Thy works, and have glorified Thy divinity.

Now and ever..., Theotokion “All blessed art thou...”

Stichos: Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy name unto the ages.

Theotokion: O all-hymned one, with hymns do the children in Babylon honor thine all-divine Son, Whom they recognized in the furnace.

Wondrously bedewed in the midst of the furnace, the three children chanted the universal and oft chant hymn of praise.

Irmos: A rod from the root of Jesse and blossom therefrom, O Christ, Thou didst spring forth from the Virgin; from the mountain overshadowed and densely wooded hast Thou come, incarnate of her who knew not man, O Thou praised and immaterial God. Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

The children extinguished the power of the fire, dancing in the midst of the furnace, and hymning God the Almighty.

Theotokion: Now our Deliverance lieth in the manger and is wrapped in swaddling clothes as a babe. And the magi, kings from the East, come to behold Him, Who hath been born of the pure one, as God and King, and with faith to worship Him with gifts.

The zeal of Seth for his Creator is hymned throughout the world, for in his blameless life and spiritual love he was truly pleasing unto Him, and now doth cry out in the land of the living: Holy art Thou, O Lord!

Irmos: Wherefore hast Thou turned Thy face from me, O Light never-waning? And why hath a strange darkness covered me, wretch that I am? But turn me, and guide my steps to the light of Thy commandments, I pray.

Stichos: For righteous art Thou in all which Thou hast done for us.

Theotokion: The divine Daniel clearly described thee beforehand as a mountain, O Virgin, and the three youths, beholding the bedewing flame, praised with hymns thy divine Offspring as Savior, Creator and Lord.

The wondrous Enos trusted in the Spirit and with divine wisdom began to call upon the God and Master of all with mouth, tongue and heart; and having lived on earth in a God-pleasing manner, he received glory.

Irmos: As God of peace and Father of compassion, Thou didst send Thine Angel of Great Counsel, Who granteth us peace. Therefore, guided to the light of knowledge divine, and waking at dawn out of the night, we glorify Thee, Who lovest mankind.

Daniel the prophet, who, imprisoned in a pit, dwelt with wild beasts, was shown forth as one unaffected by their ferocity.

Theotokion: He Who is full doth empty Himself into the flesh for our sake; the Unoriginate One receiveth a beginning; He Who is rich doth beggar Himself; He Who is the God the Word lieth like a babe in a manger of dumb beasts, accomplishing the restoration of all who have existed throughout the ages.

Let us bless Enoch with sacred utterances, for, having been well pleasing unto the Lord, he was translated in glory, being shown to be greater than death, as it hath been written, since he had been a most earnest servant of God.

Irmos: The abyss of my sins and the tempest of my transgressions discomfit me and thrust me down into the depths of violent despondency; but stretch forth Thy mighty arm unto me, as Thou didst to Peter, and save my, O my Guide.

Come ye all, let us faithfully celebrate the annual commemoration of Abraham and those who are with him, the fathers that lived before the Law. Let us honor the tribe of Judah as is meet; let us praise the youths in Babylon, who, as an image of the Trinity, quenched the flame of the furnace, together with Daniel; and holding fast to the prophecies of the prophets, let us cry aloud with Isaiah: Behold, a Virgin shall conceive in her womb, and shall bear a Son, Immanuel, God with us!

Theotokion: O Theotokos, Virgin and Mother, implore the Judge, thy Son, the Deliverer from evils, that by thy supplications He be merciful unto me on the day of judgment; for on thee alone do I place all my trust.

Hypacoï in Tone II—

Irmos: The sea monster thrust forth, like a babe from the womb, Jonah whom it had swallowed; and the Word, Who dwelt within the Virgin and took flesh of her, issued forth, preserving her incorrupt. He kept her who gave Him birth unharmed, for He Himself was not subject to corruption.

Great Doxology, Litanies, and Dismissal. Evangelical Sticheron.

Theotokion: He Who is ever with the Father and the Spirit is known on earth as a little Child. He Who doth enshroud the earth in darkness is wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger of dumb beasts. Wherefore, rejoicing, we now celebrate the forefeast of His seedless nativity.

The fire was transformed into dew for the children, and the lamentation of the myrrh-bearing women was changed into joy; for an angel ministered in both wonders, transforming the furnace into a place of rest for the former, and announcing the resurrection on the third day to the latter. O Lord, Author of our life, glory be to Thee!

Irmos: In Babylon, the pious youths did not worship the golden image, but, bedewed in the midst of the fiery furnace, they chanted a hymn, saying: O supremely exalted God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Theotokion: Possessed of a mind illumined with divine radiance, O divinely blessed Daniel, thou didst clearly foresee the Offspring of the Virgin represented in divine images; and thou didst cry out: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!

The most wise Daniel, divinely enlightened in mind, interpreted the dreams of the rulers by divine grace.

Irmos: The children raised together in piety, disdaining the ungodly command, feared not the threat of the fire, but, standing in the midst of the flame, they chanted: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Theotokion: Behold! as the prophet hath foretold, she who knew not wedlock hath conceived God in her womb and doth manifestly come to give birth in the cave of Bethlehem. To Him let us all chant: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

The suffering of the youths in the furnace shineth forth with wonders, for they compelled the tyrant to acknowledge Thee, O Almighty One.

Irmos: Madly did the Chaldæan tyrant heat the furnace sevenfold for the pious ones; but, beholding them saved by a higher Power, he cried out to the Creator and Deliverer: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Theotokion: O all-pure one, the most wise Daniel doth give instruction in the mysteries, and the three divinely wise youths prefigure thy birthgiving, beholding through symbols Him Who hath come forth ineffably from thy womb. Him do the children bless, the priests hymn and the people exalt supremely for all ages!

The harmonious organs and melodious hymns of music did not distract the valorous ones, and they did not worship the golden image.

Irmos: The dew-bearing furnace showed forth the image of a supernatural wonder; for it burned not the youths whom it had received, just as the fire of the Godhead burned not the Virgin, whose womb it entered. Wherefore, chanting, let us sing: Let all creation bless the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Theotokion: O Christ, Thou hast appeared incarnate of the Virgin’s blood at the ineffable words of the archangel, being born in a cave as a perfect Babe in the superabundance of Thy loving-kindness, O Jesus. And the star doth herald Thee from afar to the astrologers, who cry with faith: Hymn and exalt Christ supremely forever!

Let us offer up praise unto God, honoring with hymns Noah, who is truly righteous; for he hath been shown to be adorned with all the divine commandments, having been well pleasing unto Christ, to Whom we, the faithful, chant: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Irmos: Saved by thee, O pure Virgin, we confess thee to be in truth the Theotokos, magnifying thee with the incorporeal choirs.

Theotokion: O Virgin, thou didst halt the spread of death, having given birth unto the Lord, the Bestower of life, Who imparteth life unto those who magnify thee with faith.

Beholding thy nobility and simplicity of character, God clearly showed thee forth, O Noah, as perfect in all respects and the leader of the new world, who saved for it, from the deluge, the seed of every sensate species, even as He Himself commanded.

Irmos: A strange and most glorious mystery do I behold: the cave is heaven; the Virgin, the throne of the cherubim; the manger, the place wherein lay Christ God, Whom naught can contain, Whom praising, we magnify.

Theotokion: The Word of the Father, Who hath robed Himself in me, cometh forth from the Virgin and is born in the cave without confusing His divinity and His humanity. Dance thou, O creation, magnifying with thankful voices His most holy condescension which He hath shown forth in His loving-kindness.

With hymns let us piously bless Noah, who preserved the Law of God intact; who among his generation was found to be righteous, and of old saved the species of the animals with an ark of gopher wood at the command of Him who accomplisheth all things.

O blessed Noah, thy memory doth pour forth upon us who honor thee the wine of compunction, which ever gladenneth the hearts and souls of those who, in a pure manner, bless thine honorable character and divine life.

Thy favored ones, the great Daniel and the three divinely wise youths, having learned Thy Law, O Savior, were not rejected; but, having received strength of Thee, their Benefactor, they manfully vanquished the tyrants.

Daniel noetically learned Thy mysteries, O Thou Who lovest mankind, for, with purity of mind, he beheld Thee as the King and Judge of all nations, coming as the Son of man upon a cloud.

Your company is adorned more than with sapphire, O ye children, who burned like a golden ray with zeal for piety, and joyfully walked about in the furnace, forming a universal chorus.

With divine praises let Shem, who received the blessing of his father, be honored; for, shown to be well pleasing before God, he hath joined the choir of the forefathers and doth joyously rest in the land of the living.

As the friend of God, Abraham was vouchsafed to behold the day of his Creator and hath become full of spiritual joy; wherefore, honoring his uprightness of mind, let us all bless him as a divine forefather of Christ.

Thou didst behold the Trinity, insofar as it is possible for man to do; and as a true servant thou didst offer Him hospitality, O all-blessed Abraham. Wherefore, for thy strange hospitality thou didst receive a reward: to be, through faith, the father of countless nations.

Having mastered the passions of the soul by the power of the Word, ye became governors in the lands of the Chaldæan peoples, for virtue knoweth to give honor unto those who have acquired her, O ye wise descendants of David.

Daniel of old, vested in life-bearing mortality, slew with food the most wicked serpent, which the Chaldeans impiously held to be a god; and wisely did he also slay the impious priests.

Led up by thy father’s obedience to be sacrificed, thou wast plainly an image of the Passion of Christ, O most blessed Isaac. Wherefore, thou wast blessed and didst truly show thyself to be a close servant of God, rejoicing now with all the righteous.

Jacob was shown to be the most faithful favorite of the God of all. Wherefore, he wrestled with an angel, beholding the mind of God was called a god, and, sleeping, saw the divine ladder, whereon God, Who in His goodness put on our flesh, established Himself.

Loving goodly submission to his father, and cast into a pit, Joseph was sold, thus becoming an image of Christ, Who was slain and placed in a tomb. And he became dispenser of the grain of Egypt, being chaste and righteous, and a most true governor of the passions.

O thrice-blessed ones, who did not honor an image wrought by hands, but were defended by the indescribable Essence, ye were glorified in your ordeal by fire; and standing in the midst of unbearable flame, ye called upon God, saying: Speed Thou and make haste to our aid, O Compassionate One, in that Thou art merciful; for what Thou willest, Thou canst do!

Ikos: Stretch forth Thy hand whereby of old the warring Egyptians and the embattled Hebrews were tested. Forsake us not, lest death, which thirsteth after us, and Satan, who hateth us, swallow us up; but draw nigh unto us and spare our souls, as Thou once didst spare Thy three children in Babylon, who glorified Thee unceasingly and were cast for Thy sake into a furnace, from whence they cried out to Thee: Speed Thou and make haste to our aid, O Compassionate One, in that Thou art merciful; for what Thou willest, Thou canst do!

A voice beloved of God sang unto the Almighty from the midst of the fire, for the divine Shadrach, forming a choir, chanted a hymn, saying: Blessed is the God of our fathers!

The harp of the youths doth theologize concerning the Almighty, the God of all, and unto Him Who appeared to them openly in the furnace they chanted a hymn, saying: Blessed is the God of our fathers!

The king, seeing the three children who had been cast into the furnace, beheld, as it were, the form of a Fourth, and he called Him the Son of God and cried out to all: Blessed is the God of our fathers!

Let Abed-nego, Shadrach and Meshach, who quenched the fiery furnace, be hymned, together with Daniel, who restrained the onslaughts of the lions, for together they chanted unto Christ: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Having lawfully suffered amid perils and unmitigated tribulations, Job was called the favorite of God, most faithful, meek, guileless, righteous, perfect and blameless, crying aloud: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

With faith let us honor Moses, Aaron and Hur, praising Joshua and the most sacred Levi, Gideon and Samson, and let us cry out: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Striving to preserve the nobility of Abraham, ye acquired the foundation of faith and hope which was his very own, O venerable ones, and his patience and endurance of temptations, crying out: Bless ye the Master, O priests! Ye people, exalt Him supremely forever!

Having shone forth as luminaries and made the earth heavenly, and having been illumined with the radiance of piety and having formed a universal chorus, they chant unto the Master Who saved them from perils: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!

The descendants of David, having youthfully extinguished the fiery furnace and shut the jaws of the lions, rejoicing, now hymn Thee, the Benefactor and King of all, saying: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!

We celebrate today the divine memory of the honored fathers of ages past: Adam, Abel, Seth, Noah, Enos, Enoch and Abraham, Melchizedek and Job, Isaac and the faithful Jacob, crying out: Let all creation bless the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Let us praise the divinely beauteous regiment of the divine fathers: Barak, Nathan and Eleazar, Josiah and David, Jephthah and Samuel who honorably beheld things which were to come and cried out: Let all creation bless the Lord, and exalt Him supremely forever!

With hymnody let us offer laudation unto the prophets of God: Hosea and Micah, Zephaniah and Habbakuk, Zechariah and Jonah, Haggai and Amos, Malachi, Obadiah and Nahum, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, together with Daniel, Elijah and Elisha.

Trinitarian: With threefold utterances let us hymn the most holy Trinity: the unoriginate Father, the Son and the holy and upright Spirit, the Unity of three Hypostases, which every breath doth glorify, and let us cry out: Let all creation bless the Lord, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Ye have attained your desired end, O most blessed youths, and ye stand in the mansions of heaven before Him Who is the ultimate of all desires.

Rejoicing, ye have received a sheaf of the tears of your good husbandry, having produced the grain of incorruption.

Radiance hath now shone upon you as is meet, and gladness of heart hath blossomed forth, for from whence grief hath fled away have ye made your abode.

By Thy might, O Lord, Thou didst of old make Thy daughters powers: Hannah and Judith, Deborah and Huldah, Jael and Esther, Sarah and Miriam the sister of Moses, Rachel and Rebecca, and Ruth the exceeding wise.

In a sacred manner let us honor the holy children who extinguished the furnace, and with them, Daniel the prophet and all who were righteous, who clearly shone forth well before the Law, and under the Law were pleasing to the Master.

The most wise and divine prophets, being descendants of Abraham, proclaimed through the Spirit the Word of God, born of Abraham and Judah. Through their entreaties, O Jesus, have compassion on us all.

All creation hath been sanctified by your memory and, keeping festival, doth call out, crying aloud as befitteth a servant: Ever offer entreaty unto the Lord, O blessed ones, that those who praise you well may receive everlasting good things!

Let us praise Adam, Abel, Seth and Enos, Enoch and Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Job and Aaron, Eleazar and Joshua, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, David and Solomon.

The great Sun, the Creator, maketh haste to Bethlehem, to shine forth from the Virgin who is descended from Adam and knoweth not man. Wherefore, the most splendid memorial of the forefathers doth proclaim the wonder.