O God, give Thy judgment to the king, and Thy righteousness to the son of the king, that he may judge Thy people with righteousness, and Thy poor with judgment. Let the mountains receive peace for the people, and let the hills receive righteousness. He shall judge the beggars among the people, and shall save the sons of the poor, and shall humble the false accuser. And He shall continue as long as the sun, and before the moon from generation to generation. He shall come down like rain upon a fleece, and like rain-drops that fall upon the earth. In His days shall righteousness dawn forth an abundance of peace, until the moon be taken away. And He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the rivers even unto the ends of the inhabited earth. Before Him shall the Ethiopians fall down, and His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall bring gifts, kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring presents. And all the kings of the earth shall worship Him, all the nations shall serve Him. For He hath delivered the beggar from the oppressor, and the poor man for whom there was no helper. He shall spare the poor man and the pauper, and the souls of the poor shall He save. From usury and from injustices shall He redeem their souls, and precious shall be His name before them. And He shall live, and there shall be given unto Him of the gold of Arabia, and they shall make prayer concerning Him always; all the day long shall they bless Him. He shall be a support in the earth on the summits of the mountains; exalted more than Lebanon shall be His fruit, and they of the city shall flourish like the grass of the earth. His name shall be blessed unto the ages, before the sun doth His name continue. And in Him shall be blessed all the tribes of the earth, all the nations shall call Him blessed. Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, Who alone doeth wonders. And blessed is the name of His glory for ever, and unto the ages of ages. And all the earth shall be filled with His glory. So be it. So be it.

¶9

Deacon: Wisdom, stand aright! Let us listen to the Holy Gospel.

¶10

Psalm 131

¶11

Priest: Peace be unto all.

¶12

Remember, O Lord, David and all his meekness. How he made an oath unto the Lord, and vowed unto the God of Jacob: I shall not go into the dwelling of my house, I shall not ascend upon the bed of my couch, I shall not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids, nor rest to my temples, until I find a place for the Lord, a habitation for the God of Jacob. Lo, we have heard of it in Ephratha, we have found it in the plains of the wood. Let us go forth into His tabernacles, let us worship at the place where His feet have stood. Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest, Thou and the ark of Thy holiness. Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy righteous shall rejoice. For the sake of David Thy servant, turn not Thy face away from Thine anointed one. The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David, and He will not annul it: Of the fruit of thy loins will I set upon thy throne. If thy sons keep My covenant and these testimonies which I will teach them, their sons also shall sit for ever on thy throne. For the Lord hath elected Sion, He hath chosen her to be a habitation for Himself. This is My rest for ever and ever; here will I dwell, for I have chosen her. Blessing, I will bless her pursuit; her beggars will I satisfy with bread. Her priests will I clothe with salvation, and her saints with rejoicing shall rejoice. There will I make to spring forth a horn for David, I have prepared a lamp for My Christ. His enemies will I clothe with shame, but upon Him shall My sanctification flourish.

¶13

Priest: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew [§3]

¶14

Psalm 90

¶15

Priest: When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying: “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.” When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where the Christ should be born. And they said unto him: “In Bethlehem of Judæa; for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come a Governor that shall rule My people, Israel.’” Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said: “Go and search diligently for the young Child; and when ye have found Him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also.” When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo! the star which they saw in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary, His Mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

¶16

He that dwelleth in the help of the Most High shall abide in the shelter of the God of heaven. He shall say unto the Lord: Thou art my helper and my refuge. He is my God, and I will hope in Him. For He shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunters and from every troubling word. With His shoulders shall He overshadow thee, and under His wings shalt thou have hope. With a shield will His truth encompass thee; thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the thing that walketh in darkness, nor for the mishap and demon of noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but unto thee shall it not come nigh. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and thou shalt see the reward of sinners. For Thou, O Lord, art my hope. Thou madest the Most High thy refuge; no evils shall come nigh thee, and no scourge shall draw nigh unto thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. On their hands shall they bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Upon the asp and basilisk shalt thou tread, and thou shalt trample upon the lion and dragon. For he hath set his hope on Me, and I will deliver him; I will shelter him because he hath known My name. He shall cry unto Me, and I will hearken unto him. I am with him in affliction, and I will rescue him and glorify him. With length of days will I satisfy him, and I will show him My salvation.

¶17

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy upon us.

¶18

Glory…, Now & ever…

¶19

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Glory to Thee, O God! Thrice

¶20

Lord, have mercy! Thrice

¶21

Once Mary, bearing in her womb an Offspring conceived without seed, was registered in Bethlehem with the elder Joseph, as being of the seed of David. And while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. There was no room for them in the inn. But the cave showed itself to be a beauteous palace for the Queen, and Christ is born to raise up the image that fell of old!

¶22

Seeing that we have no boldness on account of our many sins, do thou beseech Him Who was born of thee, O Virgin Theotokos; for the supplication of a mother availeth much to win the Master’s favor. Disdain not the prayers of sinners, O all-pure one, for merciful and mighty to save is He, Who deigned also to suffer for our sake.

¶23

Then, these stichera—

¶24

In Tone I: Come, O ye faithful, let us divinely ascend, and in Bethlehem let us behold the descent of God to us from on high. Having purified ourselves in mind, let us offer up a life of virtue instead of myrrh, faithfully preparing our entries into the Nativity, crying out from the inner-chambers of our souls: Glory to God in the highest, Who existeth in Trinity! For His sake hath goodwill appeared among men, delivering Adam from the primal curse, in that He loveth mankind! Twice

¶25

Stichos: God shall come forth out of Thæman, and the Holy One out of a mountain overshadowed and densely wooded.

¶26

In Tone IV: Hearken, O heaven, and attend, O earth! Let your foundations be moved, and let the uttermost depths tremble! For God the Creator, Who hath fashioned creation by His mighty hand, arraying Himself in a construct of flesh, is seen to be the product of a womb. O the depths of the riches, the wisdom and understanding of God! For His judgments are unfathomable, and His ways are inscrutable!

¶27

Stichos: O Lord, I have heard Thy report, and I was afraid; O Lord, I considered Thy works, and I was amazed.

¶28

The foregoing is repeated.

¶29

Glory…, in Tone V—

¶30

Come, ye Christian people, let us behold the miracle which seizeth every mind and filleth it with awe; and, piously chanting, O ye faithful, let us offer homage. Today the immaculate Virgin cometh to Bethlehem to give birth to the Lord, and the angelic choirs hasten on before. Seeing them, Joseph the betrothed cried aloud: “What is this awesome mystery accomplished within thee, O Virgin? How is it that thou shalt give birth, O heifer who knewest not wedlock?”

¶31

Now & ever…: The foregoing is repeated.

¶32

Prokimenon, in Tone IV—

¶33

From the womb before the morning-star have I begotten Thee.

¶34

Stichos: The Lord said unto my Lord: Sit Thou at My right hand.

¶35

The Lord again spake to Ahaz, saying: “Ask for thyself a sign of the Lord thy God, in the depth or in the height.” And Ahaz said: “I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.” And Isaiah said: “Hear now, O house of David: Is it a little thing for you to contend with men? And how do ye contend against the Lord? Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a Virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat, before He knoweth either to prefer evil, or choose the good. For before the Child shall know good or evil, He refuseth evil, to choose the good. And the Lord said to me: ‘Take to thyself a volume of a great new scroll, and write in it with a man’s pen concerning the making of a rapid plunder of spoils; for it is near at hand. And make Me witnesses of faithful men: Uriah the priest and Zachariah the son of Barachiah.’ And I went in to the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son. And the Lord said to me: ‘Call his name Spoil Quickly, Plunder Speedily. For before the child shall know how to call his father or his mother, One shall take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians.’ God is with us! Know, ye nations, and be conquered; hearken ye, even to the extremity of the earth: He conquered, after ye have strengthened yourselves; for even if ye should again strengthen yourselves, ye shall again be conquered. And whatsoever counsel ye take, the Lord shall bring it to nought; and whatsoever word ye shall speak, it shall not stand among you: for God is with us!”

¶36

A Reading from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Hebrews [§304]

¶37

Thou, O Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou remainest; and they all shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said He at any time: “Sit on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool”? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation? Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by those that heard Him?

¶38

People: And to thy spirit.

¶39

People: Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee!

¶40

Let Thy compassions quickly go before us, O Lord, for we are become exceedingly poor. Help us, O God our Savior, for the sake of the glory of Thy name; O Lord, deliver us and be gracious unto our sins for Thy name’s sake.

¶41

Today the Virgin cometh to give birth ineffably to the preëternal Word in the cave. Dance, O world! And having heard this, with the angels and shepherds glorify the preëternal God, Who is to appear as a little babe.

¶42

Lord, have mercy! Forty times

¶43

Thou Who at all times and at every hour, in heaven and on earth, art worshipped and glorified, O Christ God, Who art long-suffering, plenteous in mercy, most compassionate, Who lovest the righteous and hast mercy on sinners, Who callest all to salvation through the promise of good things to come: Receive, O Lord, our prayers at this hour, and guide our life toward Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, make chaste our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our intentions, and deliver us from every sorrow, evil, and pain. Compass us about with Thy holy angels that, guarded and guided by their array, we may attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of Thine unapproachable glory; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

¶44

Lord, have mercy! Thrice Glory…, Now & ever…

¶45

More honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify.

¶46

In the name of the Lord, father, bless!

¶47

O God and Lord of hosts, and Maker of all creation, Who by the tender compassion of Thy mercy which transcendeth comprehension, didst send down Thine Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the salvation of our race, and by His precious Cross didst tear asunder the handwriting of our sins, and thereby didst triumph over the principalities and powers of darkness: Do Thou Thyself, O Master, Lover of mankind, accept also from us sinners these prayers of thanksgiving and entreaty, and deliver us from every destructive and dark transgression, and from all enemies, both visible and invisible, that seek to do us evil. Nail down our flesh with the fear of Thee, and incline not our hearts unto words or thoughts of evil, but pierce our souls with longing for Thee, so that ever looking to Thee, and being guided by Thy light as we behold Thee, the Unapproachable and Everlasting Light, we may send up unceasing praise and thanksgiving unto Thee, the unoriginate Father, with Thine only-begotten Son, and Thine All-holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.