Song of Ascents, the first antiphon of Tone IV
After the first chanting of the Psalter, this sessional hymn, in Tone III—
With spiritual discourse thou didst bedew our whole land, O Nina, equal of the apostles, and thus didst render it fertile, that it might produce the seed of faith. And thou didst enlighten the ends of the world and uproot the tares of unbelief, baptizing the peoples of Iberia in the name of the unoriginate Trinity.
At “God is the Lord…”, the troparion of the feast, twice; Glory…, that of the saint; Now & ever…, that of the feast, once.
Glory…, Now & ever…: Sessional hymn of the feast, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Go Thou quickly before…”—
Thou didst sanctify the streams of the Jordan and didst crush the might of sin, O Christ our God; Thou didst bow Thy head beneath the hand of the Forerunner and hast saved the human race from deception. Wherefore, we entreat Thee: Save Thou our souls!
Both canons of the feast, with 8 troparia, including the irmoi; and that of the saint, with 6 troparia.
After the second chanting of the Psalter, this sessional hymn, in Tone VIII—
O holy city, adornment of the Church, rejoice and be glad, for today is celebrated the splendid festival of our mother Nina, the equal of the apostles, the preacher of the Gospel, who founded thee; and cry out with us: O Christ God, by her supplications establish Thy Faith!
Glory…, Now & ever…: Sessional hymn of the feast, in Tone IV—
Wherefore didst thou marvel, O River Jordan, seeing the Invisible One naked? “I beheld and trembled,” it said, “for how could I have desired not to be filled with awe of Him and withdraw?” The angels were filled with fear, beholding Him; heaven was affrighted, and the earth quaked; the sea, and all things visible and invisible, were troubled. Christ appeared in the Jordan, to sanctify the waters.
After the Polyeleos, this sessional hymn, in Tone VIII—
Polyeleos, and this magnification—
Glory…, Now & ever…: Sessional hymn of the feast, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Joseph was amazed…”—
We magnify thee, O holy Nina, equal of the apostles, who didst illumine the whole land of Iberia with the light of the Gospel and didst lead it to Christ.
Selected Psalm verses—
A The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaimeth the work of His hands. [Ps. 18: 2]
B The heavens shall confess Thy wonders, O Lord. [Ps. 88: 6]
A In the stead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee. [Ps. 44: 17]
B The God of gods, the Lord, hath spoken, and He hath called the earth. [Ps. 49: 1]
A From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised. [Ps. 112: 3]
B Thy lightnings have shone forth throughout the world. [Ps. 96: 4]
A The heavens declared His righteousness. [Ps. 96: 6]
B And all the peoples saw His glory. [Ps. 96: 6]
A The princes of Judah are their rulers. [Ps. 67: 28]
B God is King over the nations. [Ps. 46: 9]
A God is glorified in the council of the saints. [Ps. 88: 8]
B Great and terrible is He toward all who are round about Him. [Ps. 88: 8]
A Say among the nations that the Lord is King. [Ps. 95: 10]
B Declare among the heathen His glory, and among all peoples His wonders. [Ps. 95: 3]
A Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth. [Ps. 18: 5]
B Their words unto the ends of the world. [Ps. 18: 5]
A He hath subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. [Ps. 46: 4]
B Great is our God, and great is His strength, and of His understanding there is no measure. [Ps. 146: 5]
A He will give power and strength unto His people. Blessed be God. [Ps. 67: 36]
Glory…, Now & ever…
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Glory to Thee, O God! Thrice
Having been chosen beforehand by the Mother of God, and received the rank of the apostles, thou didst illumine the land of Iberia with the light of the Gospel, with the angels hymning the Deliverer and praying unceasingly to Him for us, that Christ grant us grace and mercy.
Come, O ye faithful, let us see where Christ hath been baptized. Let us follow now to the River Jordan, to the voice of him who crieth in the wilderness, and let us behold there the Creator of Adam, Who in His ineffable compassion is touched by the hand of His servant; and let us cry aloud to Him: Thou hast come, Thou hast appeared in the Jordan, to sanctify the waters!
Prokimenon, in Tone IV—
Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends to the world.
Stichos: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth forth the work of His hands.
Let every breath praise the Lord.
Gospel according to Matthew
§34, from the midpoint [Mt 10:1, 5-8]
At that time, when Jesus had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them saying: “Go not into the way of the gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.”
After Psalm 50, this sticheron, in Tone VI—
Come, let us all hymn Nina, the equal of the apostles, the divinely wise enlightener of Iberia; for she dispelled the falsehood of idolatry, leading us out of the darkness into the light, and taught us to worship the consubstantial Trinity. Wherefore, all ye faithful, let us celebrate her honored memory with faith, and glorify our Savior.
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.