Bring unto the Lord, ye sons of God, bring unto the Lord the sons of rams; bring unto the Lord glory and honor. Bring unto the Lord the glory due unto His name, worship the Lord in His holy court. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory hath thundered, the Lord is upon the many waters. The voice of the Lord in might, the voice of the Lord in majesty, The voice of the Lord Who breaketh the cedars, yea, the Lord will break the cedars of Lebanon. And He will break them small like the calf of Lebanon, and His beloved is like a son of the unicorns. The voice of the Lord Who divideth the flame of fire, The voice of the Lord Who shaketh the wilderness, yea, the Lord will shake the wilderness of Kaddis. The voice of the Lord gathereth the harts, and shall reveal the thickets of oak, and in His temple every man uttereth glory. The Lord dwelleth in the flood, yea, the Lord shall sit as king for ever. The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

¶10

Priest: Peace be unto all.

¶11

Psalm 41

¶12

Priest: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark [§1]

¶13

As the heart panteth after the fountains of water, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsted for God, the mighty, the living; when shall I come, and appear before the face of God? My tears have been my bread by day and by night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is thy God? These things have I remembered, and I poured out my soul within me, for I shall go to the place of the wondrous tabernacle, even to the house of God, with a voice of rejoicing and thanksgiving, yea, of the sound of those who keep festival. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, for I will give thanks unto Him; He is the salvation of my countenance, and my God. Within me my soul hath been troubled; therefore will I remember Thee from the land of Jordan and Hermoniem, from the little mountain. Deep calleth unto deep, at the voice of Thy cataracts; all Thy billows and Thy waves have passed over me. By day the Lord will command His mercy, and by night His ode shall be with me, my prayer unto the God of my life. I will say unto God: Thou art my helper. Why hast Thou forgotten me? And wherefore go I with downcast face whilst mine enemy afflicteth me? Whilst my bones were broken, mine enemies reproached me; whilst they said to me daily: Where is thy God? Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, for I will give thanks unto Him; He is the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

¶14

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

¶15

Psalm 50

¶16

Then, the reader readeth this prayer—

¶17

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of Thy compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know mine iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee only have I sinned and done this evil before Thee, that Thou mightest be justified in Thy words, and prevail when Thou art judged. For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me. For behold, Thou hast loved truth; the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom hast Thou made manifest unto me. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be made clean; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Thou shalt make me to hear joy and gladness; the bones that be humbled, they shall rejoice. Turn Thy face away from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and with Thy governing Spirit establish me. I shall teach transgressors Thy ways, and the ungodly shall turn back unto Thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in Thy righteousness. O Lord, Thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise. For if Thou hadst desired sacrifice, I had given it; with whole-burnt offerings Thou shalt not be pleased. A sacrifice unto God is a broken spirit; a heart that is broken and humbled God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Thy good pleasure unto Sion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be builded. Then shalt Thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offerings. Then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar.

¶18

Glory…, Now & ever…

¶19

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

¶20

Once, the River Jordan was turned back by the mantle of Elisha when Elijah was borne aloft, and the waters were parted on either side, and the path which before was wet became dry for him, as a true image of baptism, whereby we pass through the flow of life. Christ hath appeared in the Jordan to sanctify the waters.

¶21

O Theotokos, thou art the true vine who hast budded forth for us the Fruit of life. We beseech thee, O Mistress: Pray thou with the holy apostles, that He have mercy upon our souls.

¶22

In Tone VIII: The right hand of the Forerunner and Baptist, the prophet honored above all other prophets, trembled when he beheld Thee, the Lamb of God Who purifieth the world of offenses; and, overwhelmed by the nature of the feat required of him, he cried aloud: “I dare not touch Thy head, O Word! Do Thou Thyself sanctify and illumine me, O Compassionate One, for Thou art the life, light and peace of the world!” Twice

¶23

Stichos: Therefore will I remember Thee from the land of Jordan and Hermoniem.

¶24

In Tone IV: The Trinity, our God, hath been revealed unto us today; for the Father hath given utterance to manifest testimony as to His kinship, and the Spirit hath descended from the heavens in the guise of a dove, while the Son hath bowed His all-pure head before the Forerunner and, being baptized, hath delivered the human race from bondage, in that He loveth mankind.

¶25

And the second choir chanteth the second Stichos:

¶26

The waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw Thee and were afraid.

¶27

Then, the foregoing sticheron is repeated.

¶28

Glory…, in Tone V—

¶29

The Lord, the Bestower of life, cometh to the Jordan in the flesh, desiring to be baptized in human form, in that He is compassionate; that, delivering from every machination and snare of the serpent us who have been deceived, He Who is borne witness to by the Father might illumine us. And the divine Spirit appeared with Him in the guise of a dove. Cause Him to dwell within our souls, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

¶30

Now & ever…: The foregoing is repeated.

¶31

Prokimenon, in Tone VI—

¶32

The waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw Thee and were afraid.

¶33

Stichos: With my voice unto the Lord have I cried, with my voice unto God, and He was attentive unto me.

¶34

A Reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah [Is. 1: 16-20]

¶35

Thus saith the Lord: Wash ye, be ye clean; remove your iniquities from your souls before Mine eyes; cease from your iniquities; learn to do well; diligently seek judgment, deliver the one who is suffering wrong, plead for the orphan, and obtain justice for the widow. And, come, let us reason together, saith the Lord: and though your sins be as purple, I will make them white as snow; and though they be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool. And if ye be willing, and hearken to Me, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye be not willing, nor hearken to Me, a sword shall devour you: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken this.

¶36

A Reading from the Acts of the Holy Apostles [§42]

¶37

In those days, it came to pass that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper borders came to Ephesus and, finding certain disciples, he said unto them: “Have ye received the Holy Spirit, since ye believed?” And they said unto him: “We have not so much as heard whether there is any Holy Spirit.” And he said to them: “Unto what, then, were ye baptized?” And they said: “Unto John’s baptism.” Then said Paul: “John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on Him Who should come after him, that is, on Jesus Christ.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. And he went into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

¶38

And the deacon announceth:

¶39

People: And to thy spirit.

¶40

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

¶41

The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’” John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; and preached, saying: “There cometh One mightier than I after me, the latchet of Whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water; but He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

¶42

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

¶43

Then, the following—

¶44

Blessed is the Lord God, blessed is the Lord day by day; the God of our salvation shall prosper us along the way. Our God is the God of salvation.

¶45

In the streams of the Jordan the Lord crieth out to John today: Fear not to baptize Me, for I have come to save Adam the first-created!

¶46

Lord, have mercy! Forty times

¶47

O Christ God, Thou Long-suffering, greatly Merciful and exceedingly Compassionate One, Who at all times and at every hour, in heaven and on earth, art worshipped and glorified; Who lovest the righteous and hast mercy on the sinful; Who callest all to salvation in the promise of good things to come: do Thou Thyself, O Lord, accept also our prayers at this hour, and guide our life toward Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, purify our bodies; set our minds aright; and cleanse our thoughts. And deliver us from every sorrow, evil and pain. Protect us by Thy holy angels, that, preserved and guided by their array, we may attain unto the unity of the Faith and to the understanding of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

¶48

Lord, have mercy! Thrice

¶49

Glory…, Now & ever…

¶50

We magnify thee, the Theotokos, who art more honorable than the cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim, and without corruption gavest birth to God the Word.

¶51

In the name of the Lord, father, bless!

¶52

O Master, God Almighty, O Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son, and Thou O Holy Spirit—one Godhead, one Power: have mercy on me a sinner, and by judgments which Thou knowest save me, Thine unworthy servant, for Thou art blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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