Then, Our Father…, after which we chant the kontakion of the forefeast, in Tone IV—
Then, the prayer:
The choir of angels hymneth Thee, and saith: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord of Sabaoth! Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory!
Psalm 102
And this prayer—
The choir of angels hymneth Thee, and saith: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord of Sabaoth! Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that He hath done for thee, Who is gracious unto all thine iniquities, Who healeth all thine infirmities, Who redeemeth thy life from corruption, Who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion, Who fulfilleth thy desire with good things; thy youth shall be renewed as the eagle’s. The Lord performeth deeds of mercy, and executeth judgment for all those who are wronged. He hath made His ways known unto Moses, unto the sons of Israel the things that He hath willed. Compassionate and merciful is the Lord, long-suffering and plenteous in mercy; not unto the end will He be angered, neither unto eternity will He be wroth. Not according to our iniquities hath He dealt with us, neither according to our sins hath He rewarded us. For according to the height of heaven from the earth, the Lord hath made His mercy to prevail over those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our iniquities from us. Like as a father hath compassion upon his sons, so hath the Lord had compassion on those who fear Him; for He knoweth whereof we are made, He hath remembered that we are dust. As for man, his days are as the grass; as a flower of the field, so shall he blossom forth. For when the wind is passed over it, then it shall be gone, and no longer will it know the place thereof. But the mercy of the Lord is from eternity, even unto eternity, upon those who fear Him. And His righteousness is upon sons of sons, upon those who keep His testament and remember His commandments to do them. The Lord in heaven hath prepared His throne, and His kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, all ye His angels, mighty in strength, that perform His word, to hear the voice of His words. Bless the Lord, all ye His hosts, His ministers that do His will. Bless the Lord, all ye His works, in every place of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
The choir of the holy angels and archangels, with all the heavenly hosts, doth hymn Thee and say: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord of Sabaoth! Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory!
Glory…: Psalm 145
Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord in my life, I will chant unto my God for as long as I have my being. Trust ye not in princes, in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit shall go forth, and he shall return unto his earth. In that day all his thoughts shall perish. Blessed is he of whom the God of Jacob is his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, Who hath made heaven and the earth, the sea and all that is therein, Who keepeth truth unto eternity, Who executeth judgment for the wronged, Who giveth food unto the hungry. The Lord looseth the fettered; the Lord maketh wise the blind; the Lord setteth aright the fallen; the Lord loveth the righteous; the Lord preserveth the proselytes. He shall adopt for His own the orphan and widow, and the way of sinners shall He destroy. The Lord shall be king unto eternity; thy God, O Sion, unto generation and generation.
Now & ever…—
O only-begotten Son and Word of God, Who art immortal, and didst deign for the sake of our salvation to become incarnate of the holy Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary, Who without change becamest man, and wast crucified and trampled down death by death, O Christ God, Who art One of the Holy Trinity, worshipped with the Father and the Holy Spirit: Save us!
In Thy kingdom remember us, O Lord, when Thou comest in Thy kingdom.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who weep, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall find mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in the heavens.
We do not interpolate odes from the Menaion between the verses of the Beatitudes, neither do we read any Epistle or Gospel.
Glory…, Now & ever…:
Remember us, O Lord, when Thou comest in Thy kingdom!
Remember us, O Master, when Thou comest in Thy kingdom!
Remember us, O Holy One, when Thou comest in Thy kingdom!
Come unto Him, and be enlightened, and your faces shall not be ashamed.
Now & ever…: And we recite the Symbol of Faith if Liturgy is not to be celebrated. But if Liturgy is to be celebrated, we proceed instead immediately to the prayer: Absolve, remit and pardon…
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages: Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father; by Whom all things were made; Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from the heavens, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man; and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried; and arose again on the third day according to the Scriptures; and ascended into the heavens, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father; and shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, Who proceedeth from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified; Who spake by the prophets. In One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen.
Absolve, remit and pardon our transgressions, O God, voluntary and involuntary, in word and in deed, whether committed knowingly or unknowingly, day and night, in mind and intention: forgive them all for us, in that Thou art good and lovest mankind.
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!
Lord, have mercy! Forty times
O most Holy Trinity, One mighty in essence, indivisible Monarchy, Cause of all good things: Be thou well disposed toward me, a sinner. Make steadfast and wise my heart, and do away with all my defilement. Illumine my mind, that I may continually glorify, hymn, and worship Thee, saying: One is holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Then, It is truly meet…, and the dismissal of the day, after which all disperse until the hour of Vespers, which is celebrated together with the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great at the appointed time. Psalm 33: I will bless the Lord at all times…, is chanted after the Prayer beyond the Ambo at the end of the Liturgy. But if Liturgy is not to be celebrated, we chant that Psalm here, in the following manner—
Blessed be the name of the Lord from henceforth and for evermore. Thrice
Glory…, Now & ever…
I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
In the Lord shall my soul be praised; let the meek hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my tribulations.
Come unto Him, and be enlightened, and your faces shall not be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his tribulations.
The angel of the Lord will encamp round about those who fear Him, and will deliver them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that hopeth in Him.
O fear the Lord, all ye His saints; for there is no want to those who fear Him.
Rich men have turned poor and gone hungry; but those who seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good thing.
Come ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
What man is there that desireth life, who loveth to see good days?
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
Turn away from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are opened unto their supplication.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, utterly to destroy the remembrance of them from the earth.
The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them, and He delivered them out of all their tribulations.
The Lord is nigh unto those who are of a contrite heart, and He will save the humble of spirit.
Many are the tribulations of the righteous, and the Lord shall deliver them out of them all.
The Lord keepeth all their bones, not one of them shall be broken.
The death of sinners is evil, and those who hate the righteous shall do wrong.
The Lord will redeem the souls of His servants, and none of them will do wrong that hope in Him.
It is truly meet…, and the dismissal.
Be it known that if the eve of Theophany fall on Saturday or Sunday, the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is celebrated, while on the feast itself we celebrate the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. If the eve fall on any other day besides Saturday or Sunday, we celebrate the Liturgy of Saint Basil on the eve, and that of Saint John Chrysostom on the feast itself.
Be it likewise known that when the feast of the Holy Theophany falleth on Sunday, the hymns of the feast completely supplant those of the Resurrection from the Octoechos.
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.