Ode VI

Irmos: I will sacrifice to Thee with a voice of praise, O Lord, the Church crieth unto Thee, cleansed of the blood of demons by the blood which, for mercy’s sake, flowed from Thy side.

Kontakion, in Tone III—

Thou wast imprisoned in a dungeon like a malefactor, O glorious Theodotus, being a keeper of the commandments of God Who hath made thy divine festival of great brilliance.

Theotokion: Christ our God, Who dwelt in thy womb and liveth among men, O all-pure one, driveth sin away and, in His love for mankind, maketh human nature His own.

Irmos: Celebrating this divine and most honored festival of the Mother of God, come, ye divinely wise, let us clap our hands and glorify God Who was born of her.

Kontakion, in Tone VIII—

Thou didst stand condemned before the tribunal of the unjust, counting it useless to judge iniquitous men who prefer injustice to righteousness, O divinely wise and holy hierarch.

Thou didst break the waves of savage torments as though thou wast a rock, O most blessed one, ascending by the ascent of thy heart to Christ God, the chief Cornerstone.

Thou didst rebuke the sea of false belief, and with the faith of correct belief didst wound the falsehood of the godlessness of idolatry; and as a divine immolation thou bedewest the ends of the earth with thy wonderworking. O holy hierarch Theodotus our father, entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy!

Night and darkness and the waters of gainsaying cruelly try thy land. Lo! this is the menace of God and His wrath. Yet I pray, I pray, O all-pure one, and say: What thou dost wish, thou canst do. And I know that the Maiden maketh entreaty for her dominion.

We, thy people, have been wounded by the serpent, and we cry out to thee as from the belly of hades, O gracious Virgin: O Theotokos, not for our sake, but for the sake of those chosen by thee who have loved the angelic life, save thou all the ­Orthodox people.

As prisoners in fetters, O Queen, what can we do without thee, and where can we find release from our sins? Yet as thou art good, establish thy holiness within us and reject not those who pray to thee.

My sun hath gone dark and my spirit hath departed into the barren earth; therefore I have remembered the light of the Sun of righteousness and have humbled my pride. Unto thee do I cry, O pure Virgin, that thou save thy servant.

Let us remain in oneness of mind, O ye people, and let us rejoice in the wounds which are from the Creator, for, chastising, the Lord hath chastened us, but He hath not given us over to death and hath taught us to understand His will.

The dead shall arise and the earth shall cast up its bones, for He Who deigned to abase Himself shall resurrect us all: He is the King of the world, and His Mother is our Mistress.

To thee, the champion leader, do we offer hymns of victory, for thy might hath been given to us, and we are not afraid; for our salvation is not of this world, but we are defended by the loving-kindness of the all-exalted Mistress. Today we rejoice therein, for the Mistress hath come to watch over her land.

Ikos: Beholding thine icon—the Ancient of Days in the clouds, and Christ God, thy Son and the Savior of the world, in thine arms—we bow down before thy temple and, kissing thy precious feet, we cry out to thee thus: Truly great salvation hath been given us, and our hope is ever before us, for the Mistress hath come to watch over her land.