Irmos: Hearken, O pure Virgin Maiden! Let Gabriel give utterance unto the true and ancient counsel of the Most High: “Make ready to receive God, for through thee hath the Infinite One come to dwell with men!” Wherefore, rejoicing, I cry out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
The Theotokos: “Every earthly mind is vanquished, pondering the all-glorious things thou declarest unto me,” answered the Virgin; “I have heard thy words, yet am in fear and terror, lest through deception thou send me far away from God. Yet, behold! I cry out: ‘Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and exalt Him supremely forever!’”
The Angel: “Behold, thy perplexity hath been resolved,” Gabriel said to this; “for thou hast said well that this is a matter hard to comprehend. Yet, submitting to the words of thy mouth, doubt not that this is true, but believe it. For, rejoicing, I cry: ‘Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and exalt Him supremely forever!’”
The Theotokos: “This is God’s law for men,” the immaculate one straightway said, “Birthgiving cometh from mutual love. I am utterly ignorant of the pleasure of a spouse. How then sayest thou that I will give birth? I fear that thou speakest falsehood. Yet do I cry out: ‘Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and exalt Him supremely forever!’”
The Angel: “The words thou declarest to me, O pure one, apply in general to the birthgiving of mortal men,” the angel said again; “I promise thee that the true God, incarnate in manner past recounting and comprehension, as He knoweth, will come forth from thee. Wherefore, rejoicing, I cry aloud: ‘Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and exalt Him supremely forever!’”
The Theotokos: “Thou showest thyself to me as a herald of the truth,” the Virgin said, “for thou hast come as a harbinger of common joy. I have therefore cleansed soul and body. Be it unto me according to thy word, that God may dwell in me, to Whom I cry out with thee: ‘Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and exalt Him supremely forever!’”
At Ode IX, the faithful again light their candles. We do not chant the Magnificat; rather, the right choir chanteth instead the refrain of the feast and the irmos, and then the left choir doeth the same. The refrain is also used to introduce each of the troparia of Ode IX of the festal canon, but for the troparia of the triodion, we use the refrain: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!”, and for the Theotokion of the triodion we use the festal refrain.
Refrain: O earth, announce glad tidings of great joy! Ye heavens, praise the glory of God!
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.