Song of Ascents, the first antiphon of Tone IV.
Glory, Now & ever —
After the first chanting of the Psalter, this Sessional hymn, in Tone III —
O pious people, ye assemblies of Orthodox Christians, draw ye all nigh with faith, falling down before the divine image of the Mother of God; for she joyfully granteth healing to all the ailing, woundeth the heretical like a shaft from a bow, maketh us all radiantly glad, and illumineth us with grace by her supplications.
At “God is the Lord,” the troparion of the icon, thrice.
Glory, Now & ever —
After the second chanting of the Psalter, this Sessional hymn, in Tone IV —
God made thee wholly a good and undefiled Virgin among women, having prefigured thee honorably through the prophets; and having blessed thee by His priests, He caused thee to dwell in the Holy of Holies and nurtured thee by an angel, giving thee bread from heaven. And the same all-good One, the only-begotten Word of God, made His abode within thee and issued forth from thee in the flesh. Wherefore, we worship and honor thee truly as the true Theotokos.
One canon from the Octoechos, with 6 troparia; and two for the saints, with 8 troparia.
Glory, Now & ever
After the Polyeleos, this Sessional hymn, in Tone I —
Let all the multitude of the faithful radiantly join chorus, and let the army of the demons lament, beholding the manifold feasts of the Mother of God shining forth, praising the blessed Mother of God with hymns divine. For where the all-blessed Mistress Theotokos, the divinely elect Maiden, is glorified in God-pleasing manner, there are the fall of wickedness and the mighty confirmation of Christians.
Glory, Now & ever —
O most blessed Mistress Theotokos, divinely elect Maiden, splendid fulfillment of the words of the prophets, boast of the apostles, crown and confession of the martyrs, greatly hymned one who art honored by the angels and the generations of men, longed-for helper of the whole world: Deliver thy servants from future damnation and the lake of fire, O thou who alone art blessed.
Polyeleos, and this Magnification —
It is meet to magnify thee, O Theotokos, who art more honorable than the cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim.
Selected Psalm verses —
A O God, give Thy judgment to the king [71: 1]
B And Thy righteousness to the son of the king. [71: 1]
A That he may judge Thy people with righteousness. [71: 2]
B And Thy poor with judgment. [71: 2]
A He shall judge the beggars among the people, and shall save the sons of the poor. [71: 4]
B Proclaim from day to day the good tidings of the salvation of our God. [cf. 95: 2]
A The Lord shall give speech with great power to those who bring good tidings. [67: 12]
B The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David, and He will not annul it. [131: 11]
A Of the fruit of thy loins will I set upon thy throne. [131: 11]
B He shall come down like rain upon a fleece. [71: 6]
A And like rain-drops that fall upon the earth. [71: 6]
B And He bowed the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under His feet. [17: 10]
A For the Lord hath elected Sion, He hath chosen her to be a habitation for Himself. [131: 13]
B The Most High hath hallowed His tabernacle. [45: 5]
A God is in the midst of her, she shall not be shaken. [45: 6]
B He shall spare the poor man and the pauper, and the souls of the poor shall He save. [71: 13]
A All the nations shall serve Him. [71: 11]
B All the day long shall they bless Him. [71: 15]
A He shall be a support in the earth on the summits of the mountains. [71: 16]
B His name shall be blessed unto the ages. [71: 17]
A And in Him shall be blessed all the tribes of the earth. [71: 17]
B Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, Who alone doeth wonders. [71: 18]
A And blessed is the name of His glory forever, and unto the ages of ages. [71: 19]
B And all the earth shall be filled with His glory. So be it. So be it. [71: 19]
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory to Thee, O God. Thrice
O Mother of God, save those who honor thee in Orthodox manner, and flee to thee, and lovingly bow down before thy holy icon; and give us not as plunder to our adversaries, neither let all the evils which our sins have prepared for us come upon us, nor let our iniquities gain ascendancy over our heads; but may thy God-pleasing maternal prayers to God prevail.
Thine all-pure icon, O Virgin Theotokos, is spiritual healing for the whole world; and having recourse thereto, we bow down before thee, and venerate, kiss and honor it, drawing forth therefrom the grace of healing of bodily infirmities and the passions of the spirit; and thus are we freed by thy supplications.
Prokimenon, in Tone IV —
I shall commemorate thy name in every generation and generation.
Stichos: Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear.
Let every breath praise the Lord.
Gospel According to Luke, §4 [Lk 1:39-49, 56]
In those days Mary arose, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; and entered into the house of Zechariah, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit: and she spake out with a loud voice, and said: “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” And Mary said: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He Who is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name.” And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
After Psalm 50, this sticheron, in Tone VIII —
Come, let us rejoice in the mighty helper of our race, the Queen and Theotokos! Come, let us bow down before her serene, wondrous and precious image, which is venerated by the angels! For the Theotokos giveth abundant gifts of healing to the faithful, pouring forth never-failing grace from the inexhaustible wellspring of her holy icon. She delivereth from the darkness of temptations and misfortunes, and from every sin, us who piously and in God-pleasing manner glorify and honor the radiant and wondrous holy icon of the Mother of God. Wherefore, chanting, we cry aloud to the prototype thereof: Rejoice, O loving help of the world, in the salvation of our souls!
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.