As the all-beauteous palace of the Word and His light-bearing throne, O Mistress, thou didst contain within thy womb the Word Who is equally enthroned with the Father. And having given birth unto the never-waning Light, thou hast brought light to our darkness, hast driven away the falsehood of the serpent and destroyed corruption, and by thy birthgiving hast granted everlasting life to the world. Thou hast opened the gates of paradise and bestowed all manner of blessings upon human nature. And now, do thou by thy supplications, O Lady, deliver thy servants from all misfortunes.

¶8

Now & ever…: Theotokion, or stavrotheotokion.

¶9

Glory…: Troparion of the martyrs, in the same tone —

¶10

A Reading from Genesis

¶11

As thou art the great Queen and Mother of the King of the all-exalted hosts in heaven, stretching forth thine all-pure hands, thou dost intercede for us with supplication; and on earth, as a mighty helper, thou abidest with thy servants in spirit and in thy divine icon, and dost gladly save and deliverest from all temptation those who piously confess thee to be the Theotokos.

¶12

A Reading from the Prophecy of Ezekiel

¶13

As a paradise of golden radiance, an all-beauteous palace of divine light, a holy tree overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, a habitation of the never-waning Light, shining manifestly with divine splendor upon those who know thee, thou dost illumine all creation with thine Infant; and entreating Him, O Queen and Theotokos, save all Orthodox hierarchs and the people who flee to thee from all misfortunes.

¶14

A Reading from Proverbs

¶15

The Church of God, made splendid with the icon of thee and thy Son, O Theotokos, as with royal purple and fine linen, is adorned with miracles. Today, at the revelation of thine image, it calleth all to celebrate, shining with the grace of the Holy Spirit more brightly than the radiance of the sun, pouring forth streams of healing upon the sick and the infirm, and granting rich mercy unto all.

¶16

Wisdom hath built a house for herself and set up seven pillars. She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine in a bowl and prepared her table. She hath sent forth her servants, calling with a loud proclamation to the feast, saying: “Whoso is foolish, let him turn aside to me.” And to those who want understanding, she saith: “Come, eat of my bread, and drink wine which I have mingled for you. Leave folly, that ye may reign forever; and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge.” He that reproveth evil men shall get dishonor to himself; and he that rebuketh an ungodly man shall disgrace himself. Rebuke not evil men, lest they should hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more instruction. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel of the law is the character of a sound mind. For in this way thou shalt live long, and years of thy life shall be added to thee.

¶17

O Jesus, exalted and unapproachable King, Who art enthroned with the Father and the divine Spirit, and Who wast well-pleased to be born on earth of the Virgin who tasted not of wedlock: Taking pity on thy creation, bestowing ineffable beauties upon human nature, accept Thou the supplications of Thy Mother which are offered to Thee in our behalf; and be not mindful of our iniquities, but, as Thou art compassionate, remember and save our souls. Twice

¶18

Glory..., Now & ever..., in Tone VI —

¶19

Bowing down the heavens, the King of glory condescended to restore Adam who had become wholly corrupt through his transgression; He made His abode within thee, O pure Virgin, was born without violating the seal of thy virginity, and, though King of the archangels, was borne in thine arms, a lowly babe. And now He accepteth thine entreaty, and fulfilleth thy petition in all things, in that He is thy Son and God. Therefore, beseech Him earnestly, that He save our souls, in that He is compassionate.

¶20

More than the tabernacle of Moses, which was fashioned according to a heavenly plan, did God hallow thee wholly with the Holy Spirit, O Theotokos; and, having dwelt wholly within thee, He hath given life to all men. Wherefore, thine icon also hath been filled with the grace of God more than the ark of Aaron, and poureth forth sanctification upon souls and bodies. And bowing down with love before it, we ask of thee great mercy, that thou save our souls, O blessed helper.

¶21

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!

¶22

Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. 3 Readings:

¶23

Jacob went forth from the well of the oath, and departed into Haran. And he came to a certain place, and slept there, for the sun had gone down; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it at his head, and lay down to sleep in that place, and dreamed: and behold a ladder fixed on the earth, whose top reached to heaven, and the angels of God ascended and descended on it. And the Lord stood upon it, and said: “I am the God of thy father Abraham, and the God of Isaac. Fear not; the land on which thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be like the sand of the earth; and it shall spread abroad to the sea, and the south, and the north, and the east; and in thee and in thy seed shall all tribes of the earth be blessed. And behold I am with thee to preserve thee continually in all the way wherein thou shalt go; and I will bring thee back to this land; for I will not desert thee, until I have done all that I have said to thee.” And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said: “The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.” And he was afraid, and sad: “How fearful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”

¶24

Thus saith the Lord: “It shall come to pass from the eighth day and onward, that the priests shall offer your wholeburnt-offerings on the altar, and your peace-offerings; and I will accept you,” saith the Lord. Then He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that faceth eastward; and it was shut. And the Lord said to me: “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it; for the Lord God of Israel shall enter by it, and it shall be shut. For the Prince, He shall sit in it, to eat bread before the Lord; He shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go forth by the way of the same.” And He brought me in by the way of the gate that faceth northward, in front of the house: and I looked, and, behold! the house was full of the glory of the Lord.

¶25

At the Litia, these stichera idiomela, in Tone II —

¶26

As thine icon, O Theotokos, is truly more venerable than the ark of old before which David danced, having assembled the ranks of Israel, there now stand before it the councils of hierarchs with the ranks of the angels, kings and princes, and all the multitude of the Christian people; and they bless thee, the Mother of God; they glorify thee as befitteth servants, and honor and bow down before thee; and they pray to thee, after God, that thou grant the world peace in Orthodoxy, make steadfast the scepters of kings, and save thy servants from all evils, in that thou art blessed.

¶27

Before thine image, O all-pure Lady Theotokos, stand the company of hierarchs, kings and princes, and all the people, monastics and laity, who know thee truly to be a powerful and invincible helper; and they are moved to offer thee supplications with all their soul, and, needful of thine aid, are impelled to pray to God, for thou dost stretch forth thy God-bearing hands and prayest for the world. Hearken thou and give ear, O Mistress, and grant consolation to thy servants, lest our heavy and grievous sins prevail over us; for we are all ever in need of thine assistance.

¶28

In Tone VIII: When first thine icon was painted by Luke, the Evangelist of the mysteries of the Gospel, and was brought to thee, O Queen, that thou mightest make it thine own and impart to it the power to save those who honor thee, thou didst rejoice; and as thou art the merciful collaborator in our salvation, in that once thou didst conceive God in thy womb, thou didst chant a hymn to the icon, giving mouth and voice thereto: “Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed!”, and, gazing at it thou didst say with authority: “My grace and power are with this image!” And we truly believe what thou didst say, O Lady, for in this image thou art with us. Wherefore, standing reverently before it, we thy servants bow down before thee. Visit us with thy maternal compassion.

¶29

In Tone VII: A great and all-glorious mountain art thou, O Theotokos, surpassing Mount Sinai. For, unable to bear the descent of the glory of God in types and shadows, it caught on fire, and thunder and lightning struck it; but thou, being all divine light, bore the Word of God in thy womb without being consumed, and with the milk of thy breasts didst nurture Him Who holdeth all things in His hand. And now, as thou dost possess maternal boldness toward Him, O Mistress, help those who faithfully celebrate thine honored festival, and visiting us in thy mercy, forget us not; for thou hast received from God the gift of ordering and protecting the Christian flock, thy servants.

¶30

To thee do all the generations of men offer gifts of praise, and they entreat thee as Queen and the Mother of God: the prophets proclaimed thee most wisely, the Levites blessed thee, the apostles and martyrs confessed thee, kings and princes bow down before thee, hierarchs proclaim thee, monks and layfolk render thee reverence, rich and poor, orphans and widows, and men of every age and station, old and young, flee beneath thy mighty protection with faith. By thy prayers, O Lady, protect and preserve us, and save our souls from misfortunes.

¶31

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera: 3 for the hierarch, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “When from the Tree…” —

¶32

With the splendors of divine teachings thou didst destroy the night of polytheism, O father Abercius, and, shining forth the dawn, thou didst make those who before were in darkness children of the day, showing forth all-glorious miracles, O hierarch. Wherefore, we all celebrate thy holy memory with faith, hymning thee, O divinely inspired one.

¶33

Working a miracle, O father, thou didst mingle wine and oil in a single vessel, preserved in another form, but didst cause them to separate by divine grace when needed; and by thy supplication thou didst cause an outpouring of thermal waters to flow forth, healing all the infirmities of those who approach thee with faith and call thee blessed, O Abercius.

¶34

Cleaving wholly unto God, O Abercius, thou didst show thyself to be a fulfiller of divine teachings; and receiving grace from on high, O venerable one, thou didst dispel the divers infirmities of men; thou didst destroy the temples of the idols and didst plant divine knowledge in those who before languished wretchedly in ignorance, O blessed one.

¶35

And 3 stichera of the youths, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “As one valiant among the martyrs…” —

¶36

Submitting to God, the blessed youths spurned the all-iniquitous commands, and when they were bound they broke the bonds of falsehood, and, rejecting worldly rank, have received a glory which made them all-gloriously perfect and won for them the enjoyment of the heavenly kingdom.

¶37

Having mightily trained yourselves for the struggles of suffering, O saints, ye hid in the cave, entreating to the Lord with unceasing supplications, that He grant might and power through judgments which He Who loveth mankind doth know; and as God He commanded all of you to fall asleep in peace.

¶38

Come ye all, and let us earnestly hymn the witnesses of piety, the divinely assembled legion, the blessed choir, the invincible regiment of martyrs, the beautiful triumph of the Church of God, the indivisible company, the unvanquished army, the unshakable foundation of piety.

¶39

Glory…, the composition of John the monk, in Tone III —

¶40

O venerable hierarch, most blessed father Abercius, thou wonder-worker and favorite of God, who shone forth in thy prophetic life, thou hast been vouchsafed apostolic gifts, unceasingly ministering unto the Savior with the angels. Pray thou, that our souls be delivered from every threat.

¶41

A sword pierced thy heart, O all-pure one, when thou didst behold thy Son upon the Cross; and thou didst cry out: “Show me not to be childless, O my Son and my God, Who hast kept me a virgin even after giving birth!”

¶42

The very truth of things revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith, a model of meekness and teacher of abstinence. Wherefore, thou didst attain the heights through humility and riches through poverty. O father Abercius, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved!

¶43

In their sufferings, O Lord, Thy martyrs received imperishable crowns from Thee, our God; for, possessed of Thy might, they set at nought the tormenters, and crushed the feeble audacity of the demons. By their supplications save Thou our souls.

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