In Tone II: O good one, thou intercedest for all who with faith have recourse to thy mighty protection; for before God we sinners, ever weighted down by many sins, have none other deliverance in misfortune and sorrows, O Mother of God most high. Wherefore, we bow down before thee; deliver thy servants from every evil circumstance.

¶8

A Reading from Proverbs

¶9

Joy of all who sorrow art thou, and protector of the oppressed, feeder of the hungry, consolation of travellers, haven for the tempest-tossed, visitation of the sick, protection and aid of the infirm, staff of old age, O all-pure Mother of the most high God. Haste thou, we pray thee, to save thy servants.

¶10

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.

¶11

In Tone IV: Rejoice, O all-pure Mother of God! Rejoice, thou hope of the faithful! Rejoice, cleansing of the world! Rejoice, thou who deliverest thy servants from all sorrows! Rejoice, haven for the tempest-tossed! Rejoice, light of all the world! Rejoice, comforter and helper of Christians! Rejoice, refuge and salvation of all who bless thee, O Bride of God!

¶12

Glory..., Now & ever..., in Tone V —

¶13

Rejoice, thou beauty of Jacob which God hath chosen and loved, portal for the saved, annulment of the curse, O all-blessed one, womb that contained God, restoration of the fallen, more holy than the cherubim and most exalted of all creation, fiery throne of the Word, cloud whence the Sun hath shone forth, granting great mercy to those who are in darkness.

¶14

In Tone VIII: Rejoice, thou joy of the angels! Rejoice, glory of men! Rejoice, hope and intercession, rampart and aid of the faithful, O all-pure Mistress and Mother of God, who without knowing man gavest birth to God, the Redeemer of the world, in the flesh. Disdain not thy servants, but by thine entreaties deliver us from the temptations, misfortunes and evil circumstances which surround us, O joy of all who sorrow, sole refuge of Christians.

¶15

Rejoice, O all-hymned Theotokos, thou wellspring pouring forth life for the faithful! Rejoice, Mistress of all and Lady of creation, thou blessed one! Rejoice, bush unburnt! Rejoice, holy mount! Rejoice, life-bearing garden! Rejoice, animate paradise! Rejoice, Virgin Mother! Rejoice, thou Bride of God!

¶16

Rejoice, O Theotokos, Mother of Christ! Rejoice, our only hope, thou help of men! Rejoice, most radiant beacon of the Light! Rejoice, lamp of holiness! Rejoice, fiery chariot of the Word! Rejoice, divine habitation! Rejoice, thou wellspring pouring forth the water of grace upon those who have recourse unto thee!

¶17

Rejoice, boast of all the world! Rejoice, temple of the Lord! Rejoice, mountain thickly wooded! Rejoice, refuge of all! Rejoice, golden lampstand! Rejoice, honored glory of the Orthodox! Rejoice, Mary, Mother of Christ God! Rejoice, thou paradise! Rejoice, divine table! Rejoice, O tabernacle! Rejoice, golden jar! Rejoice, thou hope of all!

¶18

Come, ye assemblies of those who love the feasts of the Church, let us bless the all-holy Virgin, the divine Maiden, for she is the mediatress of joy and salvation for the world, in that she hath given birth unto Christ God. For the all-unoriginate Father claimed for Himself this daughter, who alone was chosen from all generations; and the equally eternal Word chose her as His Mother; and the Holy Spirit in godly manner joined her to Himself as an all-pure bride. With unceasing hymns the hosts of the Most High, having Gabriel as their chief captain, magnify her as one chosen of God and blessed among women, crying: Rejoice, for the Lord is with thee! And with the prophet David, the patriarchs, prophets and all the saints crown her with joyful voices, crying: The queen did stand at Thy right hand, O Master, in a vesture of gold, inwrought with divine graces. And we, the unworthy, hymn her as the mighty helper of our race, saying: Rejoice, wondrous adornment of the Church and most marvelous protection of the whole world! Rejoice, ally in battle for faithful kings and might of warriors! Rejoice, protection, praise and joy of all born of earth! Rejoice, divine consolation of all who sorrow and are oppressed! Rejoice, joyous one, the Lord is with thee, granting the world great mercy through thee!

¶19

Entrance. Prokimenon of the Day. And three Lessons:

¶20

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!”

¶21

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.

¶22

At the Litia, these stichera, in Tone VIII —

¶23

O Theotokos, thou intercessor for all, joy of the sorrowful and great consolation of the weeping; with the angels, apostles and all the saints: Entreat thy Son, Christ our God, that He deliver us at the hour of trial, of dread condemnation, that having acquired salvation through thee, we may glorify thee as most blessed for ever.

¶24

With faith do I flee unto thy protection, O all-pure Theotokos: Save me from temptations and misfortunes, from the affliction of the passions and the malice of the demons, for thou art possessed of an abyss of mercy and art shown to be a mediatress of salvation who didst bear the merciful God, Who alone is most compassionate and full of loving-kindness.

¶25

O most pure one, the Word Who is wholly without beginning, having found thee alone among women from all ages to be the comely beauty of Jacob, and making His abode within thee, for mercy’s sake, hath renewed human nature. Him do thou entreat unceasingly, that we that honor thee as the joy and salvation of the world may be delivered from all misfortune and sorrow.

¶26

Let us hymn the portal of heaven, the ark, the most holy mountain, the luminous cloud, the heavenly ladder, the noetic paradise, the deliverance of Eve, the great treasure of the whole universe, for in her hath been wrought the salvation of the world and the remission of the ancient transgression. Wherefore, we cry aloud unto her: Beseech thy Son and God, that He grant forgiveness of sins unto those who bow down before thee and with gladness celebrate thine all-honored festival, O blessed Mother of God, our glory and joy.

¶27

With a trumpet let us sound forth hymns, for the Virgin Mother, the Queen of all, bending down from on high, doth crown with blessings those who raise hymns unto her. Let kings and princes come together, and let them clap their hands in praise to the queen who gave birth unto the King Who, in His love for man, was well pleased to loose those who before were held fast by death. O ye pastors and teachers, assembling, let us hymn the all-pure Mother of the Good Shepherd, she who is far more spacious than the heavens, the animate ark of the Lord, the fiery throne of the Master, the golden jar which contained the heavenly Manna, the portal of the Word which was shut, the refuge of all Christians. All ye people, praising her with eloquent hymns, thus let us say: O Mother of God the Word, vouchsafe thou the kingdom of heaven unto us, the lowly, for naught is impossible for thy mediation.

¶28

On “Lord, I have cried…”, these stichera, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “O all-praised martyrs…” —

¶29

Thou didst apply thy courage against the savagery of the Jews, O most lauded martyr Arethas, and wast shown to be victorious by the grace of God. And thou didst bring to Christ, a militant choir of martyrs of every age, composed of all races, O glorious one.

¶30

O most glorious Arethas, having formed a beautiful choir of thy sacred fellow martyrs, with them thou didst struggle, completing the good race and the good fight of thy most courageous contest. Wherefore, entreat Christ, that He grant peace and great mercy to our souls.

¶31

The divinely wise martyred virgins, set alight by the love of Christ, undaunted by the weakness of their nature, but manifestly strengthened by the power of God, trampled upon the deception of the enemy; and, unafraid of the pain of torture, they feared not the fiery furnace.

¶32

Glory…, the composition of Anatolius, in Tone IV —

¶33

With oneness of mind, O ye faithful, and with hymnody let us honor today the most glorious chief shepherd Arethas and those with him; for he denounced the most iniquitous one and shed his blood in confession of Christ. Hence, a cloud of fire consumed the face of the earth, in reproof of the ungodliness of the all-iniquitous. Wherefore, O Christ God, Who strengthened the athletes for Thy glorification, by the supplications of Thy saints preserve us also from temptations and tribulations, in that Thou art the Master of all.

¶34

When she beheld Thee, the Lamb and Shepherd, upon the Tree, the Ewe-lamb who gave birth to Thee lamented and cried out to Thee maternally: “O my desired Son, Long-suffering One, how is it that Thou art suspended upon the tree of the Cross? How is it that Thy hands and feet have been nailed by the iniquitous, O Word, and that Thou hast shed Thy blood, O Master?”

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