Tone 1..........................3
• At Great Vespers • At Matins • At the Liturgy
Tone 2..........................15
• At Great Vespers • At Matins • At the Liturgy
Tone 3..........................26
• At Great Vespers • At Matins • At the Liturgy
Tone 4..........................37
• At Great Vespers • At Matins • At the Liturgy
Tone 5..........................49
• At Great Vespers • At Matins • At the Liturgy
Tone 6..........................61
• At Great Vespers • At Matins • At the Liturgy
Tone 7..........................73
• At Great Vespers • At Matins • At the Liturgy
Tone 8..........................85
• At Great Vespers • At Matins • At the Liturgy
Exapostilaria and Gospel stichera........97
At “O Lord, I have cried out,” stichera in Tone 10: three from the Sunday Octoechos, four from the Eastern Octoechos, and three from the Menaion. If we are celebrating a saint, we sing four stichera from the Octoechos and six for the saint. Glory: from the Menaion, and “And now”: the first Theotokion of the tone.
Verse: Bring my soul out of the dungeon, / that I may glorify Your name. Ps. 141:8a
Accept our evening prayers, / O Holy Lord, / and grant us forgiveness of sins, / for You alone / have revealed the Resurrection to the world.
Verse: The righteous will wait for me, / until You reward me. Ps 141:8b
Surround Zion, O people, / and embrace it, / and within it give glory to Him who rose from the dead, / for He is our God, / who has redeemed us from our iniquities.
Verse: From the depths I have cried out to You, O Lord; / O Lord, hear my voice.
Psalm 129:1–2a
Come, all you people, let us sing and worship Christ, / glorifying His resurrection from the dead, / for He is our God, / who has redeemed the world from the deception of the enemy.
Verse: May Your ears / be attentive to the voice of my prayer. Ps 129:2b
Rejoice, O heavens! / Blast the trumpet, O foundations of the earth! / Proclaim joy, O mountains! / For behold, Emmanuel has nailed our sins to the Cross, / and, granting life, has put death to death, / raising Adam from the dead, as the Lover of Mankind.
Verse: If You, O Lord, O Lord, were to mark iniquities, who could stand? / For with You is forgiveness. Psalm 129:3–4
Let us sing and proclaim of Him who was voluntarily crucified for us in the flesh, / who suffered, was buried, / and rose from the dead: / “Strengthen Your Church in the Orthodox faith, O Christ, / and bring peace to our lives, / as the Good One and Lover of Mankind!”
Verse: For the sake of Your name I have waited for You, O Lord; my soul has hoped in Your word, / my soul has trusted in the Lord. Ps 129:5–6a
Standing before Your life-giving tomb, / we, the unworthy, offer praise / to Your ineffable mercy, Christ our God; / for You, the Sinless One, accepted the Cross and death, / to grant the world the Resurrection, O Lover of Mankind!
Verse: From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch / let Israel hope in the Lord. Ps 129:6b
The Word, co-eternal with the Father / and equally eternal, / who came forth in an incomprehensible manner from the Virgin’s womb, / and who willingly endured the Cross and death for us / and rose again in glory—let us sing and proclaim: / “Giver of Life, O Lord, glory to You, / Savior of our souls!”
Glory: Sticheron from the Menaion.
And now, to the Mother of God: Let us sing of her who is universally glorified, / born of man and who gave birth to the Lord— / the Virgin Mary, / the gate of heaven, the song of the incorporeal ones, and the adornment of the faithful. / For she appeared as heaven and the temple of the Divinity. / She, having torn down the hostile barrier, / established peace and opened the Kingdom. / Therefore, clinging to Her, the pillar of our faith, / we have as our Protector the Lord born of Her. / Take courage, then, take courage, people of God, / for He will defeat the enemies, as the Almighty.
Entrance. “A joyful light:”
The Lord has taken His throne; / He has clothed Himself in splendor.
Verse: The Lord has clothed Himself with strength and girded Himself.
Verse: For He has established the world, and it shall not be moved.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time. Ps 92:1, 5b
This is followed by the special litany, “Grant us, O Lord,” and the supplicatory litany.
By Your suffering, O Christ, / we have been freed from our passions, / and by Your Resurrection / we have been delivered from corruption. / O Lord, glory to You!
Verse: The Lord has reigned, / clothed in splendor.
Let all creation rejoice, / let the heavens be glad, / let the nations clap their hands with joy; / for our Savior Christ / has nailed our sins to the Cross / and, having put death to death, has granted us life, / raising fallen Adam and all his race, as the Lover of Mankind.
Verse: For He has established the universe, / and it shall not be shaken.
As King of heaven and earth, You, the Incomprehensible One, / were willingly crucified out of love for mankind. / Hades, encountering You in the underworld, raged, / while the souls of the righteous, having received You, rejoiced; / And Adam, seeing You, the Creator, in the underworld, rose again. / O wonder! How did the Life of all taste death? / Only because He desired to enlighten the world, / crying out and calling: / “Lord, risen from the dead, glory to You!”
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, / O Lord, for all time.
The myrrh-bearing women, carrying myrrh, / hastened with weeping to Your tomb; / and finding not Your most pure Body, / but learning from the Angel of a new and wondrous miracle, / proclaimed to the apostles: “The Lord is risen, / bestowing great mercy upon the world!”
Glory: A stichera from the Menaion, if available. If not:
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Behold, the prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled, / for You, O Virgin, gave birth and remained after childbirth as You were before: / for He who was born was God, / and thus He changed the laws of nature. / But, O Mother of God, do not despise the prayers of Your servants, / offered to You in Your sanctuary, / but, as You who carried the Merciful One in Your arms, / have mercy on Your servants / and intercede for the salvation of our souls.
Then: “Now You dismiss us:” The Trisagion after the “Our Father:”
Although the stone was sealed by the Jews, / and soldiers guarded Your most pure Body, / You rose on the third day, Savior, / granting life to the world. / Therefore, the heavenly powers cried out to You, the Giver of life: / “Glory to Your Resurrection, Christ; / glory to Your Kingdom; / glory to Your providence, O One who loves mankind!”
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Gabriel proclaimed to You, O Virgin, “Rejoice,” / and with that proclamation, the Lord of all was incarnated / in You, the holy Ark, / as the righteous David said. / You appeared vaster than the heavens, / bearing Your Creator. / Glory to Him who dwelt within You; / glory to Him who came forth from You; / glory to Him who, by His birth from You, has set us free.
The same troparion is also sung for “God is the Lord:”
We sing “God is the Lord:” in Tone 1, the Sunday troparion twice, and the Theotokion once (see Great Vespers). Then the usual psalmody from the Psalter.
The soldiers who guarded Your tomb, O Savior, / stood as though dead from the radiance of the Angel who appeared, / announcing the Resurrection to the women. / We glorify You, the Destroyer of corruption, / we prostrate ourselves before You, who rose from the tomb, / and our one God.
Verse: Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end! Psalm 9:33
Voluntarily nailed to the Cross, You, the Merciful One, / laid in a tomb as a mortal—the Giver of life, / crushed the enemy’s power by Your death, / for before You the gatekeepers of hell trembled: / You raised with You those who had died from the beginning of time, / as the one and only Lover of mankind.
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: We all know You, Mother of God, / who truly appeared as a virgin and after giving birth, / turning with love to Your goodness; / for in You we sinners find protection / and in You have obtained salvation in times of temptation, / O You who are wholly immaculate.
The women came to the tomb early in the morning / and, seeing the angels, were terrified. / Life shone forth from the tomb, / and they were amazed by this miracle; / therefore, having gone to the disciples, / they proclaimed the Resurrection to them. / Christ, the one who is mighty and strong, has conquered hell, / and has raised up with Himself all who had perished, / destroying the fear of condemnation by the power of the Cross.
Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders. Psalm 9:2
Nailed to the Cross, the Life of all, / and counted among the dead, O immortal Lord, / You rose on the third day, O Savior, and raised Adam from corruption. / Therefore, the heavenly powers cried out to You, Giver of life: / “Glory to Your sufferings, Christ; / glory to Your resurrection; / glory to Your mercy, the only Lover of mankind!”
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Mary, sacred vessel of the Lord! / Raise us up, we who have fallen into the abyss of dreadful despair, / of sins, and of sorrows; / for You have become the salvation of sinners, / their help, and their strong defense, / and You save Your servants.
Then the troparia “to the Immaculate Ones” and the Small Ektenia.
The thief’s repentance gained entry into paradise, / while the weeping of the myrrh-bearers heralded joy, / that You have risen, Christ God, / bestowing great mercy upon the world.
In my sorrow, / hear my anguish, O Lord; / to You I cry out.
Those who live in solitude / are constantly filled with divine longing, / as if they were outside the vain world.
Glory: Honor and glory are due to the Holy Spirit, / as to the Father, and together with the Son: / therefore let us sing / to the Triune God.
And now: we repeat the same.
You have exalted me to the heights of Your laws; / adorn me with virtues, O God, / that I may sing Your praises.
Taking me by Your right hand, O Word, / preserve me and protect me, / so that the fire of sin may not consume me.
Glory: Through the Holy Spirit, all creation is renewed, / returning to its original state; / for He is equal to the Father and the Word.
And now: we repeat the same.
When they said to me, “Let us go to the courts of the Lord,” / my spirit rejoiced, / and my heart rejoiced with it.
In the house of David there is great awe; / for there, before the thrones set in place, / all will be judged: the tribes of the earth and the nations.
Glory: Honor, worship, glory, and power / are to be rendered to the Holy Spirit, as is fitting for both the Father and the Son; / for the Trinity is One in essence, but not in Persons.
And now: we repeat the same.
“Now I will arise,” says the Lord, / “I will reveal salvation in Myself; I will proclaim it clearly!”
Verse: The words of the Lord are pure. Ps 11:6b, 7a
“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord:” and we read the Sunday morning Gospel.
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, / let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, / the only sinless One. / We worship Your Cross, Christ, / and we sing and glorify Your Holy Resurrection, / for You are our God, / we know no other besides You, / we call upon Your name. / Come, all the faithful, / let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ, / for behold, through the Cross / joy has come to the whole world. / Always blessing the Lord, / we sing of His Resurrection, / for He, having endured the crucifixion, / has crushed death by death.
Psalm 50.
Glory: Through the prayers of the apostles, O Merciful One, blot out the multitude of our sins.
And now: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Merciful One, blot out the multitude of our sins.
Then, Tone 6: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my iniquity.
And the stichera: Jesus rose from the tomb, / as He had foretold, / granting us eternal life / and great mercy.
And the prayer: Save, O God, Your people:
The first—Sunday, in 4; the second—Cross and Resurrection, in 3; the third—Theotokos, in 3; and the Menaion, in 4. If a saint is celebrated in 6, then the Cross and Resurrection, in 2, and the Theotokos, in 2.
Canon 1
Irmos: Your victorious right hand, O Immortal One, / has been glorified by divine power: / for, being almighty, it has crushed the enemies, / and has paved a new path for the Israelites / through the depths.
Refrain: Glory, O Lord, to Your holy Resurrection.
You, who with Your most pure hands from the dust / created me in the beginning by divine power, / stretched out Your hands on the Cross, / calling my mortal body to Yourself from the earth, / which You had received from the Virgin.
He endured death for my sake / and surrendered His own soul to death, / He who breathed the divine breath into me; / and, having freed me from eternal bonds and raised me up with Himself, / He has glorified me with immortality.
The Theotokos: Rejoice, fountain of grace; / rejoice, ladder and gate of heaven; / rejoice, lamp and golden vessel / and unshakable mountain, / who gave birth to Christ, the Giver of life, to the world.
Canon 2
Christ, by becoming incarnate, deifies me; / Christ, by humbling Himself, exalts me; / Christ makes me dispassionate, / the Giver of life, by suffering in His bodily nature; / therefore I sing a song of thanksgiving, / for He has been glorified.
Christ exalts me through His crucifixion; / Christ raises me up with Him through His death; / Christ grants me life. / Therefore, clapping my hands with joy, / I sing a song of victory to the Savior; / for He has been glorified.
Theotokos: You, O Virgin, conceived God, / and, remaining a Virgin, gave birth to Christ, / the Son who was incarnate from you, O Most Pure One— / in the hypostasis of the One, the Only-Begotten, / known in two natures; / for He has been glorified.
Canon 3
What song worthy of You / shall we offer in our weakness, / other than the joyful one that Gabriel secretly taught us: / “Rejoice, Virgin Mother of God, / Mother who knew no marriage!”
To the Ever-Virgin and Mother of the King of the Heavenly Powers, / from the purest of hearts, as faithful ones, / we shall spiritually exclaim: / “Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God, / Mother who knew no marriage!”
The depth of / Your incomprehensible conception is boundless, All-Pure One. / And now, with faith free from doubt, / we sincerely offer You our greeting, saying: / “Rejoice, Virgin Mother of God, / Mother who knew not marriage!”
Then the troparia from the Menaion canon and the katavasia according to the rule.
Canon 1
Irmos: You alone, who know the frailty of mortal nature, / and out of compassion took on its likeness! / Strengthen me from on high, that I may cry out to You: / “Holy is the living temple / of Your most pure glory, Lover of mankind!”
Being my God, You, O Good One, / took pity on me, a fallen one, / and deigned to come down to me, / exalting me through Your crucifixion, / so that I might cry out to You: / “Holy is the Lord of glory, / incomprehensible in His goodness!”
Being the Incarnate Life, O Christ, / yet having clothed Yourself in me, a lost soul, as a merciful God, / and having descended into the dust of death, O Lord, / You broke the bonds of death / and, rising on the third day, / clothed the dead in immortality.
Theotokos: Having conceived God in Your womb by the Holy Spirit, / You, O Virgin, remained unburned: / for the burning bush, which burned but was not consumed, / clearly foreshadowed You to the lawgiver Moses, / as the One who would receive the unbearable fire.
Canon 2
To Him who lifted the lost sheep onto His shoulders / and destroyed her sin through the Tree, /—to Christ our God let us cry out: / “You who have exalted our dignity, / holy are You, O Lord!”
To Christ, the Great Shepherd, raised from Hades, / and to His holy leadership through the apostles, / who wisely entrusted the shepherding of the nations, / let us, the faithful, serve in truth / by the Divine Spirit.
To the Son who willingly became incarnate of the Virgin without seed, / and who, by divine power, / preserved His Mother as a pure virgin after childbirth— / God above all—let us cry out: / “Holy are You, O Lord!”
Canon 3
We do not call You, O Virgin, / a light cloud in vain, / following the prophetic sayings: / for through You the Lord came, / to overthrow the false idols of Egypt / and to enlighten those who served them.
The prophetic choir truly called You a sealed spring / and a closed door— / these are symbols clearly inscribed for us / of Your virginity, All-Glorified One, / which You preserved even after giving birth.
Having been deemed worthy, as far as possible, / to behold the super-substantial Mind, / Gabriel brought a joyful cry / to You, O All-Pure Virgin, / clearly announcing the conception of the Word / and proclaiming the incomprehensible birth.
Canon 1
Irmos: You, like a mountain overshadowed by divine grace, / Habakkuk, beholding with discerning eyes, / foretold that from You would come the Holy One of Israel / for our salvation and renewal.
Who is this Savior who has come from Edom, / with a crown of thorns, clad in crimson, hanging on the Tree? / It is the Holy One of Israel, who has come / for our salvation and renewal.
Behold, you rebellious people, and be ashamed: / for He whom you, like a criminal, / foolishly begged Pilate to nail to the Cross, / having destroyed the power of death, / has divinely risen from the tomb.
Theotokos: We acknowledge You, O Virgin, as the Tree of Life; / for from You sprang forth the Fruit, / bringing not death to those who partake of it, / but the joy of eternal life / for the salvation of us who sing Your praises.
Canon 2
Who is this majestic One from Edom, / whose garments are crimson—from the vines of Bozrah? / He is majestic as God, / yet as a man He wears the garment of flesh, stained with blood. / We, the faithful, sing to Him: / “Glory to Your power, O Lord!”
Christ, having appeared as the High Priest of the good things to come for us, / destroyed sin and, showing us an extraordinary path, / entered by His own blood into the best and most perfect tabernacle, / just as our Forerunner did—into the Holy of Holies.
Theotokos: You have paid off Eve’s ancient debt, All-Glorified One, / through the New Adam, who appeared for our sake! / For He who united with Himself through the immaculate conception / rational and living flesh was born of You— / Christ, the Lord, one in two natures.
Canon 3
Hear of the wonders, O heaven, / and you, O earth, give ear: / The daughter of Adam, created from dust and fallen, / is called the Mother of God and of her Creator / for our salvation and renewal.
We sing of Your great / and awe-inspiring mystery; / for in secret from the highest orders of the world, / He Who Is descended upon You, / like rain upon fleece, All-Glorified One, / for our salvation and renewal.
Holy of Holies, All-Glorious Mother of God— / the hope of the nations and the salvation of the faithful! / From You came the Savior, / the Giver of Life, and the Lord: / pray to Him for the salvation of Your servants.
Canon 1
Irmos: Christ, who illuminated the ends of the world with the radiance of Your coming, / and purified them with Your Cross! / Enlighten the hearts of those / who sing of You in the Orthodox faith with the light of Your knowledge of God.
The great Shepherd of the sheep and Lord / of the Jews was put to death on the wood of the Cross; / but He, like the sheep buried in Hades, / delivered them from the dominion of death.
Having preached the Gospel to the world through Your Cross / and proclaimed, O my Savior, the release of the captives, / You put the ruler to shame, O Christ, / revealing him to be defenseless and powerless / through Your Divine Resurrection.
Theotokos: Do not despise the petitions offered with faith, / O All-Glorious One, / but accept them and present them to Your Son, O Most Pure One, / to God, the sole Benefactor, / for we have You as our Protectress.
Canon 2
O, the riches and depth of God’s wisdom! / The Lord, who outwits the wise, / has delivered us from their deceit; / for having willingly suffered in frail flesh, / He rose from the dead by His own power / as the Giver of life.
Christ, being God, / unites Himself with the flesh for our sake, / and is crucified, and dies, / and is buried; and He rises again / and ascends in glory to the Father together with His flesh, / with which He will come and save / those who worship Him with reverence.
Hail, Mother of God: Holy of Holies, Pure Virgin! / You gave birth to the Holy of Holies, / Christ the Redeemer, who sanctifies all. / Therefore, as the Mother of the Creator, / we acknowledge You as the Queen and Mistress / of all creation.
Canon 3
The heavenly hosts rejoice as they gaze upon You, / and the assembly of mortals rejoices with them: / for they have been united, O Virgin Mother of God, / through the birth of Christ from You, / which we worthily glorify.
May all human tongues and thoughts be moved / to praise the true adornment of mankind; / the Virgin is clearly present with us, glorifying / those who sing of Her wonders with faith.
Every hymn of the wise and every praise / offered to the Virgin and Mother of God is glorified; / for She has become the temple of divine glory, / and we worthily glorify Her.
Canon 1
Irmos: The deepest abyss has engulfed us, and there is no one to deliver us: / we have been counted as sheep destined for slaughter. / Save Your people, our God; / for You are the strength of the weak and their restoration.
By the sin of the first man, O Lord, / we were grievously stricken; / but we have been healed by Your wounds, / with which You were stricken for our sake, Christ; / for You are the strength of the weak and our healing.
You have raised us up from hell, O Lord, / having vanquished the all-devouring whale, O Almighty, / and destroyed its power with Your might; / for You are life, and light, and resurrection.
Theotokos: The forefathers of our race rejoice in You, Most Pure Virgin, / having regained through You the Garden of Eden, / which they had lost because of their transgression; / for You are immaculate before the ages and in Your birth.
Canon 2
Christ God, being an impassible and incorporeal Mind, / unites Himself to the human mind, / the mediator between the Divine Nature / and the material flesh, / and unites Himself unchangeably with my whole being, / so that through the Cross He may grant salvation to my whole fallen self.
Adam, struck down, falls and is shattered, / once deceived by the hope of deification; / but he rises, deified through union with the Word, / and through His sufferings receives dispassion / and is glorified as the Son, / seated on the throne with the Father and the Spirit.
Theotokos: Without leaving the womb of the beginningless Father, / He enters and dwells in the womb of the pure Virgin, / and He who had no mother and no father is incarnated—God, the King of righteousness. / His origin, which strikes awe, / is without genealogy and inexpressible!
Canon 3
Like servants, the heavenly hosts are present / at Your childbirth, / marveling in awe at Your seedless conception; / for You, Ever-Virgin, are immaculate / both before childbirth and after.
From You, Most Pure One, / the Word, who was formerly incorporeal, / was incarnated—He who creates all by His own will, / who brought the hosts of incorporeal beings out of nothingness, / as the Almighty.
Through Your Life-Giving Fruit, O Full of Grace, / the enemy has been vanquished and hell has been clearly trampled underfoot, / and we, who were once in chains, have been set free. / Therefore, I cry out: / “Destroy the passions of my heart!”
You rose, as God, from the tomb in glory / and raised the world with You. / And human nature, as God, sang Your praises, / and death vanished. / Adam rejoices, O Lord, / and Eve now, freed from her bonds, rejoices, crying out: / “You, Christ, grant resurrection to all!”
Ikos: Let us sing of Him who rose on the third day / as the almighty God, / who crushed the gates of hell, / who raised all from the tomb from time immemorial, / who appeared to the myrrh-bearers as He Himself willed, / saying “Rejoice” to them first, / and proclaiming joy to the apostles, / as the sole Giver of life. / Therefore, the women, with faith, proclaim / the signs of victory to the disciples; / and hell groans; and death weeps; / but the world rejoices, and all together are glad: / for You, Christ, have granted the Resurrection to all.
Canon 1
Irmos: We, the faithful, acknowledge You, O Mother of God, / as a spiritual furnace; / for just as the Exalted One saved the three youths, / so He, the God of the fathers, praised and glorified, / renewed all of me, a human being, in Your womb.
The earth trembled, the sun was hidden, / and the light was darkened; / the divine veil of the Temple was torn asunder, / and the rocks split apart, for the Righteous One was hung upon the Cross, / the God of the fathers, praised and glorified.
You, the Exalted One, willingly / became, as it were, helpless / and wounded among the dead for our sake, / have set us all free and, with Your mighty hand, / raised us up with You, /—the God of our fathers, praised and glorified.
Theotokos: Rejoice, fountain of the stream of eternal life! / Rejoice, paradise full of delight! / Rejoice, wall of the faithful! / Rejoice, you who knew no marriage! / Rejoice, joy of the whole world, through whom the / Praised God of the fathers and the Most Glorified One appeared to us!
Canon 2
Once the earth was cursed, / stained with the blood of Abel / by a fratricidal hand; / but, sprinkled with Your divine blood, / it is blessed, and exults, crying out: / “God of the fathers, blessed are You!”
May the godless tribe of the Jews / mourn the audacity of Christ’s murder; / but may the nations rejoice, / and clap their hands and cry out: / “God of our fathers, blessed are You!”
Behold, the radiant Angel called out to the myrrh-bearers: / “Come, behold the signs of Christ’s Resurrection— / the shroud and the tomb—and exclaim: / ‘God of our fathers, blessed are You!’”
Canon 3
You, O Mother of God, were prophetically foreshadowed by Jacob on the ladder; / for through You the Exalted One appeared on earth, / and dwelt among men as He Himself willed, / the God of the fathers, praised and glorified.
Rejoice, O Holy One! From You came forth the Exalted One, / the Shepherd, who truly clothed Himself in the flesh of Adam, /—in my whole being, O man—by His unfathomable mercy, / the God of the fathers, praised and glorified.
Through Your pure blood, God the Eternal / truly became the New Adam. / Now pray to Him, that He may renew me—who am decayed, / yet cry out: “We praise the God of our fathers / and the Most Glorified!”
Canon 1
Irmos: In the furnace, the youths of Israel, as in a crucible, / shone with the beauty of piety brighter than gold, proclaiming: / “Bless the Lord, all creation, / sing His praises and exalt Him for all eternity!”
You—who by Your will create and transform all things, / turning the shadow of death into eternal life / through Your suffering, O Word of God; / we and all creation ceaselessly / sing Your praises and exalt You as Lord for all ages.
You have destroyed oppression, Christ, / and torment at the gates and strongholds of hell, / having risen from the tomb on the third day. / All creation ceaselessly / sings Your praises and exalts You as Lord for all ages.
Theotokos: We will sing of You, who, without seed and supernaturally, / gave birth from the Divine lightning / to the precious pearl—Christ— / proclaiming: “Bless the Lord, all creation, / sing His praises and exalt Him forever and ever!”
Canon 2
Come, people, let us worship the place / where the most pure feet stood, / and where, on the Tree for the salvation of all mortals, / the divine and life-giving hands of Christ were outstretched, / and, surrounding the tomb of life, let us sing: / “May all creation bless the Lord / and exalt Him for ever and ever!”
The criminal slander of the God-murdering Jews / has been refuted: / for He whom they called a deceiver / rose again as the Almighty, / mocking the seals of the lawless. / Therefore, let us sing with joy: / “Let all creation bless the Lord / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
Trinity: Confessing the glory of the one Lord / in the three holy hymns, / the most pure seraphim, with fear as servants, / glorify the Godhead in three Persons. / With them, let us also sing reverently: / “Let all creation bless the Lord / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
Canon 3
O radiant palace, from which Christ, / the Lord of all, came forth like a bridegroom, / let us all sing, crying out: / “All the Lord’s creatures, sing to the Lord / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
Rejoice, glorious throne of God! / Rejoice, wall of the faithful! / Through you, Christ the Light / has shone upon those in darkness, / who glorify you and cry out: / “All creation, sing to the Lord / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
O all-glorious Virgin, who gave birth to the Lord, the Author of our salvation! / Intercede for all who cry out earnestly: / “Bless the Lord, all creation, / sing His praises and exalt Him forever and ever!”
Then we sing the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “My soul magnifies the Lord:”
Canon 1
Irmos: The thornbush, burning yet not consumed, / symbolized Christ’s pure birth through You; / and now we pray that You may quench / the furnace of temptation raging against us, / so that we may, O Mother of God, / magnify You unceasingly.
Oh, how the lawless, / the rebellious, and those with evil designs / have justified the criminal and the wicked, / while condemning the Righteous One to the Cross—the Lord of glory, / Whom we rightly magnify.
Savior, spotless Lamb, / who took upon Yourself the sin of the world! / We glorify You, who rose on the third day, / together with the Father and Your Divine Spirit, / and, confessing You as the Lord of glory, we magnify You.
The Theotokos: Save Your people, O Lord, / whom You have redeemed with Your precious blood, / granting the king a stronghold against his enemies, / and bestowing peace upon Your churches, O Lover of Mankind, / through the prayers of the Theotokos.
Canon 2
Your Cross, O Lord, is glorified by Your ineffable power; / for Your weakness has been revealed to all as greater than strength: / through it, the mighty are cast down to the earth, / while the poor are lifted up to heaven.
Our harsh death has been put to death; / for You, Christ, having appeared to those who dwelt in Hades, / granted them resurrection from the dead. / Therefore, singing of You as life, and resurrection, / and the light of the Hypostasis, we magnify You.
Trinitarian: The beginningless and boundless Nature / is confessed in the three united Divine Hypostases: / the one Godhead of the Father and the Son with the Spirit, / in Whom our godly king is saved.
Canon 3
From the root of David, the Father of God, / You sprang forth, O Virgin, according to the prophecy; / but You have truly glorified David as well, / having given birth to the Lord of glory foretold by the prophets, / Whom we worthily extol.
All hymns of praise fall short / of the greatness of Your glory, Most Pure One. / But accept, O Lady, from Your unworthy servants, / this song of praise offered to You, O Mother of God, / with love and devotion.
O, Your wonders surpass all human understanding! / You, O Virgin, who alone are better than the sun, / have given everyone the opportunity to comprehend the most extraordinary miracle / of the incomprehensible birth from You, All-Pure One. / Therefore, we all magnify You.
After the katavasia, the Small Ektenia, followed by: “Holy is the Lord our God:” and the Sunday Exapostilarion.
Verse: To execute among them the judgment decreed; / this glory belongs to all His saints.
Ps 149:10
We sing of Your / saving sufferings, Christ, / and we glorify Your Resurrection.
Stich: Praise God in His saints, / praise Him in the firmament of His power. Ps 150:1
You who endured the Cross, abolished death, / and rose from the dead, bring peace to our lives, O Lord, / as the One and Only Almighty.
Verse: Praise Him for His might, / praise Him for the abundance of His greatness.
Psalm 150:2
You who conquered hell and raised man to life / through Your resurrection, O Christ, / grant us, with a pure heart, / to sing Your praises and glorify You.
Verse: Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet, / praise Him with the psaltery and the harp.
Psalm 150:3
Glorifying Your condescension, fitting for God, / we sing to You, Christ: / You were born of the Virgin and were never separated from the Father; / You suffered as a man / and willingly endured the Cross; / You rose from the tomb, emerging from it as from a palace, to save the world. / O Lord, glory to You!
Stich: Praise Him with the timbrel and in the dance, / praise Him with the strings and the organ.
Ps 150:4
When You were nailed to the wood of the Cross, / then the power of the enemy was put to death; / creation trembled in fear before You, / and hell was conquered by Your power; / You raised the dead from their tombs / and opened paradise to the thief. / Christ, our God, glory to You!
Verse: Praise Him with melodious cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. / Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Psalm 150:5
Hurrying with weeping, the honorable women reached Your tomb, / but, finding the tomb open and learning from the Angel / of an unprecedented and extraordinary miracle, / they announced to the apostles that the Lord had risen, / bestowing great mercy upon the world.
Verse: Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones forever! Psalm 9:33
We worship the divine wounds of Your sufferings, / Christ our God, / and the sovereign divine service on Zion / accomplished in the Epiphany at the end of the ages; / for You, the Sun of Righteousness, have enlightened those sleeping in darkness, / guiding them toward unfading radiance. / O Lord, glory to You!
Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders. Ps 9:2
Rebellious Jewish people, listen: / Where are those who came to Pilate? / Let the soldiers who guarded the tomb speak: / Where are its seals? / Where has the Buried One been moved? / How was the Unsaleable One sold? / How was the treasure stolen? / Why do you slander the Resurrection of the Crucified One, / lawless Jews? / He has risen—free among the dead— / and bestows great mercy upon the world.
Glory: Gospel Sticheron.
And now, Tone 2: Most blessed are You, Virgin Mother of God, / for through Him who was incarnate from You, hell is captive, / Adam is restored from it, / the curse has lost its power, / Eve is set free, death is put to death, / and we are filled with life. / Therefore, singing, we cry out: / “Blessed is Christ God, who has so graciously willed this; glory to You!”
Priest: Glory to You, who have shown us the light!
The Great Doxology.
On this day, the world was saved! / Let us sing of the One who rose from the tomb / and the Ruler of our lives, / for by destroying death through His own death, / He has granted us victory and great mercy.
And the dismissal.
Through food, the enemy / led Adam out of Paradise; / but Christ, through the Cross, / brought into it the thief / who cried out: “Remember me when You come / into Your Kingdom!”
Verse: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matt. 5:8
I worship Your sufferings / and glorify Your Resurrection; / together with Adam and the thief / I cry out to You with a loud voice: / “Remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom!”
Verse: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Matthew 5:9
You were willingly crucified, O Sinless One, / and laid in a tomb; / but You rose again as God, / raising Adam with You, who cried out: / “Remember me when You come into Your Kingdom!”
Verse: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 5:10
Having raised the temple of Your body / on the third day after Your burial, / You, Christ God, raised Adam and all those descended from Adam, / who cried out: “Remember us, O Lord, / when You come into Your Kingdom!”
Verse: “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account.” Matthew 5:11
The Myrrh-Bearers came with tears / to Your tomb, Christ God, early in the morning / and found an Angel, seated in white robes and crying out, / “What are you seeking? Christ is risen; / weep no more!”
Verse: Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great. Matthew 5:12
Your Apostles, O Lord, / having come to the mountain where You, the Savior, commanded them, / saw You and worshiped You. / You sent them out to the nations— / to teach them and baptize them.
Glory, to the Holy Trinity: Let us worship the Father and glorify the Son, / and together let us sing to the All-Holy Spirit, / exclaiming and proclaiming: / “All-Holy Trinity, save us all!”
And now, to the Theotokos: Your people, O Christ, urge / Your Mother to intercede before You; / through her intercession, / grant us Your mercies, O Good One, / so that we may glorify You, / who shone forth to us from the tomb.
May Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, / as we place our hope in You.
Verse: Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous—praise is fitting for the upright! Ps 32:22, 1
Verse: God avenges me and subdues the nations for me.
Verse: He saves the king in majesty and shows mercy to His anointed, David, and to his descendants forever. Ps 17:48, 51
At “O Lord, I have cried out,” ten stichera: three from the Sunday Octoechos, four from the Eastern Octoechos, and three from the Menaion. If we are celebrating a saint, we sing four stichera from the Octoechos and six for the saint. Glory: from the Menaion, and “And now”: the first Theotokion of the tone.
Deliver my soul from the dungeon, / that I may glorify Your name.
Let us worship the Word of God, born of the Father before all ages, / who was incarnated of the Virgin Mary, / for He, having endured the Cross, / delivered Himself to burial as He Himself willed, / and having risen from the dead, / saved me—a wayward man.
The righteous will wait for me / until You render me my due.
Christ, our Savior, / having nailed the charge against us to the Cross, has blotted it out / and abolished the power of death. / We worship His resurrection on the third day.
From the depths I have cried out to You, O Lord; / O Lord, hear my voice.
Together with the Archangels, let us sing of Christ’s Resurrection; / for He is the Redeemer and Savior of our souls, / and in awesome glory and with mighty power / He is coming again to judge the world He created.
May Your ears / be attentive to the voice of my prayer.
Of You, O Lord, who were crucified and buried, / an angel announced to the women and proclaimed: / “Come, see where the Lord lay; / for He, according to His word, has risen as the Almighty!” / Therefore we worship You, the One who is immortal: / Christ, the Giver of life, have mercy on us!
If You were to take account of iniquities, O Lord, O Lord, who could stand? / For with You is forgiveness.
By Your Cross You have abolished / the curse that befell us through the tree; / by Your burial You have put to death the power of death; / and by Your resurrection You have enlightened the human race. / Therefore we cry out to You: / “Christ our God, our Benefactor, glory to You!”
For the sake of Your name I have waited for You, O Lord; my soul has hoped in Your word, / my soul has trusted in the Lord.
The gates of death opened before You, O Lord, / in fear, / and the gatekeepers of Hades, seeing You, were terrified; / for You have shattered the gates of bronze, / and broken the iron bars, / and brought us out of darkness and the shadow of death, / and torn apart our bonds.
From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch / may Israel hope in the Lord.
Singing a song of salvation, / let us cry out with one voice: / “Come, all of you, let us fall down in the house of the Lord, / turning to Him: / ‘You who were crucified on the Cross, who rose from the dead, / and who dwell in the bosom of the Father, / have mercy on our sins!’”
Glory: Sticheron from the Menaion.
And now, to the Mother of God: The shadow of the Law has passed away, / when grace appeared; / for just as the burning bush was not consumed by the flames, / so You, O Virgin, gave birth and remained a virgin. / Instead of the pillar of fire, / the Sun of Righteousness shone forth; / instead of Moses—Christ, / the salvation of our souls.
Entrance. “A joyful light:”
The Lord has taken his throne; / he has clothed himself in splendor.
Verse: The Lord has clothed Himself with strength and girded Himself.
Verse: For He has established the world, and it shall not be moved.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time. Ps 92:1, 5b
Then a special litany, “Grant, O Lord:” a supplicatory litany.
Your Resurrection, Christ the Savior, / has enlightened the entire universe, / and You have called Your creation to Yourself: / Almighty Lord, glory to You!
Verse: The Lord has reigned, / clothed in splendor.
By the tree, O Savior, / You have abolished the curse that befell us through the tree, / by Your burial You have put to death the power of death, / and by Your Resurrection You have enlightened our race. / Therefore we cry out to You: / “Giver of life, Christ, our God, glory to You!”
Verse: For He has established the universe, / and it shall not be shaken.
Appearing nailed to the Cross, You, O Savior, / eclipsed the beauty of creation; / and the soldiers, revealing their inhumanity, / pierced Your side with a spear, / while the Jews, unaware of Your power, / sought to seal Your tomb. / But You, out of the compassion of Your heart, / having been buried and risen on the third day, / O Lord, glory to You!
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, / O Lord, for many days to come.
Christ, the Giver of Life, / You who willingly endured suffering for the sake of mortals, / and descended into Hades as the Almighty, / snatching those who awaited Your coming there / as it were from the hand of the mighty, / and granted them paradise instead of Hades as their dwelling place. / Therefore, grant us also, who glorify Your Resurrection on the third day, / forgiveness of sins and great mercy.
Glory: A stichera from the Menaion, if available. If not:
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: O new wonder, surpassing all ancient wonders! / For who knew of a mother who gave birth without a husband, / and who carried in her arms the One who embraces all creation? / God’s plan is this conception. / But you, Most Pure One, who held Him as an infant in your arms, / and gained maternal boldness toward Him, / do not cease to intercede for those who honor you, / that He may have mercy and save our souls.
Then: “Now You dismiss us:” The Trisagion after the “Our Father:”
When You descended into death, O immortal Life, / then You put hell to death with the radiance of Your Divinity. / And when You raised the dead from Hades, / all the heavenly powers cried out: / “Giver of life, Christ our God, glory to You!”
Glory, and now, to the Theotokos: All beyond understanding, all most glorious / are Your mysteries, O Theotokos: / sealed with purity and having preserved Your virginity, / You appeared as the true Mother who gave birth to the true God. / Pray to Him for the salvation of our souls.
The same troparion is sung at “God is the Lord:”
We sing “God is the Lord:” in Tone 2, followed by the Sunday troparion twice, and the Theotokion once (see Great Vespers). Then the usual psalmody from the Psalter.
Noble Joseph, / having taken Your most pure body down from the tree, / wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and anointed it with fragrant oils, / laid it in a new tomb. / But on the third day You rose again, O Lord, / bestowing great mercy upon the world.
Verse: Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones forever! Psalm 9:33
To the myrrh-bearing women / who stood before the tomb, the Angel cried out: / “Myrrh is fitting for the dead, / but Christ has appeared, not subject to decay; / rather, proclaim: The Lord has risen, / bestowing great mercy upon the world!”
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Most glorified are You, Virgin Mother of God; we sing Your praises; / for by the Cross of Your Son / hell has been cast down and death has perished, / we who were dead have been raised to life and have been granted life, / we have received paradise, eternal bliss, /—therefore, with gratitude, we glorify Christ, our God, / the Mighty and the One, the All-Merciful.
Not forbidding the sealing of the tomb’s stone, / You, having risen, granted the stone of faith to all. / O Lord, glory to You!
Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart, / and proclaim all Your wonders. Ps 9:2
The host of Your disciples / rejoices with one accord together with the myrrh-bearing women; / and we, too, celebrate this common feast with them / to the glory and honor of Your Resurrection; / and through their intercession, O philanthropic Lord, / grant great mercy to Your people.
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Most blessed are You, Virgin Mother of God, / for through Him who was incarnate of You, hell is bound, / Adam is restored from it, / the curse is rendered powerless, / Eve is set free, death is put to death, / and we are filled with life. / Therefore, as we sing, we cry out: / “Blessed is Christ God, who has so graciously willed this; glory to You!”
Then the troparia “to the Immaculate Ones” and the Small Ektenia.
After Your Passion, / the women, coming to the tomb / to anoint Your body with myrrh, O Christ God, / saw the angels in the tomb and were amazed, / for they heard from them the news that the Lord had risen, / bestowing great mercy upon the world.
I lift up the eyes of my heart to heaven— / to You, Savior— / save me by Your radiance.
Have mercy on us, who sin against You in many ways / at every moment, O my Christ, / and before our death, show us the way / of repentance before You.
Glory: It is fitting for the Holy Spirit to reign, / to sanctify, and to set creation in motion; / for He is God, consubstantial with the Father and the Word.
And now: And we repeat the same.
If the Lord were not among us, / who could have remained unharmed / from the enemy and the murderer?
Do not deliver Your servant into their teeth, O Savior; / for like a lion, my enemies rush / against me.
Glory: In the Holy Spirit—the beginning of life and the reward; / for He, as God, sustains all creation / and preserves it in the Father through the Son.
And now: And we repeat the same.
Those who hope in the Lord are like a holy mountain; / they are not shaken in any way / by the attacks of the dragon.
May those who live according to God’s will / not stretch out their hands toward iniquity; / for Christ does not surrender the scepter of His inheritance.
Glory: The Holy Spirit pours forth all wisdom; / from Him comes grace to the apostles, / and the martyrs are crowned with their deeds, and the prophets contemplate.
And now: And we repeat the same.
Awake, O Lord, my God, according to the command You have given, / and the assembly of the nations will surround You.
Verse: O Lord, my God! I trust in You; save me. Ps 7:7b–8a, 2
“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord:” and we read the Sunday morning Gospel.
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, / let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, / the only sinless One. / We worship Your Cross, Christ, / and we sing and glorify Your Holy Resurrection, / for You are our God, / we know no other besides You, / we call upon Your name. / Come, all the faithful, / let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ, / for behold, through the Cross / joy has come to the whole world. / Always blessing the Lord, / we sing of His Resurrection, / for He, having endured the crucifixion, / has crushed death by death.
Psalm 50.
Glory: Through the prayers of the apostles, O Merciful One, blot out the multitude of our sins.
And now: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Merciful One, blot out the multitude of our sins.
Then, Tone 6: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my iniquity.
And the stichera: Jesus has risen from the tomb, / as He foretold, / granting us eternal life / and great mercy.
And the prayer: Save, O God, Your people:
The first—Sunday, in 4; the second—Cross and Resurrection, in 3; the third—Theotokos, in 3; and the Menaion, in 4. If a saint is celebrated in 6, then the Cross and Resurrection, in 2, and the Theotokos, in 2.
Canon 1
Irmos: Once, in the depths, / the supreme power destroyed all of Pharaoh’s army; / but the Word, having become flesh, destroyed the wicked sin— / the most glorified Lord; / for He has been glorified in glory.
Refrain: Glory, O Lord, to Your holy Resurrection.
The prince of this world, to whom we had surrendered, / having disobeyed Your commandment, / was condemned by Your Cross, O Good One; / for when he attacked You as a mortal, / he fell before the power of Your authority / and was exposed as powerless.
As the Savior of the mortal race / and the Ruler of incorruptible life, You appeared in the world; / for You tore apart the veils of death / through Your Resurrection, which we all glorify, / for You have been glorified in splendor.
Theotokos: You have appeared as the highest of all creation, / both visible and invisible, O Ever-Virgin; / for You gave birth to the Creator, / Who deigned to become incarnate in Your womb. / Intercede boldly before Him / for the salvation of our souls.
Canon 2
Irmos: Having crossed the uncharted, unfamiliar sea / without getting their feet wet, / the chosen people of Israel exclaimed: / “Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been glorified!”
You have become, O Christ, / a source of strength for the weak, restoration for the fallen, / and incorruption for the dead, / through Your bodily sufferings; / for He has been glorified.
The Creator and Renewing God took pity on the fallen / and restored the broken image, / having become dead, / for He has been glorified.
Canon 3
The same irmos.
The once incorporeal ladder / and the path across the sea, which became dry and incomprehensible, / depicted the birth from You, O Pure One, / which we all sing of; / for it is glorified.
The Power of the Most High, the perfect Hypostasis, / the Wisdom of God incarnate from You, O Pure One, / dwelt among mortals, / for He was glorified.
Through the impenetrable door / of Your womb, O Pure One, / the Sun of righteousness passed and shone upon the world, / for it has been glorified.
Then the troparia from the canon of the Menaion and the katavasia according to the rule.
Canon 1
Irmos: The desert has blossomed like a lily, O Lord, /—the barren pagan church—with Your coming; / in it my heart has found its rest.
Creation was transformed during Your Passion, / seeing You in a humbled state, / reviled by the lawless, / You who established all things by Your divine gesture.
From the dust, in Your own image, / You formed me with Your own hand, O Christ, / and the mortal, cast down again into the dust through sin, / You raised up with You, having descended into Hades.
Theotokos: The hosts of angels were amazed, / and the hearts of men trembled / at the birth of Christ from You, Most Pure One; / therefore we honor You, O Mother of God, / with faith.
Canon 2
Christ, who surpasses all things, / was slightly humbled by bodily suffering / before the angelic nature.
Dead, counted among the lawless, / You, O Christ, appeared to the women, / radiant with the crown of glorious resurrection.
Canon 3
He who is beyond all time, / as the Creator of time, / willingly became an infant from you, O Virgin.
Let us sing, O faithful, / of the womb, vaster than the heavens, / through which Adam dwells joyfully / in heaven.
Canon 1
Irmos: You came from the Virgin—not as a messenger, / nor as an angel, but as the Lord Himself in the flesh, / and You saved me, a human being, entirely. / Therefore I cry out to You: / “Glory to Your power, O Lord!”
You stood in the court as the accused, / my Lord and God, without raising Your voice, / pronouncing judgment upon the nations, / which, through Your sufferings, O Christ, / You made the salvation of the universe.
By Your suffering / the enemy has been disarmed, / and the cities of Your adversaries have been destroyed / by Your descent into hell, / and the tyrant’s arrogance has been cast down.
To the Mother of God: We, the faithful, all acknowledge you, O Mother of God and Sovereign, as a refuge of salvation / and an indestructible wall, / for through your intercession / you deliver our souls from misfortune.
Canon 2
Beholding You, Christ, / nailed to the tree, / the Virgin, who gave birth to You without pain, / endured the pangs of motherhood.
Death is vanquished; / the Dead One shatters the gates of hell; / and now, through the crushing of the all-devouring one, / all that is supernatural is granted to me!
Canon 3
Behold, the Divine Mountain—the Mother of God—has risen most clearly in the house of the Lord / above the heavenly Powers.
You, O Virgin, alone, contrary to the laws of nature, / having given birth to the Lord of creation, / have been deemed worthy of the divine calling.
Canon 1
Irmos: You have become the Mediator between God and mankind, / Christ our God; / for through You, O Lord, we have gained access from the night of ignorance / to the Source of light—Your Father.
Like a cedar, O Christ, / You crushed the arrogance of Your enemies, / by Your own good pleasure, O Lord, / as You were willingly lifted up in the flesh / upon the cypress, the pine, and the cedar.
In the deepest pit they laid / You, Christ, lifeless and dead; / but, though wounded, You, the Savior, / through Your wounds raised up with You / those who slept in oblivion in the tombs.
Theotokos: Pray to Your Son and our Lord, O Pure Virgin, / that He may grant deliverance to the captives, / and a peaceful way out of hostile circumstances / to those who place their hope in You.
Canon 2
The first Adam, having refused to fast, / tasted of the tree of death; / but the second Adam atones / for his sin through His crucifixion.
Having shared in natural sufferings and mortality, / You, Christ, impassible by Your incorporeal Divinity, / having granted incorruptibility, raised from the depths of hell / those who had been put to death.
Canon 3
Clouds, with the sweetness of joy, / shower those on earth; / for the Child has been given to us—the One who existed before the ages, / our God, incarnate from the Virgin.
He has illuminated my life and flesh with light / and dispelled the darkness of sin / the Most High, who was recently incarnated / of the Virgin without seed.
Canon 1
Irmos: Carried away in the abyss of sin, / I call upon the unfathomable depths of Your mercy: / O God, deliver me from destruction!
Like a criminal, the Righteous One was condemned / and nailed to the Cross with the criminals, / granting the guilty forgiveness through His blood.
Through one man—the first Adam— / death once entered the world, / and through the same one—the Son of God— / the resurrection came to be.
Theotokos: You, O Virgin, conceived without knowing a man / and remain a Virgin forever, / thereby revealing the signs of the true Divinity / of Your Son and Your God.
Canon 2
You appointed the Cherubim as guardians of the tree of life / against fallen man; / but they opened the gates upon beholding You: / for You appeared to the thief / as a guide to paradise.
Through the death of One, You laid waste to hell, which had become desolate and impoverished; / for that great wealth which he had amassed, / Christ alone, for all of us, laid waste.
Canon 3
Human nature, which was a slave to sin, / has received freedom through You, O Pure Lady; / for Your Son, like a lamb, / was offered as a sacrifice for all.
We all cry out to You—the true Mother of God: / deliver us who have provoked the wrath of the slaves, / for You alone have the boldness / to approach Your Son.
You rose from the tomb, almighty Savior, / and hell, seeing this miracle, was terrified, / and the dead arose. / And all creation, seeing this, rejoices with You, and Adam exults, / and the world, my Savior, / glorifies You unceasingly.
Ikos: You are the light for those in darkness, / You are the resurrection of all / and the life of mortals, / and You have raised all up with You, / having taken away death’s power, Savior, / and having destroyed the gates of hell, Word. / And the dead, seeing this miracle, marveled; / and all creation rejoices together / at Your Resurrection, Lover of Mankind. / Therefore, we all glorify / and sing of Your mercy, / and the world glorifies You, my Savior, / without ceasing.
Canon 1
Irmos: The godless decree of the lawless ruler / kindled a raging flame; / but Christ poured out the dew of the Spirit upon the pious youths, / the blessed and most glorified One.
In Your mercy, O Lord, You could not bear / to see man under the power of death; / but You came and saved him with Your blood, / becoming man—blessed and most glorified.
Seeing You clothed in the garments of vengeance, / the gatekeepers of hell were terrified, O Christ; / for You, O Lord, came to subdue / the wayward slave-tormentor— / blessed and most glorified.
Theotokos: We acknowledge You as the Holy of Holies, / as the One who conceived the unchanging God, / the Immaculate Virgin, the Mother who knew no marriage, / for You have bestowed incorruptibility upon all the faithful / through the divine birth of Christ from You.
Canon 2
The disobedience that took place in Eden / once served as the cause of our forefather’s condemnation; / but, to clear the offender of guilt, / the super-divine God of our fathers, the Most Glorified One, / was voluntarily condemned.
You saved the one bitten in Eden / by the tongue that poured out poison; / for his self-inflicted wound / You healed through Your voluntary suffering— / the most divine God of the fathers and the most glorified.
Me, wandering in the shadow of death, / You have called back to the light, / striking the gloomy hell with the lightning of Your Divinity— / O most divine God of our fathers and most glorified.
Canon 3
Jacob saw in the night / as if in a mystery the God made flesh; / but from You He appeared in radiance, singing: / “Most divine God of the fathers and most glorified!”
The images of the union of the incomprehensible, / which dwelt within You, O Pure One, foretelling / that through which He willingly united Himself with mankind, / the Most Divine / God of the fathers and the Most Glorified wrestles with Jacob.
Wicked is he who, with unshakable conviction, / does not confess You, Son of the Virgin, / as one of the Trinity praised by all, / and does not cry out with his lips: / “Most Holy God of the fathers and Most Glorified!”
Canon 1
Irmos: The fiery furnace in Babylon of old / displayed various wonders, / scorching the Chaldeans by divine command, / while sprinkling the faithful with dew as they sang: / “Bless the Lord, all the works of the Lord!”
Gazing upon the garment of Your flesh, O Christ, / stained with Your blood, / the hosts of angels marveled in awe at Your great long-suffering, / exclaiming: / “Bless the Lord, all the works of the Lord!”
You have clothed my mortal nature, O Merciful One, / with immortality through Your Resurrection. / Therefore, with joyful thanksgiving, / Your chosen people sing Your praises, / exclaiming to You, Christ: / “Truly, death has been swallowed up in victory!”
The Theotokos: You, who are one with the Father, / who dwelt in Your womb as both God and man, / were conceived without seed and bore Him in an ineffable manner, / O All-Pure Mother of God: / therefore we acknowledge You / as the salvation of us all.
Canon 2
You appeared nailed to the Cross, rich in mercy, / and were buried of Your own free will, / but on the third day You rose again, Lover of mankind, / and redeemed all mortals, who sing with faith: / “Let all creation sing to the Lord / and exalt Him for ever and ever!”
To deliver from corruption, O Word of God, / the one whom You created by Your divine power, / my Christ, descending into Hades, / You made him a partaker of Your incorruption and eternal glory, / as he exclaims: / “Let all creation sing / and exalt Christ forever!”
Canon 3
Through You, He who is incomparable in goodness and power appeared on earth and dwelt among men, / to whom all of us, the faithful, cry out in song: / “Let all creation sing to the Lord / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
We rightly confess You as spotless / and glorify You, O Mother of God; / for You gave birth to the One of the Trinity who became incarnate, / to Whom, together with the Father and the Spirit, we all sing: / “Let all creation sing to the Lord / and exalt Him for ever and ever!”
Then we sing the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “My soul magnifies the Lord:”
Canon 1
Irmos: The Son of the Beginnerless Father, God and Lord, / having become incarnate from the Virgin, appeared to us / to enlighten those in darkness and gather the scattered. / Therefore, we magnify the Mother of God, whom all sing of.
Like the tree of life planted in paradise, / on the place of execution, the thrice-blessed tree / of Your most pure Cross, O Savior, / watered with Divine blood and water / as from a spring—Your Divine side, O Christ— / has brought forth life for us.
You have overthrown the rulers through Your crucifixion, Almighty One, / and, having exalted human nature, / which lay deep in the dungeon of hell, / You have seated it on the throne of the Father; / You, who are to come in that same nature, / we worship and magnify.
Trinity: Unity, expressed in the number three, the consubstantial Trinity, / singing in the Orthodox manner, let us, the faithful, glorify: / the indivisible, super-divine Nature—the thrice-luminous, unfading Radiance, / the one Pure One, who has shone forth as light for us.
Canon 2
In the midst of those condemned at Golgotha / You were hung on the Cross like a lamb; / pierced in the side by a spear, / You bestowed life, as the Good One, upon us, created from dust, / who with faith honor Your, O Christ, / Divine Resurrection.
Let us worship God, who by His death powerfully abolished / the power of death, / all you faithful, / for He has raised with Himself those who were dead from of old / and grants life and resurrection to all.
Canon 3
The rod of power was given to frail nature / in Your womb, O Pure One—the Word of God— / and He raised it up, having been cast down into hell. / Therefore, we magnify You, O All-Pure One, / as the Mother of God.
Him whom You have chosen, O Lord, / receive with compassion, / Your Mother—our Intercessor, / and may all things be fulfilled through Your goodness, / so that we may all extol You / as our Benefactor.
After the katavasia, the Small Ektenia, followed by: “Holy is the Lord our God:” and the Sunday Exapostilarion.
To carry out among them the judgment decreed; / this glory belongs to all His saints.
Every living thing and all creation / glorify You, O Lord; / for by the Cross You abolished death, / to reveal to people Your resurrection from the dead, / as the sole Lover of mankind.
Praise God in His saints, / praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Let the Jews answer: / How did the soldiers who guarded the King lose Him? / Why did the stone fail to preserve the Stone of Life? / Or let them return the One who was buried, / or let them worship the Risen One, / proclaiming with us: / “Glory to the abundance of Your mercy, / our Savior, glory to You!”
Praise Him for His might, / praise Him for the abundance of His greatness.
Rejoice, O people, and be glad! / The angel who sat upon the stone of the tomb / has announced joy to us, crying out: / “Christ is risen from the dead, the Savior of the world, / and has filled all things with fragrance. / Rejoice, O people, and be glad!”
Praise Him with the sound of trumpets, / praise Him with the psaltery and the lyre.
Before Your conception, O Lord, / the angel brought the greeting “Hail” to the Blessed One; / and at Your Resurrection, / the angel rolled away the stone from Your glorious tomb. / The first, instead of sorrow, / revealed a sign of joy, / while the second, instead of death, / proclaimed to us the Lord, the Giver of life. / Therefore we cry out to You: / “Benefactor of all, O Lord, glory to You!”
Praise Him with the tympanum and in the choir, / praise Him with the strings and the organ.
The women poured myrrh with tears / upon Your tomb; / but their lips were filled with joy / when they were told, “The Lord has risen!”
Praise Him with melodious cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. / Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
May the tribes and nations praise Christ our God, / who willingly endured the Cross for our sake / and remained in Hades for three days, / and may they worship His resurrection from the dead, / by which all the ends of the earth have been enlightened.
Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end!
You were crucified and buried, Christ, / of Your own will; / You conquered death (and rose in glory), as God and Lord, / granting the world eternal life / and great mercy.
I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart, / and proclaim all Your wonders.
Truly, you lawless ones, / by sealing the tomb with a stone, / have granted us an even greater miracle. / Everyone knows the guards who said: / “On this day He came out of the tomb!” But you told them: / “Say that while we were asleep, / the disciples came and stole Him away.” / But who would steal a dead man—and a naked one at that? / He rose by His own power, as God, / leaving even His burial shrouds in the tomb. / Come, see, O Jews, / how He who overcame death / did not break the seals, / and grants to the human race / eternal life and great mercy.
Glory: Gospel Sticheron.
And now, Tone 2: Most blessed are You, Virgin Mother of God, / for through Him who was incarnate of You, hell is captive, / Adam is restored from it, / the curse has lost its power, / Eve is set free, death is put to death, / and we are filled with life. / Therefore, singing, we cry out: / “Blessed is Christ God, who has so graciously willed this; glory to You!”
Priest: Glory to You, who have shown us the light!
The Great Doxology.
Having risen from the tomb, You broke the chains of hell, / You abolished the sentence of death, O Lord, / delivering all from the snares of the enemy; / and appearing to Your Apostles, / You sent them out to preach / and through them granted peace to the universe, / O One, Most Merciful.
And the dismissal.
We offer to You the cry of the thief / and call out to You: / “Remember us, Savior, / in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
We offer You the Cross / for the forgiveness of our sins, / which You endured for our sake, / O Lover of Mankind.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
We worship Your burial and resurrection, O Lord, / through which You have delivered the world / from corruption, O Lover of Mankind.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
By Your death, O Lord, / death has been swallowed up, / and by Your resurrection / You, O Savior, have saved the world.
Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you for My sake.
You met the Myrrh-Bearers, / having risen from the tomb, / and commanded them to announce to the disciples / Your Resurrection.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.
Those sleeping in darkness, / having seen You—the light— / in the very depths of hell, / have risen, O Christ.
Glory, in the Trinity: Let us glorify the Father, / let us all worship the Son, / and let us sing with faith / to the Holy Spirit.
And now, to the Mother of God: Rejoice, fiery throne! / Rejoice, Bride who knew no marriage! / Rejoice, Virgin, / who gave birth to God for mankind!
The Lord is my strength and my song, / and He has become my salvation.
Verse: The Lord has disciplined me, but He has not given me over to death.
Ps 117:14, 18
Verse: May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
Verse: O Lord, save the king and hear us on the day we call upon You.
Ps 19:2, 10
At “O Lord, I have cried out,” stichera for the 10th hour: three from the Sunday Octoechos, four from the Eastern Octoechos, and three from the Menaion. If we are celebrating a saint, we sing four stichera from the Octoechos and six for the saint. Glory: from the Menaion, and “And now”: the first Theotokion of the tone.
Deliver my soul from the dungeon, / that I may glorify Your name.
By Your Cross, Christ the Savior, / the power of death has been destroyed / and the devil’s deception has been vanquished; / and the human race, saved by faith, / always offers You a song.
The righteous will wait for me, / until You reward me.
The whole world has been enlightened / by Your Resurrection, O Lord, / and paradise has been opened once more; / yet all creation, glorifying You, / offers You a song forever.
From the depths I have cried out to You, O Lord, / O Lord, hear my voice.
I glorify the power of the Father and the Son, / and I sing of the might of the Holy Spirit, /—the indivisible, uncreated Godhead, / the consubstantial Trinity, / reigning forever and ever.
May Your ears / be attentive to the voice of my prayer.
We worship Your holy Cross, Christ, / and we sing and glorify Your Resurrection; / for by Your wounds we have all been healed.
If You were to mark iniquities, O Lord, O Lord, who could stand? / For with You is forgiveness.
We sing of the Savior, who was incarnate of the Virgin; / for He was crucified for our sake / and rose again on the third day, / granting us great mercy.
For the sake of Your name I have waited for You, O Lord; my soul has hoped in Your word; / my soul has trusted in the Lord.
To those in Hades, Christ, / having descended to them, proclaimed joy, / crying out: “Take heart, I have now conquered; / I am the Resurrection; I will bring you out, / having destroyed the gates of death.
From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch / may Israel hope in the Lord.
We, standing unworthily / in Your most pure temple, / sing the evening hymn, / crying out from the depths of our hearts: / “Christ God, who enlightened the world / by Your Resurrection on the third day! / Deliver Your people from the hands of Your enemies, O Lover of Mankind!”
Glory: Sticheron from the Menaion.
And now, O Mother of God: How can we not marvel / at the birth from You of the God-Man, O Most Holy One! / For, having known no man, O Immaculate One, / You gave birth without a father to the Son in the flesh, / who was begotten of the Father before all ages without a mother, / and who in doing so underwent no change, / nor mingling, nor division, / but preserved the properties of each nature / in their entirety. / Therefore, Virgin Mother, Sovereign Lady, / pray to Him for the salvation of the souls / of those who confess You as the Mother of God in the Orthodox faith.
Entrance. “A joyful light:”
The Lord has ascended the throne, / clothed in splendor.
Stich: The Lord has clothed Himself with strength and girded Himself.
Stich: For He has established the universe, and it shall not be shaken.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time. Ps 92:1, 5b
Then a special litany, “Grant, O Lord:” a supplicatory litany.
By Your sufferings, O Christ, / You darkened the sun, / and by the light of Your Resurrection / You illuminated all things! / Accept our evening hymn, O Lover of Mankind.
Stich: The Lord has reigned, / clothed in splendor.
Your life-giving Resurrection, O Lord, / has enlightened the entire universe / and brought Your fallen creation back to life. / Therefore, having been delivered from Adam’s curse, we cry out: / “Almighty Lord, glory to You!”
Stich: For He has established the universe, / and it shall not be shaken.
Remaining the unchanging God, / You were transformed through suffering in the flesh; / and creation, unable to bear the sight of You hanging on the Cross, / trembled with fear, / and, groaning, sang of Your long-suffering. / But, having descended into Hades, You rose on the third day, / granting the world life and great mercy.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, / O Lord, for all time.
To deliver our race from death, / You, Christ, endured death / and, rising from the dead on the third day, / raised with You those who acknowledged You as God and enlightened the world. / O Lord, glory to You!
Glory: Sticheron from the Menaion, if available. If not:
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Without seed, by the Divine Spirit / and by the Father’s will, You conceived the Son of God. / He who has His beginning from the Father before the ages, without a mother, / but who for our sake came forth from You without a father, / You bore in Your womb according to the flesh / and nourished as an infant with milk. / Therefore, do not cease to intercede / for the deliverance of our souls from misfortune.
Then: “Now You dismiss us:” The Trisagion after the “Our Father:”
Let all that is heavenly rejoice, / let all that is earthly be glad, / for the Lord has revealed the power of His hand: / He has trampled death by death, / He has become the firstborn from among the dead, / He has delivered us from the bowels of Hades / and has bestowed great mercy upon the world.
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: We sing of You, O Virgin Mother of God, as the Mediator of our race’s salvation, / for Your Son and our God, who took flesh from You, / having endured suffering on the Cross, / has delivered us from corruption, as the Lover of Mankind.
The same troparion is sung at “God is the Lord:”
We sing “God is the Lord:” in Tone 3, followed by the Sunday troparion twice, and the Theotokos hymn once (see Great Vespers). Then the usual psalmody from the Psalter.
Christ is risen from the dead, the Firstborn from the dead. / He, born before all creation / and the Creator of all that exists, / has renewed in Himself the corrupted nature of our race. / Death! You no longer have power, / for the Lord of all has crushed your might.
Verse: Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end! Psalm 9:33
Having tasted death in the flesh, O Lord, / You destroyed the bitterness of death by Your resurrection, / and have now strengthened mankind against it, / proclaiming the abolition of the ancient curse. / Defender of our life—O Lord, glory to You!
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Astonished by the beauty of Your virginity / and Your most radiant purity, / Gabriel cried out to You, O Mother of God: / “What praise worthy of You shall I offer? / How shall I call You? / I am perplexed and amazed; / Therefore, as I have been commanded, I cry out to You: / ‘Rejoice, O Full of Grace!’
Struck by Your unchanging Divinity / and Your voluntary sufferings, O Lord, / hell itself groaned within itself: / “I tremble before the incorruptible essence of His body; / I see the Invisible One, mysteriously marching against me in battle. / That is why even those whom I hold captive cry out: / “Glory to Your Resurrection, Christ!”
Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders. Ps 9:2
The incomprehensible crucifixion and the inexpressible resurrection / we, the faithful, confess as an ineffable mystery: / for on this day death and hell have been conquered, / and the human race has been clothed in incorruption. / Therefore we exclaim with gratitude: / “Glory to Your Resurrection, Christ!”
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: The incomprehensible and boundless One, / consubstantial with the Father and the Spirit, / You mysteriously contained in Your womb, O Mother of God. / The single and indivisible action of the Trinity / we have learned to glorify in this world / through the birth of Christ from You. / Therefore, we cry out to You in gratitude: / “Rejoice, O Full of Grace!”
Then the troparia “to the Immaculate Ones” and the Small Ektenia.
Striking in appearance, yet speaking with comforting words, / the radiant Angel proclaimed to the myrrh-bearers: / “Why do you seek the Living One in the tomb? / He has risen, having emptied the tombs; / recognize the Unchanging One who has transformed corruption. / Exclaim to God: How awesome are Your deeds, / for You have saved the human race!”
You have freed the captives of Zion / from Babylon, / and draw me, O Word, / from the passions of this life to eternal life!
Those who sow in the south wind / with tears inspired by God / will reap with joy / the ears of eternal life.
Glory: Every good gift comes from the Holy Spirit, / as it shines forth from the Father and the Son: / Through Him all things live and move.
And now: we repeat the same.
Unless the Lord builds the house of virtue, / our labor is in vain; / if the soul is under His protection, / no one will destroy our city.
The saints are always like the fruit of the womb, / through adoption by the Spirit, / to You, Christ, as well as to the Father.
Glory: In the Holy Spirit is beheld / all holiness and wisdom, / for He gives being to all creation. / Let us serve Him, for He is God, / as well as the Father and the Word.
And now: we repeat the same.
Blessed are those who fear the Lord, / for they will walk in the ways of His commandments / and partake of every life-giving fruit.
Rejoice, chief shepherd, / seeing your successors gathered around your table, / bearing the branches of good deeds.
Glory: In the Holy Spirit is all the riches of glory; / from Him come grace and life to all creation. / Therefore, He is glorified / together with the Father and the Word.
And now: we repeat the same.
Proclaim among the nations: “The Lord has reigned,” / for He has established the universe, and it shall not be shaken.
Verse: Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Ps 95:10a, 1
“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord:” and we read the Sunday morning Gospel.
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, / let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, / the only sinless One. / We worship Your Cross, O Christ, / and we sing and glorify Your Holy Resurrection, / for You are our God, / we know no other besides You, / we call upon Your name. / Come, all the faithful, / let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ, / for behold, through the Cross / joy has come to the whole world. / Always blessing the Lord, / we sing of His Resurrection, / for He, having endured the crucifixion, / has crushed death by death.
Psalm 50.
Glory: Through the prayers of the apostles, O Merciful One, blot out our many sins.
And now: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Merciful One, blot out our many sins.
Then, Tone 6: Have mercy on me, O God; according to Your great mercy and the abundance of Your kindness, blot out my iniquity.
And the stichera: Jesus has risen from the tomb, / as He foretold, / granting us eternal life / and great mercy.
And the prayer: Save, O God, Your people:
The first—Sunday, in 4; the second—Cross and Resurrection, in 3; the third—Theotokos, in 3; and the Menaion, in 4. If a saint is celebrated in 6, then the Cross and Resurrection, in 2, and the Theotokos, in 2.
Canon 1
Irmos: Once, by a divine gesture, / He gathered the waters into a single body / and parted the sea for the people of Israel; / He is our most glorified God. / Let us sing to Him alone, / for He has been glorified.
Refrain: Glory, O Lord, to Your holy Resurrection.
He who condemned the earth to yield thorns as the fruit of labor for the sinning man, / He, our God, took upon Himself in the flesh / the crown of thorns from the hands of the lawless / and destroyed the curse, for He has been glorified.
Christ’s terrible death / proved to be a triumphant victory over death; / for He, our God, having taken on flesh / that was living and capable of suffering, / and having entered into battle with the tormentor, / raised all up with Himself, for He has been glorified.
Theotokos: All nations acknowledge You / as the true Mother of God, who gave birth without seed; / for entering Your sanctified womb, / He, our God, assumed our nature / and was born of You as both God and man.
Canon 2
The human race, enslaved by the sin-loving tormentor, / Christ redeemed with His divine blood / and, bringing it to life, renewed it, / for He was glorified.
As a mortal, Christ—the Lord of life—voluntarily tasted death; / but as immortal by His divine nature, / He gave life to the dead; / for He was glorified.
Canon 3
All the heavenly hosts / bow their knees in reverence / before Him who was incarnate from you, O Virgin, / and together with those on earth—the underworld as well; / for He has been glorified.
O what a change has taken place in You! / For God, the generous bestower of good things, / who has granted us the Divine Spirit, / took flesh from You, O Virgin; / for He has been glorified.
Then the troparia from the canon of the Menaion and the katavasia according to the rule.
Canon 1
Irmos: You who brought all things forth from nothing, / created by the Word and perfected by the Spirit! / Almighty Lord, / strengthen me in Your love.
By Your Cross, the wicked one was put to shame: / for, having dug a pit, he prepared it—and fell into it himself; / but the dignity of the humble was exalted / by Your Resurrection, O Christ.
Your preaching of piety to the nations / has filled them like water fills the seas, O Lover of Mankind; / for You, having risen from the tomb, / revealed the radiance of the Trinity.
The Theotokos: Glorious things are spoken of You, / the living city of the Ever-Reigning One; / for through You, O Lady, / God dwelt among those on earth.
Canon 2
By cleansing away the defilement of idolatry, / you, O Most Pure Cross, were revealed; / for upon you, Jesus, the God-like One, / stretched out His hands.
So that all of us, the faithful, might bow down / before you, the tomb that held Life, / Christ—our true God—was buried in you and rose from you.
Canon 3
A shoot from the root of Jesse, / sprung forth according to the prophecy—the Virgin— / has brought forth for us a flower—You, Christ. / Holy are You, O Lord.
To make those born on earth / partakers of the Divine Nature, / You became poor, taking our flesh from the Virgin. / Holy are You, O Lord.
Canon 1
Irmos: You have shown us Your steadfast love, O Lord, / for You delivered Your Only-Begotten Son / to death for our sake. / Therefore we cry out to You in gratitude: / “Glory to Your power, O Lord!”
You, Christ, endured scourges and wounds / out of mercy, / enduring insults and blows, / bearing spitting with long-suffering: / through them You accomplished my salvation. / Glory to Your power, O Lord!
With Your mortal body, / You, the Life, became one with death, / for the sake of the misery of the destitute and the groaning of Your poor; / and, having destroyed the destroyer, You, the Most Glorified, / raised all up with You, the only Lover of mankind.
The Theotokos: Remember, Christ, Your flock, / which You acquired through Your suffering, / having accepted the merciful entreaties of Your glorified Mother; / and, visiting it in its affliction, deliver it / by Your power, O Lord.
Canon 2
You, who created man in Your own image, / and were crucified on Golgotha, O Lover of Mankind, / saved him, who had been put to death by sin / through transgression.
Death returned those whom it had swallowed up, / and the destructive kingdom of hell was destroyed / when You rose from the tomb, O Lord.
Theotokos: Mary, the Immaculate One, golden censer! / God the Word, One of the Trinity, / having dwelt within You, became incarnate without mixture / and filled the world with fragrance.
Canon 3
You, who established the mountains, O Lord, / by the scales of divine providence, / were cut from the Virgin like a stone, without the aid of hands. / Glory to Your power, O Lover of mankind!
You have healed our ailing nature, O Lord, / by uniting with it, in the Virgin’s womb, the most powerful medicine— / Your own, the Word, the most pure Divinity.
My portion and my desired inheritance— / You, O Lord, who through the Virgin have united me / with Your Hypostasis, the Word, / the Hypostasis who became incarnate.
Canon 1
Irmos: To You I turn from the break of dawn, Creator of all, / Peace, surpassing every mind, / for light is Your commandments; / instruct me in them.
Delivered to an unjust judge because of the Jews’ envy, / You, the All-Seeing One who judges the whole earth righteously, / have delivered Adam from his ancient condemnation.
Grant Your peace to Your churches, O Christ, / through the invincible power of Your Cross, / You who rose from the dead, / and save our souls.
Theotokos: As the holy and boundless Tabernacle of heaven, / having received the Word of God, whom all creation cannot contain, / You alone have appeared, Ever-Virgin.
Canon 2
Pierced in the side by a spear, O my Christ, / You have freed from the curse / the one created from the side of man / and who became the cause of the downfall of all people.
Being equal to the Father in nature, / You raised from the dead the sacred temple / of Your most pure and venerable Body, / Christ our Savior.
Canon 3
Your Son, O Virgin, is the Word of God, / the Creator of the first Adam, not a creation, / though He created for Himself / a living body through You.
Equal to the Father is the Son of the Virgin, the Word of God, / a perfect Hypostasis in two natures, / Jesus the Lord, perfect God and man.
Canon 1
Irmos: The deepest abyss of sins has engulfed me, / and my spirit is fainting; / but You, O Lord, stretching out Your mighty hand, / save me, O Helmsman, as You did Peter.
The abyss of mercy and compassion has engulfed me / through Your merciful condescension; / for You, O Lord, having become incarnate and been born in the likeness of a servant, / have deified me and glorified me with Yourself.
The murderer was put to death, / having seen the slain one come back to life. / This is a sign of Your resurrection, Christ, / and the reward for Your most pure sufferings.
Hymn to the Mother of God: O Most Pure One, who alone has become, in an incomprehensible way, / a mediator between the Creator and humankind! / Entreat Your Son to be merciful / to Your servants who have stumbled, and to be their protector.
Canon 2
Having endured the wounds and suffered on the Cross, / You raised the wounded from hell to be with You. / Therefore I cry out to You: / “Raise my life from destruction, O Lover of Mankind!”
Before You, Christ, / the gates of hell open in fear, / and the enemy’s spoils are plundered. / Therefore, the women met You, / receiving joy instead of sorrow.
Canon 3
He who has no visible form / takes on a form like ours / from the immaculate Virgin, / becoming human in appearance and in reality, / yet unchanged in His Divinity.
Deliver me from the abyss of sins / and from the storm of passions, O Most Pure One; / for You have become a refuge and a fount of miracles / for those who flee to You in faith.
On this day You rose from the tomb, O Merciful One, / and led us out from the gates of death. / On this day Adam rejoices and Eve is glad, / and together with them the prophets and patriarchs sing unceasingly / of the divine power of Your authority.
Ikos: Let heaven and earth rejoice today / and let them sing of Christ God with one voice, / for He has raised the captives from their tombs. / All creation rejoices together, / offering fitting hymns / to our Creator and Redeemer; / for having brought mortals out of Hades on this day, / He, as the Giver of life, lifts them up to heaven, / casts down the enemy’s arrogance and shatters the gates of Hades / with the divine power of His authority.
Canon 1
Irmos: Just as in ancient times You showered / the three pious youths in the Chaldean flames / with the luminous fire of Your Divinity, / so enlighten us as well, who cry out: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
The brilliant veil of the temple was torn / at the time of the Creator’s crucifixion, / revealing the truth hidden in Scripture / to the faithful who cry out: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
When Your side was pierced, / the divine drops of Your life-giving blood, O Christ, / providentially falling upon the earth, / restored those who are of the earth, who cried out: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
Trinity: Let us glorify the Holy Spirit, O faithful, / together with the Father and the only-begotten Son, / honoring the One Principle in the Three / and the One Godhead, and exclaiming: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
Canon 2
Seeing not a mere man hanging on the Cross, / the sun is darkened, / but God made flesh, / to whom we sing: / “Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers!”
Having received the Mighty One, the Giver of immortality, / wretched hell spewed forth the souls of the righteous with a cry. / Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers!
To the Mother of God: You have become, O All-Pure One, / a priceless treasure of blessing / for those who confess You / with a pure heart as the Mother of God; / for the God of our fathers / was incarnated through You.
Canon 3
Lord of glory and Ruler of the heavenly Powers, / seated with the Father and carried in the Virgin’s arms! / Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers.
Death is indomitable, but You destroyed it when it drew near to You, / having become incarnate from the Virgin as the God-person. / Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers!
We all acknowledge through the Mother of God / You, who bore God in Your womb; / for You, the Pure One, gave birth to the One of the Trinity who became incarnate. / Blessed are You, Most Pure One, the fruit of Your womb!
Canon 1
Irmos: The leaders of piety—the youths—who were in the unbearable fire, / yet suffered no harm from the flames, / sang a divine hymn: / “Bless the Lord, all His creatures, / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
The bright veil of the temple was torn / when Your Cross was raised on Golgotha, / and creation was thrown into confusion, singing in fear: / “Bless the Lord, all [the Lord’s] creatures, / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
You have risen, Christ, from the tomb / and through the Cross, by divine power, have restored / Adam, who had fallen through deception, / as he cried out and implored: / “Bless the Lord, all [the Lord’s] creatures, / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
Theotokos: You have appeared as the Temple of God, / a living dwelling and ark, / for You have reconciled the Creator with mortals, / Most Pure Mother of God; / and therefore we and all creation worthily sing / and exalt You forever and ever.
Canon 2
The Word is not subject to suffering, / for He is impassible in His Divinity, / but God suffers in the flesh, / to Whom we sing: / “Bless the Lord, all the works of the Lord, / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
Having fallen asleep as a mortal, / You rose, Savior, as an immortal, / and save from death those who sing: / “Bless the Lord, all the works of the Lord, / and exalt Him forever!”
Trinity Hymn: We worship reverently / the one God in three Persons / and sing without ceasing: / “Bless the Lord, all the works of the Lord, / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
Canon 3
O wise Hosts, like the Mother who surpassed all / and was brought into close communion with God! / We bless, O blessed Virgin, / the birth of Christ from you / and exalt Him for ever and ever.
You revealed Your natural beauty as even more exquisite / in the radiant flesh of the Divinity. / We bless You, O Blessed Virgin, / for the birth of Christ from You, / and we exalt Him forever and ever.
Then we sing the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “My soul magnifies the Lord:”
Canon 1
Irmos: An unprecedented and divine miracle! / Through the Virgin’s closed door / the Lord clearly passes; / God, incorporeal upon entering, – / yet He appeared clothed in flesh upon leaving, / and the door remains closed. / We extol her, as the Mother of God, beyond words.
It is terrifying to see You, the Creator, / hanging on the tree, the Word of God, / and God—suffering in the flesh for His servants, / and lying lifeless in the tomb, / yet having delivered us from the hell of the dead. / Therefore, we magnify You, Christ, / as the Almighty.
You saved our first parents from mortal decay, O Christ, / having been laid in the tomb as one who had died, / and You brought forth life by raising the dead, / directing mortal nature toward the light / and clothing it in divine incorruption. / Therefore we magnify You, / the source of eternal light.
Theotokos: You have become the temple and throne of God, / where He who dwells on high has taken up residence, / O All-Pure One, born without a husband, / and who never opened the gates of Your flesh. / Therefore, with unceasing prayers, O Pure One, / may You soon subdue the barbarian tribes / completely for our king.
Canon 2
You have brought honor to all people / by enduring a shameful death: / having tasted it through crucifixion in Your mortal nature, Savior, / You have granted me immortality, Christ, / as the Lover of mankind.
You have saved me, Christ, / by rising from the tomb, and exalted me, / and brought me to the Father, Your Father, / and seated me at Your right hand with You / through Your compassionate mercy, O Lord.
Canon 3
The devout believers never grow weary of praising You, O Virgin; / for, constantly adding to their love the divine / and spiritual love, / they magnify You as the Mother of God.
You have given us a faithful Intercessor— / She who gave birth to You, Christ; / through her intercession, grant us the merciful Spirit, / the Giver of goodness, who proceeds from the Father through You.
After the katavasia, the Small Ektenia, followed by: “Holy is the Lord our God:” and the Sunday Exapostilarion.
To carry out among them the judgment decreed; / this glory belongs to all His saints.
Come, all nations, / and know the awe-inspiring power of the mystery: / for Christ, our Savior, the Word who was in the beginning, / was crucified for our sake and buried of His own free will, / and rose from the dead to save all. / Let us worship Him!
Praise God in His saints, / praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Those who guarded You, O Lord, / have told of all Your wonders; / but the foolish Sanhedrin, having filled their hands with bribes, / thought to hide Your resurrection, / which the world glorifies. Have mercy on us!
Praise Him for His might, / praise Him for the multitude of His greatness.
All things were filled with joy, / having received confirmation of the Resurrection. / For Mary Magdalene came to the tomb / and found an angel in dazzling garments, / sitting on the stone and proclaiming: / “Why do you seek the Living One among the dead? / He is not here, but has risen, as He said, / and goes before you to Galilee!”
Praise Him with the sound of trumpets, / praise Him with psalteries and lyres.
In Your light, O Lord, Lover of Mankind, / we shall see the light: / for You have risen from the dead, / granting salvation to the human race, / so that all creation may glorify You— / the One who is without sin. Have mercy on us.
Praise Him with the tympanum and in the choir, / praise Him with strings and the organ.
Like the morning song of the myrrh-bearing women, / they brought tears, O Lord: / for with fragrant spices in their hands / they reached Your tomb, / hastening to anoint Your most pure body with myrrh. / But the Angel sitting on the stone proclaimed to them: / “Why do you seek the Living One among the dead? / For, having conquered death, He has risen, as God, / bestowing great mercy upon all!”
Praise Him with melodious cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. / Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
The radiant Angel, standing by Your life-giving tomb, / proclaimed to the myrrh-bearers: / “The Redeemer has made the tombs empty, / He has conquered hell and risen on the third day, / as the one and almighty God!”
Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end!
Mary Magdalene came to seek You in Your tomb / on the first day of the week, / but finding You not, she grieved, crying out: / “Woe is me! How have they stolen You, my Savior, the King of all?” / And two life-giving Angels / from within the tomb proclaimed: / “Why are you weeping, O woman?” – / “I am weeping,” she said, / “because they have taken my Lord from the tomb, / and I do not know where they have laid Him.” / But, turning around and seeing You, / she immediately exclaimed: / “My Lord and my God! Glory to You!”
I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders.
The Jews shut up Life in the tomb, / but the thief opened the way to bliss, / exclaiming and proclaiming with his lips: / “The Crucified One hung on the Tree with me and for my sake, / and appeared to me seated on the throne with the Father; / for He is Christ, our God, / who has great mercy!”
Glory: Gospel Sticheron.
And now, Tone 2: Most blessed are You, O Virgin Mother of God, / for through Him who was incarnate of You, hell has been vanquished, / Adam has been restored from it, / the curse has lost its power, / Eve has been set free, death has been put to death, / and we have been filled with life. / Therefore, singing, we cry out: / “Blessed is Christ God, who has so graciously willed this; glory to You!”
Priest: Glory to You, who have shown us the light!
The Great Doxology.
On this day the salvation of the world was accomplished! / Let us sing of Him who rose from the tomb / and is the Prince of our life, / for by destroying death through death, / He has granted us victory and great mercy.
And the dismissal.
You cast out from Paradise, O Christ, / our forefather Adam, who rejected Your commandment; / but, O Merciful One, You instilled in him the thief / who confessed You on the Cross and cried out: / “Remember me, Savior, in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
We who have sinned, You, the Giver of life and the Lord, / have condemned to death by Your curse; / but by suffering innocently in Your flesh, O Lord, / You have given life to mortals who cry out: / “Remember us also in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Rising from the dead, You have raised us up from our passions / through Your resurrection, O Lord, / and have destroyed all the power of death. / Therefore, we cry out to You with faith, O Savior: / “Remember us also in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Through Your three-day burial, / You, as God, gave life to those who lay dead in Hades / and raised them up with You; / and, as the Good One, You bestowed immortality upon us all, / as we cry out with faith always: / “Remember us also in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of wicked slander against you for My sake.
You appeared first to the myrrh-bearing women, / after rising from the dead, crying out to them, “Rejoice,” O Savior; / and through them You proclaim to Your friends / Your Resurrection, O Christ. / Therefore, with faith we cry out to You: / “Remember us also in Your Kingdom!”
Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
Moses, stretching out his hands on the mountain, / foreshadowed the Cross, putting the Amalekites to flight. / We, too, having his faith / as a mighty weapon against the demons, all cry out: / “Remember us also in Your Kingdom!”
Glory to the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit / let us sing, O faithful, to the one God, the one Lord, / as light comes from the one Sun; / for the Trinity is triune and enlightens all who cry out: / “Remember us also in Your Kingdom!”
And now, to the Mother of God: Rejoice, gate of God, / through which the incarnate Creator passed, / preserving you as a sealed vessel! / Rejoice, light cloud, / bearing the divine rain—Christ! / Rejoice, heavenly ladder and throne! / Rejoice, holy, fruitful, and indivisible mountain!
Sing to our God, sing, / sing to our King, sing.
Verse: All nations, clap your hands; shout to God with a voice of joy.
Ps 46:7, 2
Verse: In You, O Lord, I trust; let me never be put to shame.
Verse: Be my God and my refuge, to save me.
Ps 30:2a, 3b
At “O Lord, I have cried out,” stichera for the 10th hour: three from the Sunday Octoechos, four from the Eastern Octoechos, and three from the Menaion. If we are celebrating a saint, we sing four stichera from the Octoechos and six for the saint. Glory: from the Menaion, and “And now”: the first Theotokion of the tone.
Deliver my soul from the dungeon, / that I may glorify Your name.
Worshiping ceaselessly Thy life-giving Cross, O Christ God, / we glorify Thy Resurrection on the third day; / for by it Thou hast renewed the decayed human nature, O Almighty One, / and shown us the path of ascent to heaven, / as the One who is Good and Lover of Mankind.
The righteous will wait for me / until You reward me.
You have abolished the punishment for the tree of disobedience / through the tree of the Cross, Savior, / to which You were willingly nailed; / and, descending into Hades, Almighty One, / You, as God, have broken the bonds of death. / Therefore we worship Your resurrection from the dead, / crying out in joy: / “Almighty Lord, glory to You!”
From the depths I have cried out to You, O Lord, / O Lord, hear my voice.
You have shattered the gates of Hades, O Lord, / and by Your death You have destroyed the kingdom of death, / while freeing the human race from corruption, / granting life and immortality to the world, / and great mercy.
May Your ears / be attentive to the voice of my prayer.
Come, all you people, let us sing / of the Savior’s resurrection on the third day, / through which we have been freed from the unbreakable chains of hell / and have all received incorruption and life, and we exclaim: / “Crucified, and Buried, and Risen! / Save us by Your resurrection, / O sole Lover of mankind!”
If You were to take account of iniquities, O Lord, O Lord, who could stand? / For with You is forgiveness.
Angels and people sing / of Your Resurrection on the third day, Savior, / by which the ends of the universe were enlightened, / and we were all delivered from the enemy’s bondage, exclaiming: / “Giver of Life, almighty Savior! / Save us by Your Resurrection, / the only Lover of mankind!”
For the sake of Your name I have waited for You, O Lord; my soul has hoped in Your word; / my soul has trusted in the Lord.
You have shattered the gates of bronze, / and broken down the bars, Christ our God, / and raised up the fallen human race. / Therefore we cry out with one voice: / “Lord, risen from the dead, glory to You!”
From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch / may Israel hope in the Lord.
O Lord! Your birth from the Father— / untimely and eternal; / Your incarnation from the Virgin— / ineffable to men and inexpressible; / and Your descent into hell— / terrifying to the devil and his angels: / for, having trampled death underfoot, You rose on the third day, / granting incorruption to men and great mercy.
Glory: Sticheron from the Menaion.
And now, O Mother of God: Through You, O Mother of God, / the prophet David, who became the forefather of God, / proclaimed of You in melodious tones / the greatness of Him who created You: / “The Queen stands at Your right hand.” / For God made You the Mother, the bearer of life, / having deigned to be incarnated from You without a father, / to renew in us His image, which had been destroyed by passions, / and, having found the sheep that had strayed in the mountains, / to carry it on His shoulders to the Father, / and, by His own will, to unite it with the heavenly Powers and save the world— / Christ, who possesses great and abundant mercy.
Entrance. “A light of joy:”
The Lord has reigned, / clothed in splendor.
Verse: The Lord has clothed Himself with strength and girded Himself.
Verse: For He has established the universe, and it shall not be shaken.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time. Ps 92:1, 5b
Then a special litany, “Grant, O Lord:” a supplicatory litany.
You, O Lord, by ascending the Cross, / have removed the curse that came upon us from our first parents; / and by descending into Hades, You have freed those who had been imprisoned there from time immemorial, / granting incorruptibility to the human race. / Therefore, as we sing, we glorify / Your life-giving and salvific Resurrection.
Verse: The Lord has reigned, / clothed in splendor.
Hanging on the Cross, You, the One and Only Mighty One, / shook all creation; / and laid in the tomb, / You raised those who dwelt in the graves, / granting incorruption and life to the human race. / Therefore, singing, we glorify / Your Resurrection on the third day.
Verse: For He has established the universe, / and it shall not be shaken.
The lawless people, having betrayed You, Christ, to Pilate, / condemned You to crucifixion, / proving themselves ungrateful to their Benefactor. / But You, having willingly endured burial, / rose again in Your own power on the third day as God, / granting us eternal life / and great mercy.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, / O Lord, for all time.
The women, having reached the tomb in tears, / began to search for You, / but finding You not, they grieved and, crying out, exclaimed: / “Alas, our Savior, King of all! / How have You been stolen away? / And where is Your life-giving body?” / But an angel cried out to them in reply: / “Do not weep, but go and proclaim that the Lord has risen, / granting us joy, as the One who is merciful!”
Glory: A stichera from the Menaion, if available. If not:
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Hear the prayers of Your servants, O All-Pure One, / putting an end to the troubles that arise against us, / delivering us from every sorrow: / for You alone are our firm and sure support, / and in You we have found protection. / May we not be put to shame, O Lady, as we call upon You! / Hasten to fulfill the prayer of those who cry out to You in faith: / “Rejoice, O Lady, help of all, / joy, protection, and salvation of our souls!”
Then: “Now You dismiss us:” The Trisagion after the “Our Father:”
Having learned the joyful news of the Resurrection from the Angel, / and having been freed from the condemnation of our first parents, / the Lord’s disciples proclaimed to the apostles, rejoicing: / “Death is cast down; Christ God is risen, / bestowing great mercy upon the world!”
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: The mystery hidden from ages past / and unknown even to the angels, / has been revealed through You, O Mother of God, to those living on earth— / God, incarnate in the unconfused union of two natures, / who willingly accepted the Cross for our sake— / through Him He raised Adam, the first man, / and saved our souls from death.
The same troparion is also sung for “God is the Lord:”
We sing “God is the Lord” in the fourth tone, the Sunday troparion twice, and the Theotokion once (see Great Vespers). Then the usual psalmody from the Psalter.
Gazing at the entrance to the tomb and unable to bear the Angel’s radiance, / the myrrh-bearers marveled in awe, exclaiming: / “Has He who opened Paradise to the thief been stolen? / Has He not risen before, He who foretold the Resurrection through His sufferings?” / Truly Christ God has risen, / granting life and resurrection to those who dwelt in Hades.
Verse: Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end! Psalm 9:33
By Your own free will / You, the Savior, endured the Cross, / and mortal men laid You in a new tomb, / thus setting limits upon the Creator of the world. / Therefore, the enemy was bound, / death suffered a terrible defeat, / and all who dwelt in Hades / cried out at Your life-giving Resurrection: / “Christ is risen—the Giver of life, who lives forever!”
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Joseph was struck with wonder at the supernatural, / and with his mind he comprehended Your seedless conception, O Mother of God, / the rain that fell on the fleece, the thornbush that was not consumed by fire, / and Aaron’s rod that blossomed. / And he, Your betrothed and guardian, / testifying before the priests, exclaimed: / “A virgin gives birth and remains a virgin even after childbirth!”
You have risen, Savior, from the tomb, as the Immortal One; / You have raised up Your world through Your Resurrection, Christ our God; / You have crushed the power of death with Your might, / and revealed the Resurrection to all, O Merciful One. / Therefore we glorify You, the only Lover of mankind.
Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders. Psalm 9:2
Having descended from the heavenly heights / and approached the rock where the Stone of Life lay, / Gabriel, clothed in white, cried out to those who wept: / “Cease your mournful cries, you who are ever filled with compassion; / take heart! The One you seek with tears has truly risen. / Therefore, proclaim to the apostles that the Lord has risen. / (Having received joy, worship the Risen One; / take courage, and may Eve also take courage.”)
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: All the hosts of angels were amazed, O Pure One, / at the awe-inspiring mystery of Your conception: / how He who holds all things with a single gesture / is enfolded in Your arms as a human being, / how the Eternal One takes His beginning and is nourished by milk— / He who nourishes all that breathes through His ineffable goodness? / And they glorify You, as the true Mother of God, / with praises.
Then the troparia “to the Immaculate Ones” and the Small Ektenia.
The circumstances of Your wondrous Resurrection / were proclaimed by the myrrh-bearers as they rushed to the Apostles, / that You have risen, Christ, as God, / bestowing great mercy upon the world.
From my youth / many passions have waged war against me; / but You Yourself defend / and save me, my Savior.
You who hate Zion, be put to shame before the Lord: / for you will be consumed / like grass by fire.
Glory: Every soul is enlivened by the Holy Spirit / and exalted through purification, / and enlightened in the sacred mystery / by the Triune Unity.
And now: And we repeat the same.
I have cried out to You, O Lord, with fervor / from the depths of my soul, / and may Your divine ears / be attentive to me.
Everyone who hopes in the Lord / is above all sorrows.
Glory: Streams of grace pour forth from the Holy Spirit, / watering all creation / to give it life.
And now: And we repeat the same.
May my heart be lifted up to You, O Word, / and may nothing of the world’s pleasures / lead me astray to my own humiliation.
Just as everyone loves their mother, / so too must we have the warmest love / for the Lord.
Glory: Through the Holy Spirit—the wealth of the knowledge of God, / of contemplation, and of wisdom; / for through Him the Word reveals / all the Father’s commandments.
And now: And we repeat the same.
Arise, O Lord, help us / and deliver us for the sake of Your name!
Verse: O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us. Ps 43:27, 2a
“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord:” and we read the Sunday morning Gospel.
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, / let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, / the only sinless One. / We worship Your Cross, Christ, / and we sing and glorify Your Holy Resurrection, / for You are our God, / we know no other besides You, / we call upon Your name. / Come, all the faithful, / let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ, / for behold, through the Cross / joy has come to the whole world. / Always blessing the Lord, / we sing of His Resurrection, / for He, having endured the crucifixion, / has crushed death by death.
Psalm 50.
Glory: Through the prayers of the apostles, O Merciful One, blot out the multitude of our sins.
And now: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Merciful One, blot out the multitude of our sins.
Then, Tone 6: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your bounties, blot out my iniquity.
And the stichera: Jesus has risen from the tomb, / as He foretold, / granting us eternal life / and great mercy.
And the prayer: Save, O God, Your people:
The first—Sunday, in 4; the second—Cross and Resurrection, in 3; the third—Theotokos, in 3; and the Menaion, in 4. If a saint is celebrated in 6, then the Cross and Resurrection, in 2, and the Theotokos, in 2.
Canon 1
Irmos: Having crossed the depths of the Red Sea / with feet unsoaked, / ancient Israel, / through Moses’ hands outstretched in the shape of a cross, / put Amalek’s army to flight in the wilderness.
Refrain: Glory to You, O Lord, for Your holy Resurrection.
You ascended, O Lord, / to set us right from our fall, / upon the most pure Tree of the Cross, / and healing our utter ruin / from the tree of knowledge, / as the Good and Almighty One.
In the tomb in the flesh, and in Hades with Your soul as God, / yet in Paradise with the thief / and on the throne You were, Christ, with the Father and the Spirit, / filling all things, boundless.
The Theotokos: By the will of the Father, without seed, from the Divine Spirit, / You conceived the Son of God, / and gave birth in the flesh to Him who was born of the Father without a mother, / and for our sake—from You without a father.
Canon 2
You have healed broken humanity, O Lord, / renewing it with Your divine blood, / and with the power of a ruler You have crushed / the one who once crushed Your creation.
Through the resurrection of the dead / You became death itself; / for the power of death has been abolished, / having encountered Eternal Life— / the God who became incarnate, / the Ruler of all.
Theotokos: Your divine, living temple has become / the most beautiful and highest of the heavenly powers— / the Virgin who bore You in her womb, / Your holy mountain, our God.
Canon 3
The nations were stirred, the tribes were thrown into confusion, / and mighty kingdoms were brought low, / out of fear of Him born of You, O Pure One; / for my King has come, has overthrown the tormentor, / and has delivered the world from destruction.
Christ, Who dwells in His heavenly abode, / having come down to mortals, has sanctified them / and revealed Himself as unshakable; / for the One Who gave birth to the Creator / remained a treasure of virginity after childbirth.
Then the troparia from the canon of the Menaion and the katavasia according to the rule.
Canon 1
Irmos: Your Church rejoices in You, Christ, crying out: / “You are my strength, O Lord, / and my refuge, and my support!”
The Tree of Life, the spiritual and true Vine, / hangs on the Cross, bestowing immortality upon all.
How great, how awesome, / how He has subdued the arrogance of hell, / and as the imperishable God, He has now risen in the flesh.
To the Mother of God: You alone, O Mother of God, have become the source of supernatural blessings for those who live on earth; therefore, we offer you the greeting, “Rejoice.”
Canon 2
The venomous fangs of serpents / were driven into me, Savior, / but You, Almighty Lord, crushed them with the nails of Your hands. / For among the saints there is none so holy / as You, Lover of Mankind.
You appeared, Lover of Mankind, of Your own free will / in the tomb among the dead, Life-Giver, / and opened the gates of hell to the souls who had dwelt there from the beginning of time. / For among the saints there is none so holy / as You, Lover of Mankind.
Theotokos: You appeared as an unplowed field, / which bore the Ear of Life, / granting immortality to all who partake of Him— / the Holy One, who rests in holiness among the saints.
Canon 3
Mortal nature is purified, / having been united through You / with the unbearable Divine fire: / by it, like hidden bread, / it was baked within You, Most Pure Virgin, / yet You Yourself remained unharmed.
Who is this, truly close to God, / as one who has surpassed all the angelic hosts? / She is the One who shines with the beauty of virginity, / as the Mother of the Almighty.
Canon 1
Irmos: Seeing You, the Sun of Righteousness, / exalted on the Cross, / the Church stood in her place, crying out worthily: / “Glory to Your power, O Lord!”
You ascended the Cross to heal my passions / through the sufferings of Your most pure flesh, / which You willingly accepted. / Therefore we cry out to You: / “Glory to Your power, O Lord!”
Death, having touched Your sinless / and life-giving Body, O Lord, / was justly put to death; / and we cry out to You: / “Glory to Your power, O Lord!”
The Theotokos: Without having known marriage, You conceived, O Virgin, / and after giving birth, You remained a virgin; / therefore, with unceasing voices, O Lady, / and with firm faith, we cry out to You: “Rejoice!”
Canon 2
Israel, having received the Law, / did not recognize You, Christ—the God and Lawgiver; / but as a lawbreaker, they nailed You to the Cross / contrary to the Law, / unworthy of the Law.
Your deified soul, Savior, / having emptied the treasuries of hell, / raised to life the souls that had dwelt there from of old, / while Your life-giving body / bestowed incorruptibility upon all.
Hymn to the Mother of God: We all glorify you, Ever-Virgin / and true Mother of God, / the One whom the thornbush—enveloped in fire / yet unconsumed—revealed to Moses, the seer of God, / O Most Pure One.
Canon 3
The Invisible One communed with men, / having become visible: / abiding in the form of the incomprehensible Divinity / and having taken from You, O Virgin, / a form previously foreign to Him, / He saves those who know You, O pure Mother of God.
The Virgin physically received the Incorporeal One, / who appeared as an infant born of her, having taken on physical form. / Therefore, He is known as one in two natures: / God clothed in flesh / and a supernatural man.
After childbirth, He preserved You as a Virgin—/He who dwelt within You, the Virgin, /and the God-Word, born without seed—/and at His own birth He preserved Your virginity, /as Lord and Creator of all creation.
Canon 1
Irmos: You, my Lord, have come into the world as light, / holy light, turning those who sing of You in faith / away from the darkness of ignorance.
You, O Lord, descended to earth out of compassion; / You exalted fallen human nature, / hanging on the Tree.
You have taken from me, Christ, / the accusation of sin; / You have loosed the bonds of death, O Merciful One, / through Your divine Resurrection.
Theotokos: We direct You as an unbreakable weapon / against our enemies / and in You have found a refuge / and the hope of our salvation, Bride of God.
Canon 2
Hell, in its madness, swallowed You whole: / for, seeing You nailed to the Cross, / pierced by a spear, lifeless, / it mistook You—the living God— / for a mere man; / but having tasted You, it recognized the power of Your Divinity.
The temple of Your body, O Lover of mankind, having been destroyed, / the grave and hell, having divided it between themselves, / both involuntarily receive their due retribution: / one sends forth the souls of Your saints, O Immortal One, / while the other sends forth their bodies.
Theotokos: Behold, now the prophet’s prediction has been fulfilled: / for You, the Virgin who knew no marriage, / bore the Most High God in Your womb / and gave birth to the eternal Son, / who grants peace to all who sing Your praises.
Canon 3
You are the dwelling place of glory, the holy mountain of God, / the bride, the palace, the temple of sanctification; / the Son of God, who dwelt within you, O Pure One, / has made you a paradise of eternal delight for us.
Flesh from the blood of the Virgin / You received without seed, O Christ, / most pure and hypostatic, / verbal and rational, animated, / active and endowed with will, / free and self-governing.
The arrogance of the tyrant was put to shame by the Virgin’s womb; / for the Infant searched with His hand the soul-destroying lair of vipers / and, having cast down the haughty apostate, / subdued him at the feet of the faithful.
Canon 1
Irmos: “I will offer You a sacrifice / with a voice of praise, O Lord,” / the Church cries out to You, / having been cleansed of demonic blood / by the blood that flowed from Your side / through Your mercy.
You ascended the Cross, / girded with might, / and, entering into battle with the tormentor, / as God, cast him down from on high, / and raised Adam with Your invincible hand.
You, Christ, shining forth, / rose in splendor from the tomb / and scattered all Your enemies with Your divine power, / and, as God, filled all with joy.
Theotokos: O wonder, the most extraordinary of all wonders! / O Virgin, having conceived without knowing a man, / You embraced the All-Encompassing One / in Your womb, without constriction.
Canon 2
Hell opened its mouth and swallowed me up, / and the mad one expanded his soul; / but Christ, descending, raised my life from destruction, / as the Lover of mankind.
Death was taken captive by death; / for the One who died has risen, / granting me incorruptibility; / and appearing to the women, / He proclaims joy to them, the Immortal One.
Theotokos: Your pure womb, O Mother of God, / became the dwelling place of the Unbearable Divinity, / upon which the heavenly hosts / cannot gaze without fear.
Canon 3
Once the serpent deceived and killed me / through my foremother Eve; / but now, through You, O Pure One, the Creator / has delivered me from corruption.
The abyss of mercy has ineffably / revealed You, O Virgin, / as the chosen abyss of wonders; / for from You, like a flash of divine light, / the pearl—Christ—has shone forth.
My Savior and Deliverer from the tomb, / as God raised those born on earth from their bonds, / and crushed the gates of hell, / and as the Lord rose on the third day.
Ikos: Christ, the Giver of Life, / who rose from the dead on the third day, / and on this day shattered the gates of death by His power, / who put Hell to death and broke the sting of death, / and who set Adam and Eve free, / let us all, born on earth, sing His praises, / proclaiming thanksgiving with fervor, / for He, as the one mighty God and Lord, / rose on the third day.
Canon 1
Irmos: The children of Abraham in the Persian furnace, / inflamed more by love for piety than by the flames, cried out: / “Blessed are You in the temple of Your glory, O Lord!”
Humanity is once again called to incorruptibility, / washed by the divine blood of Christ, / and singing in gratitude: / “Blessed are You in the temple of Your glory, O Lord!”
Your tomb, O Christ, / the source of our resurrection, / has become the bearer of life, truly more beautiful than paradise, / and brighter than any royal palace.
To the Mother of God: O Divine and sanctified Tabernacle of the Most High, rejoice! / For through You, O Mother of God, / joy is given to those who cry out: / “Blessed are You among women, / O all-pure Sovereign!”
Canon 2
Hanging on the Tree, You humbled the haughty gaze / and cast down the raised brow to the earth, / saving mankind, O Most Praiseworthy One. / Lord and God of our fathers, blessed are You!
By Your power, exalt the dignity / of us who serve You, O Lord, / You who rose from the dead and laid waste / the once-crowded riches of Hades. / Lord and God of our fathers, blessed are You!
Trinity Hymn: Following the divine utterances, / we glorify the one Godhead, / as if in three lamps—unmixed and undivided— / the unfading radiance that enlightens all creation, / singing: “God, blessed are You!”
Canon 3
The flame of my heart draws me / to sing in honor of virginal love, / to proclaim to the Mother and Virgin: / “The Lord of hosts is with you, O Blessed One!”
You have been revealed as the highest of all creatures, / having given birth to the Creator and Lord. / Therefore I proclaim to You, Mother of God: / “The Lord of hosts is with you, O Blessed One!”
Trinity Hymn: Honoring You, the one and indivisible Lord, / I sing in the three-holy hymns, exclaiming to You: / “Blessed is the Triune Being, / who rules over all!”
Canon 1
Irmos: With outstretched hands, Daniel / blocked the lions’ mouths in the den; / and the fierce flames were quenched, / girded with virtue, / by the youths, zealous for piety, as they cried out: / “Bless the Lord, all the works of the Lord!”
With arms outstretched on the Cross, / You gathered all nations, O Lord, / and pointed to the one Church that glorifies You, / singing in unison on earth and in heaven: / “Bless the Lord, all the works of the Lord!”
Clothed in white and radiant / with the unapproachable light of the Resurrection, / the Angel appeared to the women, exclaiming: / “Why do you seek the living in the tomb, as though He were mortal?” / Truly, Christ is risen, to Whom we cry out: / “All creatures, sing praises to the Lord!”
To the Mother of God: You alone among all generations, O Most Pure Virgin, / have been revealed as the Mother of God; / you have become the dwelling place of the Divinity, O All-Immaculate One, / without being scorched by the fire of the Inaccessible Light. / Therefore, we all bless you, / Mary, Bride of God.
Canon 2
Beholding Your unjust slaughter, / all creation was crushed with grief: / for the earth trembled, / the sun was clothed in darkness as in a black garment, / but we ceaselessly sing of You / and exalt You, Christ, forever.
You, having descended even to hell for my sake / and opened the way to the resurrection for all, / ascended again, lifting me onto Your shoulders and bringing me to the Father. / Therefore I cry out to You: / “Sing to the Lord, all creation, / and exalt Him forever!”
Trinity Hymn: We glorify the First Mind and the Source of all things, / the one Father without a cause, / the Word without beginning and the Spirit, the Comforter— / the one God and Lord, the Creator of all things, / worshiping the indivisible Trinity / and exalting It for all ages.
Canon 3
He who created You from Adam’s rib, / was incarnated from Your virginity—the Lord of all. / We sing His praises, crying out: / “All creation, bless and sing praises to the Lord!”
In the tent, Abraham beheld / the mystery fulfilled in You, O Mother of God; / for in it he received Your incorporeal Son, exclaiming: / “All creation, bless and sing praises to the Lord!”
The Savior, equal in number to the Trinity, / is a foreshadowing of your virginity, O Virgin, / for with their virginal bodies / they trampled the flames, crying out: / “Bless and sing praises to the Lord!”
Then we sing the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “My soul magnifies the Lord:”
Canon 1
Irmos: The cornerstone / from the unsplit mountain—You, O Virgin, / were hewn without the aid of hands, /—Christ, who united the divided natures. / Therefore, with joy we magnify You, O Mother of God.
You have wholly received all of me, / through an unmingled union, / granting me, my God, complete salvation through Your sufferings, / which You endured in the flesh on the Cross, / out of Your great mercy.
Your disciples, seeing Your tomb open / and the shrouds that had held God lying empty / after Your Resurrection, / proclaimed together with the Angel: / “Truly, the Lord has risen!”
Trinity Hymn: To the unity of the Divine Being, / yet to the Trinity of Hypostases, / we all, the faithful, worship, / with equal and undivided honor in the unconfused Hypostases, / and we reverently magnify It.
Canon 2
The serpent, creeping in by cunning, / took me captive from Eden; / but the Lord Almighty / shattered the strongest rock of Golgotha like a babe, / and once again opened for me / access to delight through the tree of the Cross.
You have now delivered to desolation / the enemy’s strongholds, / and with Your almighty hand, Christ, You have plundered his wealth, / raising me up from the depths of hell, / and exposing him—who once boasted immeasurably— / as a figure of ridicule and scorn.
Come and visit Your poor people in their affliction, / and with Your merciful and mighty hand / strengthen the king who bears the cross against the blasphemous enemies, / so that You may deliver Your chosen people, O Christ, / for You are the Lover of Mankind.
Canon 3
We see You, O Most Pure One, like a lily, / adorned with the purple of the Divine Spirit, / shining amid the thorns and filling with fragrance / those who sincerely extol You.
Having taken upon Yourself the changeable human nature / from Your womb, O Immaculate One, / You revealed in Yourself, through Your mercy, / the Incorruptible One, who is impervious to change; / therefore we magnify You as the Mother of God.
You who reign over all creation! / Grant Your people the triumph of victory, / reconciling the enemy with the Church, / so that we may glorify You as the Mother of God.
After the katavasia, the Small Litany, followed by: “Holy is the Lord our God:” and the Sunday Exapostilarion.
To carry out among them the judgment decreed; / this glory belongs to all His saints.
You who endured the Cross and death / and rose from the dead, almighty Lord! / We glorify Your Resurrection.
Praise God in His saints, / praise Him in the firmament of His power.
By Your Cross, Christ, / You have freed us from the ancient curse; / and by Your death / You have rendered powerless the devil, who tormented our nature, / and by Your Resurrection You have filled all things with joy. / Therefore we cry out to You: / “Risen from the dead, O Lord, glory to You!”
Praise Him for His might, / praise Him for the multitude of His greatness.
By Your Cross, Christ our Savior, / guide us to Your truth / and deliver us from the snares of the enemy. / You who have risen from the dead! / Raise us up, who have fallen through sin; / stretch out Your hand to us, O Lord, lover of mankind, / through the prayers of Your saints.
Praise Him with the sound of trumpets, / praise Him with psalteries and lyres.
Without leaving the bosom of Your Father, / the only-begotten Word of God, / You came to earth out of love for mankind, / becoming truly human; / and You endured the Cross and death in the flesh, / though You were untouched by suffering in Your Divinity; / and having risen from the dead, / You granted immortality to the human race, / as the one and only Almighty.
Praise Him on the tympanum and in the choir, / praise Him on the strings and the organ.
You accepted death in the flesh, / granting us immortality, O Savior; / and You entered the tomb, / to deliver us from hell, raising us up with You, / having suffered as a man, but having risen as God. / Therefore we cry out: / “Glory to You, O Life-Giver, Lord, / the one and only Lover of mankind!”
Praise Him with melodious cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. / Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
The rocks were split, O Savior, / when Your Cross was erected at Golgotha; / the gatekeepers of hell trembled / when You were laid in the tomb as a mortal; / and indeed, having abolished the power of death, / You granted immortality to all who have died through Your Resurrection, O Savior. / O Lord, Giver of Life, glory to You!
Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones until the end!
The women desired to see / Your resurrection, Christ God. / Mary Magdalene, who came first of all, / found the stone rolled away from the tomb / and an Angel sitting upon it, proclaiming: / “Why do you seek the living among the dead? / He has risen as God to save all!”
I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders.
Where is Jesus, whom you thought to guard? / — Tell us, Jews. / Where is He whom you laid in the tomb, sealing the stone? / Give us the dead man, you who have renounced life; / give us the buried one, or believe in the Risen One. / And if you remain silent about the Lord’s resurrection, / then the stones will cry out, and most of all—the stone rolled away from the tomb. / Great is the mystery of Your house! / Our Savior, glory to You!
Glory: Gospel Sticheron.
And now, Tone 2: Most blessed are You, Virgin Mother of God, / for through Him who was incarnate from You, hell is captive, / Adam is restored from it, / the curse has lost its power, / Eve is set free, death is put to death, / and we are filled with life. / Therefore, as we sing, we cry out: / “Blessed is Christ our God, who has so graciously willed this; glory to You!”
Priest: Glory to You, who have shown us the light!
The Great Doxology.
Having risen from the tomb, You broke the chains of hell, / You abolished the sentence of death, O Lord, / delivering all from the snares of the enemy; / and appearing to Your Apostles, / You sent them out to preach / and through them granted peace to the universe, / O One, Most Merciful.
And the dismissal.
Because of the tree, Adam / was cast out of Paradise, / but through the Tree of the Cross / the thief entered Paradise; / the first, having tasted the fruit, rejected the Creator’s commandment; / but the second, crucified with You, / confessed the Hidden One as God, crying out: / “Remember me in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
You who were exalted on the Cross, / and who destroyed the power of death, O Lord, / and who, as God, blotted out the record of our sins! / Grant us, too, the thief’s repentance, O sole Lover of mankind, / to those who serve You with faith, Christ our God, and who cry out: / “Remember us also in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
You tore apart the indictment against us / with a spear on the Cross, / and, though counted among the dead, / You bound the tormentor of that place, / delivering all from the bonds of hell through Your Resurrection, / by which we have been enlightened, O Lord, Lover of mankind, and we cry out to You: / “Remember us also in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Crucified, yet risen, / almighty, from the tomb on the third day, / and having raised the first Adam, the one and only Immortal! / And having turned me to repentance, O Lord, / grant that with all my heart and with fervent faith / I may constantly cry out to You: / “Remember me, Savior, in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account.
For our sake, the Passionless One / became a human being subject to suffering; / and, having been voluntarily nailed to the Cross, raised us up with Him. / That is why we glorify / both the Cross and the Resurrection, / through which we have been recreated / and by which we are saved, exclaiming: / “Remember us also in Your Kingdom!”
Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
To Him who rose from the dead, / who cast down the power of hell, / and who appeared to the myrrh-bearing women, saying to them, “Rejoice,” / let us pray, O faithful ones, for the deliverance of our souls from destruction, / ceaselessly crying out to Him with the voice of the wise thief: / “Remember us also in Your Kingdom!”
Glory, in the Trinity: Let us pray with one accord, all the faithful, / that we may worthily glorify / the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, / the One Godhead, existing in three Persons, / indissolubly abiding, simple, indivisible, and inaccessible, / through whom we are delivered from fiery punishment.
And now, to the Theotokos: Your Mother, O Christ, / who bore You without seed according to the flesh, and the true Virgin, / who remained unharmed after giving birth— / we urge her to intercede / before You, O Most Merciful Lord! / Grant forgiveness of sins to those who ceaselessly cry out to You: / “Remember us also in Your Kingdom!”
How majestic are Your works, O Lord; / You have created all things with wisdom.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are greatly exalted.
Ps 103:24, 1
Verse: Be strong, and prosper, and reign for the sake of truth, meekness, and righteousness.
Verse: You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
At “O Lord, I have cried out,” stichera for the 10th hour: three from the Sunday Octoechos, four from the Eastern Octoechos, and three from the Menaion. If we are celebrating a saint, we sing four stichera from the Octoechos and six for the saint. Glory: from the Menaion, and “And now”: the first Theotokion of the tone.
Deliver my soul from the dungeon, / that I may glorify Your name.
With Your Holy Cross, O Christ, / You put the devil to shame, / and by Your Resurrection You blunted the sting of sin / and saved us from the gates of death. / We glorify You, Only-Begotten.
The righteous will wait for me, / until You reward me.
He who grants the Resurrection to the human race / was led like a lamb to the slaughter. / The princes of hell were terrified of Him, / and the gates of sorrow were thrown open; / for the King of Glory—Christ—entered, / crying out to those in bonds, “Come out,” / and to those in darkness, “Be enlightened.”
From the depths I have cried out to You, O Lord; / O Lord, hear my voice.
A great miracle! The Creator of the unseen, / who suffered in the flesh out of love for mankind, / rose again as the Immortal One. / Come, all nations, let us worship Him; / for we, having been delivered from error by His mercy, / have learned to sing the praises of the one God in three Persons.
May Your ears / be attentive to the voice of my prayer.
We offer You evening worship—O unfading Light, / who at the end of the ages shone forth for the world through the flesh as in a mirror, / and even descended into hell, / and dispelled the darkness there, / and revealed the light of the Resurrection to the nations. / O Giver of Light, Lord, glory to You!
If You were to take account of iniquities, O Lord, O Lord, who could stand? / For with You is forgiveness.
Let us glorify Christ, the Author of our salvation; / for through His resurrection from the dead / the world was saved from error; / the host of angels rejoices, / the deception of the demons flees, / fallen Adam has risen, / and the devil is powerless.
For the sake of Your name I have waited for You, O Lord; my soul has hoped in Your word; / my soul has trusted in the Lord.
The guards were instructed by the lawless: / “Hide the resurrection of Christ: / take the money and say / that while we were sleeping, the dead man was stolen from the tomb.” / Who has ever seen or heard of a dead man being stolen, / much less one anointed with myrrh and naked, / who left in the tomb / even his burial shrouds? / Do not be deceived, Jews; / understand the words of the prophets and know / that He is truly the Savior of the world and the Almighty.
From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch / may Israel hope in the Lord.
O Lord, who has conquered hell / and trampled down death, our Savior, / who has enlightened the world with Your holy Cross! / Have mercy on us.
Glory: Sticheron from the Menaion.
And now, to the Theotokos: In the Red Sea / the image of the Bride, who knew no marriage, / was once inscribed. / There—Moses, the divider of the waters; / here—Gabriel, the minister of the miracle. / Then Israel crossed the depths of the sea without wetting their feet; / now the Virgin has given birth to Christ without seed. / The sea remained impassable after Israel’s passage, / and the Immaculate One, the Mother of Emmanuel, remained unharmed. / O God Who Is— / Who existed before all things and appeared as a man, / have mercy on us!
Entrance. “A joyful light:”
The Lord has taken his throne; / he has clothed himself in splendor.
Verse: The Lord has clothed Himself with strength and girded Himself.
Verse: For He has established the world, and it shall not be moved.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time. Ps 92:1, 5b
Then a special litany, “Grant, O Lord:” a supplicatory litany.
We magnify You, Christ the Savior who became incarnate, / and did not forsake heaven, / with the voices of our hymns; / for You accepted the Cross and death for our sake, / as a God who loves mankind; / having destroyed the gates of hell, You rose on the third day, / saving our souls.
Verse: The Lord has reigned, / clothed in splendor.
From Your pierced side, O Giver of Life, / You poured out upon all / streams of forgiveness, life, and salvation; / You accepted death in the flesh, granting us immortality; / and by entering the tomb, You set us free, / raising us up with You in glory, as God. / Therefore we cry out: / “O Lord, Lover of mankind, glory to You!”
Verse: For He has established the universe, and it shall not be shaken.
Your crucifixion is wondrous / and Your descent into Hades, O Lover of mankind: / for having conquered it, and having gloriously raised the ancient captives / with You as God and having opened paradise, / You have made them worthy to enter it once more. / Therefore, to us who glorify Your resurrection on the third day, / grant forgiveness of sins, / making us worthy to become inhabitants of paradise, / as the One who is Merciful.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time.
You who endured suffering in the flesh for our sake / and rose from the dead on the third day! / Heal our flesh from its passions, / and lift us up from our grave sins, / O Lover of Mankind, and save us.
Glory: A stichera from the Menaion, if available. If not:
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Temple and gate, palace and throne of the King— / You, most honorable Virgin; / through You, my Redeemer, Christ the Lord, / appeared to those sleeping in darkness as the Sun of righteousness, / desiring to enlighten those whom He created / by His own hand in His own image. / Therefore, All-Glorified One, / having attained a motherly boldness toward Him, / intercede unceasingly / for the salvation of our souls.
Then: “Now You let us go:” The Trisagion after “Our Father:”
The Word, without beginning, like the Father and the Spirit, / born of the Virgin for our salvation, / let us sing, O faithful, and worship Him, / for He was pleased to take on flesh, to ascend the Cross, / to endure death, and to raise the dead / through His glorious Resurrection.
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Rejoice, impenetrable gate of the Lord! / Rejoice, wall and shelter for those who take refuge in You! / Rejoice, peaceful harbor and Virgin who knew not marriage, / who gave birth in the flesh to Your Creator and God! / Do not cease to intercede for those who sing / and honor the One born of You.
The same troparion is sung at “God is the Lord:”
We sing “God is the Lord:” in Tone 5, the Sunday troparion twice, and the Theotokion once (see Great Vespers). Then the usual psalmody from the Psalter.
Let us praise the Cross of the Lord, / let us honor His holy burial with hymns, / and let us glorify His Resurrection; / for He, as God, raised the dead from their tombs with Himself, / destroying the power of death and the might of the devil, / and bestowing light upon those who dwelt in Hades.
Verse: Arise, O Lord my God; let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones forever! Psalm 9:33
O Lord! You were declared dead, having put death to death; / You were laid in a tomb, having rendered tombs empty. / On earth, soldiers guarded Your tomb, / in Hades You raised the dead from of old. / Almighty and incomprehensible Lord, glory to You!
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Rejoice, holy mountain, traversed by God alone! / Rejoice, living and unburned thornbush! / Rejoice, the world’s only bridge to God, / leading mortals to eternal life! / Rejoice, immaculate Virgin, / who, having known no man, gave birth / to the Savior of our souls!
Lord! After Your resurrection on the third day / and the apostles’ adoration, / Peter cried out to You: / “The women took courage, but I was afraid; / the thief confessed You as God, but I denied You. / Will You still call me Your disciple after this, / or will You make me a fisherman in the sea once more? / But accept me, O God, as I repent, / and save me!”
Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders. Psalm 9:2
O Lord! Amid the condemned, / the lawless nailed You to the Cross / and pierced Your side with a spear, O Merciful One. / You accepted burial, having destroyed the gates of hell, / and rose again on the third day. / The women came running to see You in the tomb, / but they announced Your resurrection to the apostles. / Exalted Savior, praised by the angels, / blessed Lord, glory to You!
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Bride who knew no marriage, Mother of God, / who turned Eve’s sorrow into joy! / We, the faithful, sing Your praises and worship You; / for You have delivered us from the ancient curse. / And now, All-Glorious and All-Holy One, / pray unceasingly for our salvation.
Then the troparia “to the Immaculate Ones” and the Small Ektenia.
Amazed in mind by the angelic apparition / and enlightened in soul through the divine Resurrection, / the Myrrh-bearers proclaimed to the Apostles: / “Proclaim among the nations the Resurrection of the Lord, / who assists you with miracles / and bestows great mercy upon us!”
In my sorrow, like David, / I sing to You, my Savior: / “Deliver my soul from the deceitful tongue!”
The life of the desert fathers is blessed, / as they are inspired by divine love.
Glory: The Holy Spirit reigns over all, / both the visible and the invisible; / for He is self-existent / and truly One of the Trinity.
And now: And we repeat the same.
Let us ascend the mountains, O soul, / let us go there, / from whence help comes.
May Your right hand, / touching me, O Christ, / preserve me from all deceit.
Glory: To the Holy Spirit, as we speak of God, let us proclaim: / “You are God, life, love, light, and mind; / You are goodness; You reign forever!”
And now: And we repeat the same.
To those who said to me, “Let us go to the courts of the Lord,” / I, filled with great joy, / send up my prayers.
A terrible thing is taking place in the house of David: / for there is a fire that scorches / every corrupted mind.
Glory: The Holy Spirit possesses life-giving power: / from Him every living creature is animated, / as by the Father, and together with the Word.
And now: And we repeat the same.
Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted, / for You reign forever.
Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; I will proclaim all Your wonders.
Cf. Ps 9:33a, 37b, 2
“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord:” and we read the Sunday morning Gospel.
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, / let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, / the only sinless One. / We worship Your Cross, Christ, / and we sing and glorify Your Holy Resurrection, / for You are our God, / we know no other besides You, / we call upon Your name. / Come, all the faithful, / let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ, / for behold, through the Cross / joy has come to the whole world. / Always blessing the Lord, / we sing of His Resurrection, / for He, having endured the crucifixion, / has crushed death by death.
Psalm 50.
Glory: Through the prayers of the apostles, O Merciful One, blot out the multitude of our sins.
And now: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Merciful One, blot out the multitude of our sins.
Then, Tone 6: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my iniquity.
And the stichera: Jesus has risen from the tomb, / as He foretold, / granting us eternal life / and great mercy.
And the prayer: Save, O God, Your people:
The first—Sunday, in 4; the second—Cross and Resurrection, in 3; the third—Theotokos, in 3; and the Menaion, in 4. If a saint is celebrated in 6, then the Cross and Resurrection, in 2, and the Theotokos, in 2.
Canon 1
Irmos: Christ overthrew the horse and rider into the Red Sea / crushing them in battle with His uplifted hand / and saved Israel, / who sings a song of victory.
Refrain: Glory, O Lord, to Your holy Resurrection.
The Jewish synagogue, bearing thorns, / having failed to preserve a mother’s love for You, O Benefactor, / placed a crown of thorns upon You, O Christ, / who delivered our forefather / from punishment by thorns.
You raised me up, having fallen into the pit, / coming to my aid without hesitation, Giver of Life, / and, having removed my foul decay, / yet remaining untouched by it, Christ, / You perfumed me with the fragrance of Your divine nature.
Theotokos: The curse has been destroyed, sorrow has come to an end, / for the blessed and grace-filled Virgin / has brought joy to the faithful, / having brought forth the blessing—Christ— / to all the ends of the earth.
Canon 2
To Him whose flesh was willingly nailed to the Cross / and who, through the tree, freed those who had fallen / from ancient condemnation— / to Him alone let us sing; / for He has been glorified.
To Christ, who was dead but rose from the tomb, / and who raised up those who had fallen with Him / and honored them with a seat beside the Father— / to Him alone let us sing; / for He has been glorified.
Theotokos: Most Pure Mother of God! / Pray unceasingly for the God / who was incarnate from you / and did not forsake the womb of His Mother— / that He may save from every misfortune / those whom He has created.
Canon 3
O Light who dwelt within You, Most Pure One, / and who enlightened the world with the radiance of the Divinity—Christ— / intercede, that all may be enlightened, / who sing Your praises, Virgin Mother.
Adorned with the beauty of virtues, O Full of Grace, / You received, O All-Pure One, the glorious Beauty / in the radiance of the Spirit—He who adorns all things.
The thornbush that once foreshadowed You / at Mount Sinai / did not burn, O Virgin, though engulfed in flame; / for You, O Virgin, gave birth and remained a Virgin, / becoming the Virgin Mother, incomprehensible to the mind.
Then the troparia from the canon of the Menaion and the katavasia according to the rule.
Canon 1
Irmos: You who established the earth upon nothing by Your command / and lifted it up, though heavy, without support! / Upon the unshakable rock of Your commandments / establish Your Church, / O One and Only Good and Lover of Mankind!
Those who drank honey from the rock / brought You gall, O Christ, / You who worked miracles in the wilderness; / and with vinegar—as a reward for the manna—/ the ungrateful sons of Israel repaid You.
Once covered by a cloud of light, / they laid You, the Life, in a tomb, O Christ; / but having risen by Your own power, / You bestowed upon all the faithful / the radiance of the Spirit, mysteriously descending from on high.
Hymn to the Mother of God: You became the Mother of God without marriage, / from the eternal Father who shone forth, / and did not experience the sufferings proper to mothers; / therefore, as the one who gave birth to the incarnate Word, / we orthodoxly confess You as the Mother of God.
Canon 2
You rose from the tomb, O Christ, / freeing those who sing Your praises from mortal decay, / O Giver of Life, / through Your voluntary crucifixion.
The Myrrh-Bearers hastened / to anoint Your body with myrrh, O Christ; / but, finding it empty, they returned, / singing of Your Resurrection.
Theotokos: Pray unceasingly, O Pure One, / for Him who was incarnate from your womb, / that those who sing of you, O Pure Virgin, / may be delivered from the devil’s deception.
Canon 3
As the ladder by which the Most High descended to us / to restore our decayed nature, / You, O Most Honorable One, / have now been revealed to all in the clearest manner: / for through You, O Most Blessed One, / He was pleased to dwell in the world.
The mystery, O Virgin, that was once predestined / and known to the all-knowing God before the ages, / has now, in these last days, / been fulfilled in Your womb, O All-Pure One, / and revealed.
The condemnation of the ancient curse / has been destroyed through Your intercession, O Most Pure Virgin: / for through You the Lord, having appeared, / has poured out blessings upon all, as the Most Blessed, / the One and Only Adornment of mortals!
Canon 1
Irmos: Having perceived the humiliation of Your divinity / with the prophetic gaze of Habakkuk, / he cried out to You with trembling, O Christ: / “For the salvation of Your people, / You have come to save Your anointed ones!”
You, O Good One, made the most bitter springs / sweet through the tree, / as You depicted on the icon / Your most pure Cross, which destroys the taste of sin.
You, my Savior, accepted the Cross / in place of the tree of knowledge, / and gall in place of pleasant food; / and for mortal decay / You shed Your Divine Blood.
Theotokos: Outside the bonds of marriage / You conceived immaculately in Your womb, / and gave birth before the pangs of labor, / and after giving birth, having brought forth God in the flesh, / You remained a Virgin.
Canon 2
When the Cross was erected on earth / at Golgotha, / then the bolts of hell were shattered / and the eternal gatekeepers, and all cried out: / “Glory to Your power, O Lord!”
When the Savior descended into hell / to His captives as a mortal, / those who had died from the beginning rose with Him and cried out: / “Glory to Your power, O Lord!”
The Theotokos: The Virgin gave birth yet did not experience what is proper to mothers: / yet She is a Mother, though She remained a Virgin. / As we sing Her praises, we exclaim: / “Rejoice, Mother of God!”
Canon 3
With my heart, mind, soul, and lips, / confessing with all reverence / that You are truly the Mother of God, O Pure One, / I reap the fruit of salvation and am saved / through Your intercessions, O Virgin.
He who created all things out of nothing / was pleased to be born of You, O Pure One, / as a benefactor / for the salvation of those who, with faith and love, / sing Your praises, O All-Immaculate One.
The heavenly choirs sing of Christ’s birth from You, O All-Pure One, rejoicing in the salvation of those who think of You as the true Mother of God, O Virgin, untouched by defilement!
Isaiah called You a branch, / from which grew for us / the beautiful flower—Christ God, / for the salvation of those who, with faith and love, / take refuge in Your protection.
Canon 1
Irmos: Clothed in light as in a garment! / I long for You from dawn and call out to You: / “Enlighten my darkened soul, Christ, / O You who alone are merciful!”
The Lord of glory, in a form devoid of glory, despised, / hangs willingly on the Tree, / preparing for me, beyond words, / divine glory.
You have clothed me in incorruption, Christ, / having tasted the corruption of mortal man / through Your own flesh / and on the third day risen from the tomb.
Theotokos: You, O Mother of God, who bore Christ—the Truth and our Redemption—for us without seed, / have freed the nature of our forefather / from the curse.
Canon 2
You stretched out Your hands on the Cross, our Savior, / calling all to Yourself, / as the Lover of mankind.
You conquered hell, our Savior, through Your burial / and through Your resurrection / You filled all things with joy.
(You rose from the tomb / on the third day, Giver of life, / and poured out imperishable immortality upon all.)
Theotokos: We sing Your praises, O Mother of God, / Virgin even after childbirth; / for You gave birth in the flesh / to God the Word for the world.
Canon 3
All the prophets clearly foretold of You, / She who would become the Mother of God, / the Most Holy Theotokos; / for You alone, O Pure One, / were found to be utterly without sin.
As a luminous cloud of living water, / pouring out the rain of incorruption—Christ— / upon us who were in despair, / we acknowledge You, O Holy One.
How deeply God loved You, / all beautiful and immaculate, / sealed in pure virginity, / He who dwelt within You, / the One and Only Merciful One.
Canon 1
Irmos: O sea, raging / with the soul-destroying storm of passions, / Christ, our Lord, calm it / and deliver me from destruction, / O Merciful One.
Our first father fell into ruin, / having tasted the fruit of disobedience, / but was raised to life, Christ our Lord, / through Your suffering.
You, O Life, descended into hell, Christ our Lord, / and by becoming the cause of destruction for him who destroyed us, / through corruption You brought forth the resurrection.
The Theotokos: The Virgin gave birth and, having given birth, remained pure, / as truly the Virgin Mother, / who carried the All-Bearer in her arms.
Canon 2
You stretched out Your hands, / gathering the multitudes of pagans who had strayed far from You, / Christ our God, / with Your life-giving Cross, as the Lover of mankind.
You conquered death and crushed the gates of hell; / and Adam, the captive, having been set free, cried out to You: / “Your right hand has saved me, O Lord!”
Theotokos: We rightly glorify You—the unburned thornbush, / the mountain, the living ladder, / and the gate of heaven, / O glorious Mary, praise of the Orthodox.
Canon 3
The Creator of all things and Giver of all existence / acknowledges You, O Immaculate Mother of God, / as the cause of the Incarnation into our nature.
As the bubbling spring of soul-nourishing healings / for those who flee with faith to Your glorious protection, O Sovereign Lady, / we acknowledge You, O All-Pure One.
You gave birth for us to the Author of salvation, the Giver of life, / who grants eternal deliverance / to those who confess You as the true Mother of God.
You descended into Hades, my Savior, / and, as the Almighty, shattered its gates; / as the Creator, You raised the dead with You, / and destroyed the sting of death, [Christ,] / and delivered Adam from the curse, O Lover of mankind. / Therefore, we all cry out to You: / “Save us, O Lord!”
Ikos: The women, hearing the Angel’s words, / ceased their weeping, filled with joy, / and beheld the Resurrection with awe. / And behold, Christ approached them, / proclaiming: “Rejoice, take courage! / I have conquered the world and set the captives free. / Hurry, then, to the disciples, telling them / that I am going ahead of you to Galilee to announce this.” / Therefore, we all cry out to You: / “Save us, O Lord!”
Canon 1
Irmos: The Lord, exalted by the fathers, / quenched the flame and sprinkled the youths, / who sang in unison: / “God, You are blessed!”
Having clothed Yourself in the flesh, as if as bait on a hook, / by Your divine power You overthrew the serpent / and raised from Hades those who cried out: / “God, You are blessed!”
You who created the immeasurable composition of the earth, / are hidden in the tomb according to the flesh, though You are Inconceivable. / To You we all sing: / “God, blessed are You!”
Theotokos: You gave birth, O All-Pure One, / to the One Hypostasis in two natures— / God incarnate, to whom we all sing: / “God, blessed are You!”
Canon 2
By the Wood of the Cross / You have destroyed the delusion of idolatry! / Blessed is the God of our fathers!
Risen from the dead / and raising with You those who were in Hades! / Blessed be the God of our fathers!
(By Your death, O Christ, / You have destroyed the power of death! / Blessed be the God of our fathers!)
Theotokos: Born of the Virgin / and revealed by the Mother of God! / Blessed be the God of our fathers!
Canon 3
Infinite, yet remaining unchanged, / You were hypostatically united with the flesh, as the Merciful One, / in You—the All-Holy Virgin— / the One and Only Blessed One!
We unanimously glorify You, O all-pure Bride, / Mother of God and Sovereign, / and as the Throne of Your Creator, / to Whom we all sing: / “God, blessed are You!”
You, O Virgin, having been purified by the Spirit, / became the Mother of the King of all, Who created You, / to Whom we all sing: / “God, You are blessed!”
The Lord has saved me, O Most Pure Mother of God, / having clothed Himself in the garment of flesh through You. / To Him we all sing: / “God, blessed are You!”
Canon 1
Irmos: To You, the Creator of all, the youths in the furnace, / raising a universal song of joy, sang: / “All creation, sing to the Lord / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
You prayed for the voluntary cup of saving suffering / as if it were involuntary; / for You have two wills, Christ, / corresponding to Your two natures, forever.
Mocked by Your coming, O Creator of all, / hell cast out all those / who had once been slain by deceit, / who exalt You, Christ, for all ages.
The Theotokos: You, incomprehensible to the mind, / whom we, in our humble way, call “God-bearing,” / who gave birth to the Lord and preserved your virginity, / we and all creation bless you, O Virgin, / and exalt you forever and ever.
Canon 2
Christ God, who willingly stretched out His arms on the Cross / and broke the bonds of death, / let the priests sing His praises, / and let the people extol Him forever and ever.
Christ God, who rose from the tomb like a bridegroom, / and appeared to the myrrh-bearers, / and proclaimed joy to them, / priests, sing His praises; / people, exalt Him forever and ever.
Theotokos: You have been revealed as higher than the Cherubim, / O Pure Theotokos, / who bore in Your womb Him whom they bear, / Whom we mortals, together with the incorporeal ones, / glorify for ever and ever.
Canon 3
The sorrow of our first parents has now ceased, / when You, Mother of God, received joy. / Therefore we ceaselessly sing of You, O Virgin, / and exalt You for all ages.
The host of incorporeal beings sings with us / of Your incomprehensible birth, O Virgin, / forming a single chorus with love / and extolling it for all ages.
A clear stream of immortality / has flowed from You, O Virgin—the Lord of all, / washing away the impurity of those who sing of You with faith / and exalt You for all ages.
We confess You, O Virgin, as a truly divine and radiant throne / and a tablet of grace, / having received within Yourself the Word of the Father, / Whom we extol for all ages.
Then we sing the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “My soul magnifies the Lord:”
Canon 1
Irmos: Rejoice, Isaiah! / The Virgin conceived in her womb / and gave birth to the Son—Emmanuel, / God and man, / whose name is the Sun. / As we magnify Him, we praise the Virgin.
You accepted, Lord Christ, from the Virgin’s womb / the nature of fallen man: / having united Yourself wholly with him, / yet without partaking of a single sin, / You freed him entirely from corruption / through Your most pure sufferings.
By the divine blood, poured out to the very end / from Your most pure and life-giving side, O Lord Christ, / idolatrous sacrifices have ceased, and the whole earth / offers a sacrifice of praise to You.
The Theotokos: It was not an incorporeal God nor a mere human being / that the pure and holy Virgin brought forth, / but a perfect human being / and the true, perfect God, / Whom we glorify together with the Father and the Spirit.
Canon 2
You, who endured suffering on the Cross / and by Your death crushed the power of hell, / we, the faithful, glorify You in the Orthodox faith.
You, who rose from the tomb on the third day, / and who conquered hell and enlightened the world, / we, the faithful, unanimously glorify You.
The Theotokos: Rejoice, O Theotokos, Mother of Christ our God! / Intercede with Him whom you bore / to grant forgiveness of sins / to those who sing your praises with faith.
Canon 3
From Your pure blood, O Ever-Virgin Mother of God, / flesh was supernaturally formed / for the Creator of all and the only-begotten Son of the Father, / not by a man, but without seed, / rational and living.
You halted the constant, unstoppable onslaught of death—/truly beyond the mind’s comprehension—/by giving birth to eternal Life in the flesh; /and when hell touched Him with its cruel lips, /it was rendered powerless, O All-Holy Virgin Mother.
Your Son, seated on the sovereign throne, / has placed You—shining brightly with golden borders, the Divine virtues— / at His right hand, / bestowing due honor / upon You, as Mother, All-Pure.
(Your conception is beyond understanding, Mother of God; / for in You was accomplished a conception without a husband, / and a virgin birth, for the One born is God. / Glorifying Him, we praise You, O Virgin.)
After the katavasia, the Small Ektenia, followed by: “Holy is the Lord our God:” and the Sunday Exapostilarion.
To carry out among them the judgment decreed; / this glory belongs to all His saints.
O Lord! Though Your tomb was sealed by the lawless, / You emerged from the tomb just as You were born of the Mother of God. / Your incorporeal Angels did not perceive how You became incarnate; / the soldiers guarding You did not notice when You rose. / For both of these wonders are hidden from the inquisitive, / yet revealed to those who worship this mystery with faith; / grant us, who sing of it, / joy and great mercy.
Praise God in His saints, / praise Him in the firmament of His powers.
O Lord! Having shattered the eternal bars / and broken the chains, You rose from the tomb, / leaving Your burial shrouds / as a testimony to the truth of Your three-day burial, / and were already ready to meet us in Galilee, / while still in the cave, guarded by soldiers. / Great is Your mercy, / unfathomable Savior! Have mercy on us.
Praise Him for His might, / praise Him for the multitude of His greatness.
O Lord! The women hurried to Your tomb, / to see You, Christ, who suffered for our sake; / and when they arrived, they found an angel sitting on the stone, / which had been rolled away by a terrifying apparition. / And he cried out to them, saying, “The Lord has risen; / tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, / the Savior of our souls!”
Praise Him with the sound of trumpets, / praise Him with psalteries and lyres.
O Lord! Just as You came forth from the sealed tomb, / so You entered, when the doors were locked, to Your disciples, / revealing to them Your bodily sufferings, / which You endured, O long-suffering Savior. / As one descended from the seed of David, You endured wounds, / and as the Son of God, You set the world free. / Great is Your mercy, / incomprehensible Savior! Have mercy on us.
Praise Him with the tympanum and in the choir, / praise Him with the strings and the organ.
O Lord, King of the ages and Creator of all, / who for our sake endured crucifixion and burial in the flesh, / to deliver us all from hell! / You are our God; / apart from You, we know no other!
Praise Him with melodious cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. / Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
O Lord! Who can describe Your most glorious wonders? / Or who can proclaim Your awe-inspiring mysteries? / For by becoming incarnate for our sake, as You Yourself willed, / You revealed the might of Your power: / for by Your Cross You opened paradise to the thief, / and by Your burial You shattered the gates of hell, / and by Your resurrection You enriched all. / O Merciful One (Lord), glory to You!
Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones until the end!
The myrrh-bearing women, having reached Your tomb early in the morning, / sought to anoint You with myrrh— / the immortal Word and God; / but having heard the Angel’s words, they returned with joy, / to proclaim openly to the apostles / that You have risen, the Life of all, / and grant the world purification / and great mercy.
I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart, / and proclaim all Your wonders.
The guards of the Divine Tomb said to the Jews: / “How senseless is your deliberation! / In trying to guard the Infinite One, you have labored in vain; / in seeking to conceal the Resurrection of the Crucified One, you have revealed it plainly. / How frivolous is your Sanhedrin! / Why are you once again plotting to hide what cannot be hidden? / Better to listen to us / and resolve to believe the truth of all that has happened: / An angel, like a flash of lightning, descended from heaven and rolled away the stone, / and we were struck with fear, as if dead; / turning to the wise women, the myrrh-bearers, he said: / “Do you not see that the guards have fallen as though dead, / the seals have been broken, and Hades is empty? / Why do you seek as though dead the One who has abolished Hades’ victory / and crushed the sting of death? / Go quickly to the apostles / and proclaim to them the joyful news of the Resurrection, exclaiming without fear: / ‘Truly the Lord has risen, / He who is full of great mercy!’
Glory: Gospel Sticheron.
And now, Tone 2: Most blessed are You, Virgin Mother of God, / for through Him who was incarnate from You, hell is bound, / Adam is restored from it, / the curse has lost its power, / Eve is set free, death is put to death, / and we are filled with life. / Therefore, as we sing, we cry out: / “Blessed is Christ God, who has so graciously willed this; glory to You!”
Priest: Glory to You, who have shown us the light!
The Great Doxology.
On this day the salvation of the world was accomplished! / Let us sing of Him who rose from the tomb / and is the Prince of our life, / for by destroying death through death, / He has granted us victory and great mercy.
And the dismissal.
The thief on the cross, / having believed in You, Christ, as God, / confessed You with a pure heart, crying out: / “Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
On the wood of the Cross, / the One who gave life to our race / and abolished the curse brought about by the tree, / let us sing in one voice as Savior and Creator.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
By Your death, O Christ, / You destroyed the power of death / and raised with You those who had been dead from of old, / who sing Your praises, O true God / and our Savior.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Coming to Your tomb, Christ, / the pious women sought You, / Giver of Life, to anoint You with myrrh; / but an angel appeared to them, proclaiming: / “The Lord has risen!”
Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of wicked slander against you for My sake.
When they crucified You, Christ, / between two condemned thieves, / one who reviled You / was justly condemned, / while the other, who confessed You, / entered paradise.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.
Coming to the assembly of the apostles, / the devout women cried out: / “Christ is risen! Let us worship Him, / as Lord and Creator!”
Glory, in the Trinity: Trinity, indivisible Unity, / all-creating and almighty, / Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! / We sing Your praises, true God / and our Savior.
And now, to the Mother of God: Rejoice, living temple of God / and impenetrable gate! / Rejoice, unburned and fiery throne! / Rejoice, Mother of Emmanuel, /—Christ our God!
You, O Lord, will preserve us and protect us / from this generation and forever.
Verse: Save me, O Lord, for there is no one righteous.
Ps 11:8, 2a
Verse: I will sing of Your mercy, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim Your truth from generation to generation.
Verse: For You have said, “Mercy is established forever”—Your truth is established in heaven.
Ps 88:2, 3
At “O Lord, I have cried out,” stichera for the 10th tone: three from the Sunday Octoechos, four from the Eastern Octoechos, and three from the Menaion. If we are celebrating a saint, we sing four stichera from the Octoechos and six for the saint. Glory: from the Menaion, and “And now”: the first Theotokion of the tone.
Deliver my soul from the dungeon, / that I may glorify Your name.
Having triumphed over hell, / You ascended the Cross, O Christ, / to raise up with You those who dwelt in the darkness of death; / Free among the dead, / the Source of life from Your light, / almighty Savior, have mercy on us!
The righteous will wait for me, / until You reward me.
On this day, Christ, having conquered death, / rose again, as He had said, / and granted joy to the world, / so that we might all sing a song to Him, saying: / “Source of life, inaccessible light, / almighty Savior, have mercy on us!”
From the depths I have cried out to You, O Lord; / O Lord, hear my voice.
From You, O Lord, the Source of all creation, / where can we sinners flee? / To heaven? But You Yourself dwell there. / To hell? But You have trampled death underfoot. / To the depths of the sea? / Even there is Your hand, O Lord. / We flee to You, prostrating ourselves before You, and pray: / “You who have risen from the dead, have mercy on us!”
May Your ears / be attentive to the voice of my prayer.
By Your Cross, O Christ, we boast, / and we sing and glorify Your Resurrection; / for You are our God, / and we know no other besides You.
If You were to take note of iniquities, O Lord, O Lord, who could stand? / For with You is forgiveness.
Always blessing the Lord, / we sing of His Resurrection, / for having endured the Cross, / He destroyed death by death.
For the sake of Your name I have waited for You, O Lord; my soul has hoped in Your word; / my soul has trusted in the Lord.
Glory to Your power, O Lord! / For You have stripped of power the one who holds dominion over death, / renewing us through Your Cross, / granting us life and incorruption.
From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch / may Israel hope in the Lord.
Your burial, O Lord, / has shattered and broken the chains of Hades; / Your resurrection from the dead has enlightened the world. / O Lord, glory to You!
Glory: Sticheron from the Menaion.
And now, O Mother of God: Who will not glorify You, All-Holy Virgin? / Who will not sing of the virgin birth from You? / For the Only-Begotten Son, who shone forth from the Father before all time, / He Himself came forth from You, O Pure One, having become incarnate in an inexpressible manner. / He is God by nature, / and for our sake became man by nature; / He is not divided into two persons, / but is known in two unconfused natures. / Pray to Him, O Holy One, All-Blessed One, / for the mercy of our souls.
Entrance. “A light of joy:”
The Lord has taken His throne; / He has clothed Himself in splendor.
Verse: The Lord has clothed Himself with strength and girded Himself.
Stich: For He has established the universe, and it shall not be shaken.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time. Ps 92:1, 5b
Then a special litany, “Grant, O Lord:” a supplicatory litany.
Your Resurrection, Christ the Savior, / the angels sing of in heaven: / and grant us on earth / with a pure heart / to glorify You.
Verse: The Lord has reigned, / clothed in splendor.
Having shattered the bronze gates / and broken the bolts of hell, as the almighty God, / You have raised up the fallen human race. / Therefore, we too proclaim in song: / “Lord, risen from the dead, glory to You!”
Verse: For He has established the universe, / and it will not be shaken.
Christ, desiring to restore us from ancient corruption, / is nailed to the Cross and laid in the tomb. / The myrrh-bearing women, seeking Him with tears, wept and cried out: / “Alas, Savior of all! / How did You deign to enter the tomb? / If You entered of Your own free will, then how were You stolen away? / How were You carried away? / And what place has hidden Your life-giving body? / But, Lord, as You promised us, appear, / and put an end to our tearful weeping.” / As they wept, an angel called out to them: / “Cease your weeping and tell the apostles that the Lord has risen, / granting the world purification and great mercy!”
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, / O Lord, for all time.
Crucified of Your own will, Christ, / and having conquered death by Your burial, / You rose on the third day, as God, in glory, / granting the world eternal life / and great mercy.
Glory: Sticheron from the Menaion, if available. If not:
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: My Creator and Redeemer, All-Pure One, / Christ the Lord, / came forth from Your womb, / taking on human form for my sake / and delivering Adam from the ancient curse. / Therefore, to You, All-Pure One, / as Mother of God and true Virgin, / we proclaim “Rejoice” with the Angel without ceasing: / “Rejoice, Sovereign Lady, our protection, our shield, / and the salvation of our souls!”
Then: “Now You let us go:” The Trisagion after the “Our Father:”
The angelic hosts—at Your tomb— / and those who guarded it fell lifeless, / while Mary stood in the tomb / and sought Your most pure body. / You emptied Hades, suffering no harm from it, / You met the Virgin, the Giver of Life. / Risen from the dead, O Lord, glory to You!
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Having named the Blessed One Your Mother, / You came to suffer of Your own free will, / shining forth on the Cross, desiring to find Adam, / and proclaiming to the Angels: “Rejoice with Me, / for the lost drachma has been found!” / You who have arranged all things wisely, (our God,) glory to You!
The same troparion is also sung for “God is the Lord:”
We sing “God is the Lord:” in Tone 6, the Sunday troparion twice, and the Theotokion once (see Great Vespers). Then the usual psalmody from the Psalter.
When the tomb was opened, and Hades wept, / Mary cried out to the apostles who had hidden themselves: / “Come forth, workers of the vineyard, / and proclaim the word of the Resurrection: / the Lord is risen, bestowing great mercy upon the world!”
Verse: Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end! Ps 9:33
O Lord! Mary Magdalene stood before Your tomb, / weeping and crying out, and mistaking You for the gardener, she exclaimed: / “Where have You hidden eternal Life? / Where have You laid the One who sits upon the throne of the cherubim? / For those who guarded Him from fear have perished. / Either give me my Lord, / or cry out with me: / ‘You who were among the dead, / and raised the dead, glory to You!’”
Glory, and now, O Mother of God: Gideon foretells Your conception, / and David recounts the birth from You, O Mother of God; / for the Word descended like rain upon the fleece into Your womb, / and without seed You, O holy land, brought forth to the world salvation— / Christ our God, O Full of Grace.
Life lay in the tomb, / and a seal was placed upon the stone; / as if Christ’s soldiers were guarding a sleeping King; / but, having invisibly struck down His enemies, / the Lord rose again.
Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders. Ps 9:2
Jonah foretells Your burial, / and Simeon recounts Your divine resurrection, O immortal Lord. / For though You descended into the tomb as one dead, / You who destroyed the gates of Hades, / yet You rose, untouched by corruption, as Lord, / for the salvation of the world, Christ our God, / enlightening those who dwelt in darkness.
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: O Virgin Mother of God! Pray to Your Son, / who was willingly nailed to the Cross / and rose from the dead, Christ our God, / for the salvation of our souls.
Then the troparia “to the Immaculate Ones” and the Small Ektenia.
By Your voluntary and life-giving death, O Christ, / having shattered the gates of hell as God, / You opened to us the ancient paradise / and, having risen from the dead, / delivered our lives from corruption.
I lift up my eyes to heaven, to You, the Word; / have mercy on me, / that I may live for You.
Have mercy on us who are humbled, / and make us vessels / fit for You, O Word.
Glory: The Holy Spirit is the source of salvation for all; / if He breathes upon any of them according to their worthiness, / He soon lifts them up from earthly affairs, / gives them wings, strengthens them, and directs them upward.
And now: And we repeat the same.
If the Lord were not among us, / none of us could withstand the struggle against the enemy; / for the victorious are lifted up from here.
May their teeth not seize my soul like a little bird, O Word. / But woe is me—how can I be delivered from my enemies, / being a lover of sin?
Glory: Through the Holy Spirit—divinization for all, / favor, understanding, peace, and blessing; / for in His works He is equal to the Father and the Word.
And now: And we repeat the same.
Those who hope in the Lord / are a terror to their enemies and a wonder to all; / for they look upward.
With You, Savior, as their helper, / they do not extend the fruit of their righteous hands / toward iniquity.
Glory: The Holy Spirit reigns over all: / The heavenly hosts worship Him / together with everything that breathes on earth.
And now: And we repeat the same.
Lord, raise up Your power / and come to save us.
Verse: Shepherd of Israel, hear us, You who lead us like the sheep of Joseph. Ps 79:3b, 2a
“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord:” and we read the Sunday morning Gospel.
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, / let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, / the only sinless One. / We worship Your Cross, O Christ, / and we sing and glorify Your Holy Resurrection, / for You are our God, / we know no other besides You, / we call upon Your name. / Come, all the faithful, / let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ, / for behold, through the Cross / joy has come to the whole world. / Always blessing the Lord, / we sing of His Resurrection, / for He, having endured the crucifixion, / has crushed death by death.
Psalm 50.
Glory: Through the prayers of the apostles, O Merciful One, blot out the multitude of our sins.
And now: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Merciful One, blot out the multitude of our sins.
Then, Tone 6: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your bounties, blot out my iniquity.
And the stichera: Jesus has risen from the tomb, / as He foretold, / granting us eternal life / and great mercy.
And the prayer: Save, O God, Your people:
The first—a Sunday canon in 4-tone; the second—a Cross-Resurrection canon in 3-tone; the third—a Theotokos canon in 3-tone and a Menaion canon in 4-tone. If a saint is celebrated in 6-tone, then a Cross-Resurrection canon in 2-tone and a Theotokos canon in 2-tone.
Canon 1
Irmos: As Israel walked on dry land / through the abyss with their feet, / and cried out, seeing Pharaoh the persecutor drowned: / “Let us sing a song of victory to God!”
Refrain: Glory to You, O Lord, for Your holy Resurrection.
With Your arms outstretched on the Cross, / You fulfilled all the Father’s will, O blessed Jesus. / Therefore, we will all sing / a song of victory to You.
With fear, like a slave, / death, obeying the command, / approaches You, Lord of life, / through whom You have granted us / eternal life and the resurrection.
Theotokos: Having received Your Creator, / as He Himself willed, / from Your seedless womb / He was incarnate beyond all understanding, O Pure One; / You have truly appeared as the Mistress of all creation.
Canon 2
He stands before Pilate’s tribunal of His own free will / on an unlawful charge, as a Judge on trial, / and receives blows to the face / from an unrighteous hand—God, / before Whom the earth / and the heavenly hosts tremble.
You stretched out Your divine hands, Savior, / upon Your most pure and life-giving Cross / and gathered the nations to Yourself / so that they might know You, O Lord, / as they worship Your glorious crucifixion, O Lord.
The Theotokos of the Cross: She stood, shedding streams of tears, / the Immaculate One at Your Cross, Savior, / seeing the drops of blood flowing from Your side, Christ, / and glorifying Your incomparable compassion.
Canon 3
Having tasted the fruit of disobedience from the tree of paradise, / Eve brought upon herself a curse; / but You abolished it, O Pure One, / by giving birth to the source of blessing—Christ.
You who gave birth to the Pearl of Divine splendor— / Christ— / dispel, O Pure One, / the darkness of my passions and the turmoil of my sins / with the light of Your radiance.
The hope of the nations—He who is incarnate from You— / Jacob foresaw mysteriously with spiritual eyes— / God, who has delivered us / through Your intercession.
When there were no longer any princes / from the tribe of Judah, O All-Pure One, / Your Son and God, having arisen as Leader / beyond the bounds of the earth, truly / has now reigned.
Then the troparia from the canon of the Menaion and the katavasia according to the rule.
Canon 1
Irmos: There is none holy / like You, O Lord my God, / who have exalted the dignity of those faithful to You, O Good One, / and established us upon the rock / of Your confession.
Beholding God crucified in the flesh, / all creation trembled with fear; / but by the outstretched arm of the Crucified One, / it was held fast for our sake.
Destroyed by Christ’s death, / pitiful death lies lifeless; / for, unable to withstand the onslaught of Divine Life, / the mighty one is put to death, / and resurrection is granted to all.
Theotokos: The miracle of the divine birth through you, O Pure One, / surpasses every law of nature; / for you supernaturally conceived God in your womb / and, having given birth, remain a Virgin forever.
Canon 2
Having remained three days in the tomb, / through Your life-giving resurrection / You raised up those who had previously been put to death, / and they, freed from condemnation, rejoiced: / “Behold, You have come as our redemption, O Lord!”—they exclaimed.
Glory to Your Resurrection, our Savior, / for You, as the Almighty, / have delivered us from hell, corruption, and death. / And we exclaim in song: / “There is no one holy but You, O Lord, Lover of Mankind!”
The Theotokos of the Cross: When You saw Your Son, / pierced by a spear, / Your heart was pierced, Most Holy, All-Pure One, / and with horror You cried out: / “What has this lawless people / done to You, My Child!”
Canon 3
My flesh, changeable and mortal, / from Your womb, O All-Pure Mother of God, / You, the Good One, received it in an incomprehensible way and made it incorruptible, / uniting it with Yourself for all eternity.
Seeing God incarnate from You, O Virgin, / the hosts of angels were struck with awe, / and now they glorify You as the Mother of God / with ceaseless songs.
The prophet Daniel was amazed, / seeing You, Mother of God, as a spiritual mountain, / from which a stone was cut without the aid of hands, / and which mightily crushed / the altars of the demons.
Neither the words of mortals nor their tongues / are able to praise You, O Virgin, as You deserve; / for from You, O Most Pure One, Christ, the Giver of Life, / deigned to be incarnated without seed.
Canon 1
Irmos: “Christ is my strength, / God and Lord,” /—the holy Church sings reverently, / proclaiming from a pure mind, / rejoicing in the Lord.
The tree of true life has blossomed, O Christ; / for the Cross was raised / and, watered with blood and water / from Your spotless side, / has brought forth life for us.
The serpent no longer / deceitfully offers me deification; / for Christ, the Divine Creator of human nature, / has now opened the path of life / to me without hindrance.
Theotokos: How truly ineffable / and incomprehensible are the mysteries / of Your divine womb, O Theotokos, / to those on earth / and in heaven, Ever-Virgin!
Canon 2
We venerate Your Holy Cross / and the nails, O Christ, / and the holy spear and reed, / and the crown of thorns, through which / we have been delivered from the destructive hell.
The tomb received You, Savior, / who willingly appeared as one who had died for our sake, / but it could not hold You, the Word; / for You rose again, as God, / saving our race.
Hymn to the Mother of God: Mother of God, Ever-Virgin, / Who gave birth to Christ the Savior among mortals! / Deliver us from misfortunes and sufferings, as we turn with faith / to Your divine protection.
Canon 3
We glorify You, Most Pure One, O Immaculate One, / we who have been saved through You, / and, singing with reverence, we exclaim: / “Blessed are You, Ever-Virgin, / who gave birth to God!”
You have given birth to the hidden Light, O Virgin, / for those dwelling in the darkness of this life, / shining through the flesh, O All-Blessed One, / and You have poured out joy upon those who sing Your praises, / O Ever-Virgin.
Grace has flourished, and the Law has come to an end / through You, All-Holy One; / for You, the Pure One, have given birth to the Lord, / who grants us forgiveness, Ever-Virgin.
Eating from the tree of paradise / made me dead; / but the Tree of Life, which appeared through You, / has raised me to life, Most Pure One, / and made me an heir to the delights of paradise.
Canon 1
Irmos: With Your divine light, O Good One, / illuminate with love the souls that strive toward You from the dawn—I pray— / so that they may know You, the Word of God, the true God, / who calls them from the darkness of sin / to Yourself.
Now the Cherubim step aside before me, / and the flaming sword turns away from me, O Lord, / at the sight of You, the Word of God—the true God, / who opened the way to paradise for the thief.
I no longer fear / returning to the earth, Christ the Lord; / for You, in Your great mercy, / have raised me, the forgotten one, from the earth / to the heights of incorruption through Your Resurrection.
Theotokos: Save those who confess You as the Mother of God from the heart, / O gracious Lady of the world, / for in You we have an invincible protection, / as in the true Mother of God.
Canon 2
Tempted by the fruit of the tree in Eden, / our first father fell into corruption, / having disobeyed Your commandment, O Most Blessed Lord; / but You restored him once more to his original beauty through the Cross, / having shown Yourself, O Savior, obedient to the Father.
By Your death, O Good One, / the power of death has been destroyed, / and the fountain of life has been poured out upon us, and immortality has been granted. / Therefore, with faith we worship / Your burial and resurrection, / through which, as God, You have illuminated the whole world.
The Theotokos Hymn: The Lord, who dwells in heaven and is the Creator of all, / dwelt in Your womb, O All-Pure One, in a way beyond comprehension, / glorifying You, the highest of the heavens / and the holiest of the incorporeal hosts. / Therefore, we who live on earth / now call You blessed.
Canon 3
Shining brightly with purity, / You became the divine dwelling place of the Lord, O All-Praised One; / for You alone have truly appeared as the Mother of God, / carrying Him as a babe in Your arms.
Possessing the incomprehensible beauty / of Your most exquisite soul, / You became the Bride of God, / sealed by virginity, O Holy One, / and adorning the world with the radiance of purity.
Let the assembly of the ungodly weep, / those who do not clearly confess You as the pure Mother of God; / for You have appeared to us as the gate of divine light, / dispelling the darkness of sin.
Canon 1
Irmos: Seeing the sea of life / churning with waves of temptation, / I, having taken refuge in Your peaceful harbor, cry out to You: / “Deliver my life from destruction, / O Most Merciful One!”
Crucified by nails, O Lord, / You have blotted out the curse that was against us; / and pierced in the side by a spear, / You have torn up the scroll against Adam / and set the world free.
Adam, overcome by deceit, / was cast into the abyss of Hell; / but You, God by nature and full of compassion, / descended in search of him / and, taking him upon Your shoulders, / raised him up with You.
To the Mother of God: Calm, O All-Pure Lady, / who gave birth to the Lord, the Helmsman of mortals, / the restless and terrifying turmoil of my passions, / and grant peace to my heart.
Canon 2
Many of the Jews / proved to be Christ-killers and prophet-killers; / for just as in ancient times they did not shrink from killing the prophets, / who were the mysterious rays of truth, / so now, driven by envy, they killed the Lord, / of whom those in ancient times had proclaimed. / But His death has become life for us.
You were confined, but not held / in the tomb, O Savior; / for though You, the Word, willingly tasted death, / You rose again as the immortal God, / raising with You the captives who were in Hades, / and granting joy to the women in place of their former sorrow.
The Theotokos sang: “Your incarnate form appeared before men / as dishonored and humbled during Your suffering; / yet, by Your divine nature, / You appeared to David as the perfection of beauty. / But, having crushed the power of Your enemies with the scepter of Your Kingdom, / O My Son and God,” exclaimed the Pure One, / “rise from the tomb!”
Canon 3
Moses, the great among the prophets, / wrote of You beforehand as the Ark, the Table, / the Lampstand, and the Vessel of Manna, / symbolically representing the Incarnation of the Most High / through You, O Virgin Mother.
Death is put to death / by touching Your Child, O Sovereign Lady; / corruption—the condemnation of Adam—is also abolished; / for You have given birth to Life, which delivers from corruption / those who sing Your praises.
The Law has lost its power and its shadow has passed away, / when revealed to me—beyond all understanding and thought— / the grace of the birth from You of God and Savior, / O Virgin, ever-praised!
With His life-giving hand, / raising all the dead from the dark depths, / Christ God, the Giver of life, / granted resurrection to human nature, / for He is the Savior of all, the Resurrection and the Life, / and the God of all!
Ikos: Your Cross and Your Tomb, O Giver of Life, / we, Your faithful ones, sing Your praises and worship You; / for You, O Immortal One, have bound Hades as the almighty God, / and raised the dead with You, / and shattered the gates of Hades, / and destroyed the power of death, as God. / Therefore, we who were born on earth glorify You with love /—You who have risen, who have destroyed the power of the all-destructive enemy, / and who have raised up all who have believed in You, / and who have delivered the world from the serpent’s arrows, / and who have delivered us, as the One who is mighty, from the enemy’s deception. / Therefore we reverently sing of Your Resurrection, / for You are the God of all.
Canon 1
Irmos: The angel made the furnace / a place of dew for the pious youths, / and God’s command, scorching the Chaldeans, / compelled the tormentor to cry out: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
Mourning Your suffering, / the sun was clothed in darkness, / and in the midst of the day, O Lord, / the light across the whole earth faded, crying out: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
The underworld was illuminated / by Your descent, O Christ; / and the forefather, appearing filled with joy, / rejoiced with delight, crying out: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
Theotokos: Through You, Virgin Mother, a brilliant light / has dawned upon the entire universe; / for You gave birth to the Creator of all—God. / Ask Him, All-Pure One, / that He may bestow upon us, the faithful, His great mercy.
Canon 2
O unprecedented event! / He who delivered Israel from slavery to Pharaoh / is crucified by them of His own will / and loosens the bonds of sin. / To Him we sing with faith: / “God the Deliverer, blessed are You!”
You—the Savior—were crucified on Golgotha / by the wicked descendants of lawless men, / having shattered the bronze gates and bolts of hell / for the salvation of us who sing: / “God and Savior, blessed are You!”
The Theotokos: Having given birth to the deliverance from ancient Eve, / You deliver Adam from the curse, O Pure Virgin. / Therefore, together with the Angels, we sing to You and to Your Son / and cry out: / “God the Deliverer, blessed are You!”
Canon 3
The furnace did not consume the three youths, / foreshadowing the birth of Christ from You; / for the Divine Fire, without consuming You, dwelt within You, / and taught all to cry out: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
The ends of the earth call You “Blessed,” O All-Pure Mother, in accordance with Your prophecy, as they are enlightened by Your radiant splendor and moved by grace to exclaim in song: “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
The most hostile serpent / sank his deadly fangs into me; / but Your Son, O Mother of God, crushed them / and gave me the strength to exclaim: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
You have become the propitiation for our nature, / You who alone are blessed in God: / for carrying God, who sits upon the shoulders of the Cherubim, / in Your arms, You cry out: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
Canon 1
Irmos: From the flame You poured forth dew for the godly, / and with water You extinguished the righteous one’s sacrifice: / for You accomplish all things, Christ, by Your will alone. / We exalt You for all ages.
The Jewish people, / who in ancient times were murderers of the prophets, / have now, through envy, become God-killers, / having crucified You, the Word of God, / Whom we extol for all ages.
Without leaving the heavenly vault, / and having descended into hell, / You, Christ, raised up with You / all of humanity lying in the dust, / who exalt You for all ages.
Theotokos: From the Light, the Word—the Giver of light—You conceived / and, having given birth to Him in an ineffable manner, You were glorified, / for the Divine Spirit dwelt within You, O Virgin. / Therefore, we sing Your praises for all ages.
Canon 2
All were filled with awe upon hearing / how the Most High willingly came to earth, / to defeat the power of hell through the Cross and burial / and to inspire all to exclaim: / “Young men, bless Him; priests, sing His praises; / people, exalt Him forever and ever!”
The tyranny of hell has ceased, / and its kingdom is now destroyed; / for the God who is above all, nailed to the Cross on earth, / has overthrown its power. / Young people, bless Him; priests, sing His praises; / people, exalt Him forever and ever.
O, Your ineffable love for mankind, O Christ, / and Your inexpressible blessings! / For, seeing me perishing in the dungeon of hell, / You, having endured suffering, delivered me. / Therefore we bless You, Lord of all, / and exalt You forever and ever.
Canon 3
Adorned with a robe of gold—the radiance of the Spirit— / Your Son, having adorned You as a Queen, / has placed You at His right hand, O All-Pure One. / We exalt Him forever and ever.
He who established the world by His sole will / took flesh from Your most pure womb, / desiring to recreate it from above. / We exalt Him forever and ever.
To unite the Word with me—a human being— / You became a divine dwelling place, O All-Pure One, / shining forth with the radiance of virginity. / Therefore, we sing Your praises for all eternity.
A lamp shining with gold / foreshadowed You, who in an ineffable way / received the inaccessible Light, which illuminates all with the knowledge of Himself. / Therefore, we sing Your praises, O Pure One, forever.
Then we sing the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “My soul magnifies the Lord:”
Canon 1
Irmos: It is impossible for people to see God, / Whom even the hosts of angels dare not gaze upon; / but through You, All-Pure One, / the Incarnate Word has become visible to mortals. / Magnifying Him, / we, together with the heavenly hosts, / praise You.
You remained untouched by suffering, O Word of God, / though You shared in the sufferings of the flesh; / yet You free man from the passions, / having become the conqueror of the passions, our Savior; / for You alone remain impassible and almighty.
Having accepted mortal destruction, / You preserved Your body untouched by decay, / and Your life-giving and Divine soul / was not left in Hades, O Lord; / but as You arose from sleep, / You raised us up with You.
Trinitarian Hymn: We mortals all glorify God the Father and the Son, co-eternal, / with pure lips, / and we honor the ineffable and most glorious / power of the All-Holy Spirit; / for You alone are almighty, / indivisible Trinity!
Canon 2
Though You descended into the tomb as a mortal, O Giver of Life, / You destroyed the power of hell, O Christ, / raising with You the dead whom it had swallowed up, / and granted the resurrection to all, as God, / to those who magnify You with faith and love.
Let all creation rejoice and blossom like a lily; / for Christ has risen from the dead, as God. / “Where now, O death, is your sting?”—we exclaim;— / “Where, O hell, is your victory? / He who exalted our dignity has cast you down to the earth, / O merciful One!”
The Theotokos of the Cross: You bear the One who bears all things, most pure Lady; / and in Your arms You hold, as a babe, / the One who delivers us from the hand of the hateful enemy; / and You behold Him lifted up on the wood of the Cross, / the One who has exalted us from the depths of evil.
Canon 3
The Star, shining with the radiance of the Godhead, / has now risen from Jacob, who dwelt in darkness, / through You, All-Pure One—Christ God, the Word made flesh. / Enlightened by Him, / we, together with the heavenly hosts, / glorify You.
Strengthened by Your power and grace, / I have dedicated this song to You with all my heart; / but accept it, O Pure Virgin, / bestowing Your radiant grace / from Your imperishable treasuries, / O Blessed One in God.
You, O Virgin, truly became the loom for the Divinity, / upon which the Word wove for Himself the garment of flesh, / fashioning me in His divine image; / and having clothed Himself in it, He saved all / who extol You with pure thoughts.
Resurrection is now granted to the dead / through Your incomprehensible and ineffable / conception, O All-Pure Mother of God; / for from You, Life in the flesh shone forth to all, / and clearly dispelled the gloom of death.
After the katavasia, the Small Litany, followed by: “Holy is the Lord our God:” and the Sunday Exapostilarion.
To carry out among them the judgment decreed; / this glory belongs to all His saints.
Your Cross, O Lord, / is life and resurrection for Your people; / and trusting in it, / we sing to You—our risen God—/ “Have mercy on us!”
Praise God in His saints, / praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Your burial, O Lord, / has opened paradise to the human race; / and, delivered from corruption, / we sing to You—our risen God—/ “Have mercy on us!”
Praise Him for His might, / praise Him for the multitude of His greatness.
With the Father and the Spirit, let us sing of Christ, / who rose from the dead, / and let us cry out to Him: / “You are our life and our resurrection. / Have mercy on us!”
Praise Him with the sound of trumpets, / praise Him with psalteries and lyres.
On the third day You rose, O Christ, / from the tomb, as it is written, / raising our forefather with You. / Therefore, the human race glorifies You / and sings of Your resurrection.
Praise Him with the timpani and in the choir, / praise Him with strings and the organ.
O Lord, great and awesome / is the mystery of Your Resurrection! / For You came forth from the tomb / like a bridegroom from the bridal chamber, / having destroyed death by death, / to set Adam free. / Therefore the angels rejoice in heaven, / and on earth people glorify / Your mercy shown to us, O Lover of Mankind.
Praise Him with melodious cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. / Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
O lawless Jews! / Where are your seals and pieces of silver, / which you gave to the soldiers? / The treasure has not been stolen, / but He has risen, mighty as ever! / You yourselves have been put to shame, / having denied Christ, the Lord of glory, / who suffered, was buried, / and rose from the dead; / let us worship Him!
Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end!
While the tomb was sealed, / how were you robbed, O Jews, / who had posted guards and affixed the seals? / When the doors were locked, the King passed through them! / Either imagine Him as dead, / or worship Him as God, singing with us: / “Glory, O Lord, to Your Cross and to Your Resurrection!”
I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders.
The women who bore the myrrh reached Your tomb, O Lord, weeping, / and, carrying the myrrh, sought to anoint Your most pure body. / But they found a radiant Angel sitting on the stone, / who called out to them and said: / “Why do you mourn Him who poured forth life to the world from His side? / Why do you seek the Immortal One in the tomb, as though He were mortal? / Go quickly, then, and proclaim to His disciples / the joy for all the world of His glorious Resurrection!” / Having enlightened them and us, O Savior, / grant us forgiveness and great mercy.
Glory: Gospel Sticheron.
And now, Tone 2: Most blessed are You, O Virgin Mother of God, / for through Him who was incarnate of You, hell is bound, / Adam is restored from it, / the curse has lost its power, / Eve is set free, death is put to death, / and we are filled with life. / Therefore, singing, we cry out: / “Blessed is Christ God, who has so graciously willed this; glory to You!”
Priest: Glory to You, who have shown us the light!
The Great Doxology.
Having risen from the tomb, You broke the chains of hell, / You abolished the sentence of death, O Lord, / delivering all from the snares of the enemy; / and appearing to Your Apostles, / You sent them forth to preach / and through them granted peace to the universe, / O One, Most Merciful.
And the dismissal.
Remember me, O God my Savior, / when You come into Your Kingdom, / and save me, O You who alone love mankind.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Adam, who was deceived by the tree, / You saved once more through the tree of the Cross, / just as You saved the thief who cried out: / “Remember me, O Lord, in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Having shattered the gates and bolts of hell, O Giver of Life, / You, the Savior, raised all the dead who cried out: / “Glory to Your Resurrection!”
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Remember me, O Conqueror of death by Your burial, / and Filler of all with joy by Your resurrection, / as the Merciful One.
Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account.
The myrrh-bearers, having come to the tomb, / heard the Angel exclaiming: / “Christ is risen, the Light of all!”
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.
Let us all sing in unison to Christ, / who was nailed to the wood of the Cross / and delivered the world from deception.
Glory to the Trinity: We glorify the Father and the Son, / and the Holy Spirit, crying out: / “Holy Trinity, save our souls!”
And now, O Mother of God: Who in the last days conceived / and gave birth to Your Creator in a way beyond words! / O Virgin, save those who praise You.
Save, O Lord, Your people / and bless Your inheritance.
Verse: To You, O Lord, I cry out. My God, do not remain silent, despising me.
Ps 27:9, 1a
Verse: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Verse: He will say to the Lord: “You are my defender and my refuge, my God, in whom I trust.”
Ps 90:1, 2
At “O Lord, I have cried out,” ten stichera: three from the Sunday Octoechos, four from the Eastern Octoechos, and three from the Menaion. If we are celebrating a saint, we sing four stichera from the Octoechos and six for the saint. Glory: from the Menaion, and “And now”: the first Theotokion of the tone.
Deliver my soul from the dungeon, / that I may glorify Your name.
Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, / who has crushed the power of death / and enlightened the human race, / crying out with the incorporeal ones: / “Our Creator and Savior, glory to You!”
The righteous will wait for me, / until You reward me.
You endured the Cross, O Savior, / and burial for our sake; / but by Your death, as God, You put death to death. / Therefore we worship / Your Resurrection on the third day. / O Lord, glory to You!
From the depths I have cried out to You, O Lord, / O Lord, hear my voice.
The Apostles, beholding the Resurrection of the Creator, marveled, / singing the angels’ praise: / “This is the glory of the Church, this is the riches of the Kingdom. / O Lord, who suffered for our sake, glory to You!”
May Your ears / be attentive to the voice of my prayer.
Though You were seized, O Christ, by lawless men, / You are my God, and I am not ashamed; / they scourged Your back, I do not deny it; / You were nailed to the Cross, I do not hide it, / and I boast in Your Resurrection, / for Your death is life to me. / Almighty and merciful Lord, glory to You!
If You were to take note of iniquities, O Lord, O Lord, who could stand? / For with You is forgiveness.
Fulfilling David’s prophecy, / Christ revealed His majesty on Zion to His disciples, / teaching them about Himself as One worthy of praise / and constantly glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, / first as the incorporeal Word, / and later—for our sake—incarnate and put to death as a man, / and risen in power as the Lover of Mankind.
For the sake of Your name I have waited for You, O Lord; my soul has hoped in Your word, / my soul has trusted in the Lord.
You descended, Christ, into Hades, as You willed, / conquered death, as God and Lord, / and rose again on the third day, / raising with You from the bonds of Hades and corruption / Adam, who cried out and proclaimed: / “Glory to Your Resurrection, the only Lover of Mankind!”
From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch / may Israel hope in the Lord.
You were laid in the tomb as if asleep, O Lord; / and on the third day You rose, mighty in power, / raising Adam with You from mortal decay, / as the Almighty.
Glory: Sticheron from the Menaion.
And now, O Mother of God: You, O Mother of God, became a mother in a supernatural way, / yet remained a virgin—a mystery beyond thought and reason, / and the wonder of Your birth / cannot be expressed in words. / For just as the conception was wondrous, O Pure One, / so too is the manner of Your birth incomprehensible— / for where God wills, / the laws of nature yield. / Therefore, we all, honoring You as the Mother of God, / beseech You earnestly: / “Intercede for the salvation of our souls!”
Entrance. “A light of joy:”
The Lord has taken His throne; / He has clothed Himself in splendor.
Verse: The Lord has clothed Himself with strength and girded Himself.
Verse: For He has established the world, and it shall not be moved.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time. Ps 92:1, 5b
Then a special litany, “Grant, O Lord:” a supplicatory litany.
You have risen from the tomb, Savior of the world, / and have raised up mankind together with Your flesh. / O Lord, glory to You!
Stich: The Lord has reigned, / clothed in splendor.
Let us worship Him who rose from the dead and enlightened all; / for He has freed us from the dominion of hell, / granting us life and great mercy through His resurrection on the third day.
Verse: For He has established the universe, and it shall not be shaken.
Descending into hell, Christ, You conquered death / and, rising on the third day, raised us up with You, / as we glorify Your almighty resurrection, / O Lord, Lover of mankind.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time.
It was a dreadful sight, O Lord, / when You lay in the tomb as if asleep; / but rising on the third day in Your might, / You raised Adam with You, who cried out: / “Glory to Your Resurrection, O only Lover of mankind!”
Glory: A stichera from the Menaion, if available. If not:
Glory, and now, to the Theotokos: Taking refuge under Your protection, O Lady, / all of us born on earth cry out to You: / “O Theotokos, our hope, / deliver us from our countless sins / and save our souls!”
Then: “Now You dismiss us:” The Trisagion after the “Our Father:”
You crushed death with Your Cross, / opened Paradise to the thief, / turned the weeping of the myrrh-bearers into joy, / and commanded Your apostles to proclaim / that You have risen, Christ God, / bestowing upon the world / great mercy.
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: As the treasury of our resurrection, / lift us up, O All-Glorious One, / who place our hope in You, from the pit and the depths of sin. / For You have saved those guilty of sin by giving birth to the Savior: / a Virgin before His birth, a Virgin at His birth, / and after His birth / You remain a Virgin as well.
The same troparion is sung at “God is the Lord:”
We sing “God is the Lord:” in Tone 7, the Sunday troparion twice, and the Theotokion once (see Great Vespers). Then the usual psalmody from the Psalter.
Life rested in the tomb, / and a seal was set upon the stone; / just as soldiers guarded the sleeping King, so did Christ’s soldiers guard Him, / and His Angels glorified Him as the immortal God, / while the women cried out: / “The Lord has risen, bestowing great mercy upon the world!”
Verse: Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end! Psalm 9:33
Christ God, who conquered death by Your three-day burial / and raised up perishing humanity through Your life-giving resurrection, / as the Lover of mankind, / glory to You!
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: For Christ God, who was crucified for us / and rose again, / and who destroyed the power of death, / pray unceasingly, O Virgin Mother of God, / that He may save our souls.
Though the tomb was sealed, / You, the Life, shone forth from the tomb, Christ God; / and when the doors were locked, / You, the Resurrection of all, appeared to the disciples, / renewing the Holy Spirit within us through them / by Your great mercy.
Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart, / and proclaim all Your wonders. Psalm 9:2
The women hurried to the tomb, / bearing myrrh with tears, / and while the soldiers guarded You—the King of all— / they said to one another: / “Who will roll away the stone for us? / The Angel of the great council has risen, having overcome death.” / Almighty Lord, glory to You!
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Rejoice, O grace-filled Virgin Mother of God, / refuge and protection of the human race: / for from You the Savior of the world was incarnate; / for You alone are Mother and Virgin, / ever blessed and glorified. / Intercede before Christ God / for the granting of peace to the entire universe.
Then the troparia “to the Immaculate Ones” and the Small Ektenia.
You who took on our likeness / and endured the Cross in the flesh! / Save me by Your Resurrection, Christ God, / as the Lover of mankind.
You who brought back the captives of Zion from their wandering, / revive me too, O Savior, / delivering me from the bondage of the passions.
Whoever sows sorrow in the south wind— / fasts with tears— / will joyfully reap sheaves / that nourish eternal life.
Glory: In the Holy Spirit—the source of divine treasures: / from Him come wisdom, understanding, and reverence; / to Him be praise, glory, honor, and dominion.
And now: And we repeat the same.
Unless the Lord builds the house of the soul, / we labor in vain; / for without Him neither deed nor word is accomplished.
The saints, moved by the Spirit, / cultivate the fatherly teachings on adoption, / which make us the fruit of the womb for God.
Glory: All things have their being through the Holy Spirit; / for He is, above all, God, reigning over all, / the unapproachable light, the life of all.
And now: And we repeat the same.
Those who fear the Lord, having found the path of life, / will be called blessed now and forever / with imperishable glory.
Gathered around your table, seeing your children as branches, / rejoice and be glad, chief shepherd, / as you lead them to Christ.
Glory: In the Holy Spirit—the abyss of spiritual gifts, / the wealth of glory, the great depth of judgment; / for it is fitting to serve Him, who is equal in glory to the Father and the Son.
And now: And we repeat the same.
Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor to the end!
Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders.
Ps 9:33, 2
“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord:” and we read the Sunday morning Gospel.
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, / let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, / the only sinless One. / We worship Your Cross, Christ, / and we sing and glorify Your Holy Resurrection, / for You are our God, / we know no other besides You, / we call upon Your name. / Come, all the faithful, / let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ, / for behold, through the Cross / joy has come to the whole world. / Always blessing the Lord, / we sing of His Resurrection, / for He, having endured the crucifixion, / has crushed death by death.
Psalm 50.
Glory: Through the prayers of the apostles, O Merciful One, / blot out the multitude of our sins.
And now: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Merciful One, / blot out the multitude of our sins.
Then, Tone 6: Have mercy on me, O God, / according to Your great mercy, / and according to the multitude of Your bounties, / blot out my iniquity.
And the stichera: Jesus has risen from the tomb, / as He foretold, / granting us eternal life / and great mercy.
And the prayer: Save, O God, Your people:
The first—Sunday, in 4; the second—Cross and Resurrection, in 3; the third—Theotokos, in 3, and the Menaion, in 4. If a saint is celebrated in 6, then the Cross and Resurrection, in 2, and the Theotokos, in 2.
Canon 1
Irmos: By Your gesture, / the watery nature, which once flowed freely, / was transformed into the solid ground of the earth, O Lord; / Therefore, Israel, having passed through on dry land, / sings a song of victory to You.
Refrain: Glory, O Lord, to Your holy Resurrection.
The tyranny of death has been condemned by the Tree, / when You were unjustly / condemned to death, O Lord; / therefore, the prince of darkness, who did not overcome You, / has been justly cast out.
Hell, having drawn near to You / and being powerless / to crush Your body with its teeth, / was left with its jaws shattered; / therefore You, O Savior, having broken the bonds of death, / rose again on the third day.
Theotokos: The torments of our foremother Eve have come to an end; / for, having felt no pain, You gave birth without a husband; / therefore, truly acknowledging You as the Mother of God, / we all glorify You, All-Pure One.
Canon 2
Two life-giving fountains / the Savior poured out for us on the Cross / from His pierced side. / Let us sing to Him, for He has been glorified.
Having entered the tomb / and risen on the third day, / Christ granted mortals the longed-for incorruptibility. / Let us sing to Him, for He has been glorified.
Theotokos: You alone remained a Virgin even after giving birth, / for you bore the Creator of the world who became incarnate. / Therefore, we all cry out to you: “Rejoice!”
Canon 3
O Virgin, who gave birth to an abyss of mercy! / Illuminate my soul with Your radiant light, / so that I may worthily sing with love / of the abyss of Your wonders.
Seeing us struck by the arrow of sin, / the Word, as our benefactor, took pity on us; / therefore He, the Most Divine One, is ineffably united / with the flesh received from You, All-Pure One.
Human nature, mortal and perishable, / was found subject to death; / but You, All-Pure One, having conceived Life, / raised it from corruption to life.
Then the troparia from the canon of the Menaion and the katavasia according to the rule.
Canon 1
Irmos: In the beginning, O Lord and Savior, You established the heavens / by Your almighty Word, / and all their host by Your all-powerful and Divine Spirit! / Establish me / upon the unshakable rock of Your confession.
You, having ascended the Tree, / willingly endure suffering for our sake, O merciful Savior, / and bear the wounds / that bring peace and salvation to the faithful: / through them, O Merciful One, / we have all been reconciled with Your Father.
You, Christ, have delivered me from the wound / inflicted on my soul by the dragon, / and have shown me the light, / though I had dwelt from of old in darkness and decay; / for You, having descended into Hades, / have raised me up with You through the Cross.
Theotokos: Through the intercessions of Your Mother, who knew no man, / grant peace to the world, O Savior, / and grant the king victory over hostile foreigners, / and make those who glorify You / worthy of Your ineffable glory.
Canon 2
You who suffered on the Cross / and opened paradise to the thief! / As Benefactor and God, / establish my mind in Your will, / O sole Lover of mankind.
You who rose from the tomb on the third day / and brought life to the world! / As the Giver of Life and God, / establish my mind in Your will, / O sole Lover of mankind.
Theotokos: You who conceived God without seed / and delivered Eve from the curse, / Virgin Mother Mary! / Intercede with God, who became incarnate through You, / to save Your flock.
Canon 3
The dragon, creeping out of Eden, / having beguiled me with the desire for deification, cast me down to earth; / but He who is Compassionate and Merciful by nature, / taking pity on me, deifies me, / having taken up residence in Your womb, / and becoming like me, O Virgin Mother.
Blessed is the fruit of Your womb, / Virgin Mother of God, joy of all; / for You have given birth to the whole world / true joy and gladness, / dispelling the sorrow of sin, Bride of God.
Eternal Life and Light, / Virgin Mother of God, / and Peace You have given birth to for us, / putting an end to the ancient enmity of mankind against the Father and God / through faith and the confession / of Your grace.
Canon 1
Irmos: You who did not forsake the Father’s bosom / but descended to earth, Christ our God! / I have heard of the mystery of Your providence / and have glorified You, the only Lover of mankind.
Offering Your back to be struck, / the blameless Lord, incarnate of the Virgin, / endures torments for the sake of the sinning servant, / thereby atoning for my transgressions.
Standing before the tribunal / of lawless judges, / as the accused is charged / and struck in the face by mortal hands— / He who created man, as God, / and the righteous Judge of the earth.
Theotokos: As the true Mother of God, / pray to Your Creator and Your Son, / O All-Pure One, to guide me to the saving harbor / of His glorious will.
Canon 2
Knowing no sin / and for our sake, O Lord, becoming what You were not, / You took on our likeness, / clothed in a foreign nature, / to save the world / and, having captured the tyrant, to slay him.
You were hung upon the Cross / and, having wiped away the sin of our forefather Adam, / You filled our foremother with joy, O Lord; / for You came to save all Your anointed ones.
Theotokos: You, born of the Virgin, die, / yet You revive Adam, who had strayed in his mind, / and death trembled before Your power; / for You came to save all who were lost.
Canon 3
You who appeared before God as the most chosen and beautiful / of all creation, / with the radiance of Your abundant light, All-Praised One, / enlighten those who sing Your praises.
You, O Pure One, gave birth to God for mortals, / who was incarnated from Your pure blood / and who delivers from the sins of many / those who with love glorify / and sing Your praises, O Virgin Mother.
The divine service is performed by the rational nature / of Him who came forth from You, All-Praised One, / now consecrated to the ineffable mystery of Your conception, / All-Blessed One.
Canon 1
Irmos: The night is dark for the unfaithful, / but for the faithful it is enlightenment / in the sweetness of Your divine words, Christ; / therefore, from dawn I strive toward You / and sing of Your Divinity.
For the sake of Your servants, You give Yourself up, O Christ, / and endure blows to the face, / which bring freedom to those who sing Your praises: / “From dawn I long for You / and sing of Your Divinity!”
By Your divine power, O Christ, / through the weakness of the flesh, / You have cast down the mighty one, / and through Your resurrection, O Savior, / You have revealed me as the conqueror of death.
The Theotokos: You gave birth to God, O Pure Mother, / who was divinely incarnate from You, O All-Praised One; / for You did not know a husband’s bed, / but conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Canon 2
When You, counted among the lawless, / were lifted up on Golgotha, / then the sun and moon were darkened, and the earth shook, / and the shining veil of the temple was torn, / revealing the apostasy of the Jews.
We glorify You with hymns, / You who destroyed all the power of the tyrant / by the power of Your incomprehensible Divinity, / and raised the dead through Your Resurrection.
Theotokos: Mother of the King and God, / all-glorious Theotokos! / To us who always praise You / with hymns, in faith and love, / grant through our prayers / the forgiveness of our sins.
Canon 3
When Jacob beheld the ladder / rising to the heights, / he recognized in it Your image, O Virgin who knew no marriage; / for through You God drew near to mankind, / All-Pure Lady.
Having now received eternal redemption / through You, O Virgin, / we fervently cry out to You: “Rejoice, Bride of God!” / And rejoicing in Your light, O All-Glorified One, / we sing Your praises in hymns.
The Bridegroom, having found You alone, / like a lily among thorns, O Virgin, / radiant with the splendor of purity / and the light of virginity, O All-Immaculate One, / chose You as His bride.
Canon 1
Irmos: Afflicted amid the turmoil of life’s cares, / overwhelmed by the sins that accompany me, / and cast down to the soul-destroying beast, / like Jonah I cry out to You, Christ: / “Lift me up from the deadly depths!”
Those imprisoned in Hades / and the weary souls of the righteous / remembered You / and prayed to You for salvation, / which You, Christ, granted through the Cross, / having descended into the underworld, / as the Merciful One.
The host of apostles had no hope / of ever again beholding Your living and uncreated temple, / which had been destroyed by suffering; / but, having worshiped the Risen One beyond all hope, / they began to proclaim Him everywhere.
To the Mother of God: The mystery of the incomprehensible birth from You, O All-Pure One, / of Him who became, for our sake, O Virgin, the Bride of God— / who among men can explain it? / For God the Word, having united Himself in an inexpressible way with You, / became flesh through You.
Canon 2
Voluntarily lifted up on the Cross, / You, O Savior, have vanquished the enemy’s power, / nailing to it, O Good One, / the record of sins.
Rising from the dead, Savior, by Your power, / You raised up the human race with You, / granting us life and incorruptibility, / as the Lover of mankind.
Theotokos: Our God, Whom You, O Theotokos, / gave birth to in an inexpressible manner, / do not cease to intercede for deliverance from afflictions / for those who sing Your praises, O Pure Ever-Virgin.
Canon 3
The types of the Law and the prophecies of the prophets / clearly foretold of You, O Pure One, /—She who was to give birth to / the Benefactor of all creation, / who has bestowed countless and manifold blessings / upon those who sing Your praises with faith.
Adam the first-created, who was once cast out by the design of the murderer / from the divine bliss of Paradise, / You brought back there again, having never known marriage, / by giving birth to the One who delivered us from our sins.
By divine will and creative power, / He who created all things out of nothing / came forth from Your womb, O Pure One, / and illuminated those who dwelt in the darkness of death / with divine flashes of light.
The power of death can no longer hold people captive, / for Christ has come down, crushing and destroying its forces. / Hell is bound, and the prophets rejoice in unison: / “The Savior has appeared,” they say, “to those who believe; / come forth, O faithful, for the Resurrection!”
Ikos: On this day, the underworld trembled beneath the earth, / hell and death before the One of the Trinity; / the earth shook, and the gatekeepers of hell, / upon seeing You, were struck with fear; / and all creation, together with the prophets, / sings a song of victory with joy / to You—our Redeemer, our God, / who has now destroyed the power of death. / Let us cry out triumphantly and proclaim / to Adam and to those descended from Adam: / “The Tree of the Cross has brought salvation; / come forth, O faithful, for the Resurrection!”
Canon 1
Irmos: The youths, entering the furnace that blazed with fire, / in ancient times appeared as bearers of dew, / singing and proclaiming the one God: / “We exalt the God of our fathers, the Most Glorious!”
Adam was put to death by the tree, / having disobeyed of his own free will, / but through Christ’s obedience he was restored; / for the Son of God, the Most Glorious, / is crucified for my sake.
All creation has sung of You, Christ, who rose from the tomb; / for You have brought life to those in Hades, / resurrection to the dead, and light to those in darkness, / O Most Glorious One!
Hymn to the Mother of God: Rejoice, daughter of Adam who fell! / Rejoice, the one and only Bride of God! / Rejoice, for corruption has been cast out / for your sake, you who conceived God; / pray to Him, O Pure One, / for the salvation of us all.
Canon 2
Who on the wood of the Cross blunted the sting of sin / and annulled the record of Adam’s transgression / with the spear that pierced Your side! / Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers.
Pierced in the side / and having cleansed the earth with drops of Divine blood, / the earth defiled by the blood of idolatrous madness! / Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers.
Theotokos: You gave birth to the Radiance who existed before the sun / to the world, having borne God in Your womb, /—Christ, who delivered us from darkness / and enlightens all who cry out with the knowledge of God: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
Canon 3
You, O Virgin, adorned with a garment / embroidered with gold, / were loved by your Creator and Lord, / the exalted God of our fathers / and the most glorified.
Isaiah was purified in ancient times, / having received a burning coal, / beholding in this image Your Child, O Virgin, / the exalted God of our fathers / and the most glorified.
Contemplating in ancient times the symbols / of Christ’s divine birth through you, / the God-inspired prophets / sang joyfully and exclaimed: / “Exalted is the God of the fathers / and most glorified!”
Canon 1
Irmos: The thornbush on Sinai, unconsumed by fire, / revealed God / to Moses, who was slow of speech and spoke indistinctly; / and the zeal of God for the three youths in the fire / showed them to be unshakable singers: / “All creation, sing to the Lord / and exalt Him for all ages!”
The Most Pure and Rational Lamb, slain for the world, / put an end to the sacrifices offered according to the law, / for God, having cleansed this world from its sins, / ceaselessly exclaims: / “All creation, sing to the Lord / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
Our flesh, which had not been incorruptible before the Passion, / and was accepted by the Creator, / after His Passion and Resurrection / became impervious to corruption / and renews mortals who exclaim: / “All creation, sing to the Lord / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
Theotokos: Your purity, O Virgin, / and your perfect immaculacy / have cleansed the impurity and abomination of the universe; / and You, All-Pure One, have become the cause / of our reconciliation with God. / Therefore, we all bless You, O Virgin, / and exalt You forever and ever.
Canon 2
He who voluntarily endured suffering, / and was nailed to the Cross of His own free will, / and destroyed the powers of hell, / priests, sing His praises, / people, exalt Him for all eternity!
He who abolished the power of death, / and rose from the tomb in glory, / and saved the human race, / priests, sing His praises; / people, exalt Him forever and ever!
Theotokos: The one merciful and eternal Word, / born of the Virgin in the last days, / and who has abolished the ancient curse, / priests, sing His praises; / people, exalt Him forever and ever!
Canon 3
By the radiance of Your birth, / You have enlightened the universe / in an extraordinary way, Mother of God; / for You bear the true God in Your arms, / who enlightens the faithful, who ceaselessly exclaim: / “All creation, sing to the Lord / and exalt Him forever!”
We sing with reverence, O Pure One, / to Your womb, which contained God, / who was incarnate in an inexpressible manner / and granted the radiance of the knowledge of God / to all the faithful, who ceaselessly exclaim: / “All creation, sing to the Lord / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
By the radiance of Your light, / make those who sing Your praises radiant with light, / O Mother of Light, Pure Theotokos; / for You have appeared as the tabernacle of Light, / illuminating with Your light those who ceaselessly exclaim: / “All creation, sing to the Lord / and exalt Him forever and ever!”
Then we sing the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “My soul magnifies the Lord:”
Canon 1
Irmos: You who bore Him in your womb without losing your virginity / and gave flesh to the all-wise Word, / Mother who knew no man, Virgin Mother of God, / dwelling place of the Inconceivable, / abode of your Boundless Creator, / we magnify You.
Be silent, all you who think wrongly, / who attribute suffering to the Godhead; / for we magnify the Lord of glory, crucified in the flesh, / yet not crucified according to His divine nature, / as the One in two natures.
You who reject the resurrection of the body! / Come to Christ’s tomb and see for yourselves / that the flesh of the Giver of Life was put to death but raised again, / as a testimony to the final resurrection / which we await.
Trinitarian Hymn: Honoring the Trinity not as deities but as Hypostases, / and the Unity not as Persons but as the Godhead, / we confound those who divide It, / and bring to confusion those who dare to merge / the One whom we extol.
Canon 2
Light from the Light—Christ, / the radiance of the Father’s glory, / who shone forth beyond time, / illuminating human life in the darkness / and dispelling the darkness that pursued us. / We, the faithful, ceaselessly extol Him.
Contemplating the sufferings of the flesh and the power of the Godhead / in Christ, / let those who speculate about a single complex nature be put to shame; / for the Very Same One dies as a man, / yet rises again as the Creator of all.
(“Bring myrrh to the dead, and song to the Living, / tears to the dying, / and a song to the Life of all, O women,” / exclaimed the herald of the Resurrection, / proclaiming the news of Christ’s rising.)
The Theotokos: “Apart from You, I know no other God, /—the Church proclaims to You—/ You who chose me as Your bride from among the unbelieving pagans!” / Grant, then, O Word, salvation to the faithful, / through the intercession of Your Mother, as the Merciful One.
Canon 3
You have appeared to us as the source of eternal joy and gladness, / Ever-Virgin Maiden, / bearing in your womb the Redeemer, / who, through truth and the Divine Spirit, delivers / those who worship Him as God.
Singing Your praises, Your forefather David, O Most Pure One, / calls You the ark of the Divine sanctuary, / which supernaturally contained God, / who dwells in the bosom of the Father. / We, the faithful, ceaselessly glorify Him.
Truly, O Virgin, You have become / the highest of all creation, / for You gave birth to the Creator of all in the flesh. / Therefore, as the Mother of the one Lord, / You have from the beginning a preeminence over all.
After the katavasia, the Small Ektenia, followed by: “Holy is the Lord our God:” and the Sunday Exapostilarion.
To carry out among them the judgment decreed; / this glory belongs to all His saints.
Christ is risen from the dead, / having broken the bonds of death. / Proclaim, O earth, this great joy; / praise, O heavens, the glory of God!
Praise God in His saints, / praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, / let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, / the one and only sinless One.
Praise Him for His might, / praise Him for the multitude of His greatness.
We never cease to worship / Christ’s Resurrection; / for He has saved us from our sins— / the Holy Lord Jesus, / who revealed the Resurrection.
Praise Him with the sound of trumpets, / praise Him with psalteries and lyres.
What shall we give to the Lord / for all that He has given us? / For our sake—God among men; / because of our fallen nature, / the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; / to the ungrateful He appeared as the Benefactor, / to the captives—the Liberator, / to those dwelling in darkness—the Sun of Righteousness; / on the Cross—impassive; / in Hades—light, in death—life; / for the fallen—the Resurrection. / Let us cry out to Him: “Our God, glory to You!”
Praise Him on the tympanum and in the choir, / praise Him on the strings and the organ.
You have crushed the gates of hell, O Lord, / and abolished the dominion of death / by Your mighty power, / and raised up with You the dead, / who had slept in darkness from of old, / through Your divine and glorious Resurrection, / as King of all and Almighty God.
Praise Him with melodious cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. / Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Come, let us rejoice in the Lord / and be glad in His resurrection; / for He has raised the dead with Him / from the unbreakable bonds of Hades / and has granted the world, as God, / eternal life and great mercy.
Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end!
A radiant angel / sat upon the stone of the tomb that held Life / and proclaimed the good news to the myrrh-bearing women, saying: / “The Lord has risen, as He foretold to you; / tell His disciples / that He goes before you to Galilee, / and to the world He grants eternal life / and great mercy!”
I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders.
Why have you rejected the cornerstone, / O lawless Jews? / This is the stone / that God has set in Zion, / who brought forth water from the rock in the wilderness / and poured out immortality for us from His side; / this is the stone, hewn from the virgin mountain without the will of a man, /—the Son of Man, coming on the clouds of heaven / to the Ancient of Days, as Daniel declared, / and His Kingdom is eternal.
Glory: Gospel Sticheron.
And now, Tone 2: Most blessed are You, Virgin Mother of God, / for through Him who was incarnate of You, hell is bound, / Adam is restored from it, / the curse has lost its power, / Eve is set free, death is put to death, / and we are filled with life. / Therefore, singing, we cry out: / “Blessed is Christ God, who has so graciously willed this; glory to You!”
Priest: Glory to You, who have shown us the light!
The Great Doxology.
On this day the salvation of the world was accomplished! / Let us sing of Him who rose from the tomb / and is the Prince of our life, / for by destroying death through death, / He has granted us victory and great mercy.
And the dismissal.
Beautiful and good to eat / was the fruit that put me to death. / But Christ is the tree of life; / having tasted of it, I do not die, / but cry out with the thief: / “Remember me, O Lord, / in Your Kingdom!”
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Exalted on the Cross, You, the Merciful One, / have blotted out the record of Adam’s ancient sin / and saved the entire human race from error. / Therefore we sing Your praises, / O Lord, our Benefactor!
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
You nailed to the Cross, / O merciful Christ, our sins, / and by Your death You put death to death, / raising the dead from the dead. / Therefore we worship Your / holy Resurrection.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Once the serpent / poured its venom into Eve’s ears; / but Christ, on the wood of the Cross, / poured out the sweetness of life to the world. / Remember us, O Lord, / in Your Kingdom!
Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and unjustly slander you in every way for My sake.
In the tomb, as a mortal, / You were laid, O Christ, the Life of all, / and You shattered the gates of hell; / and, rising in glory on the third day as the Mighty One, You enlightened all. / Glory to Your Resurrection!
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.
The Lord, having risen from the dead on the third day, / bestowed His peace upon the disciples / and, having blessed them, sent them out to preach, saying: / “Bring everyone into My Kingdom!”
Glory, Triune: Light—the Father, light—the Son and the Word, / light—and the Holy Spirit, / yet the Three are one light; for there is one God / in three Persons, yet of one nature and origin, /—indivisible, unconfused, existing from all eternity.
And now, to the Mother of God: You bore in your womb on earth / the Son and the Word of the Father according to the flesh, / as He Himself knows, O Mother of God. / Therefore, we who have been deified through You, / cry out to You, Virgin Mother: / “Rejoice, hope of Christians!”
The Lord will give strength to His people; / the Lord will bless His people with peace.
Verse: Offer to the Lord, O sons of God, offer to the Lord young rams.
Ps 28:11, 1a
Verse: It is good to praise the Lord and to sing to Your name, O Most High.
Verse: To proclaim Your mercy in the early morning and Your faithfulness throughout the night.
Ps 91:2, 3
At “O Lord, I have cried out,” ten stichera: three from the Sunday Octoechos, four from the Eastern Octoechos, and three from the Menaion. If we are celebrating a saint, we sing four stichera from the Octoechos and six for the saint. Glory: from the Menaion, and “And now”: the first Theotokion of the tone.
Deliver my soul from the dungeon, / that I may glorify Your name.
We offer to You, O Christ, / the evening hymn / and the rational service; / for You have been pleased to have mercy on us through the Resurrection.
The righteous will wait for me, / until You reward me.
Lord, Lord! / Do not cast us away from Your presence, / but deign to have mercy on us through the Resurrection.
From the depths I have cried out to You, O Lord; / O Lord, hear my voice.
Rejoice, holy Zion, / mother of churches, dwelling place of God! / For you were the first to receive / the forgiveness of sins through the Resurrection.
May Your ears / be attentive to the voice of my prayer.
The Word, born of God the Father before all ages, / and the same Word, in the last days, / incarnate from the Virgin who knew no husband, / suffered death by crucifixion according to His will / and saved mankind, once dead, / through His Resurrection.
If You were to mark iniquities, O Lord, O Lord, who could stand? / For with You is forgiveness.
We glorify Your resurrection from the dead, O Christ, by which You freed the race of Adam from the dominion of hell and, as God, granted the world eternal life and great mercy.
For the sake of Your name I have waited for You, O Lord; my soul has hoped in Your word; / my soul has trusted in the Lord.
Glory to You, Christ the Savior, / the only-begotten Son of God, / who was nailed to the Cross / and rose from the tomb on the third day!
From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch / may Israel hope in the Lord.
We glorify You, O Lord, / who willingly endured the Cross for our sake, / and we worship You, almighty Savior. / Do not cast us away from Your presence, / but hear us and save us through Your Resurrection, O Lover of mankind.
Glory: Sticheron from the Menaion.
And now, O Mother of God: The Heavenly King / appeared on earth out of love for mankind / and dwelt among men; / for, having taken flesh from the pure Virgin / and being born of her in this flesh, / He remains the one Son, / dual in nature but not in Hypostasis. / Therefore, proclaiming Him truly / to be fully God and fully man, / we confess Christ as our God. / Pray to Him, O Mother who knew no marriage, / for the mercy of our souls.
Entrance. “A light of joy:”
The Lord has taken His seat on the throne; / He has clothed Himself in splendor.
Verse: The Lord has clothed Himself with strength and girded Himself.
Verse: For He has established the world, and it shall not be moved.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for all time. Ps 92:1, 5b
Then a special litany, “Grant, O Lord:” a supplicatory litany.
You ascended the Cross, O Jesus, / having come down from heaven; / You came to death—the immortal Life, / to those dwelling in darkness—the true Light, / to the fallen—the Resurrection of all. / Our Enlightenment and Savior, glory to You!
Verse: The Lord has reigned, / clothed in splendor.
Let us glorify Christ, risen from the dead. / For He, having taken on soul and body, / shared their sufferings with one another: / then the most pure soul descended into Hades and conquered it, / while the holy Body of the Savior of our souls / did not see corruption in the tomb.
Verse: For He has established the universe, / and it shall not be shaken.
With psalms and hymns we give thanks to You, Christ, / for Your resurrection from the dead, / by which You have freed us / from the dominion of hell / and, as God, have granted us eternal life / and great mercy.
Verse: Holiness befits Your house, / O Lord, for all time.
O Lord of all, incomprehensible, / Creator of heaven and earth! / Having suffered on the Cross, You poured out dispassion upon me; / and having been buried and risen in glory, / You raised Adam with You by Your almighty hand. / Glory to Your Resurrection on the third day, / through which You have granted us eternal life / and the forgiveness of sins, O One and Only Merciful One!
Glory: Sticheron from the Menaion, if available. If not:
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: The Virgin who knew no marriage, / who conceived God in the flesh in an ineffable manner, /—Mother of the Most High God! / Hear the supplications of Your servants, O All-Pure One, / who grants purification from sins to all; / now, having accepted our prayers, / intercede for the salvation of us all.
Then: “Now You grant:” The Three Holy Ones following the “Our Father:”
You descended from on high, O Merciful One, / and deigned to remain three days in the tomb, / to free us from our passions— / our life and resurrection, O Lord, glory to You!
Glory, and now, to the Theotokos: Born of the Virgin for our sake / and having endured the crucifixion, / having overthrown death by death / and revealed the Resurrection as God, / do not despise, O Good One, those created by Your hand; / show Your love for mankind, O Merciful One, / accept the Mother of God who gave birth to You, interceding for us, / and save, O our Savior, those who have lost all hope.
The same troparion also for “God is the Lord:”
We sing “God is the Lord:” in Tone 4, the Sunday troparion twice, and the Theotokion once (see Great Vespers). Then the usual psalmody from the Psalter.
You have risen from the dead, Life of all, / and the radiant Angel proclaimed to the women: / “Cease weeping! Proclaim the good news to the Apostles, / exult in song that Christ the Lord has risen, / who, as God, was pleased to save / the human race!”
Verse: Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end! Ps 9:33
Having truly risen from the tomb, / You commanded the devout women / to proclaim the Resurrection to the Apostles, as it is written. / And Peter, hastening to the tomb, / and seeing light within the tomb, was amazed; / and so he saw only the shrouds, / lying there without the Divine Body within them, / and, having believed, he cried out: “Glory to You, Christ God, / for You save all, our Savior; / for You are the radiance of the Father!”
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: Let us sing of the heavenly gate and ark, the all-holy mountain, / the radiant cloud, / the heavenly ladder, the spiritual paradise, / Eve’s deliverance, the great treasure of the entire universe; / for through Her the salvation of the world was accomplished / and the forgiveness of ancient sins. / Therefore we cry out to Her: / “Intercede before Your Son and God / for the gift of forgiveness of sins / for those who reverently worship / the all-holy birth from You.”
People sealed Your tomb, Savior, / but an angel rolled away the stone from its entrance. / The women saw the One who had risen from the dead / and themselves proclaimed the good news to Your disciples on Zion, / that You, the Life of all, have risen, / and the bonds of death have been broken. / Lord, glory to You!
Verse: I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders. Psalm 9:2
The women, having brought the burial ointment, / heard the voice of the Angel from the tomb: / “Cease your weeping and exchange your sorrow for joy; / shout for joy in song that Christ the Lord has risen, / who, as God, was pleased to save the human race!”
Glory, and now, to the Mother of God: All creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace: / the host of angels and the human race. / You are the sanctified temple and the spiritual paradise, / the glory of virginity, from whom God became incarnate and took the form of an Infant— / our God, who existed before all ages. / For He transformed Your womb into a throne / and made Your womb vaster than the heavens. / All creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace, / glory to You!
Then the troparia “to the Immaculate Ones” and the Small Ektenia.
The Myrrh-bearers, having come to the tomb of the Giver of life, / sought the immortal Lord among the dead / and, having received the joy of the good news from the Angel, / proclaimed to the apostles that the Lord had risen, / bestowing great mercy upon the world.
From my youth, the enemy has tempted me, / inflaming me with pleasures; / but, trusting in You, O Lord, / I put him to flight.
May those who hate Zion become / like grass before it is uprooted; / for Christ will sever their necks / with painful blows.
Glory: All things live through the Holy Spirit; / He is the Light from the Light, the great God. / Let us sing of Him together with the Father and the Word.
And now: And we repeat the same.
May my heart be covered with Your fear, acting with humility, / so that, having been lifted up, / it may not fall away from You, O All-Merciful One.
Whoever places his hope in the Lord / will not be afraid / when He tests all things with fire and suffering.
Glory: Through the Holy Spirit, everyone who has become godlike / contemplates, prophesies, and performs the greatest miracles, / singing the praises of God, one in three Persons; / for although the Divinity shines with a threefold light, / it reigns as one.
And now: And we repeat the same.
I have called upon You, O Lord; / hear me, incline Your ear to me who call, / and purify me before You take me from here.
Everyone who returns to his mother—the earth— / will return again to receive / either torment or honor, according to the life he has lived.
Glory: Through the Holy Spirit—the doctrine of the Triune God: / for the Father is without beginning, from whom the Son was born outside of time, / and the Spirit, like Him and co-throne, / shone forth from the Father together with Him.
And now: And we repeat the same.
Behold, what is so beautiful, or what is so pleasant, / as for brothers to live together! / For in this the Lord / has promised eternal life.
He who adorns the lilies of the field commands / that we should not worry / about our clothing.
Glory: By the Holy Spirit, as the sole Source, / all things are sustained and preserved in the world; / for He is God, truly consubstantial / with the Father and the Son.
And now: And we repeat the same.
The Lord will reign forever, / your God, O Zion, from generation to generation.
Verse: Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life.
Ps 145:10, 1–2a
“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord:” and we read the Sunday morning Gospel.
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, / let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, / the only sinless One. / We worship Your Cross, Christ, / and we sing and glorify Your Holy Resurrection, / for You are our God, / we know no other besides You, / we call upon Your name. / Come, all the faithful, / let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ, / for behold, through the Cross / joy has come to the whole world. / Always blessing the Lord, / we sing of His Resurrection, / for He, having endured the crucifixion, / has crushed death by death.
Psalm 50.
Glory: Through the prayers of the apostles, O Merciful One, / blot out the multitude of our sins.
And now: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Merciful One, / blot out the multitude of our sins.
Then, Tone 6: Have mercy on me, O God, / through Your great mercy / and through the abundance of Your kindness, / blot out my iniquity.
And the stichera: Jesus has risen from the tomb, / as He foretold, / granting us eternal life / and great mercy.
And the prayer: Save, O God, Your people:
The first—Sunday, in 4; the second—Cross and Resurrection, in 3; the third—Theotokos, in 3, and the Menaion, in 4. If a saint is celebrated in 6, then the Cross and Resurrection, in 2, and the Theotokos, in 2.
Canon 1
Irmos: The charioteer of Pharaoh’s chariot was overwhelmed / by the once-miraculous rod of Moses, / which parted the sea with a cross-shaped blow, / and saved the fleeing Israelites, those on foot, / who sang a song to God.
Refrain: Glory, O Lord, to Your holy Resurrection.
How can we fail to marvel at / the almighty Divinity of Christ, / who, through His sufferings, pours out / dispassion and incorruptibility upon all the faithful, / and who brings forth from the sides of the saints / a fountain of incorruptibility / and from the tomb—eternal life.
What a beautiful Angel / has now appeared to the women! / And he, bearing clear signs / of natural, incorporeal purity / and revealing through his appearance / the light of the Resurrection, / exclaims: “The Lord is risen!”
Theotokos: Glorious things have been spoken of You throughout the generations, / O Virgin Mother of God, who conceived the Word of God in Your womb / yet remained pure; / therefore we all honor You, / our Protectress, second only to God.
Canon 2
The gates of sorrow were thrown open, / and the gatekeepers of hell trembled, / seeing in the deepest places / Him who dwells on high, / beyond the bounds of all nature.
The angelic hosts were amazed, / seeing the fallen human nature, / once confined in the depths of the earth, / seated on the Father’s throne.
Theotokion: The hosts of angels and mortals / praise You unceasingly, O Mother who knew no marriage; / for You carried their Creator, as a babe, / in Your arms.
Canon 3
Most Pure Mother of God, / who supernaturally gave birth / to the eternal and most divine Word made flesh! / We sing Your praises.
You, Christ—the life-giving cluster, / pouring forth the sweetness of universal salvation— / were born of the Virgin.
The race of Adam, through You, O Mother of God, / raised to a bliss beyond comprehension, / glorifies You as is fitting.
Then the troparia from the Menaion canon and the katavasia according to the rule.
Canon 1
Irmos: You who in the beginning established the heavens with wisdom / and founded the earth upon the waters! / Establish me, O Christ, upon the rock of Your commandments, / for there is no one holy but You, / the only Lover of mankind.
Adam, condemned for tasting sin, / was justified by the saving suffering of Your flesh, O Christ; / for You Yourself, being beyond the trial of death, / appeared sinless.
My God, Jesus, You kindled the light of the Resurrection / for those who dwelt in darkness and the shadow of death, / and, having bound the strong one with Your Divinity, / You plundered his spoils.
Theotokos: You have been revealed as higher than the Cherubim and Seraphim, / O Theotokos; / for You alone received into Your womb / the boundless God, O Immaculate One. / Therefore, all of us, the faithful, / call You blessed in our hymns.
Canon 2
Adam, who had previously disobeyed Your commandment, / You, O Lord, sent into exile; / but having taken on his form and taught him obedience, / You brought him into communion with Yourself through the crucifixion.
O Lord, who foresaw all things through Your wisdom, / and by Your intellect created the underworld, / You did not refuse, O Word of God, to descend there / to raise up those created in Your image.
Theotokos: Having taken up dwelling in the Virgin in the flesh, O Lord, / You revealed Yourself to people, / as much as it was fitting for You to be seen, / and You revealed Her truly as the Mother of God / and the helper of the faithful, / O sole Lover of mankind.
Canon 3
Grant us Your help / through Your intercessions, O All-Pure One, / warding off from us the blows / of terrible calamities.
Through the redemption of our foremother Eve, / You have become, O Mother of God, / the Source of life for the whole world, / having borne Him in Your womb.
Gird me with Your might, All-Pure One, / You who truly gave birth to God in the flesh /—the hypostatic Power of the Father.
Canon 1
Irmos: You are my stronghold, O Lord, / You are my strength, / You are my God, You are my joy, / who did not forsake the Father’s bosom / but visited us in our poverty. / Therefore, with the prophet Habakkuk, I proclaim to You: / “Glory to Your power, Lover of mankind!”
You have loved me, who was at enmity with You, / with a steadfast love; / You, having humbled Yourself in an extraordinary way, / came down to earth, O merciful Savior, / without turning away from my utter insolence; / and, remaining in the heights of Your ineffable glory, / You have glorified me, who was once despised.
Who, O Lord, is not now amazed, / seeing death destroyed by suffering, / corruption fleeing from the Cross, / and hell, deprived of its riches by death? / This is the extraordinary work of Divine power / through You, who endured the crucifixion, Lover of Mankind!
Theotokos: You are the praise of the faithful, having known no marriage; / You are the Intercessor, the refuge of Christians, their wall and harbor; / for to Your Son, O All-Pure One, / You bring petitions / and save from misfortune / those who acknowledge You with faith and love / as the pure Mother of God.
Canon 2
The descendants of the lawless nailed / You to the Cross, Lover of Mankind; / but You, in Your mercy, saved them, / those who glorify Your sufferings.
Having risen from the tomb, You raised with You / all the dead who were in Hades / and, in Your mercy, enlightened / those who glorify Your Resurrection.
Theotokos: The God whom You bore in Your womb— / implore Him, O Most Pure Mary, / to grant forgiveness of sins / to those who ask You for it.
Canon 3
O uncultivated field—the Mother of God, / who brought forth the life-giving Ear of Corn, / who gives life to the world, / save those who sing Your praises!
We all, enlightened, acknowledge You as the Mother of God, O All-Pure One; / for You bore in Your womb / the Sun of Righteousness, O Ever-Virgin.
Grant us Your favor / for the sins of ignorance, as You are sinless, / and bring peace to Your world, O God, / through the intercession of She who gave birth to You.
Canon 1
Irmos: Why have You cast me away / from Your presence, Unquenchable Light, / and why has foreign darkness covered me, the wretched one? / But turn me back to the light of Your commandments / and direct my paths, I pray.
You endured being clothed in a crimson robe / amid the mockery preceding Your Passion, Savior, / covering the shameful nakedness of the first man, / and You were nailed to the Cross naked, / so that You might strip from him, Christ, / the garment of death.
From the dust of mortal man, You recreated my fallen nature / by rising from the dead, / and made it imperishable, O Christ, / revealing it anew, as it were, in a royal image, / shining with the light of incorruption.
Theotokos: Having maternal boldness / toward Your Son, O All-Pure One, / do not pass us by with Your maternal care, we pray; / for we, Christians, direct You and You alone / to appease the Lord with Your favor.
Canon 2
Strengthen us with the power of Your Cross, Christ, /—for it is for its sake that we take refuge in You—/ and grant us Your peace, Lover of Mankind.
Now, as a helmsman, / guide our lives, our God, / as we sing of Your Resurrection, / and grant us peace, O Lover of Mankind.
Theotokion: Intercede, O Pure One, with Your Son and our God, / O holy Mary, who knew no marriage, / to bestow upon us, the faithful, great mercy.
Canon 3
Calm the unbearable storm of my passions, / You who bore God in your womb— / our Helmsman and Lord.
The hosts of angels and the assemblies of mortals / revere the birth of Christ from you, / Most Pure Mother of God.
Mary, Mother of God, who knew no marriage! / Make the hopes of Your enemies come to nothing / and bring joy to those who sing Your praises.
Canon 1
Irmos: Have mercy on me, Savior, – / for my transgressions are many, – / and deliver me from the depths of evil, I pray; / for I have cried out to You, – and You hear me, / O God of my salvation!
The author of evil has crushed me mightily through the tree; / but You Yourself, Christ, hung upon the Cross, / have cast him down even more mightily, / subjecting him to shame, / and raising up the fallen.
You, having risen from the tomb, have shown mercy to Zion, / making it new out of the old, / as the Merciful One, through Your divine blood, / and now You reign in it, Christ, forever and ever.
Theotokos: May we be delivered from grave sins / through Your intercessions, O pure Mother of God, / and may we attain, O All-Pure One, divine illumination / from the Son of God, who was ineffably incarnate through You!
Canon 2
You stretched out Your hands on the Cross, / healing the hand of the first man / that had been recklessly stretched out in Eden, / and You tasted the bitter tree / of gall, O Christ, / and saved, as the Mighty One, / those who glorify Your sufferings.
The Redeemer tasted death, / to destroy both the ancient sentence / and the realm of corruption; / and coming to those who dwelt in Hades, He raised them up, / and, as the Mighty One, saved / those who sing of His Resurrection.
Theotokos: Do not cease to intercede for us, / Most Holy Virgin Mother of God, / for You are the support of the faithful, / and we are strengthened by our hope in You, / and with love we glorify You / and Him who was incarnate from You in an ineffable manner.
Canon 3
We, the faithful, proclaim You, O Mother of God, / to be the Temple of God and the Ark, / the living palace, / and the gate of heaven.
Having become, like God, the destroyer of idols, / Your Child, Mary, Bride of God, / receives worship / together with the Father and the Spirit.
The Word of God has revealed You, O Mother of God, / as the heavenly ladder to mortals, / for through You / He descended to us.
Rising from the tomb, You raised the dead, / and resurrected Adam, / and Eve rejoices at Your resurrection, / and the ends of the earth celebrate / Your rising from the dead, O Most Merciful One.
Ikos: Having plundered the royal palaces of Hades / and raised the dead, O Long-suffering One, / You met the myrrh-bearing women, / bringing them joy instead of sorrow. / And to Your apostles You revealed the signs of victory, / my Savior, Giver of life, / and You enlightened all creation, Lover of mankind. / Therefore, the whole world rejoices together / at Your rising from the dead, O Most Merciful One.
Canon 1
Irmos: The fire in Babylon was once put to shame / by God’s descent; / therefore the youths in the furnace, with joyful steps / dancing as if in a meadow, sang: / “Blessed are You, God of our fathers!”
The glorious self-emptying, the divine riches / of Your poverty, O Christ, / astound the angels, / who, seeing You nailed to the Cross / for our salvation, cry out in faith: / “Blessed be the God of our fathers!”
At Your divine descent, / the places beneath the earth were filled with light, / and the darkness that had previously pursued us was driven away. / Therefore, the eternal captives rose, exclaiming: / “Blessed is the God of our fathers!”
Trinity Hymn: Lord of all, yet Father of only one—/the only-begotten Son—/we proclaim You, teaching orthodox theology, /acknowledging the one Holy Spirit proceeding from You, /equal to You in nature and eternity.
Canon 2
You have accomplished salvation, according to the prophecy, / in the midst of the universe, O God; / for, having been lifted up on the Tree, You have called all to Yourself, / those who cry out in faith: / “O God of our fathers, blessed are You!”
Rising from the tomb, O Merciful One, as from sleep, / You have delivered all from corruption; / and all creation is strengthened in faith / through the Apostles who proclaim the Resurrection. / God of our fathers, blessed are You!
To the Mother of God: Equal in power to Him who gave birth to the Word, / equal to Him in eternity and might, / is formed in the womb of the Virgin / by the will of the Father and the Spirit. / God of our fathers, blessed are You!
Canon 3
Having been incarnated from the Virgin’s womb, / You appeared for our salvation. / Therefore, acknowledging Your Mother as the Mother of God, / we exclaim with gratitude: / “God of our fathers, blessed are You!”
Like a branch, O Virgin, / You sprang forth from the root of Jesse, all-blessed one, / blossoming and bearing saving fruit, / as those who cry out with faith to Your Son: / “God of our fathers, blessed are You!”
Fill all with wisdom and divine power, / Hypostatic Wisdom of the Most High, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, / as we sing to You with faith: / “God of our fathers, blessed are You!”
Canon 1
Irmos: Seven times the Chaldean ruler / set the furnace ablaze / against those who worshiped God with fervor; / but seeing them saved by a higher power, / he cried out to the Creator and Savior: / “You youths, bless Him; you priests, sing His praises; / you people, exalt Him for all ages!”
The super-divine power of Jesus / shone forth in a godly manner in the work of our salvation; / for He, having tasted the death of the cross in the flesh for all, / destroyed the power of hell. / Young men, bless Him unceasingly; priests, sing His praises; / people, exalt Him forever and ever!
The Crucified One has risen; the arrogant have fallen; / the fallen and the broken have been raised up; / corruption has been cast out, and incorruption has flourished: / for life has swallowed up what is mortal. / Young men, bless Him; priests, sing His praises; / people, exalt Him forever and ever!
Trinity Hymn: The Triune Godhead, shining with a single radiance / from a single nature in three Persons— / the Father without beginning, / and the Word of the Father, equal to Him in nature, / and the Spirit, reigning with Them and of one essence, /—young men, bless Him; priests, sing His praises; / people, exalt Him for all ages!
Canon 2
On the Tree, He who stretched out His hands / toward me, the naked one, / and called me to Himself, / to warm me with His glorious nakedness, / bless the Lord, all creation, / and exalt Him forever.
From the deepest depths of hell / You have raised me, a fallen one, / and on the high throne of Your Father / You have honored Him with glory; / bless the Lord, all creation, / and exalt Him forever.
Theotokos: As the daughter of fallen Adam / You appeared, O Virgin, / but as the Mother of God, who renewed my nature, / Whom we and all creation / sing of as Lord, / and exalt for all ages.
Canon 3
Extinguish the deceptive and fiery arrows / of our adversaries aimed against us, / so that we may sing Your praises, O Pure One, forever.
Supernaturally, the Creator and Savior— / You, O Virgin, gave birth to God the Word; / therefore we sing Your praises for all ages.
As a light-bearing and resplendent golden lamp, / the Inaccessible Light, who dwelt within You, / revealed You, O Virgin, for all ages.
Then we sing the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “My soul magnifies the Lord:”
Canon 1
Irmos: The heavens were amazed at this, / and the ends of the earth were terrified, / that God appeared to people in the flesh, / and Your womb became vaster than the heavens. / Therefore, O Mother of God, / the hosts of angels and men magnify You.
By Your divine and eternal nature, You were simple, / yet You became complex by taking on flesh / and uniting it to Your Hypostasis, O Word of God; / and, though You suffered as a man, / You remained untouched by suffering as God. / Therefore, we magnify You in two natures / that are indivisible and unconfused.
Your Father, by Your divine nature, / and as You Yourself became human by nature, / You called God, the Most High, having come down to Your servants; / and having risen from the tomb, — proclaiming God and Lord by nature / to those born on earth by grace, / with Whom we all glorify You.
Theotokos: You appeared, O Virgin, as the Mother of God, / having supernaturally given birth in the flesh to the Good One—the Word, / whom the Father, as the Good One, poured forth from His heart / before all ages; / Him we now consider supreme over all that is corporeal, / even though He is clothed in the body.
Canon 2
We know You, by the nature of the Son of God, / conceived in the womb of the Mother of God / and made man for our sake, / and lifted up on the Cross; / suffering according to human nature, / yet remaining, as God, untouched by suffering.
The gloomy darkness has been dispelled, / for the Sun of Righteousness has risen from Hades— / Christ, who enlightens the ends of the earth, / shining with the light of the Godhead, / —the heavenly Man, the earthly God, / Whom we magnify in His two natures.
Be strengthened and prosper, / and reign, O Son of the Mother of God, / subduing the Ishmaelite people, who are hostile toward us, / and subjecting them to the pious king, / as an invincible weapon for him who takes refuge in You, / granting him the Cross together with the spear.
Canon 3
The memory of You is filled with joy and gladness, / bestowing healing upon those who take refuge in You / and who reverently confess You / through the Mother of God.
In the psalms we sing of You, O Full of Grace, / and without ceasing we offer You the greeting “Rejoice”; / for You have poured out joy upon all.
Your Fruit, O Mother of God, has grown to perfection, / bringing not destruction to those who partake of Him, / but life to those who glorify You with faith.
After the katavasia, the Small Litany, followed by: “Holy is the Lord our God:” and the Sunday Exapostilarion.
To carry out among them the judgment decreed; / this glory belongs to all His saints.
Lord, though You stood before the tribunal, judged by Pilate, / You did not forsake the throne where You sit together with the Father. / And, having risen from the dead, / You freed the world from the enemy’s bondage, / as the Merciful and Lover of Mankind.
Praise God in His saints, / praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Lord, as a weapon against the devil, / You have given us Your Cross: / for the enemy fears and trembles, / not daring to look upon its power; / for it raises the dead and has destroyed death. / Therefore, we worship Your burial and Your resurrection.
Praise Him for His might, / praise Him for the multitude of His glory.
Lord, though You were laid in a tomb in Judea / as a mortal, / yet, as a sleeping King, / soldiers guarded You, / and, as the treasure of life, they sealed You with a seal. / But You rose again and granted immortality to our souls.
Praise Him with the sound of trumpets; / praise Him with the psaltery and the harp.
Your angel, O Lord, / who proclaimed the Resurrection, struck fear into the guards, / and announced to the women, saying: / “Why do you seek the living among the dead? / He has risen, as the true God, / and has granted life to the universe.”
Praise Him with the timpani and in the choir, / praise Him with strings and the organ.
You suffered on the Cross, impassible in Your Divinity, / and deigned to remain in the tomb for three days, / so that You might free us from the enemy’s bondage / and, having granted us immortality, give us life, Christ our God, / through Your Resurrection, O Lover of Mankind.
Praise Him with melodious cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. / Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
I worship, I glorify, and I sing of You, Christ, / Your resurrection from the tomb, / by which You have freed us from the unbreakable chains of hell / and granted the world, as God, / eternal life and great mercy.
Arise, O Lord my God, and let Your hand be exalted; / do not forget Your poor ones to the end!
Guarding Your life-giving tomb, / the lawless, together with the guards, sealed it; / but You, as the immortal and almighty God, / rose again on the third day.
I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; / I will proclaim all Your wonders.
When You came to the gates of hell, O Lord, and shattered them, / hell, the captive, cried out: / “Who is this One who cannot be confined in the depths of the earth, / but who has laid waste the very dungeon of death as if it were a tent? / I received Him as a mortal, / yet now I tremble before Him as before God.” / Almighty Savior, have mercy on us!
Glory: Gospel Sticheron.
And now, Tone 2: Most blessed are You, Virgin Mother of God, / for through Him who was incarnate of You, hell is bound, / Adam is restored from it, / the curse has lost its power, / Eve is set free, death is put to death, / and we are filled with life. / Therefore, singing, we cry out: / “Blessed is Christ God, who has so graciously willed this; glory to You!”
Priest: Glory to You, who have shown us the light!
The Great Doxology.
Having risen from the tomb, You broke the chains of hell, / You abolished the sentence of death, O Lord, / delivering all from the snares of the enemy; / and appearing to Your Apostles, / You sent them forth to preach / and through them granted peace to the universe, / O One, Most Merciful.
And the dismissal.
Remember us, Christ, Savior of the world, / as You remembered the thief on the cross, / and grant us all, O One and Merciful One, / Your Heavenly Kingdom.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Listen, Adam, and rejoice together with Eve: / for he who once stripped you both / and took us captive through deceit / has been stripped of his power by the Cross of Christ.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Nailed to the Tree, our Savior, of Your own will, / You redeemed Adam from the curse that came through the tree, / restoring to him, in Your mercy, / that which is in him in Your image, / and the dwelling place of paradise.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
On this day Christ rose from the tomb, / granting incorruption to all the faithful, / and He renews the joy of the myrrh-bearers / after His Passion and Resurrection.
Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and unjustly slander you in every way for My sake.
Rejoice, wise myrrh-bearing women, / who were the first to behold Christ’s Resurrection / and announced to His apostles / the call of the whole world to salvation!
Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
Having shown yourselves to be friends of Christ, O Apostles, / you will sit with Him on thrones in glory. / Intercede for us, that we may stand before Him with boldness, / as His disciples.
Glory to the Trinity: The eternal Trinity, the indivisible Being, / the co-throned Unity of those equally honored in glory, / the Nature and Kingdom that transcend all beginnings! / Save those who sing of You with faith.
And now, to the Theotokos: Rejoice, vast dwelling place of God! / Rejoice, ark of the New Covenant! / Rejoice, gilded vessel, / from which heavenly manna is bestowed upon all!
Pray and offer / your vows to the Lord, our God.
Verse: God is known in Judea; His name is great in Israel.
Ps 75:12a, 2
Antiphon: Come, let us rejoice in the Lord; let us shout for joy to God, our Savior.
Verse: Let us hasten before His face with praise, and let us shout to Him in psalms.
Ps 94:1, 2
The Gospel Matins stichera were composed by Emperor Leo the Wise, while the Exapostilaria were composed by his son, Emperor Constantine.
We shall gather with the disciples on the Mount of Galilee, / to behold Christ by faith, / as He proclaims His receiving of authority over heaven and earth; / we shall learn how He commands the baptism of all nations / in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, / and how He promised to remain with those initiated into His mysteries / until the end of the age.
Theotokos: You rejoiced with the disciples, O Virgin Mother of God, / for you saw Christ, risen from the tomb / on the third day, just as He had said. / To them He appeared, teaching and revealing the highest mysteries, / and commanding them to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, / so that we might believe in His Resurrection / and glorify You, O Virgin.
To the disciples who had ascended the mountain, / the Lord appeared from the earth before His Ascension. / And they, having worshiped Him / and learned of the authority given to Him over all things, / were sent into the world to proclaim / His resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven. / Christ God, who is far from falsehood, / and Savior of our souls, / promised to abide with them forever.
Seeing the stone rolled away, / the myrrh-bearers rejoiced, / for they beheld a young man sitting in the tomb, / and he announced to them: / “Behold, Christ has risen; tell Peter and all the disciples: / Hurry to the Mount of Galilee, / there He will appear to you, / as He foretold to His friends.”
The Theotokos: The angel greeted the Virgin with “Rejoice” / before Your conception, O Christ; / and the angel rolled away the stone from Your tomb. / The first—instead of sorrow—revealed a sign of unspeakable joy, / while the second—instead of death—proclaimed You, the Giver of life, / extolling You and announcing the Resurrection / to the women and to those initiated into Your mysteries.
To the women who were with Mary, / who had come with spices / and were perplexed as to how to achieve their desire, / the stone was revealed to have been rolled away / and the Divine Youth appeared, calming the turmoil of their souls; / “For,” he said, “Jesus the Lord has risen; / so tell the heralds, His disciples, / that they may hasten to Galilee / and see Him, risen from the dead, / as the Giver of life and the Lord.”
No one should doubt / that Christ has risen; / for He appeared to Mary, / then those going to the village saw Him, / and He appeared again to those initiated into the mysteries— / the eleven who were reclining; / and having sent them to baptize, / He ascended into heaven, from whence He had come down, / and confirmed their preaching with many signs.
Theotokos: O Sun, who rose on this day from the tomb, / like a bridegroom from the bridal chamber, / and who conquered hell and destroyed death! / Through the intercession of Your Mother, send down light upon us, / light that enlightens hearts and souls, / light that guides all to walk / in the paths of Your commandments and the ways of peace.
The disciples, who did not believe Mary Magdalene / when she proclaimed the resurrection from the dead and the appearance of the Savior, / were rebuked for their hard-heartedness; / but, armed with signs and wonders, / they were sent out to preach. / And You, O Lord, ascended to the Source of light—the Father— / while they proclaimed the Word everywhere, / confirming it with miracles. / Therefore, we who have been enlightened by them / glorify Your resurrection from the dead, / O Lord, lover of mankind!
Shining with virtues, we shall see in the life-giving tomb / men in resplendent garments, / appearing to the myrrh-bearers, their faces bowed to the ground; / we shall be convinced of the Resurrection of the Ruler of the heavens, / and we shall hasten with Peter to Life within the tomb, / and, marveling at what has come to pass, / we shall remain to behold Christ.
The Theotokos: “Rejoice,” You proclaimed, / and You transformed the sorrow of our first parents, O Lord, / introducing joy into the world in its place / through Your Resurrection. / Send down, then, its light, O Giver of life, / for the sake of She who bore You in her womb, / the light of Your mercy, which enlightens hearts, / so that we may cry out to You: / “Lover of mankind, God-man, / glory to Your Resurrection!”
It was early morning, and the women / came to Your tomb, Christ, / but did not find the body they longed for. / So, as they stood there perplexed, / angels in resplendent garments appeared to them and proclaimed: / “Why do you seek the living among the dead? / He has risen, just as He foretold. / Why do you not remember His words?” / Believing them, they proclaimed what they had seen; / but their good news seemed empty— / for the disciples were still slow to understand. / However, Peter ran to the tomb and, seeing it, / glorified Your miracles within himself.
Christ, who rose from the dead, is our life and our way; / He walked with Cleopas and Luke, / and was recognized by them at Emmaus when He broke bread. / Their hearts and minds were burning / as He spoke with them along the way / and explained to them from the Scriptures what He had endured. / Let us exclaim with them: “He has risen / and appeared to Peter as well!”
Theotokos: I sing of Your boundless mercy, my Creator; / for You humbled Yourself to come down from heaven / and save the broken nature of mortals; / and, though You are God, You deigned, / being born of the pure Virgin of God, / to become like me and descend into hell, / desiring to save me, O Word, / through the intercessions of Your Mother, / O All-Merciful Lord.
O how wise are Your judgments, Christ! / How You enabled Peter, through mere swaddling clothes, / to comprehend Your Resurrection! / And while traveling with Luke and Cleopas, You converse with them, / and, as You speak, You do not immediately reveal Yourself. / Therefore, You even accept their reproach, / that You are one of those who have come to Jerusalem / and are uninvolved in the outcome of its plans. / But, as the One who arranges all things for the good of creation, / You revealed the prophecies concerning You, / and at the blessing of the bread You were recognized by those / whose hearts had already been burning with a desire to know You. / They already clearly proclaimed to the assembled disciples / Your Resurrection; by it, have mercy on us.
Showing that You are human by nature, O Savior, / after rising from the tomb You partook of food with Your disciples, / and standing among them, You taught them to preach repentance, / and ascended directly to the Heavenly Father, / and promised to send the Comforter to the disciples. / O Most Divine God-Man, / glory to Your Resurrection!
The Theotokos: The Creator of all things and God of all took on mortal flesh / from Your pure blood, All-Holy Virgin, / and, truly, He renewed our entire fallen nature, / preserving You as a Virgin after childbirth, just as You were before. / Therefore, we all glorify You with faith, exclaiming: / “Rejoice, Mistress of the World!”
Truly, O Christ, You are the peace of God with mankind! / Bestowing Your peace upon Your disciples after the Resurrection, / You filled them with fear: they thought they were seeing a spirit; / but You calmed their agitation, / showing them Your hands and feet. / Meanwhile, while they still did not believe, / You opened their minds to understand the Scriptures / by eating food in their presence and reminding them of Your teachings. / And, having confirmed the Father’s promise to them / and blessed them, You ascended into heaven. / Therefore, together with them, we worship You. / Lord, glory to You!
When Mary said that they had taken the Lord away, / Simon Peter / and the other disciple, the one whom Christ loved, ran to the tomb; / the two of them ran and found inside / only the linen cloths lying there, / and the cloth that had been on His head, lying by itself apart from them. / So they went back inside, / until they saw Christ.
To the Mother of God: You have done great and unheard-of things for me, / O my most merciful Christ: / for from the Virgin You were born in an inexpressible manner, / and You accepted the Cross, and endured death, / rose in glory, and delivered our nature from death. / Glory, O Christ, to Your glory, / glory to Your power!
Behold—darkness and the early morning. / And why do you stand by the tomb, Mary, / with deep gloom in your mind? / That is why you are searching for where they laid Jesus; / but look at the disciples running together, / how through the linen cloths and the shroud / they were assured of the Resurrection / and recalled the Scriptures concerning it. / Together with them, having come to faith through them, / we sing to You—Christ, the Giver of Life.
Seeing the two angels inside the tomb, Mary was astonished / and, not recognizing Christ, asked Him as if He were the gardener: / “Sir, where have you laid the body of my Jesus?” / But upon hearing His voice, she realized that it was the Savior Himself, / and she heard Him say: “Do not touch Me, / for I am ascending to the Father— / tell this to My brothers!”
Theotokos: You gave birth to the One of the Trinity in an ineffable way, O Virgin, / dual in nature, dual in action, / yet one in Hypostasis. / Pray to Him always for those who worship You with faith, / that they may be delivered from every wile of the enemy, / for we all now take refuge in You, / O Lady, Mother of God.
Mary’s fervent tears / are not shed in vain; / for behold—she is deemed worthy of the Angels’ instruction, / and of beholding You, O Jesus! / Yet she still thinks of earthly things, like a frail woman, / and therefore is not permitted to touch You, Christ; / yet as a herald she is sent to Your disciples, / to whom she brought the good news, / announcing Your ascension to the Father’s inheritance. / Grant us also, through her, the grace of Your appearance, / O Lord and Master!
When You entered, O Lord, with the doors locked, / You filled the apostles with the Holy Spirit: / having granted them peace with a breath, / You commanded them to bind and loose sins; / and eight days later You showed Your side and Your hands to Thomas, / with whom we also cry out: / “You are the Lord and God!”
The Theotokos: When You saw Your Son, / risen from the tomb on the third day, / Bride of God, All-Holy Virgin, / You cast aside all the sorrow / that You, as a Mother, had endured / while gazing upon Him in His suffering; / and, filled with joy, together with His disciples, / she sang His praises in celebration. / Therefore, save now / those who confess You as the Mother of God.
As if at the end of time, / late on the first day after the Sabbath, / You appeared to Your friends, Christ, / and by a miracle confirm the miracle— / by coming through locked doors / —Your resurrection from the dead. / And behold, You filled the disciples with joy, / and bestowed the Holy Spirit upon them, / and granted them the power to forgive sins, / and did not allow Thomas to be engulfed by the waves of unbelief. / Therefore, grant us also true knowledge / and the forgiveness of sins, O merciful Lord!
On the Sea of Tiberias, the sons of Zebedee— / Nathanael and Peter, along with two others, / and Thomas—were once out fishing. / At Christ’s command, they cast their nets on the right side / and drew up a great catch of fish. / Peter, recognizing Him, swam out to Him. / Appearing to them for the third time, / He offered them bread and fish cooked on coals.
To the Theotokos: O Virgin, intercede for those who sing of the Lord, / who rose from the tomb on the third day, / and who call upon You with blessed love, / for we all have You as our saving refuge / and our intercessor before Him; / for we are Your inheritance and Your servants, Mother of God, / and we all turn our eyes to Your intercession.
After Your descent into Hades and Your resurrection from the dead, / grieving, as is natural in separation from You, Christ, / the disciples returned to their work; / and once again—boats, nets, and no catch. / But You, O Savior, appearing as the Lord of all, / commanded them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat, / and the word was immediately put into action: / a great multitude of fish, / and an extraordinary feast was prepared on land. / Just as Your disciples partook of it then, / so grant that we too may now enjoy it in our hearts, / O Lord, lover of mankind!
After His Divine Resurrection, / the Lord, having asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me?” / appointed him chief shepherd of His sheep. / When Peter saw the one whom Jesus loved following behind, / he asked the Lord, “What about him?” / “If I will,” said the Lord, / “that he remain until I come again, / what is that to you, my friend Peter?”
Theotokos: O awesome mystery! / O extraordinary miracle! / Death has been utterly destroyed by death. / Who, then, will not sing Your praises, / and who will not worship Your Resurrection, O Word, / and the Theotokos who gave birth to You without sin in the flesh? / Through her intercessions, deliver all from Gehenna.
Appearing to Your disciples after Your Resurrection, O Savior, / You entrusted to Simon, in return for his love, / a flock of sheep, requiring him to tend them with care. / That is why You said: / “If you love Me, Peter, / feed My lambs, feed My sheep.” / He, immediately showing fervent love, / asked about another disciple. / Through their intercession, Christ, preserve Your flock / from the wolves that prey upon it.