After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”

At "Lord I have cried," 8 stichera in Tone 1 Special Melody: “O wondrous marvel…”

Let us join chorus today, O ye faithful, / chanting to the Lord in psalms and hymns, / and honoring His sacred tabernacle, / the animate ark, who contained the uncontainable Word; / for she is brought to the Lord, / having become a babe in manner transcending nature. / And Zachariah, the great high priest, / receiveth her with gladness // as the dwelling place of God.

Today the animate temple of the holy glory of Christ our God, / the pure one who alone among women is blessed, / is led into the temple of the law, / to dwell in the Holy of holies; / with her Joachim and Anna rejoice in spirit, / and choirs of virgins sing to the Lord, // chanting in psalms and honoring His Mother.

Thou art the proclamation of the prophets, / the glory of the apostles, / the boast of the martyrs, / the restoration of all mortals, O Virgin Mother of God; / for through thee have we been reconciled with God. / Wherefore, we honor thine entrance into the temple of the Lord, / and with the angel all of us who find salvation through thy supplications / cry out to thee in hymns: // Rejoice, O all pure one!

Tone 4 - Special Melody: “As one valiant…”:

Into the Holy of holies / is the holy and immaculate one / led by the Holy Spirit; / and she is fed by a holy angel, / in that she is the most holy temple / of our holy God, / Who hath sanctified all things by her entry / and hath deified the nature of mortal men // which had fallen. Twice

Rejoicing today / and bearing candles, / the maidens precede the noetic lamp / and escort her with sanctity / to the Holy of holies, / revealing beforehand / the Effulgence which would ineffably shine forth from her / to illumine with the Spirit // those who sit in darkness of ignorance.

The most lauded Anna cried out: / “O Zachariah, in gladness receive her / whom the prophets of God / proclaimed in the Spirit, / and escort her to the holy temple, / there to be raised in sanctity, / that she might become the divine throne, / the palace and bower, // and the radiant abode of the Master of all!”

Glory… Both now...
Tone 8:

After thy nativity, O Mistress, Bride of God, / thou didst go to the Temple of the Lord / to be raised in the Holy of Holies as a consecrated maiden. / Then was Gabriel sent to thee, the all-immaculate one, / bringing food unto thee. / All of the heavenly powers marvelled, / beholding the Holy Spirit abiding within thee. / Wherefore, O all pure and undefiled Mother of God, / who art glorified in heaven and on earth, // save thou thy race.

Entrance, Prokimenon of the day, and 3 Readings:

A Reading from Exodus

The Lord spake to Moses, saying: “On the first day of the first month, at the new moon, thou shalt set up the tabernacle of the witness, and thou shalt place therein the ark of the testimony, and shalt cover the ark with the veil. And thou shalt bring in the table and the candlestick; and thou shalt place the golden censer, to burn incense before the ark of the testimony; and thou shalt put a covering of a veil on the doors of the tabernacle of witness. And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and shalt anoint the tabernacle, and all things therein; and shalt sanctify it, and all its furniture, and it shall be holy. And thou shalt hallow the altar, and the altar shall be most holy. And Moses did all things soever the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, commanded him. And a cloud covered the tabernacle of witness, and the tabernacle was filled with the glory of the Lord. And Moses was not able to enter into the tabernacle of testimony, because the cloud overshadowed it, and the tabernacle was filled with the glory of the Lord.

The Reading from the Third Book of Kings

It came to pass that Solomon finished building the house of the Lord. And he assembled all the elders of Israel in Sion, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Sion. And the priests took up the ark, and the tabernacle of testimony, and all the holy vessels which were in the tabernacle of testimony. And the king and all Israel stood before the ark. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord into its place, into the oracle of the house, even into the Holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark; and the cherubim covered the ark and its holy things above. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which Moses put there in Horeb, which the Lord made. And it came to pass when the priests departed out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house. And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord God Almighty filled the house.

The Reading from the Prophecy of Ezekiel

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

At Litia, these stichera:
Tone 1:

Let heaven rejoice today from on high, / and let the clouds drop down gladness / at the exceeding all-glorious mighty works of our God! / For, lo! the portal which faceth east, / who was born of a barren woman according to Godʹs promise, / and became a dwelling place sanctified for God, / is brought forth as an unblemished offering. / Let David rejoice, striking his harp! / For he said: “The virgins that follow after her shall be brought before the King; / those near her shall be brought unto the tabernacle of God, / into His sanctuary, / to be reared in the dwelling place / of Him Who, for the salvation of our souls, / was incorruptibly begotten // of the Father before time.”

Today the Theotokos, / the temple which held God, / is escorted into the temple of the Lord; / and Zachariah receiveth her. / Today the Holy of holies rejoiceth / and the choir of angels mystically keepeth festival. / And we, celebrating with them today, / cry aloud with Gabriel: / Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! / The Lord is with thee, // Who hath great mercy!

Come, all ye faithful, / let us praise her who alone is immaculate, / who was proclaimed beforehand by the prophets, / and is brought into the temple, / the Mother chosen before time began, / the Theotokos who hath appeared in latter days./ O Lord, through her supplications // grant us Thy peace and great mercy.

Glory... Both now...

Tone 5:

The day of joy and the most honored feast hath shone forth! / For today she who remained Virgin after giving birth, / as she was before birthgiving, / is led into the temple of the Lord, / and the elder Zachariah, the father of the forerunner, / rejoiceth and crieth out in gladness : / “The intercessor for the sorrowful draweth nigh unto the holy temple, / in that she is holy, / to be hallowed in the habitation of the King of all! / Let Joachim, her forebear, be glad, and let Anna rejoice! / For they have offered unto God the unblemished Mistress / like a heifer three years of age. / Rejoice, ye mothers! / Leap up, O virgins! / Ye barren women, join chorus! / For the Queen of all, who hath been foretold, / hath opened unto us the kingdom of heaven! // Rejoice, ye people, and be glad!”

At the Aposticha, these stichera:

Tone 5 - Special Melody: “Rejoice…”:

Rejoice, O heaven and earth, / beholding the only immaculate Virgin, / the noetic heaven, / coming forth to be raised in honor in the house of God! / To her did Zachariah cry out, marveling: / “O portal of the Lord, / I open unto thee the gates of the temple! / Rejoice therein, joining chorus! / For I have come to know and believe / that the deliverance of Israel is manifestly coming, / and that God the Word will be born of thee, // granting the world great mercy!”

The virgins that follow after her shall be brought unto the King, / those near her shall be brought unto Thee.

O grace divinely manifest! / With gladness Anna leadeth / to the temple of God / the pure Ever virgin given her by grace, / and she calleth maidens to go before her, / bearing lamps and saying: “Go forth, my child! / Be thou an offering and incense of sweet savor / unto Him Who gave thee to us! / Enter into the impassable precincts / and learn the mysteries! / And prepare thyself to be the gladsome and beauteous dwelling place of Jesus, // Who bestoweth upon the world great mercy!”

They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing, / they shall be brought into the temple of the King.

The most holy Virgin, / the temple in which God dwelleth, / is borne into the temple of God, / and maidens bearing lamps now precede her. / Joachim and Anna, the excellent couple, her parents, / leap for joy, dancing, / for they gave birth to her / who gave birth to the Creator, / who, dancing in the divine tabernacles / and fed by the hand of an angel, / hath been shown to be the most immaculate Mother of Christ, // Who bestoweth great mercy upon the world.

Glory... Both now...

Tone 6:

Assembling today, ye councils of the faithful, / let us keep spiritual festival, / and let us piously praise the divine Maiden, the Virgin Theotokos, / who is led into the temple of the Lord, / who was chosen before out of all generations / to be the habitation of Christ God, the King of all. / Bearing candles, O virgins, / go ye on before, / doing homage to the honored entry of the Ever virgin! / Ye mothers, setting aside all grief, / follow joyously her who is to become the Mother of God, / the mediatress of joy for the world! / And with the angel let us all joyfully cry out to the joyous one “Rejoice!”, // for she ever prayeth for our souls.

At the blessing of the loaves, the troparion of the feast:

Tone 4:
Today is the prelude of God’s good will / and the heralding of the salvation of mankind. / In the temple of God, the Virgin is presented openly, / and she proclaimeth Christ unto all. / To her, then, with a great voice let us cry aloud: / Rejoice, O thou fulfillment // of the Creator’s dispensation. Thrice

At "God is the Lord", the troparion of the feast:

Tone 4:
Today is the prelude of God’s good will / and the heralding of the salvation of mankind. / In the temple of God, the Virgin is presented openly, / and she proclaimeth Christ unto all. / To her, then, with a great voice let us cry aloud: / Rejoice, O thou fulfillment // of the Creator’s dispensation. Thrice

After the Kathisma, the sessional hymns of the feast:

Tone 1 [Troparion Melody]:

The fruit of the righteous Joachim and Anna / is offered to God in the holy sanctuary, / the nourisher of our Life / who became a babe in the flesh, / whom the sacred Zachariah blessed. // With faith let us all bless her as the Mother of God.

Glory… Both now…
Tone 4:

Even before thy conception thou wast consecrated to God, O pure one, / and, having been born on earth, / thou hast now been offered to Him as a gift, fulfilling thy parents’ vow; / and having been presented in the divine temple, / accompanied as a babe by lighted lamps in purity, / thou hast been shown to be the receptacle of the unapproachable and divine light, / as the temple of God. / Truly great is thy going forth, // O only Ever virgin Bride of God!

Polyeleos, "and this magnification": Clergy: We magnify thee, / O most holy Virgin, / God chosen Maiden, / and we honor thine entry // into the temple of the Lord.

Choir: We magnify thee, / O most holy Virgin, / God chosen Maiden, / and we honor thine entry // into the temple of the Lord.

At Thy right hand stood the Queen. Choir: We magnify thee, / O most holy Virgin, / God chosen Maiden, / and we honor thine entry // into the temple of the Lord.

Arrayed in a vesture of inwoven gold, adorned in varied colors. Choir: We magnify thee, / O most holy Virgin, / God chosen Maiden, / and we honor thine entry // into the temple of the Lord.

Glory... Both now... Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory to Thee, O God. Twice Clergy: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory to Thee, O God. We magnify thee, / O most holy Virgin, / God chosen Maiden, / and we honor thine entry // into the temple of the Lord.

After the Polyeleos, the sessional hymn.
Tone 8 [Troparion Melody]:

Let David the psalmist rejoice, and let Joachim and Anna join chorus, / for the radiant Mary, the divine lamp, issued forth from them as a holy fruit, / and she rejoiceth, entering the temple. / Beholding her, the son of Barachiah blessed her, and, rejoicing,

cried out: // “Rejoice, O wonder of the universe!”

The Hymn of Ascents, the first antiphon of Tone 4: Choir: From my youth * do many passions war against me; * but do Thou Thyself defend * and save me, O my Savior.

Ye haters of Zion * shall be shamed by the Lord; * for like grass, * by the fire shall ye be withered. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit, * both now and ever, * and unto the ages of ages. Amen. In the Holy Spirit, * every soul is quickened, * and, through cleansing, is exalted and made radiant * by the Triple Unity in a hidden sacred manner.

Prokeimenon in Tone 4:

Hearken, O daughter, and see, / and incline thine ear.

Stichos: My heart hath poured forth a good word; I shall speak of my works to the king. Then the Gospel [Luke 1: 39 49, 56] After Psalm 50:

Choir: Tone 6: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Today the animate temple of the great king / entereth the temple / to prepare herself

as a divine dwelling place for Him. // Be glad, O ye people! Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Today the animate temple of the great king / entereth the temple / to prepare herself

as a divine dwelling place for Him. // Be glad, O ye people! Have mercy on me, O God, / according to Thy great mercy; / and according to the multitude of Thy compassions, // blot out my transgressions.

Then this sticheron, in Tone 4:

Today the Theotokos, / the temple which held God, / is escorted into the temple of the Lord; / and Zachariah receiveth her. / Today the Holy of holies rejoiceth / and the choir of angels mystically keepeth festival. / And we, celebrating with them today, / cry aloud with Gabriel: / Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! / The Lord is with thee, // Who hath great mercy!

The Canon

Ode 1

Irmos, Tone 4:

I shall open my mouth, / and the Spirit will inspire it, / and I shall utter the words of my song to the Queen and Mother: / I shall be seen radiantly keeping feast // and joyfully praising her entry.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

O all pure one, we know thee to be a treasury of wisdom and an ever flowing fountain of grace; and we pray thee rain drown drops of knowledge upon us that we may praise thee forever.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Being a temple and palace more exalted than the heavens, O all pure one, thou wast set apart in the Temple of God to be prepared as a divine dwelling place for His advent.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Shining with the Light of grace, the Theotokos hath illumined all and assembled them to adorn her most splendid festival. Come ye, let us draw nigh to her!

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The glorious portal which thoughts cannot pass having opened the doors of the Temple of God, doth now command us that have assembled to delight in her divine wonders.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Let us hasten today, honoring the Theotokos with hymns, and let us celebrate a spiritual feast; for she is offered to God in the temple as a gift.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

With songs let us hymn the glorious arrival of the Theotokos; for today, as the prophets foretold, she is borne into the temple as a gift of great price though she is herself the temple of God.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The blameless Anna rejoiced, maternally bringing a gift of great price to God in the temple; and with her Joachim keepeth splendid festival.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Of old, David—thine ancestor—hymned thee, O Virgin Bride of God, calling thee the daughter of Christ the King; and having given birth to Him, as a Mother thou didst feed Him with milk as a babe.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Three years of age in the flesh, the Theotokos is borne unto the Lord; and receiving her, Zechariah the priest of God hath installed her in the temple, rejoicing.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Ye candle bearing virgins, join chorus! O ye mothers, do ye likewise today! Chant ye unto the Queen and Mother who cometh to the temple of Christ the King!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O Trinity One in essence—Father, Word and Holy Spirit: Thee do we glorify with faith as the Creator of all and unto Thee do we piously cry aloud: Save us, O God!

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Arrayed in purple vesture dyed in thy blood, O all pure one, God the King, issuing forth, hath restored the whole human race in His compassion.

Katavasia, Tone 1:

Christ is born, give ye glory. / Christ cometh from heaven, meet ye Him. / Christ is on earth, be ye exalted. / O all the earth, sing unto the Lord, / and sing praises in gladness, O ye people, // for He hath been glorified.

Ode 3

Irmos, Tone 4:

O Mother of God, thou living and plentiful fount, / give strength to those united in spiritual fellowship, / who sing hymns of praise to thee: / and on the day of thy venerable entry // vouchsafe unto them crowns of glory.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Receiving the pure and undefiled one who is more splendid than all creation, the animate bridal chamber of God, the beautiful Temple and chamber doth today appear as that which adorneth the bride for her wedding.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

David, preceding the chorus, doth leap and dance with us and declareth thee, O all pure one, the queen adorned who doth stand in the Temple before our King and God, O most pure one.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

From her from whom transgressions went forth among the human race hath her correction and incorruption blossomed forth: the Theotokos who is led today into the house of God.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The angelic armies and a multitude of all men leap for joy and advance as lamp bearers before thy countenance, proclaiming thy majesty in the house of God.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

O ye who love the feasts of the Church, let us keep festival and rejoice together in spirit, revelling today on the holy feast of the daughter of the King, the Mother of our God.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice today, O Joachim! Be thou glad in spirit, O Anna, leading to the Lord the three year old child born of thee as though she were a pure and most immaculate heifer.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Mary, the Theotokos, the habitation of God, is led into the holy temple being three years of age in the flesh; and going before her, virgins bear lighted lamps.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The pure ewe lamb of God, the undefiled turtle dove, the tabernacle containing God, the sanctuary of glory, hath chosen to dwell within the holy tabernacle.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

With hymns let the Bride of God be praised who is more spacious than the heavens and more exalted than the heavenly hosts and who, though but three years in the flesh, is yet mature in spirit.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Celebrating the arrival of the Theotokos in the precincts which cannot be entered, joyously bearing candles noetically today, let us draw nigh unto the temple with the virgins.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Ye priests of God, clothe yourselves in righteousness through grace and go forth in splendor to greet the daughter of God the King, granting her entry into the Holy of holies.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The Father is light; His Son is light; and the Holy Spirit is also light: for the Trinity, shining forth as from a single sun, doth divinely illumine and preserve our souls.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O pure one, the prophets proclaimed thee as the ark of the sanctuary, the gold censer, the lampstand and table; and we hymn thee as the tabernacle which held God.

Katavasia, Tone 1:

To the Son who was begotten of the Father / without change before all ages, / and in the last times was without seed made flesh of the Virgin, / to Christ our God let us cry aloud: / Thou hast raised up our horn, // holy art Thou, O Lord.

After Ode III, the sessional hymns of the feast.
Tone 4 [Sticheron Melody]:

Tell us, O David: / what is this present festival? / Who is she whom thou once didst hymn in the Book of Psalms / as daughter, divine Maiden and Virgin? / “The virgins that follow after her, / together with those near her,” said he, / “shall be mystically brought unto the King.” / Make this a wondrous and universal feast for those who cry:// The Theotokos is come unto us, the mediatress of salvation!

Glory… Both now…

With gladness Mary, the Theotokos, / is all gloriously brought into the house of God, / the unblemished ewe lamb, the undefiled bridal chamber, / whom the angels of God escort with faith / and all the faithful ever call blessed and hymn her unceasingly / with a loud voice in thanksgiving: / Thou art our glory and salvation, // O most immaculate one!

Ode 4:

Irmos, Tone 4:

Perceiving the unsearchable purpose of God / concerning Thine incarnation from a Virgin, O Most High, / the prophet Habakkuk cried: // Glory to Thy power, O Lord.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The Temple of God, receiving today the portal through whom none may pass, hath ceased to perform any service of the Law, crying: Truly truth hath appeared to them that are on earth!

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The mountain overshadowed—which Habbakuk beheld of old—prefigured her that hath made her abode in the inaccessible chambers of the Temple, flourishing with virtues; for she cover the ends of the earth therewith.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

All the earth hath seen most glorious things, things strange and marvellous: for the Virgin, receiving food from an angel, doth receive tokens of God’s dispensation.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Revealed as temple and palace and animate heaven, O divine bride of the King, thou art brought today to the Temple of the Law to be kept for Him, O all pure one.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

O Prophet Isaiah, prophesy unto us: Who is the Virgin who will conceive in her womb; who springing from the root of Judah, shall give birth to the right glorious Fruit of the holy seed of King David?

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

O virgins, commence ye to chant hymns, holding candles in your hands and praising the arrival of the pure Theotokos who now cometh to the temple of God, celebrating with us!

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Rejoice now, O Joachim and Anna, leading into the temple of the Lord like a heifer three years of age the pure one born of you who will become the Mother of God.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

As the holy of holies, O pure one, thou didst love to dwell in the holy temple; and dost remain conversing all gloriously with the angels, receiving bread from heaven, O Virgin, thou nourisher of Life.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Having given birth beyond hope to the all pure Virgin, Joachim and Anna piously vowed to offer her unto God; and they fulfill their oath, giving up as a sacrifice to the house of God her who was born of them.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The rod of Aaron once budded forth prefiguring the divine birthgiving, O pure one; for thou dost conceive without seed and hast remained incorrupt; and even after giving birth thou art shown to be a virgin, nurturing the God of all as an infant.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Ye virgins and mothers, haste ye together with us to honor the Virgin and Mother who hath been born; and let us all splendidly celebrate her as an unblemished sacrifice brought forth as fruitful for God.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Let us piously glorify the true God, the Trinity of Persons, the Unity in image Whom the ranks of angels and archangels hymn as the Master of creation and whom men ever worship with faith.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O all pure and pure one, unceasingly entreat thy Son and God to Whom thou gavest birth in the flesh that He deliver all thy servants from the multifarious snares of the devil and from every assailing temptation.

Katavasia, Tone 1:

Rod of the root of Jesse, / and flower that blossomed from his stem, O Christ, / Thou hast sprung from the Virgin. / From the Mountain overshadowed by the forest Thou hast come, / made flesh from her that knew not wedlock, / O God who art not formed from matter. // Glory to Thy power, O Lord.

Ode 5

Irmos, Tone 4:

The whole world was amazed at thy venerable entry: / for thou, O Virgin who hast not known wedlock, / thyself a Temple most pure, / hast gone within the Temple of God, // bestowing peace upon all who sing thy praises.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The all pure Virgin, the glorious sanctity and sacred offering which is brought today to the Temple of God, is preserved as an habitation for our one God—the King of all— as He Himself doth know.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Zachariah, beholding once the beauty of thy soul, cried out in faith: Thou art the deliverance, thou art the joy of all; thou art our restoration through whom the Uncontainable One shall appear unto me contained.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

O thy wonders which pass understanding, O all pure one! Strange is thy birthgiving; strange the manner of thy growth; strange also, most glorious and unutterable by men are all thy wonders, O Bride of God.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Amost radiant lamp, O Bride of God, thou hast shone forth today in the house of the Lord and dost illumine us with the precious gifts of thy wonders, O pure and all hymned Theotokos.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

O all ye Orthodox, let us take up lamps, hastening to glorify the Mother of God; for she is led to the Lord today as a right acceptable sacrifice.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Let thine ancestors be glad today, O mistress, and let her who gave thee birth rejoice with thy father; for their fruit is offered to the Lord.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Celebrating with faith, let us all hymn the unblemished heifer most glorious and of great renown; for she gave birth to the divine Bullock in the flesh.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The divine tokens of thy betrothal, of thy birthgiving which passeth understanding, O pure virgin, are recorded today by the Holy Spirit in the house of God.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Let the outer doors of the glory of our God be opened and let them receive as an unblemished heifer of three years the Mother of God who has not tasted of wedlock.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Let us hymn the Ever virgin who hath become the Mother of God, the most honorable mountain overshadowed; for she hath shone forth light upon the ends of the earth.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Glorifying the one all originating and ever existing Godhead, we worship the indivisible Essence in three Persons, equal in honor and glory.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Ever delivered from misfortunes and tribulations, O Theotokos, we have acquired thy prayer as a right tranquil haven and an invincible bulwark amid evil circumstances.

Katavasia, Tone 1:

As Thou art God of peace and Father of mercies, / Thou hast sent unto us Thine Angel of great counsel, / granting us peace. / So are we guided towards the light of the knowledge of God, / and watching by night we glorify Thee, // O Lover of mankind.

Ode 6

Irmos, Tone 4:

As we celebrate this sacred and solemn feast of the Mother of God, / let us come, clapping our hands, O people of the Lord, // and give glory to God who was born of her.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Thou that hast upheld all things by thy word hast hearkened to the prayer of the righteous ones. Wherefore Thou hast loosed the infirmity of the barren woman, in that Thou art compassionate and has given them her that is the cause of joy.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Wishing to make His salvation known to the Gentiles, the Lord hath now taken from among men her that hath not known wedlock as a sign of reconciliation and renewal.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

As a house of grace wherein treasures of the ineffable dispensation of God are laid up, O most pure one, thou didst share in unfading delight in the Temple.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Receiving thee as a royal diadem, O Bride of God, the Temple hath been made splendid and hath mounted to better things, beholding in thee the fulfillment of the prophecies.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

O ye faithful, let us celebrate the spiritual feast of the Mother of God, chanting piously; for she is more holy than the heavenly intelligences.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

With spiritual hymns let us praise the Mother of the Light, O ye faithful; for she hath appeared to us today going forth into the temple of God.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The unblemished ewe lamb, the pure turtle dove, is brought to dwell in the house of God for, as immaculate, she was chosen beforehand to be the Mother of God.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The temple of God, the heavenly tabernacle, maketh entry into the temple of the law, and from her hath the light shone forth upon us who are in darkness.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

A child in the flesh, though perfect in soul, the holy ark entereth the house of God to be nurtured with grace divine.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

By thine entreaties free us who have recourse unto thee from all temptations and spiritual misfortunes, O Mother of Christ God.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O Father, Son and upright Spirit, Unity in three Hypostases, indivisible Trinity: have mercy upon those who worship Thy divine might.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Contained in thy womb, O all pure Mother of God, He whom nought could contain issued forth from thee in two natures: God and man.

Katavasia, Tone 1:

The sea monster spat forth Jonah as it had received him, / like a babe from the womb: / while the Word, having dwelt in the Virgin and taken flesh, / came forth from her yet kept her uncorrupt. / For being Himself not subject to decay, // He preserved His Mother free from harm.

After Ode VI, the Kontakion and Ikos of the feast:

Tone 4: The most pure temple of the Savior, / the most precious bridal chamber and Virgin, / the sacred treasury of the glory of God, / is on this day brought into the house of the Lord, / bringing with her the grace that is in the Divine Spirit. / And the angels of God chant praise unto her: // she is the heavenly tabernacle.

Ikos: Beholding the grace of the ineffable and divine mysteries of God made plainly manifest in filling the Virgin, I rejoice; yet I know not how to understand this strange and ineffable image. How hath the pure one alone been shown to be above all creation, visible and noetic? Wherefore, desiring to praise her, I am greatly in awe in mind and word; yet, making bold, I proclaim and magnify her, saying: She is the heavenly tabernacle!

Ode 7

Irmos, Tone 4:

The holy children bravely trampled upon the threatening fire, / refusing to worship created things in place of the Creator, / and they sang in joy: // ‘Blessed art Thou and praised above all, O Lord God of our Fathers.’

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Lo, today a joyous spring hath dawned upon the ends of the earth, enlightening our souls, thoughts and minds with grace: the festival of the Theotokos. Let us mystically feast this day!

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Let all things — heaven and earth, the ranks of angels and the multitude of men — bear gifts today unto the Queen and Mother of God; and let them cry out: Our joy and deliverance is brought to the Temple!

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The Scriptures have now come to pass, the Law hath faded like a shadow and rays of grace have shone forth from thee who hast entered into the Temple of God, O pure Virgin Mother, wherein thou art blessed.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Heaven and earth and the netherworld are subject to thine Offspring and Creator and God, O most pure one; and every nation of mortals doth confess that the Lord and Savior of our souls hath appeared.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

O ye who love the feasts of the Church, let us join chorus and hymn the pure Mistress, honoring Joachim and Anna as is meet.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Prophesy, O David, giving utterance in the Spirit: The virgins that follow after thee shall be brought to thee into the temple of the Queen and Mother.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The ranks of the angels rejoiced and the souls of the righteous were gladdened, for the Mother of God is led into the Holy of holies.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Receiving heavenly food, she who was to become the Mother of Christ God in the flesh excelled in wisdom and grace.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Abiding in the temple of God as as most sacred vessel, the immaculate Mary rejoiced in body and spirit.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Thy chaste parents brought thee to the innermost chamber of the temple, O all pure one, to be raised as the dwelling place of Christ God in strange manner.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

We glorify the indivisible Trinity and we hymn the one Divinity: the Father, the Word and the most Holy Spirit.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Lord to Whom thou gavest birth do thou entreat in that He is compassionate by nature, O Theotokos, that He save the souls of those who hymn thee.

Katavasia, Tone 1:

Scorning the impious decree, / the Children brought up together in godliness / feared not the threat of fire, / but standing in the midst of the flames, they sang: / O God of our fathers, // blessed art Thou.

Ode 8

Irmos, Tone 4:

Hearken, O pure Virgin Maid: / let Gabriel tell thee the counsel of the Most High that is ancient and true. / Make ready to receive God: / for through thee the Incomprehensible comes to dwell with mortal men. / Therefore I cry rejoicing: // O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Anna, once, leading the all pure temple to the house of God, faithfully said unto the priest, crying aloud: Now accept thou this child given me by God; lead her into the Temple of the creator; and rejoicing, chant unto Him: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

And Zachariah then, beholding them in the Spirit, said unto Anna: Thou dost bring hither the true Mother of Life whom the prophets of God have clearly foretold as the Theotokos! How, therefore, can the Temple hold her? Wherefore marvelling, I cry out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The handmaid of God have I been, answered Anna unto him; and I call upon Him with faith and prayer to accept the fruit of my birth pangs, that having received this child, I might bring her that was born unto Him that bestowed her. Wherefore I cry aloud: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Truly this is a matter of the Law, the priest said to her; and strange doth this thing seem unto me, beholding her that doth most gloriously surpass the holy ones in grace led into the house of God. Wherefore rejoicing, I cry out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

Joachim rejoiceth today in splendor; and the blameless Anna offereth to the Lord God a sacrifice: the holy daughter given her according to God’s promise.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The holy David and Jesse render praise and Judah offereth homage; for the pure Virgin of whom the preeternal God was born grew forth as fruit from their root.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

The all pure Mary, the animate tabernacle, is brought today into the house of God; and Zachariah taketh her in his arms as the sanctified treasure of the Lord.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

O ye faithful, let us truly honor the Virgin Mother of God who is blessed by the hands of the priests as the portal of salvation, the noetic mountain and the animate ladder.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

O ye prophets, apostles and martyrs of Christ, ye ranks of angels and all ye mortals: with hymns let us honor the pure Virgin as the blessed Mother of the Most High.

O most holy Theotokos, save us.

O pure and most immaculate one, they who divinely gave thee birth have brought thee to the temple as a pure sacrifice; and thou dost strangely abide in the impassible precincts of God to be prepared as the dwelling place of the Word.

We bless, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Lord.

Let the Thrice holy One be hymned: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the indivisible unity, the one Godhead Who holdeth all creation in His hand for all ages!

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The beginningless Word receiveth a beginning in the flesh, being born of the Virgin Maiden as was His good pleasure: both God and man, restoring us who before were fallen in His extreme lovingkindness.

Choir: We praise, we bless, we worship the Lord,/ praising and supremely exalting Him // unto all ages.

Katavasia, Tone 1:

The furnace moist with dew was the image and figure of a wonder past nature. / For it burnt not the Children whom it had received, / even as the fire of the Godhead consumed not the Virgin’s womb / into which it had descended. / Therefore in praise let us sing: / Let the whole creation bless the Lord // and exalt Him above all for ever.

We do not sing the Magnificat, but continue immediately with the Refrain and Irmos of Ode

IX.

Ode 9 Refrain: The angels beholding the entry of the most pure one / were struck with wonder, // seeing how the Virgin entered into the Holy of Holies.

Irmos, Tone 4:

Let no profane hand touch the living Ark of God, / but let the lips of the faithful, chanting unceasingly / the words of the angel to the Theotokos, / cry out with joy: // Truly art thou high above all, O pure Virgin.

Refrain: The angels, beholding the entry of the most pure one, / were amazed at how she entered // into the Holy of holies with glory.

O pure Theotokos, as thou hast the most radiant beauty of purity of soul and art full of the grace of God from heaven, with the ever existent light thou dost ever enlighten them that cry out with joy: Truly thou art more highly exalted than all, O pure Virgin!

Refrain: The angels, beholding the entry of the Virgin, / were amazed at how she entered // into the Holy of holies all gloriously.

Thy wonder doth surpass the power of words, O pure Theotokos, for in thee I perceive a body impervious to the movement of sin. Wherefore thankfully I cry out to thee: Truly thou art more highly exalted than all, O pure Virgin!

Refrain: The angels and we men honor the entry of the Virgin: // how she entered the Holy of holies with glory.

Most gloriously did the Law prefigure thee, O pure one, as the tabernacle, the divine jar, the awesome ark, the veil, the staff, the inviolable temple and portal of God. Wherefore all these things teach us to cry to thee: Truly thou art more highly exalted

than all, O pure Virgin!

Refrain: The angels, beholding the entry of the Virgin, / were amazed to see her enter the Holy of holies // in God pleasing manner.

In hymnody David cried out to thee prophetically, calling thee the daughter of the King in the comeliness of thy virtues, beholding thee standing, elaborately adorned, at the right hand of God. Wherefore in prophecy he cried out: Truly thou art more

highly exalted than all, O pure Virgin!

Refrain: O ye angels, leap up with the saints! / Ye virgins, dance together! // For the divine Maiden hath entered into the Holy of holies!

Foreseeing thee who art pleasing to God, Solomon proclaimed thee to be the bower of the King, the living and sealed fountain from whence untroubled waters have issued forth for us who cry out with faith: Truly thou art more highly exalted than all, O pure Virgin!

Refrain: O ye angels and men, let us magnify the Virgin with hymns; // for in godly manner she hath entered the Holy of holies.

O Theotokos, thou givest to my soul the tranquility of thy gifts, pouring forth life upon those who honor thee as is meet, defending, protecting and preserving them thyself, that they might cry to thee: Truly thou art more highly exalted than all, O pure Virgin!

Refrain: Magnify, O my soul, / her who hath been led into the temple of the Lord // and hath been blessed by the hands of the priest.

The divine maiden Mary, the fruit of the promise, issued forth from the righteous Joachim and Anna, and, a babe in the flesh, she is brought into the holy sanctuary like pleasing incense, to dwell in the Holy of holies.

Refrain: Magnify, O my soul, / her who hath been led into the temple of the Lord // and been blessed by the hand of the priest.

With hymns let us praise her who was a babe by nature and was supernaturally revealed as the Mother of God; for she is led unto the Lord in the temple of the law as the fragrance of sweet savor for the righteous, as the spiritual fruit of her righteous parents.

Refrain: Magnify, O my soul, / her who hath been led into the temple of the Lord // and been blessed by the hand of the priest. O ye faithful, with the angel let us fittingly cry out to the Theotokos: “Rejoice!” Re

joice, O most comely Bride! Rejoice, O radiant cloud from whom the Lord hath shone

forth upon us who sit in the darkness of ignorance! Rejoice, thou hope of all!

Refrain: Magnify, O my soul, / her who hath been led into the temple of the Lord // and been blessed by the hand of the priest.

O pure Mary Mother of God, thou Holy of holies, from the snares of the enemy and from all heresy and tribulation do thou free us by thy supplications who bow down with faith before the image of thy holy countenance.

Refrain: Magnify, O my soul, / her who hath been led into the temple of the Lord // and been blessed by the hand of the priest.

With the Angel Gabriel all creation uttereth a fitting hymn to the Theotokos, crying: Rejoice, O most immaculate Mother of God by whom we have been delivered from the primal curse, coming to share in incorruption!

Refrain: Magnify, O my soul, / her who hath been led into the temple of the Lord // and been blessed by the hand of the priest.

O Virgin, thou hast been shown to be greater than the cherubim, more exalted than the seraphim and more spacious than the heavens, for thou didst contain within thy womb our God Whom nought can contain, and gavest birth to Him ineffably. Him do

thou earnestly beseech in our behalf.

Refrain: Magnify, O my soul, / the dominion of the indivisible Godhead // in three Hypostases.

Let us glorify the indivisible Trinity, the Essence in three Hypostases, the undivided glory, Who, in a single Godhead, is unceasingly hymned in heaven and on earth, piously worshiping the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

Refrain: Magnify, O my soul, / the all pure Theotokos, // who is more honorable and more glorious than the armies on high.

O Virgin Theotokos, pray thou that we who flee with faith beneath thy compassion and piously worship thy Son as God and Lord of the world be delivered from corruption, misfortunes and all manner of temptations.

Refrain: The angels beholding the entry of the most pure one / were struck with wonder, // seeing how the Virgin entered into the Holy of Holies.

Katavasia, Tone 1:

A strange and most wonderful mystery do I see: / the cave is heaven; / the Virgin the throne of the cherubim; / the manger a room, / in which Christ, the God whom nothing can contain, is laid. // Him do we praise and magnify.

Exapostilaria:

With faith let us praise the divine Maiden Mary, / whom the company of the prophets of old / proclaimed to be the jar, the staff, / the tablet and the unquarried mountain; / for she is led today into the Holy of holies // to be raised for the Lord. Thrice

At the Praises, 4 stichera:
Tone 1: Special Melody: “Joy of the ranks of heaven…”:

The lamp bearing virgins / who with splendor accompany the Ever virgin / truly prophesy the future in spirit; / for, in that she is the temple of God, / the Theotokos is led as a child into the temple // with virginal glory.

The Theotokos, the right glorious fruit of the holy promise, / is truly revealed to the world; / she who surpasseth all things / is piously escorted into the temple of God / and fulfilleth the vow of her parents, // preserved by the divine Spirit.

Having been faithfully nurtured with heavenly bread / in the temple of the Lord, O Virgin, / thou gavest birth unto the Word, / the Bread of life for the world. / To Him wast thou mystically betrothed / beforehand by the Spirit, / in that thou art the chosen and most immaculate temple, // betrothed to God the Father.

Let the portal of the God receiving temple be opened! / For today the temple and throne of the King of all / is received therein with glory! / Joachim bringeth her forth, / dedicating to the Lord // her who was chosen by Him to be His mother.

Glory… Both now… Tone 2:

Today the most immaculate Virgin is brought to the temple, / to the habitation of God, the King of all, / the Nourisher of our whole life. / Today the most pure and holy one is led to the Holy of holies / like a heifer three years of age. / Let us cry out unto her like the angel: // “Rejoice, thou who alone art blessed among women!”

After the Great Doxology, the troparion of the feast, once.

Tone 4: Today is the prelude of God’s good will / and the heralding of the salvation of mankind. / In the temple of God, the Virgin is presented openly, / and she proclaimeth Christ unto all. / To her, then, with a great voice let us cry aloud: / Rejoice, O thou fulfillment // of the Creator’s dispensation.