Sunday Orthros - Part 3

Praise him upon melodious cymbals; praise him with loud cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. The holy women lamenting hastened to your sepulcher. They found the tomb open and learned from the angel the new and strange miracle. They announced to the apostles that the Lord had risen, bestowing great mercy upon the world. Arise, O Lord my God, lift up your hand; forget not your poor forever. We worship the divine wounds of your passion, O Christ our God, and the royal sacrifice in Zion, divinely manifested at the end of the ages. You, O Son of righteousness, have enlightened those asleep in darkness guiding them towards the light that knows no evening. Glory to you, O Lord. I shall praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart; I shall speak of all your marvelous works. Give ear, O turbulent race of Jews; where are those who went to Pilate? Let the soldiers of the watch tell: Where are the seals of the tomb? Where has the buried corpse been moved? How was he sold who is not for sale? How was the treasure stolen? You wicked Jews, why do you speak falsely against the resurrection of him who was crucified? He is risen who was free among the dead, granting great mercy to the world. Second Tone To execute upon them a written judgment: this honor have all his saints. All that breathes and all creation praises you, O Lord. For you alone love mankind, and have put down death with your cross that you may show mankind your resurrection. Praise God in his saints; praise him in the firmament of his power. Let the Jews tell how the soldiers lost the King over whom they watched. Why did the stone fail to guard the rock of life? Let them either give him over who was buried or else let them worship him who arose, declaring with us: Glory to the multitude of your mercies; glory to you, our Savior. Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. Rejoice, O people, and be glad. An angel sat upon the stone of the tomb and gave us the great news: Christ, the Savior of the world is risen from the dead and has filled the world with a sweet fragrance. Rejoice, O men, and be glad. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with the psaltery and harp. At your conception, O Lord, an angel brought the joyful salutation to the Virgin who is full of grace, while at your resurrection an angel rolled back the stone of your glorious tomb. The one, disclosed tokens of joy instead of sorrow; while the other, proclaimed to us the Master, the giver of life instead of death. Therefore we cry: Glory to you, O Lord, Benefactor of all. Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with the stringed instruments and organ. Weeping, the women poured myrrh upon your tomb, and their voices were filled with joy as they said: The Lord is risen. Praise him upon the well‑tuned cymbals; praise him upon the loud cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Let the Gentiles and the people praise Christ our God who for our sake willingly suf­fered the cross and spent three days in hell. Let them worship his resurrection from the dead, which spreads light to the ends of the world. Praise, O Lord my God, lift up your hand; forget not your poor for ever. Crucified and buried of your own will, you despoiled death, O Christ, and as God and Master, you granted the world eternal life and great mercy. I will praise you, Lord, with my whole heart. I will speak of all your marvelous works. In truth, you transgressors of the law, by sealing the stone, granted us a greater wonder. The guards knew. Today he went forth from the tomb and they said: Say: while we slept his disciples came and stole him away.” But who steals a body, especially a body that is naked? He arose by his own will as God, leaving his grave clothes in the tomb. Come, you Jews, and see how he left the seals unbroken, having trampled death and granted mankind life without end and great mercy. Third Tone To execute upon them a written judgment: this honor have all his saints. O come all you nations, and know the might of this awesome mystery. Our Savior, who was the Word in the beginning, has been crucified for us and of his own will suffered burial. On the third day he rose again that he might save us all. Let us worship him. Praise him in his saints. Praise him in the firmament of his power. The guards that kept watch over you, O Lord, related all the wonders that had come to pass. But the vain assembly of the Sanhedrin filled their hands with bribes, thus thinking to hide your resurrection which all the world glorifies. Have mercy upon us. Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. All things were filled with joy when news of your resurrection was received. When Mary Magdalene went to your tomb, she found an angel in shining raiment seated upon the stone who said: Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but risen as he foretold, and he goes before you into Galilee. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with psaltery and harp. O Master who loves humankind, in your light we see light. You have risen from the dead, bestowing salvation on the human race so that all creation might give glory to you who alone are without sin. Have mercy upon us. Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and organ. The myrrh‑bearing women, O Lord, of­fered their tearful song to you very early, for they came to your tomb laden with fragrant spices and hastened to anoint your immaculate body. An angel seated upon the stone an­nounced to them: Why do you seek the living among the dead? For he is risen as God and has trampled down death, granting to all great mercy. Praise him upon the well‑tuned cymbals. Praise him upon the loud cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. A shining angel was seated upon your life-giving tomb, and said to the myrrh bearers: The Deliverer has emptied the tombs, despoiled Hades, and is risen on the third day, for he alone is God and almighty. Arise, O Lord, my God, lift up your hand; forget not your poor ones forever. On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene at the tomb arrived in search of you. But when she found you not, she wept and cried out: Woe is me, my Savior! Where have they stolen the King of all? Two angels, bearers of life, were in the tomb, and said to her: Woman, why do you weep? I weep, she said, because they have taken my Lord from the tomb and I know not where they have laid him. Then she turned round and saw you standing and she immediately cried: My Lord and my God, glory to you. I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will speak of all your marvelous works. The Jews enclosed Life in the tomb while the thief with his tongue opened the door to joy to the nations, as he called out and said: he who was crucified with me and was hung with me upon the cross for my sake has ap­peared to me seated upon the throne with the Father, for he is Christ our God who has great mercy. Fourth Tone To execute upon them a written judgment: this honor have all the saints. We glory in your resurrection, O all power­ful Lord, who suffered the cross and death and arose from the dead. Praise God in his saints; praise him in the firmament of his power. By your cross you set us free from the an­cient curse, O Lord; by your death you have destroyed the devil who ruled over our nature; by your resurrection you have filled all things with joy. Therefore, we cry to you: O Lord, who rose from the dead, glory to you. Praise him for his might acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. By your cross lead us in your truth, O Christ our Savior, and deliver us from the wiles of the adversary. Having risen from the dead, raise us up who have fallen by sin. By the prayers of your saints, O loving Lord, stretch out to us your arm. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with psaltery and harp. Without parting from the bosom of the Father, O only‑begotten Son of God, you have in your love for mankind descended to earth and become man without change. Impassible in your divinity, you suffered the cross and death in the flesh. You have risen from the dead and granted mankind immortality as the only almighty one. Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with the stringed instruments and organ. You have accepted upon yourself death in the flesh and have mediated that we might be immortal. You have dwelt in the tomb that we might be free from Hades, and, suffering as man, you have risen as God, having raised us with yourself. Therefore, we cry to you: O Lord, giver of life, only‑loving God, glory to you. Praise him upon well‑tuned cymbals; praise him upon loud cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. The stones were split open when your cross was planted on Golgotha, O Savior, and the gatekeepers of hells were afraid when you were laid in the tomb as dead. For you have destroyed the power of death by your resurrection, and have granted all the dead incorruption, O Sav­ior. Glory to you, Lord and Giver of life. Arise, O Lord, my God, lift up your hand; forget not your poor forever. The women wished to behold your resur­rection, O Christ our God, and Mary Mag­dalene went before them and found the stone rolled back from the tomb and an angel sitting there who said: Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is risen as God, in order to save the world. I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart: I will speak of all your marvelous works. Where is Jesus whom you thought you were guarding? Tell me, O Jews, where is he who was laid in the tomb which you sealed with a stone? Give us the body, you who denied life. Yield up the body, or believe in him who is risen. If you keep silent about his rising, the stones will cry aloud especially the one rolled back from the tomb. How great is your mer­cy, and great is the mystery of your dispensa­tion. O Savior, glory to You. Plagal of the First Tone To execute upon them a written judgment: this honor have all his saints. After the tomb was sealed by the trans­gressors, You, O Lord, came forth from it just as you came forth from the Virgin. Your bodiless angels had no knowledge of the man­ner of your incarnation; neither were the soldiers who guarded you aware of the moment of your resurrection. For both miracles were concealed from those who questioned these things, but were revealed as miracles to those who worship with faith the mystery. Grant us, who praise it, joy and great mercy. Praise him in his saints. Praise him in the firma­ment of his power. After breaking the eternal chains and bursting the bonds asunder, you rose, O Lord, from the tomb, leaving your grave clothes behind as witness to the truth of your three-day burial. And you who were being guarded in the tomb went forward into Galilee. Great is your mercy, O incomprehensible Savior. Have mercy on us. Praise him for his might acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. The women hastened to the tomb, to see you, O Lord, the Christ who suffered for us. When they arrived they found an angel seated upon the stone who cried out to them as they started back with dread: The Lord is risen. Tell the disciples that the Savior of our souls is risen from the dead. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with psaltery and harp. As you came forth from the sealed tomb, O Lord, so did you enter with the doors closed and stand in the midst of your disciples show­ing them the marks of your passion, O long‑suffering Savior. Born of the seed of David, you endured the wounds and as Son of God you have set the world free. Great is your mer­cy, O ineffable Lord. Have mercy upon us. Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with the stringed instruments and organ. O Lord, king of the ages and creator of all, you accepted crucifixion and burial for our sake to free us all from Hades. You are our God, and we know no other but you. Praise him upon the well‑tuned cymbals; praise him upon the loud cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Who shall declare your dazzling wonders, O Lord? Who shall proclaim your awesome mysteries? For you became incarnate for our sake as you desired and have made manifest the height of your power. By your cross you opened Paradise to the thief; by your tomb, you smashed the chains of Hades; and by your resurrection, you enriched all things. Glory to you, O compassionate Lord. Arise, O Lord my God, lift up your hand; forget not your poor forever. Very early in the morning the myrrh-­bearing women hastened to your tomb in order to anoint you, the immortal Word and God. And when the words of the angel reached their ears, they returned rejoicing to make known to the apostles that the life of all had risen, grant­ing the world forgiveness and great mercy. I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will speak of all your marvelous works. The guards of your divine tomb came to the Jews and said: How foolish was your counsel, for you tried in vain to guard him whom nothing can confine. You desired to hire the resurrection of the one who was crucified, but in so doing you revealed it clearly to all. How foolish is your assembly! Do you again take counsel to conceal that which cannot be con­cealed? Listen rather to us and be prepared to believe the truth of the events. An angel with lighting in his hand came down from heaven and rolled back the stone, as we lay dead with fear, and he called to the myrrh‑bearing women, who were undismayed, and he said to them: Do you not see the guards lying dead with fear, and the seal broken and Hades emp­tied? Why do you seek among the dead the vic­tor over hell and the destroyer of the sting of death? Go quickly and proclaim fearlessly to the apostles: Truly the Lord is risen, the one who has great mercy. Plagal of the Second Tone To execute upon them a written judgment: this honor have all his saints. Your cross, O Lord, is the life and resur­rection for your people; and assured of this, we sing to you our risen God: Have mercy upon us. Praise him in his saints. Praise him in the firmament of his power. Your burial, O Master, opened paradise to the human race, and we, delivered from cor­ruption, sing to you our risen God: Have mercy upon us. Praise him for his might acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. Let us praise Christ with the Father and the Spirit. Let us cry aloud to him from the dead: You are our life and resurrection. Have mercy upon us. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with psaltery and harp. On the third day, O Christ, you rose from the tomb as it was written, having raised our forefather with you. Therefore all people glorify you and praise your resurrection. Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with the stringed instruments and organ. O Lord, great and awesome is the mystery of your resurrection. For you have come forth from the tomb as a bridegroom from his cham­ber, destroying death by death that Adam might be set free. Therefore, the angels in heaven rejoice and people on earth glorify the compassion that you have shown towards us, O loving God. Praise him upon well‑tuned cymbals; praise him upon loud cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. O wicked Jews, where are the seals and the pieces of silver that you gave to the guards? The treasure was not stolen, but rose up according to his power. You were put to shame by deny­ing Christ, the Lord of glory, who suffered and was buried and rose from the dead. Him let us worship. Arise, O Lord my God, lift up your hand; forget not your poor forever. How were you robbed, O Jews, when the tomb was sealed and you had placed the guards and seals on it? Though the doors were closed, the king came out. Now either show him as dead or worship him with us as God and say: Glory to your cross and resurrection. I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will speak of all your marvelous works. The myrrh‑bearing women came in tears to your life‑bearing tomb, O Lord, and carried with them spices with which to anoint your all pure body. But they found an angel seated on the stone who called out to them and said; Why do you weep for him from whose side flows life to the world? Why do you seek him who is immortal as dead in the tomb? Go rather and announce to his disciples the good tidings of his resurrection, the joy of all the world. Hav­ing also enlightened us by it, O Savior, grant us forgiveness and great mercy. Grave Tone To execute upon them a written judgment: this honor have all his saints. Christ is risen from the dead, bursting asunder the bonds of death. Proclaim this great joy over all the earth; let the heavens praise the glory of God. Praise him in his saints; praise him in the firmament of his power. Having beheld the resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus who alone is without sin. Praise him for his might acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. Let us never cease to worship the resurrection of Christ, for he has saved us from our transgressions. Holy is the Lord Jesus who showed forth the resurrection. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with psaltery and harp. What shall we give to the Lord in return for all that he has given us? For our sake, God lived among us. On account of our corrupt nature the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He became the benefactor of the ungrateful, the liberator of those in captivity. He is the sun of righteousness for those sitting in darkness. He who is impassible is on the cross. He is the light in Hades. He is life in death. He is the resurrection of the fallen, and we cry to him: Glory to you, our God. Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with the stringed instruments and organ. O Lord, by your mighty power, you have smashed the gates of Hades and brought down the dominion of death. As master of the world and almighty God, you have raised up the dead lying from eternity in darkness by your divine and glorious resurrection. Praise him upon well‑tuned cymbals; praise him upon loud cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Come let us rejoice in the Lord, and make glad in his resurrection, for he has raised up the dead from the unbreakable bonds of Hades, granting the world, as God, eternal life and great mercy. Arise, O Lord my God, lift up your hand; forget not your poor forever. An angel, shining like lightening, sat upon the stone of the life‑giving tomb, and announc­ed the good tidings to the myrrh‑bearers say­ing: The Lord is risen as he foretold to you. Announce to his disciples that he goes before you into Galilee, and that he grants the world eternal life and great mercy. I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will speak of all your marvelous works. O unfaithful Jews! Why have you rejected the Cornerstone? He is the stone that God laid in Zion. He is the one who made water gush out of the rock in the wilderness, and who pours forth from his side immortality to us. He is the stone that was cut from the virginal mountain without the will of man. He, as Daniel said, is the Son of man coming upon the clouds of heaven going towards the Ancient of Days and his kingdom is everlasting. Plagal of the Fourth Tone To execute upon them a written judgment: this honor have all the saints. Though you, O Lord, stood for trial to be judged by Pilate, you did not cease to sit on the throne with the Father. Rising from the dead, you have set the world free from bon­dage to the enemy, for you are a compassionate and loving God. Praise him in his saints. Praise him in the firmament of his power. Though the Jews laid you in the tomb as dead, O Lord, the guards watched over you as a sleeping king; and though sealed with seals as a treasure of life, you have risen and granted our souls incorruption. Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. You gave us your cross, Lord, as a weapon against the devil. Surely he trembles and quakes unable to bear the sight of its power; for it rais­ed up the dead and laid death low. Therefore, we venerate your tomb and your resur­rection. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with psaltery and harp. Your angel, O Lord, proclaimed the resurrection and frightened the guards, and he called to the women saying: Why do you seek the liv­ing among the dead? God is risen, bestowing life upon the world. Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with the stringed instruments and organ. Impassible in your divinity, you have suf­fered on the cross and have accepted burial for three days to set us free from the bondage of the enemy and to give us life, making us im­mortal by your resurrection, O Christ our lov­ing God. Praise him upon the well‑tuned cymbals; praise him upon the loud cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. We venerate, glorify, and praise your resur­rection from the tomb, O Christ, by which you have set us free from the indissoluble bonds of Hades. And as God you have granted eternal life and great mercy to the world. Arise, O Lord my God, lift up your hand; forget not your poor forever. The lawless people guarding your life­-bearing tomb sealed it with a guard. But you, as God almighty and immortal, have risen on the third day. I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will speak of all your marvelous works. When you came to the gates of Hades and smashed them, O Lord, then as a prisoner Hades cried: Who is this who is not condemned to remain in the nethermost parts of the earth but dissolves like a shadow the prison of death? I received him as dead, and now tremble in fear before him as God. Have mercy upon us, Almighty one. “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And one of the following; Morning Doxastika First Eothinon. First Tone When the disciples had gone up onto the mountain for his ascension from earth, the Lord stood by and they worshiped him. And, having been instructed in the universal power which was given to them, they were sent to the ends of the earth to proclaim the resurrection from the dead and his return to heaven. He, Christ, God and Savior of our souls, also promised them to be with them forever. Second Eothinon. Second Tone When the women came with Mary bearing sweet spices and pondered how to obtain their desire, they saw the stone rolled away and the divine youth who calmed the tumult of their souls. The Lord Jesus is risen, he said. Therefore, proclaim this to his heralds, the disciples and tell them to hasten to Galilee, and they shall see him risen from the dead as the giver of life and Lord. Third Eothinon. Third Tone When Mary Magdalene announced the good news of the Savior’s resurrection from the dead and his appearance, the disciples did not believe her and were reproached for their hard­ness of heart. But armed with signs and won­ders, they were sent to preach. You, O Lord, were lifted up to the Father, the source of light, while they preached the word in all places sup­ported by miracles. We, therefore, enlighten­ed by them glorify your resurrection from the dead, O loving God. Fourth Eothinon. Fourth Tone It was early dawn when the women came to your tomb, O Christ, but the body they desired was not found. Therefore, those in resplendent vesture standing by said to them: Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is risen as he foretold. Why do you not remember his words? Convinced by them, the women proclaimed what they have seen, but their good tidings seemed to be idle tales, so dulled were the disciples still. But Peter ran, and beheld and glorified within himself your wonders. Fifth Eothinon. Plagal of the First Tone O Christ, how wise are your judgments. By the grave clothes alone you made Peter under­stand your resurrection. Accompanying Luke and Cleopas, and while conversing with them you did not reveal yourself immediately. Therefore, you were reproached as a stranger in Jerusalem, not knowing what had taken place there. But disposing everything for the benefit of your creature, you revealed the pro­phecies concerning you and made yourself known to them by blessing the bread because their hearts were aflame for knowledge of you even before this. To the disciples already assembled they openly proclaimed your resur­rection; through it have mercy on our souls. Sixth Eothinon. Plagal of the Second Tone You, O Christ, are indeed peace unto all people of God, and after your resurrection you gave your peace to your disciples, frightening them who thought they saw a spirit. But you calmed the tumult of their souls by showing them your hands and feet. Yet they still disbelieved. But you opened their minds to the understanding of the Scriptures. You shared food with them and reminded them of your teachings. Then, having assured them of the promise of the Father and having blessed them you ascended to heaven. Therefore, with them we worship you, O Lord, glory to you. Seventh Eothinon. Grave Tone Behold the darkness and early morning. What are you doing at the tomb, Mary, your mind filled with darkness? Why do you ask where Jesus has been laid? See the disciples run­ning forward with the grave clothes and the cloth, giving proof to the resurrection and recalling the Scriptures concerning this. With them and through them we also believe, and we sing praises to you, O Christ, giver of life. Eighth Eothinon. Plagal of the Fourth Tone Mary’s fervent tears were not shed in vain, for she was found worthy to hear the angels teaching and to see your face, O Christ. But her thoughts were earthly ‑ those of a weak woman. Therefore, she was sent away and was told not to touch you, O Christ. But she was sent as a herald to the disciples, and proclaimed to them the good news of your ascension to your paternal inheritance. With her make us also worthy; O Lord our Master. Ninth Eothinon. Plagal of the First Tone As in later times, late in the evening of the Sabbath you came and stood by your friends, O Christ. By a miracle, you entered through closed doors and confirmed your resurrection from the dead. You filled your disciples with joy, and imparted to them the Holy Spirit and granted them power to remit sins. Nor did you leave Thomas immersed in a tempest of dis­belief. Therefore, compassionate Lord, grant us also true knowledge and remission of our faults. Tenth Eothinon. Plagal of the Second Tone After your descent into Hades, the disciples despaired of your resurrection, as might be ex­pected in your absence, O Christ. They returned to their work; to their boats and nets, but they caught nothing. But you, O Savior, have been revealed as Master of all and commanded them to cast their nets on the right side. Immediate­ly the word become deed, and they caught a great multitude of fish and found an unex­pected meal on shore, of which they partook. Now make us worthy to enjoy the same food spiritually, O loving Lord. Eleventh Eothinon. Plagal of the Fourth Tone Appearing after the resurrection to your disciples, O Savior, you gave Peter the tending of your sheep as recompense for his love, ask­ing him to tend them with care. Therefore you said: If you love me, O Peter, feed my sheep, tend my lambs. He immediately displayed his affection and inquired about the other disci­ple. By their prayers, O Christ, preserve your flock from ravaging wolves. Now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Theotokion Second Tone Most blessed are you, Virgin Theotokos, for through him who took flesh from you, Hades was taken captive, Adam was recalled from the dead, the curse was abolished, Eve was set free, death was put to death, and we were given life. Therefore we cry aloud in praise: Blessed are you, Christ our God, who has been so pleased, glory to you. The Great Doxology Glory to you who has shown us the light. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill to all people. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you, we give thanks to you for your great glory. Lord, King, heavenly God, Father, almighty; Lord, the only‑begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father who take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, you who take away the sins of the world. Receive our prayer, you who sit at the right hand of the Father, and have mercy on us. For you only are holy, only you are Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Each day we bless you, and we praise your name forever and to the ages of ages. Lord, grant that we may be kept this day without sin. Blessed are you, Lord, God of our fathers. Your name is praised and glorified throughout all ages. Amen. Let your mercy, Lord, be upon us, as our trust is in you. Blessed are you, Lord, teach me your statutes (3). Lord, you have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against you. Lord, to you have I fled; teach me to do your will, for you are my God. For you are the source of life, and in your light we shall see light. Extend your mercy to those who know you. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (3). Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Then we sing in a stronger voice:) Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Then the following resurrection hymn is sung:) People: Today salvation has come to the world. Let us sing to him who is risen, the author of our life. For he has vanquished death by death and has given us victory and great mercy. (Then the Ektenes and the Apolysis are said in a low voice inside the sanctuary in front of the holy Table).