The Akathist to the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos is a prayer read in churches during the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. This prayer helps believers to pay homage to the Theotokos and to ask for her intercession. Reading the akathist helps to deepen the understanding of the feast and its history.
Кондак 1
We extol the Most Pure Virgin Mary, chosen from among humanity and born of the barren one, as the beginning of our salvation was born through her and the advent of the Savior was proclaimed to the world. Therefore, we joyfully cry out to her:
Rejoice, O Most Pure Virgin, Mother of the Savior of the world, predestined from eternity.
Икос 1
The heavenly angel, standing before God, was sent to the righteous Joachim and Anne to announce to them a great joy, that they, despite their childlessness, would bear a blessed daughter from whom joy would arise for the whole world. Therefore, as partakers of this joy, we sing hymns of praise to the Virgin:
Rejoice, O Mother of the Son of God, predestined from eternity in the Trinity;
rejoice, prefigured in various forms and images by the ancient prophets and patriarchs.
Rejoice, awaited by the faithful servants of God for five thousand years from the creation of the world;
rejoice, prefigured by Jacob’s ladder, which showed the descent of God to humanity.
Rejoice, prefigured by the unapproachable cloud seen by Moses in the Sinai desert;
rejoice, prefigured by the dry path given to Israel through the Red Sea, and the destruction of Pharaoh, written in the book of life.
Rejoice, assisting in the book of Life Eternal;
rejoice, interceding for our entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Rejoice, O Most Pure Virgin, Mother of the Savior of the world, predestined from eternity.
Кондак 2
Seeing the righteous Joachim and Anne, the angel appeared to them, announcing your birth, O Most Pure Virgin, and they thanked God, who had taken away the reproach of their childlessness, and with all their heart, they cried out:
Alleluia
Икос 2
The All-Beneficent Lord, beginning to fulfill His divine plan and His descent to earth, sent His angel to announce to Joachim and Anne about your birth, O Most Pure Virgin. Therefore, we cry out to you in praise:
Rejoice, manifestation of divine wisdom;
rejoice, fulfillment of His wonderful providence.
Rejoice, predestined from eternity to serve the incarnation of the Son of God;
rejoice, predestined from all generations to be the dwelling place of the King of all.
Rejoice, prefigured by the serpent in the Garden of Eden, which foretold the enmity between the woman and her seed;
rejoice, gloriously brought forth by the will of God, after the fulfillment of the times, from the barrenness.
Rejoice, having brought joy to the human race through your birth;
rejoice, having transformed the sorrow of those who expected consolation for Israel.
Rejoice, O Most Pure Virgin, Mother of the Savior of the world, predestined from eternity.
Condak 3
By the power of the Most High, You resolved the sterility of the righteous Anna, who was barren in her days, for You were conceived, O Immaculate One, and, anticipating Your birth, You joyfully sang a hymn of praise to the God of Israel:
Alleluia
Icos 3
Having borne the Savior of our souls and bodies, You Yourself, O Virgin, as a wonder among the great and incomprehensible wonders, were born of barren parents, O Most Holy One. Therefore, we hymn You thus:
Rejoice, O One who proceeded from the root of Jesse and the lineage of David;
Rejoice, O Virgin, who miraculously conceived in the womb of the righteous Anna.
Rejoice, O Virgin, who was manifested before the ages as the Mother of God, according to the prophecy of Isaiah;
Rejoice, O Virgin, born according to the angel’s promise.
Rejoice, O Virgin, who was prefigured as the Tabernacle of the Testimony and the Ark of the Covenant;
Rejoice, O Virgin, who was typified as the flourishing rod of Aaron.
Rejoice, O Virgin, who was sanctified and prepared before Your birth as the Mother of God the Word;
Rejoice, O Virgin, who, by Your birth, illuminated the world.
Rejoice, O Immaculate Virgin, predestined from eternity as the Mother of the Savior of the world.
Condak 4
Having been freed from the reproach of sterility by Your conception, O Most Holy Virgin, Your righteous parents rejoiced, and, in honor of Your birth, they established a great feast, and they rejoiced with their relatives and acquaintances, and they cried out to God, the Creator of His mercy, a hymn of praise:
Alleluia
Icos 4
When the neighboring people heard that Mary, the Lord, was called the daughter of Joachim and Anna, they understood, O Immaculate One, that You were not only great and glorious among men, but also before God. We, however, who know the fulfillment of this, hymn You thus:
Rejoice, O Most Holy Virgin, who, before conception, received the name of the Lord from an angel;
Rejoice, O Virgin, who was worthy to be called the Lady of all creation.
Rejoice, O Virgin, whose righteous parents, giving thanks to God for Your birth, offered great gifts as a sacrifice;
Rejoice, O Virgin, who, with relatives and acquaintances, and also with the poor, prepared a feast of love.
Rejoice, O Virgin, who, invited by the priests to the house of Your parents, were blessed;
Rejoice, O Virgin, who, in the presence of all, were praised and glorified.
Rejoice, O Virgin, who have surpassed all glory and praise;
Rejoice, O Virgin, who have been worthy to be the Mother of God the Word.
Rejoice, O Immaculate Virgin, predestined from eternity as the Mother of the Savior of the world.
Condak 5
Most glorious Star, proclaiming the advent of the Sun of Truth, Christ our God, in Thy nativity, Thou didst appear, O Most Holy Virgin; and therefore, the children of God, hoping in the coming of the Savior by faith, beholding Thee, miraculously born of a virgin, didst rejoice and cry out:
Alleluia
Icos 5
Having seen the righteous Joachim and Anna, the Mother of God, Mary, whom the Angel of God foretold in a wondrous and divine manner, that Thou wouldst be the handmaid of the Lord, they served and nurtured Thee, as the apple of His eye. Therefore, we praise the righteous Joachim and Anna, who were deemed worthy to be Thy parents, and we joyfully sing to Thee, O Most Holy Virgin:
Rejoice, O Most Holy Virgin, for Thy parents rejoiced greatly at Thy nativity;
Rejoice, for at Thy manifestation, Angels and men alike rejoiced in harmony.
Rejoice, for all the prophets have foretold Thee in diverse ways;
Rejoice, for Thou art the Gate, which was closed to the prophets, and the Mountain, which was exalted above the heavens, was named after Thee.
Rejoice, for all the heavenly powers have mysteriously foretold Thee;
Rejoice, for the Psalmist’s lips have named Thee the City and the Dwelling of God.
Rejoice, O Most Holy Virgin, the seven-branched candlestick, for Thou hast been filled with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, as foretold;
Rejoice, for Thou hast been prepared as the table of the divine banquet, with the bread of the offering, for Thou hast given birth to the Bread of Life, Christ, as foretold.
Rejoice, O Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of the Savior of the world, predestined from eternity.
Condak 6
As the preacher of the divine announcements and words, Thou didst appear on earth, O Most Holy Virgin, the flower of our nature, Adam, and the call to Eve, and the restoration to the first good. Therefore, all the faithful, having obtained joy at Thy nativity, spiritually triumphing, sing to Thee, O Most Holy Virgin, in the divine counsel of our God:
Alleluia
Icos 6
Thou didst shine, O Most Holy Virgin, as the dawn of our salvation, in the fulfillment of the divine providence, by which Thou didst appear, worthy of all the generations, to take on flesh for Thy Creator, who came to save our forefather’s descendants from the ancient curse. Therefore, we cry out to Thee thus:
Rejoice, O call to Adam and Eve;
Rejoice, O release from the ancient curse.
Rejoice, O end of the old law and the beginning of new grace;
Rejoice, O mystery of divine providence, and guide to good deeds, which always instructs us.
Rejoice, O Most Holy Virgin, who hast been found worthy to be the Mother of God the Word in all generations;
Rejoice, for Thou hast appeared to us, new men in Christ, as a spiritual Mother.
Rejoice, O Most Holy Virgin, who never forsakest Thy children;
Rejoice, for Thou preparest us, Thy children, to be worthy and pleasing to Thy Son.
Rejoice, O Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of the Savior of the world, predestined from eternity.
Canon 7
Although your parents, righteous and blessed, have vowed to repay the Lord, O Most Holy Virgin, they have brought you, a three-year-old maiden, to the Lord’s temple with great glory and joy, and the high priest Zachariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, has introduced you into the Holy of Holies, which was only a prefiguration of your own holiness. For you have contained within yourself not only the Ark of the Covenant, but also the Holy of Holies, the Son of God, who took on your virgin flesh in your womb. You have sung to Him with maidenly voices:
Alleluia
Ikos 7
A new and glorious divine dispensation has been accomplished for you, O Virgin Mary. For, dwelling in the temple of God, you have received food from the hands of the angels, O Most Holy One. Therefore, we beseech you: nourish us with spiritual bread, that we may grow in spiritual maturity and offer you, O All-Powerful Queen, a hymn of praise:
Rejoice, O Maiden, adorned with virtues, who have dwelt in the temple of God and have been deemed worthy to converse with angels;
Rejoice, who have received food sent by God from angels in the Holy of Holies.
Rejoice, who have been miraculously nourished with heavenly bread in the temple;
Rejoice, who have been prepared for the great mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God.
Rejoice, for by the command of God, angels have zealously served you on earth;
Rejoice, for now, in heaven, as Queen, they reverently serve you.
Rejoice, for we, unworthy ones, continually hymn your praise with hymns of glory;
Rejoice, for we always praise your parents, the God-bearing ancestors, and invoke them in our prayers.
Rejoice, O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the Savior of the world, predestined from eternity.
Canon 8
Beholding the strange birth of the Most Holy Virgin, let us put aside the cares of this world, and transfer our minds to heaven, where the Mother of God stands in glory before her Son and God, interceding for all the faithful, and let us celebrate her glorious birth and introduction into the temple with love and hymns:
Alleluia
Ikos 8
All creation has found joy in your birth, O Most Holy One, and has dispelled the sorrow of the ancestral fall: for, having produced Christ God from you, the Creator has raised our fallen nature from its fall and has made it again pleasing to Himself. Therefore, we humbly entreat you:
Rejoice, O herald of universal joy;
Rejoice, O manifestation of the hidden mystery from eternity.
Rejoice, O one who has restored our fallen nature;
Rejoice, O one who has made our nature again pleasing to God.
Rejoice, O one who has freed Joachim and Anna from the shame of childlessness;
Rejoice, O one who has made the barrenness of our hearts fruitful.
Rejoice, O one through whom the abundance of eternal blessings is given to the faithful by the Lord.
Rejoice, O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of the Savior of the world, predestined from eternity.
Condak 9
The heavenly hosts of God, unacquainted with the mystery of the God-Manhood, in the Council of the Trihypostatic Divinity, from eternity kept secret, and finally revealed to the Virgin Mary, were greatly astonished, beholding how the daughter of Joachim and Anna, unlike the feminine nature, was introduced into the Holy of Holies. Therefore, seized by wonder, they reverently cry out:
Alleluia
Icos 9
The ancient and wise Solomon, in the kings of Israel, foreseeing Your birth, O Immaculate One, in the Song of Songs, proclaimed with wonder: “Who is this, a triple dawn, good as the moon, chosen as the sun?” Therefore, the Church, rejoicing in Your feast, joyfully cries out to You:
Rejoice, O dawn of the non-evening day of the God-Manhood, the brightest, shining in the lawfully prepared sanctuary, as in darkness, having appeared;
Rejoice, O sun-like Virgin, the true Sun, Christ, whom You introduced into the world by a virgin birth, and by whom You have enlightened all.
Rejoice, O luminous essence, having essentially received the God living in the inaccessible light;
Rejoice, O Virgin, having announced the Unlimited One, who encompasses all the ends of the universe.
Rejoice, O full moon, directly receiving the divine light and enlightening us by it;
Rejoice, O purest mirror, in which many of the divine perfections are wonderfully and accurately depicted.
Rejoice, O one who, by the perfection of Your virtues, and also trains us to that;
Rejoice, O one who strengthens our weak powers to create good deeds.
Rejoice, O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the Savior of the world, predestined from eternity.
Condak 10
The Lord, having created the mystery of His wondrous providence, to save humanity from the original curse, chose You, O Immaculate One, from the seed of Abraham and David, and from You, without seed, He willed to be incarnate, having transgressed the laws of nature, but also producing You from the barren and unfruitful root of Joachim and Anna, righteous ones. Therefore, we, celebrating Your birth (and Your entry into the temple), and praising Your parents with hymns, cry out to God:
Alleluia
Icos 10
O King of Heaven, who, for our salvation, have appeared on earth and lived among men, You, O Immaculate One, prepared the holy sanctuary of Your incarnation, giving fruit to the childless Anna, and, with Your spouse, praying for the removal of their sterility. Therefore, we beseech You, Mother of God: remove the sterility of our souls, that we may be able to offer to God the fruit of good deeds, virtue, and cry out to You thus:
Rejoice, O radiant Chamber of the seedless God-Manhood;
Rejoice, O animated Palace, prepared for the dwelling of all the King.
Rejoice, O brightest Cloud, by which the One sitting on the throne of Divinity descends to us;
Rejoice, O Mediator of the Law and Grace, the seal of the Old and New Testaments.
Rejoice, O imperishable Vine, having produced the beautiful fruit, the Savior of the world;
Rejoice, O fragrant Apple, having grown without seed and pleasing to Christ.
Rejoice, O one who strives to present us, Your singers, as pleasing to Christ;
Rejoice, O one who does not deprive us, who are barren in good deeds, of spiritual consolation.
Rejoice, O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the Savior of the world, predestined from eternity.
Condak 11
Let us sing a hymn of praise to Your Nativity (and Your introduction into the temple), O Blessed Lady, and do not reject those who bring it to You, but rather those who have given birth to You, may it be a blessing to us, praying to Your Son and our God, that He may grant forgiveness of sins and correction of life, as we sing to Him with grateful tears in repentance:
Alleluia
Icos 11
You are the radiant and eternal light of the divine light, O Theotokos, the only-begotten daughter of Joachim and Anna, predestined as the Mother of the Only-begotten Son of God. Today, You have appeared in glory, and You enlighten all who celebrate Your Nativity (and Your introduction into the temple) with faith and reverence, and who cry out to You:
Rejoice, O radiant Lamp, kindled by the divine flame;
Rejoice, and may You graciously enlighten and warm us.
Rejoice, O mysterious Ark, bearing the divine Christ, Lord, in Your womb and on Your hands;
Rejoice, and may You receive us into the Mystery of the Eucharist.
Rejoice, O living and resplendent Temple of the Lord, of whom David sings: “Your Temple, O Lord, is holy and glorious in righteousness”;
Rejoice, O Holy Censer, not scattering incense in the air, but containing Christ, the eternal fragrance within Yourself, and thus perfuming all creation.
Rejoice, O Throne, exalted with glory, the animate seat of the great King, our Savior and Lord;
Rejoice, O Queen of Heaven and earth, reigning with Your Son and God eternally, and not forgetting us, the poor.
Rejoice, O Immaculate Maiden, predestined Mother of the Savior of the world from eternity.
Condak 12
May Your Nativity, O Immaculate One, be a manifestation of grace beyond nature, for the Lord, hearing the prayer of Your childless parents, gave You to them as a consolation, just as He gave Isaac to Abraham and Sarah, and thus performed the mystery of His providence in You, and prepared You as the Mother of the Only-begotten Son of God, our predestined Savior. We sing to Him with gratitude:
Alleluia
Icos 12
Singing the glorious hymn of Your birth from the childless (and Your introduction into the temple of the Lord), we praise You, O Immaculate One, as the mystery of God’s saving providence for us, the incarnation of the God-Word from You, and we cry out to You:
Rejoice, O pure Dove of Noah, proclaiming the end of the stream of death through Your Nativity;
Rejoice, and may You bring the message of Christ the Savior to a humanity perishing in sin.
Rejoice, O blessed one among women, correcting the disobedience of Eve, the first mother, through Your obedience to God;
Rejoice, and may You turn the sorrow of Adam and the other ancestors, who were awaiting the coming of the Redeemer, into joy through Your Nativity.
Rejoice, for Your Nativity brings joy to all the world;
Rejoice, for in Your Nativity, mothers rejoice, and the childless are gladdened, (since You Yourself were born of the childless).
Rejoice, for Your Nativity enables those who celebrate it with faith and piety to partake of the blessed joy;
Rejoice, and may You, with Your Son, grant us to sit at the right hand of the Father in His glory, Your many supplications.
Rejoice, O Immaculate Maiden, predestined Mother of the Savior of the world from eternity.
Кондак 13
Oh, All-Pure and Immaculate Mother of God, accept this our hymn of praise in honor of the glorious birth of Your Son (and the feast of the Entry into the Temple) which we offer, and revive in us the desire for eternal blessings, and also deliver us, Your Holy Church, our homeland, and the abodes of the monastic life from all evils and afflictions, from visible and invisible enemies, and from future sufferings, and enable us to attain the Kingdom of Heaven, that we may forever cry out to You:
Alleluia
This kondak is read three times, then ikos 1 and kondak 1.
Икос 1
The heavenly angel standing before God was sent to the righteous Joachim and Anne to announce to them the great joy that they would conceive a Daughter, the Most Blessed One, from whom would come joy to the whole world. Therefore, we, who are partakers of this joy, will sing hymns of praise to the Virgin:
Radiant, in the Trinitarian Council, Mother of the Son of God, predestined from eternity;
radiant, depicted in various forms and images by the ancient prophets and patriarchs.
Radiant, awaited by the faithful servants of God for five thousand years from the creation of the world, as the Mother of the Savior;
radiant, foretold by Jacob’s ladder, which depicted God’s descent to humanity.
Radiant, not defiled by the fiery bush in the wilderness, seen by Moses, foretold;
radiant, who gave Israel a dry path through the Red Sea, and drowned Pharaoh, depicted in a prophetic manner.
Radiant, assisting us in the book of Life Eternal;
radiant, interceding for us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Radiant, O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the Savior of the world, predestined from eternity.
Кондак 1
Let us praise the Most Pure Virgin Mary, chosen from the human race and born of a barren womb, for her birth was the beginning of our salvation and the announcement of the Savior’s coming into the world. Therefore, we will joyfully cry out to her:
Radiant, O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the Savior of the world, predestined from eternity.
Molitva 1
Oh, Most Holy Lady, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, chosen by God, obtained through holy prayers, consecrated to God, and beloved by God! Who will not praise or hymn Your glorious birth? For Your birth was the beginning of human salvation, and we, sitting in the darkness of sin, see You, the Unapproachable Light, as Your dwelling place. Therefore, the tongue of the sinner cannot praise You according to Your worth. For You have surpassed the seraphim, O Most Pure One. However, accept this present hymn of praise from Your unworthy servants and do not reject our prayers. We confess Your greatness, we approach You with humility, and we boldly ask Your child-loving and merciful Motherly intercession: entreat Your Son and our God to grant us, who are many sinners, sincere repentance and a virtuous life, so that we may be able to do all that is pleasing to God and beneficial to our souls. Let us hate all evil, let us be strengthened by God’s grace in our good intentions, and let us be delivered from the wrath of God, who is our Judge. You are our unwavering hope in the hour of death, grant us a Christian death, a peaceful passage through the aerial torments, and an inheritance of eternal and ineffable blessings in the Kingdom of Heaven, so that we may unceasingly confess Your intercession on our behalf and glorify the One True God, worshiped in the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Molitva 2
Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, we approach Your miraculous image with humility and say: look upon Your servants with mercy and grant us each what we need through Your all-powerful intercession. Save the faithful children of Your Holy Church, convert the unfaithful, guide the erring to the right path, strengthen the elderly and the weak, increase