Katavasia of Theophany

(Tone 2)

Ode 1. The Lord mighty in battle /

uncovered the foundation of the deep /

and led His servants on dry ground; /

but He covered their adversaries with the waters, //

for He hath been glorified.

Ode 3. The Lord who granteth strength unto our kings, /

and exalteth the horn of His anointed, /

is born of a Virgin and cometh unto baptism. /

Therefore let us, the faithful, cry aloud: //

None is holy as our God and none is righteous save Thee, O Lord.

Ode 4. He whom Thou hast called, O Lord, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness,’ /

heard Thy voice when Thou hast thundered upon many waters, /

bearing witness to Thy Son. /

Wholly filled with the Spirit that had come, he cried aloud: //

‘Thou art Christ, the wisdom and the power of God.’

Ode 5. Jesus, the Prince of Life, hath come to set loose from condemnation Adam the first-formed man; /

and though as God He needeth no cleansing, /

yet for the sake of fallen man He is cleansed in the Jordan. /

In its streams He slew the enmity //

and bestoweth the peace that passeth all understanding.

Ode 6. The Voice of the Word, the Candlestick of the Light, the Morning Star and Forerunner of the Sun, /

cried in the wilderness to all the peoples: /

‘Repent and be cleansed while there is yet time. /

For lo, Christ is at hand, //

Who delivereth the world from corruption.

Ode 7. The breath of the wind heavy with dew /

and the descent of the angel of God preserved the Holy Children from all harm, /

as they walked in the fiery furnace. Refreshed with dew in the flames, /

they sang in thanksgiving: //

‘Blessed art Thou and praised above all, O Lord God of our fathers.’

Ode 8. The Babylonian furnace, as it poured forth dew, foreshadowed a marvelous mystery: /

how the Jordan should receive in its streams the immaterial fire, /

and should encompass the Creator, /

when He was baptized in the flesh. //

Him do ye peoples bless and exalt above all for ever.

Ode 9. Every tongue is at a loss to praise thee as is due: /

even a spirit from the world above is filled with dizziness, when it seeketh to sing thy praises, O Theotokos. /

But since thou art good, accept our faith: /

Thou knowest well our love inspired by God, //

for thou art the Protector of Christians and we magnify thee.