After the Opening Psalm and the reading of the 1st Kathisma of the Psalter, we insert 10 Stichera and sing those prescribed of the Resurrection, then those of the Forefeast and those of the Holy Fathers.

Prosomia of the Forefeast. Tone 1.
All-praised Martyrs.

All-blameless Virgin, living Palace of God, you contained within yourself him whom the heavens cannot contain; beyond understanding you gave birth to him in the Cave, a beggar and incarnate, that he might make me divine and enrich me, made a beggar by the incontinence of bitter eating.

Through compassion enrolled with slaves, long-suffering Christ, by Caesar’s decree, you came to give freedom, life and deliverance to ungrateful servants, who worship your saving Nativity, for you have come to save our souls.

As we believers celebrate today the memorials of the Fathers, let us sing in praise to Christ the Redeemer; the Lord, who as mighty and powerful magnified them among all the nations and faithfully performed extraordinary wonders; and has revealed from among them a rod of power, Mary the only pure Child of God, who has not known man; from her Christ has come forth, the flower that blossoms with life for all, the inexhaustible delight and the salvation of our souls.

Rejoicing in the dew of the Spirit as in raindrops, the Children of God walked in the midst of the flame, thus prefiguring the Trinity and the incarnation of Christ; and wise through Faith they quenched the power of fire; while Daniel the just appeared as a tamer of lions. Entreated by their prayers, O Saviour who loves mankind, deliver us also from the unquenchable and everlasting fire, and grant that we may reach your heavenly Kingdom.

The faithful and holy Children, when in the furnace of the flame of fire as in a dew, mystically prefigured your coming from the Virgin, which blazed for us yet did not burn. While Daniel the just, and wonderful among the Prophets, clearly foreshadowed for all your divine second coming. In his vision he cried and said that thrones were set, the judge had taken his seat and the river of fire appeared; from which, O Christ, may we be delivered by their prayers.

Daniel, the man of desires, when he saw a stone hewn without human hand, foretold that you, Lord, would be born as a babe without seed, you the Word incarnate of the Virgin, God unchanging and the Saviour of our souls.

Now when Abram heard that Lot his nephew had been taken captive, he numbered his own home-born servants three hundred and eighteen, and pursued the enemy as far as Dan. And he fell upon them by night, he and his servants, and smote them and pursued them as far as Chobal, which is on the left of Damascus. And he brought back all the cavalry of Sodom, and he brought back Lot his nephew and all his goods and the women and the people. And the king of Sodom came out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chodologomor and the kings with him, to the valley of Sabi; this was the plain of Kings. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was Priest of the Most High God. And he blessed Abram and said: Blessed is Abram by the most high God, who created the heaven and the earth. And blessed is the most high God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.

Moses said to the sons of Israel: See, I have delivered the land before you; go in and inherit the land which I swore to your fathers, to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob, to give it to them and to their seed after them. And I spoke to you at that time saying: I alone shall not be able to bear you. the Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are to-day as the stars of heaven in multitude. May the Lord the God of our fathers multiply you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you as he has spoken to you. And I took from you wise and understanding and prudent men, and I set them to rule over you, captains of thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens and recorders for your judges. And I commanded your judges at that time, saying: Hear cases between your brethren, and judge rightly between a man and his brother and the stranger who is with him. You shall not have respect to persons in judging. You shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not shrink before any man’s person; for the judgement is God’s.

The famous Prophets, dazzling thunderbolts of inspiration, are for ever blest. Plucking the words of the Spirit, they proclaimed to all the inexplicable birth of Christ God; rightly they reached the goal, having lived lives beyond wonder.

Hail honoured Prophets, who excellently ordered the Law of the Lord and by your faith appeared as indestructible, unshakeable pillars; for you were seen as the mediators of the New Testament of Christ; and now that you have passed over into heaven, implore him to grant peace to the world and to save our souls.