Akathist to the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John
O divinely favoured prophet, who didst hasten towards heaven by thy stern asceticism and hast brought forth the manifest fruits of the Spirit, keeping festival with thy righteous parents at the annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel, we address thee, who art called greater than all born of women and didst institute the baptism of repentance, thus: Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
O thou sent by divine dispensation, who didst reconcile to the Creator the creatures driven out of paradise, we sing thus to thee, anointed by the Holy Spirit and the amazing star of the spiritual dawn:
Rejoice, thou who art sealed by Christ with the seal not made with hands; rejoice, light that shinest forth from God; rejoice, amazing prophet; rejoice, fire that warmest our frozen hearts; rejoice, indescribable dwelling; rejoice, thou who art kindled by divine grace; rejoice, thou who makest the plants bear fruit; rejoice, blossoming of withered branches; rejoice, thou who didst depart this world by a God-pleasing martyrdom; rejoice, for thou foreseest the Lord ever before thee; rejoice, for Christ is at thy right hand; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
O blossoming of Elisabeth’s barrenness and good fulfilment of Zacharias’ expectation, to thee who raisest up to hope multitudes of the hopeless I compose this praise: Alleluia.
O thou sent forth by God in the spirit of Elijah, fervour of the faith in Christ, who in thy mother’s womb, at the voice of the Theotokos, didst leap for joy, lifted up to heaven in longing, we magnify thee, the indelible writing of our soul, thus:
Rejoice, fellow-counsellor of angels; rejoice, thou who art joined to the goodness of God; rejoice, purity of the aged; rejoice, courage of the young; rejoice, praise of infants; rejoice, hope of the departed; rejoice, song of creatures; rejoice, comforter of the living; rejoice, sleepless watcher over these our slothful souls; rejoice, thou who boastest in God; rejoice, for through thy struggle the adversaries of God have become a laughing-stock; rejoice, for the friends of Christ make music for thy struggle; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
O thou who didst escape the hands of Herod and dwellest in the wilderness, whom, left an orphan, the good angels nurtured, to thee, the abundant spiritual field, we cry thus: Alleluia.
O teacher of repentance and tireless preacher of God-pleasing tears, we address thee thus, the river of God that runneth to heaven and didst finish thy course well:
Rejoice, life of ascetic training; rejoice, precious ointment of the world; rejoice, nobleman of God; rejoice, knower of the holy things of prophecy; rejoice, virtue of every kind; rejoice, thou who shinest forth with wonders beyond nature; rejoice, thou who wast named by the Archangel; rejoice, thou who art filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit; rejoice, thou who makest straight the crooked; rejoice, divine instrument; rejoice, thou who makest known the fulfilment of the Scriptures; rejoice, surety for our sins; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
Thou who didst never deem thyself worthy to loose the latchet of Jesus’ shoes didst baptise thy Lord in the Jordan, for thus it became thee to fulfil all righteousness: Alleluia.
When the spotless Lord willed to be baptised for our life, by His manifestation He taught us to worship the Trinity; and to thee, who heardest the voice of the Father concerning Jesus and to whom the Holy Spirit shone forth in the form of a dove, the God-chosen witness of the dread Baptism, we sing thus:
Rejoice, thou before whom multitudes bowed their heads; rejoice, sharer with the disciples of Christ; rejoice, endless joy; rejoice, thou who art written here on the tablets; rejoice, emblem that givest courage; rejoice, teaching pattern of desert-dwellers; rejoice, cause of the Church’s delight; rejoice, thou who counsellest our minds for good; rejoice, thou who art strengthened by God amid the assaults of enemies; rejoice, precious portion taken upon the table of oblation; rejoice, valiant fighter against the legion of Belial; rejoice, struggler who didst rightly divide; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
O rebuker of Egyptian defilements, made known by thy God-given impartiality, we glorify thee, composed of all the virtues, the living font of our souls: Alleluia.
O coming of the last time and psalmist of the evening of this passing age, I magnify thus thee, the lover who didst willingly shed thine innocent blood, the prophet most our own:
Rejoice, beauty of all-honourable churches; rejoice, thou who dwellest in the place at the right hand of God; rejoice, thou who stretchest out a hand to the drowning; rejoice, trainer of our souls; rejoice, unceasing prayer; rejoice, holy epistle of God; rejoice, God-blessed offspring of thy righteous parents; rejoice, keeper of the right law; rejoice, thou who enrichest those in want; rejoice, wondrous labourer; rejoice, for the faithful have made thy memory a paschal feast; rejoice, for thou art winged in heaven; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
O beautiful pipe of the Light without beginning and reprover of the lawlessness of ignoble kings, cast into the pit of the prison thou didst shine forth like the sun to warm the darkness of the dungeon: Alleluia.
O thou who didst wither the insolence of Herod and Herodias, to thee, who didst scatter the brood of vipers and, divinely speaking, wast beheaded before raging Belial because of dancers, we offer this praise for the showing forth of such a victory:
Rejoice, thou who cleansest our minds from defilements; rejoice, thou who wast revealed through thy stern asceticism; rejoice, reprover of lawlessness; rejoice, trembling of sinners; rejoice, unceasing fear of Herod; rejoice, thou who tormentest the stifled conscience of Herodias; rejoice, rebuker of Salome’s dancing; rejoice, thou who wast imprisoned and beheaded; rejoice, forge of the divine dispensation; rejoice, holy witness; rejoice, thou who never didst transgress the commandments of God; rejoice, thou to whom they thus bring the tidings of “Rejoice”; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
O thou who didst go down into hell with divine joy, and there too didst preach the shining forth of the unshadowed Light and prepare the hearts of the departed for Christ, we magnify thee, the image of God received from heaven: Alleluia.
O fulfiller of the Old Covenant and herald of the New, we who receive in our souls the forge thou hast handed down sing thus to thee, the spiritual drink and noetic food:
Rejoice, thou who wast pierced by the arrows of the lawless; rejoice, thou who wast wounded in the flesh; rejoice, thou who art alive in the spirit; rejoice, true reprover of every error; rejoice, Israelite without guile; rejoice, unbroken vessel; rejoice, faster unattainable by men in thy struggle; rejoice, lamp kindled by grace; rejoice, thou who drivest away those who have turned from God; rejoice, thou who wast persecuted by the foolish; rejoice, for when thou wast an infant the angels served thee; rejoice, for the powers of God brought milk to thee when orphaned; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
O thou who wast weighed and justified by God, who didst not give the immaterial silver to men for usury, now thou art enthroned in heaven with the angels: Alleluia.
O thou made spotless by thy struggles and height unshaken, the divine treasure unstolen on earth, in which spiritual golden things grow, we sing to thee thus:
Rejoice, unquenchable lamp; rejoice, thou who wast valiantly arrayed in battle; rejoice, joyful one on earth; rejoice, true-seeing prophet; rejoice, thou who wast made good by the grace of God; rejoice, imperishable treasury; rejoice, wise interpreter of the divine books; rejoice, straightness of the eyes of the mind; rejoice, radiant temple; rejoice, thou who gatherest honey from spiritual meadows; rejoice, for the Cherubim offer thee praises; rejoice, for the Seraphim praise thy course; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
O voice that awakenest and bringest our minds to watchfulness, we who seek saving repentance draw near to thee, the throne of faith filled with divine grace, as to one who leadeth to God: Alleluia.
O knower of the divine tongues and skilful trainer in right speech, we, lifted by the hand through thine intercession and rescued from drowning in the passions, magnify thus thee who art girded with the belt of struggle and knewest not the ease of the flesh:
Rejoice, perfection of martyrdom; rejoice, revelation of purity; rejoice, radiance of great faith; rejoice, judgement of good labour; rejoice, place of the vineyard; rejoice, sweet fragrance of the vineyard; rejoice, sweetness of its clusters; rejoice, amazing monastic; rejoice, thou who didst labour in struggle; rejoice, thou who wast made light by that labour; rejoice, thou who art hated by the blinded; rejoice, for from thee we have learned to lift our eyes to heaven; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
O radiant font, anointed with myrrh by divine grace, who didst pass by the works of this world that fall to pieces, we glorify thee, led by the angels into the bosom of God: Alleluia.
O fervour of a God-pleasing soul, whose name Christians have known from generation to generation, amazed at the sight of thy sleepless life we cry to thee thus:
Rejoice, destroyer of evil; rejoice, thou who keepest festival with hearts that long for God; rejoice, thou who humblest the proud; rejoice, thou who exaltest the humble; rejoice, herald of the Sun that setteth not; rejoice, thou who bringest our understanding near to the kingdom; rejoice, thou who silently awaitedst thine end; rejoice, thou who hast passed to the heavenly city; rejoice, thou who crushest those who assail God; rejoice, thou who castest out the defilers; rejoice, thou who didst preach in hell; rejoice, thou who didst announce to the prisoners of hell the Saviour’s shining forth in the flesh; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
To the valiant teacher of the rational sheep, who by his amazing struggle made the hearts of all Christians his captives, let us cry with a loud voice, O ye faithful: Alleluia.
O thou who art numbered with all the saints, divine fire kindled to warm with love our hearts frozen by temptations, warmed by thy nearness we sing to thee thus:
Rejoice, divine longing; rejoice, comforter of the grieving; rejoice, most spacious vessel filled by God; rejoice, thou who didst complete thy course by martyrdom; rejoice, sharpened sword of God; rejoice, balance that weighest Belial within; rejoice, thou who hast come to be our joy; rejoice, prelude of every feast; rejoice, thou who bringest our imperfect works to a good end; rejoice, for Christ hath loved thee; rejoice, thou who by the help of God wast invincible; rejoice, thou who by martyrdom didst depart from this earth; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
O speaker of things to come, who wast joined to the first divine prophets, we magnify thee, who bringest the unruly to obedience and makest straight the crooked paths of the unrepentant: Alleluia.
He who by His grace and love for mankind hath granted us this saving baptism hath also taught us wretched ones to give thanks for the saints of God thus:
Rejoice, speaker of the New Covenant; rejoice, first herald of the kingdom of heaven; rejoice, thou who adornest the earth with heavenly wisdom; rejoice, praiser of the Father; rejoice, glorifier of the Son; rejoice, singer of the Holy Spirit; rejoice, thou who art commended to the Theotokos; rejoice, fellow-struggler of the first great ascetics; rejoice, thou who blessest the ascetics who shall be; rejoice, divine food of those who ask of thee; rejoice, for God hath fulfilled what thou didst proclaim beforehand; rejoice, for God hath heard the cry of thy righteousness; Rejoice, John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who didst prepare the saving way of Jesus and art higher than all the great prophets!
O forerunner of the appearing of Christ, who didst finish thy course in the praise of God, thou who as a singer before the throne of God weepest over these our unrepentant souls, grant us by thy prayer saving repentance, that, reconciled with and received by the Creator of all, we may offer to God the unceasing hymn: Alleluia.
(This kontakion is said thrice, and then Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1.)
O unshakeable pillar of the Church and boast of Christians, as thou offerest the cry of all, receive this our entreaty also and intercede for us, that the all-good King may have mercy on our God-protected people and its sovereign, the Most Holy and Most Blessed Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazeti, the great lord, our father Ilia, the most reverend metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, the honourable priests, the deacons in Christ, all the monastic orders and all Orthodox Christians.
O thou who stirrest these our slothful minds to labour, divine trace imprinted in the hearts of the faithful by the instrument of repentance, as one who beholdest the throne of God open to heaven the blinded eyes of our souls, that, having received saving baptism, marked with the seal of baptism and living each day by its grace, we too with thee may sing to Christ God, who revealed thee as His Baptist, to whom befitteth glory, honour and worship, with His Father without beginning and His all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
