Akathist Hymn to the Holy Great-Martyr Queen Ketevan
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, who art everywhere present and fillest all things with Thy grace, Treasury of good things and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Good One. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (Thrice).
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, deliver us and release us from our sins; O Master, pardon our iniquities; O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Priest: For Thine is the kingdom…
Lord, have mercy. (Twelve times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O come, let us worship God our King. O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and God. O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and our God.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of thy compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I am conscious of mine iniquity; and my sin is continually before me. Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil before thee: that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. For, behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother conceive me. For, behold, thou lovest truth: thou hast manifested to me the secret and hidden things of thy wisdom. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be purified: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Thou shalt cause me to hear gladness and joy: the afflicted bones shall rejoice. Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit in my inward parts. Cast me not away from thy presence; and remove not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation: establish me with thy directing Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and ungodly men shall turn to thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation: and my tongue shall joyfully declare thy righteousness. O Lord, thou shalt open my lips; and my mouth shall declare thy praise. For if thou desiredst sacrifice, I would have given it: thou wilt not take pleasure in whole-burnt-offerings. Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit: a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, to Sion in thy good pleasure; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then shalt thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, offering, and whole-burnt-sacrifices: then shall they offer calves upon thine altar.
O thou who didst receive victory from on high, holy great-martyr Ketevan, accept now the praise of those who magnify thee and remember not our evils, but help us, that the all-good King may have mercy on this our people and keep us unharmed from every affliction and from the snare of the enemy, O blessed one, and grant forgiveness of sins to those who sing to thee: Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
Springing from the royal root as a branch of David, thou, a daughter of the house of the Bagrationi, wast grafted onto that same root, and by suffering and death for Christ thou didst crush the head of the proud serpent. So now also heal our many wounds by thy prayer and grant us divine zeal for the fatherland, love of righteousness and courage of spirit, that with greater zeal we may offer thee this song of praise:
Rejoice, tree of radiant fruit that didst spring up in Iberia; rejoice, thou who from youth wast adorned with piety; rejoice, thou who wast filled with hope in the Lord and manly strength; rejoice, thou who wast armed with unceasing psalmody and prayer; rejoice, thou who wast clothed with many virtues as with a radiant garment; rejoice, thou who wast fenced about with the shield of grace and the spear of the cross; rejoice, thou who wast surrounded by an assembly of the wicked; rejoice, thou who didst flee from heresies and wast walled about by Orthodoxy; rejoice, thou who wast mercilessly beaten and didst endure dreadful torments; rejoice, thou who wast consumed by fire and didst find rest through a fierce struggle; rejoice, thou who art united with the glorious choir of the fathers who laid down their lives for faith and land; rejoice, thou who didst shine among the saints with all-wondrous glory; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
For love of the all-holy Theotokos and the people allotted to her, thy father of blessed memory, Ashotan Mukhran-batoni, built on the Holy Mountain, in the Iveron monastery, a small church for the icon of the Keeper of the Gate; therefore cease not to intercede before God, that He may make us worthy for the Georgians to dwell again in Iveron, built by the labour of our forebears, and there for ever to commemorate thy kin and sing glory and praise to the Lord: Alleluia.
When the modest maiden renowned for her love of wisdom, the fair daughter of Ashotan Mukhran-batoni, was given in marriage to David, son of Alexander, king of Kakheti, of the line of Jesse, David and the Bagratids, thou becamest a mother of children, among whom is thy son, Teimuraz, lord of Kakheti, an unshakeable tower of courage and an impregnable wall of valour; therefore this song of praise befitteth thee, O glorious one:
Rejoice, daughter and bride of David; rejoice, image of womanly modesty; rejoice, thunder of divine preaching; rejoice, judge of judgement and righteousness; rejoice, vessel of good character and understanding; rejoice, divine chalice of the altar on high; rejoice, helper of every wise and courageous woman; rejoice, strengthener of the Christ-loving army; rejoice, thou who grievest for the Georgian people; rejoice, strength and glory of the sceptre of kings; rejoice, precious pearl of the Church of Christ; rejoice, manifest sun of Kakheti and boast of Kartli; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
When they told that lawless Shah Abbas that the young King David had died, he craftily armed his brother Constantine, who had become a Muslim, and sent him to subdue Kakheti and to kill his aged father and brother; and Alexander, lord of Kakheti, went out to meet his younger son and with a joyful voice sent up thanksgiving and glory to God: Alleluia.
One day the godless Constantine plotted the ruin of his own soul and the death of his father and brother, and at his command they killed both the king and George; and thou, O glorious one, didst bury their bodies with great honour at Alaverdi, and didst reproach that foul adulterer for seizing the inheritance of the kings, for thy son Teimuraz was staying in Persia with that crafty shah; therefore we marvel at thy boldness, courageous queen, and call thee blessed in song:
Rejoice, planter of good virtues; rejoice, thou who didst wear down the flesh by fasting and vigil; rejoice, thou who puttest to shame those who boast vainly of worldly might; rejoice, thou who teachest the Christian upbringing of children; rejoice, thou who sternly chastisest unfaithful spouses and blessest godly families; rejoice, thou who exposest slanderers and those who revile their parents; rejoice, thou who leadest men to the service of the fatherland and to good order; rejoice, thou who lovest self-sacrificing sons of the fatherland; rejoice, thou who chastisest with wrath those who have fallen from faith and fatherland; rejoice, thou who grantest honour to the faithful and smitest the false and double-minded; rejoice, thou who strikest terror into evil plotters and ravagers of the land; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
O terrible hearing! For a causeless lust took hold of the foul Constantine, and like Herodias he summoned his brother’s wife to be brought and taken as his wife; but thou, hearing this amazing impiety, didst ask the help of the Lord and make known to the princes of Kakheti the design of one who stood lower than the demons; then they slew the one like Herod and offered a hymn of victory before God: Alleluia.
O the might of God the Lover of mankind, who looked mercifully upon thy fervent prayer and granted wondrous help to thine army! Therefore, bathed in tears, thou didst offer thanksgiving to God, and thenceforth, dwelling at Gremi, thou didst govern Kakheti as queen. Now entreat Christ our Saviour that faith may not fail in thy people rich in struggles, humbled and rejected even until now, and that He may raise up worthy strugglers and labourers in His vineyard for the strengthening of all, that, armed with the strength of thy spirit, we may be moved to sing to thee:
Rejoice, destroyer of unjust judgements; rejoice, thou who didst keep thy widowhood in chastity like the prophetess Anna; rejoice, thou who didst undo the many contrived devices of the enemy; rejoice, thou who didst bring to nought the evil designs of enemies; rejoice, thou who didst drive away bestial fury and guile; rejoice, thou who didst govern the land by courage of spirit and wisdom of mind; rejoice, feeder of the poor and visitor of orphans and widows; rejoice, swift helper of reverent priests and monks, who stretchest out thy hand to them; rejoice, thou who exaltest the wise and clear-sighted; rejoice, thou who puttest to shame those who reject the ways of their forebears; rejoice, thou who teachest love for the fatherland; rejoice, thou who hast mercy on those who pray for the people and for their neighbour; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
When Shah Abbas heard of the death of Constantine, he saw the revolt of the Kakhetians and sent the young Teimuraz as king and ruler of Kakheti; and thou with good sense didst direct his steps in the footsteps of his fathers and forefathers, and thenceforth with unswerving courage he governed his kingdom and fought valiantly against enemies and the double-minded. So now also look upon us with mercy and direct our royal path for the people that glorifieth Christ: Alleluia.
When the fiercely raging king of Persia came to Ganja with a countless army and demanded of Teimuraz his eldest son as a hostage, then the king, compelled by the princes of Kakheti, sent his younger son Alexander and that all-wise mother of his to Ganja; and thou, for faithfulness to the fatherland and the peaceful keeping of thy people, didst stand before that godless shah and ask that thy kingdom be left unharmed; therefore thou art worthy, O blessed one, of the offering of a hymn:
Rejoice, thou who didst courageously take upon thee long captivity and torments; rejoice, good shepherd who didst lay down thy life for thy flock; rejoice, guardian of the dignity and honour of thy people; rejoice, candle that enlightenest the wise and burnest the foolish; rejoice, deliverer from the delusions of demons; rejoice, planter of courage and valour; rejoice, thou who didst mightily trample on every evil habit and vice; rejoice, thou who calmest storms and tumults; rejoice, thou who overthrowest the insolence of those who fight against God; rejoice, thou who assuagest sorrows and trials; rejoice, thou who shelterest from the wiles of men and the snares of Satan; rejoice, thou who unitest neighbours and reconcilest enemies; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
Seeing you come to him, the impious one in wrath commanded Levan to be brought, and after seizing him he summoned Teimuraz too, but he perceived the craft of the foul one and did not go; then Shah Abbas laid waste Kakheti and in fury sent thee with thy grandsons into captivity in Shiraz; and thou with an aching heart didst offer entreaty to Christ, that He might grant victory to thy son, peace to the people allotted to His Mother, and mercy to those who sing to Him: Alleluia.
How shall we tell how many pains pierced thy heart within, holy queen, for when Shah Abbas learned of Teimuraz’s journey to the sultan, like a ravening and roaring lion he seized both his fair sons and made them eunuchs; but thou by fasting, vigil and lying on the ground wast another Job in trial and another Tobit in wisdom; therefore give strength to our feebly speaking tongue, that we may utter this praise of glory:
Rejoice, thou who in captivity didst keep royal honour; rejoice, thou who didst endure the fiercest sorrows in prayer; rejoice, thou who with tears didst quench the flame of the deceiver and his snares; rejoice, thou who didst lay down thy life for Christ and smite the guile of the enemy; rejoice, thou who with divine boldness didst destroy ungodly teachings; rejoice, thou who didst bring to nought the wiles of lawless tyrants; rejoice, thou who reprovest the faint-hearted and the slack; rejoice, thou who lovest those who live spotlessly and pleasingly to God; rejoice, thou who receivest suffering souls that flee to thee; rejoice, comforter of mothers grieving for their children; rejoice, thou who puttest shameless and foolish women to shame; rejoice, exalter of every Georgian virtue; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
When they told that tyrant of the new conquest of Kakheti by Teimuraz, in his wrath he commanded the beglerbeg of Shiraz to turn the mother of Teimuraz to Islam, and if she would not blaspheme Christ, to kill thee with cruel torment; but thou, fearing God, didst despise the fear of that tyrant shah, who had the power of a lion and the face of a fox, and boldly didst confess the Son together with the Father and the Spirit and sing the hosanna of victory: Alleluia.
Then the ruler of Shiraz besought thee with much flattery to forsake the law of Christ and promised many favours; but thou, holding the crucifix of the Saviour, didst bend thy knees and raise a prayer, shedding tears: “O Lord Jesus Christ, send me an angel, the guardian of my soul, and receive my soul and number me with the choir of Thy martyrs”; therefore we marvel at thy fervent love for God and offer thee this song of praise:
Rejoice, thou who didst keep the nobility of thy soul; rejoice, thou who didst courageously put false faith to shame; rejoice, thou who by unceasing prayer didst scatter the darkness of delusion; rejoice, thou who by the fruit of thy courage didst teach the Kartlosians well; rejoice, thou who didst enlighten thy people with divine light; rejoice, thou who bringest lukewarm faith to life; rejoice, thou who deliverest from tumult and war; rejoice, thou who drivest away sicknesses of many kinds and infirmities; rejoice, healer of those wounded by invisible archers; rejoice, deliverer from every work of the devil; rejoice, thou who deliverest spotless maidens and youths from every defilement and vice; rejoice, thou who castest down all who are hostile to the Iberians; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
When they told Shah Abbas of thine unchanging firmness, he marvelled greatly and invited thee to be his wife and queen of Persia, and to thy son, the pious King Teimuraz, he promised to give back Kakheti; but thou, perfected in the law, didst cry: “It is impossible for them to change our piety, which we offer to our God”, and, parted from the kin of thy fatherland, thou didst count it blessed in mind to be a martyr for Christ and didst sing to Him with hope and longing: Alleluia.
Having finished thy prayer, thou didst call thy confessor, and cleansed by confession thou didst receive the incorruptible Body and Blood of Christ and say with compunction: “O Lord our God, depart not from Thy handmaid and forsake me not in the struggle.” Then thou didst kiss with longing the icon of the all-holy Theotokos and, thirsting for death for Christ, didst command that the executioners be called; therefore we praise thee fittingly and honour thy memory with longing:
Rejoice, daughter of the heavenly Jerusalem; rejoice, all-unshakeable pillar of courage; rejoice, bearer of the good yoke of Christ; rejoice, wise preacher of the right faith; rejoice, shield that guardest piety; rejoice, sword that cuttest off impiety; rejoice, beautiful flower of the radiant garden of David; rejoice, branch of the vine of Christ mercilessly pruned; rejoice, myrrh offered as ointment to the immortal King; rejoice, frankincense burned upon that divine altar; rejoice, luminary that makest Iberia radiant; rejoice, unbreakable gate of the Church of the Georgians; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
When the shah’s executioners kindled the fire, O blessed one, and heated the spits and pincers, and the cut bronze crown before thine eyes, then even the ruler of Shiraz shed tears, seeing those dread and terrible torments; and under the violence of the executioners even thy handmaids denied Christ and called on thee too; but thou with entreaty didst bid that they too should share in thy sufferings, and making the sign of the holy cross, O courageous one, thou didst offer glory to God in the blessed Georgian tongue: Alleluia.
In captivity thou hadst two priests with thee, O queen; of these one, Moses, was made worthy to share in the martyr’s struggles, but George, terrified of the torments, denied Christ; and thou didst cry to that wretched priest: “Why dost thou tremble so, father? Rememberest thou not what they did to the Son of God? Let us then endure evils, that we too may share in His sufferings”; and with fearless mind, like a lion, thou didst give thyself up to cruel torments; therefore the Church of Georgia keepeth radiant festival, and our people singeth of thy struggles:
Rejoice, thou who didst count temporal beauty as nothing; rejoice, thou who with the weapon of thy words didst wound the tormentors; rejoice, thou who destroyest the designs of Belial and blottest out every defilement; rejoice, comforter of those in foreign lands and saddened by torment; rejoice, teacher of the humility and love of Christ; rejoice, thou who washest away the stain of superstition; rejoice, thou who encouragest Christians terrified by the lawless; rejoice, thou who askest mercy of God for sinners; rejoice, thou who judgest the cause of the wretched and the afflicted; rejoice, strengthener of the spiritual courage of the Iberians; rejoice, thou who by motherly intercession deliverest many from perdition; rejoice, thou who by the light of thy martyrdom hast made the darkness of the fatherland bright; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
It is very hard for me and I grieve to tell of the torment, holy queen, how the executioners stretched out thy hands, which fed the poor and were lifted up in holiness to God, and spread beneath thee a multitude of live coals and nails and heaped many upon thee; and thou, a woman of courageous soul, didst endure all with long-suffering and for the endurance of such scourging didst glorify the Lord: Alleluia.
O dread wonder and most terrible hearing, how those senseless and utterly lawless ones began boldly to pierce thee from breast to back with red-hot spits, tore thy breasts with pincers and set upon thy head that glowing bronze crown; but thou, bitterly stretched out and covered everywhere with wounds, didst commend thy son and the kingdom to the Lord with hope, and with pious boldness didst ask the grace of healing the sick; therefore thou ever pourest forth miracles and healest the sicknesses of the faithful who praise thee:
Rejoice, thou who by the power of the spirit didst cover human weakness; rejoice, holy and beautiful calf, who didst shed thy blood for Christ; rejoice, thou who by thy struggle didst finish well the divine course; rejoice, thou who didst receive from the Lord the gift of divine healing; rejoice, thou who with thy signs and wonders troublest the unbelieving; rejoice, thou who teachest a watchful and sober life; rejoice, thou who chastisest with wrath the vengeful and the covetous; rejoice, thou who lovest the penitent and the contrite in heart; rejoice, thou who bridlest vain impulses; rejoice, thou who shelterest from the assault and evils of invisible enemies; rejoice, planter of love for God, king and fatherland; rejoice, comfort of all the right-believing and shame of those who glorify evil; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
Though thy flesh suffered pain, yet the merciless ones also put a chain upon thee, laid red-hot spades upon thy brow and strangled thee with a rope; and thy much-suffering body, stained with blood, they burned with fire and buried secretly; but by the help of God the Latins found it, made a shrine for it with great honour and censed it with many fragrances, and thou didst heal many sick; then thy virtues were proclaimed and loudly made known in all the ends of the earth; therefore we, the faithful people of Georgia, tell the praise of thy struggles and with a voice of thanksgiving glorify God who glorified thee: Alleluia.
When the Latin monks saw thy wondrous and lofty martyrdom, they took thy holy bones together with the head and brought them to thy son, and laid some portions in India, in the Catholic monastery at Goa; then, as befitted thee, the queen mother, King Teimuraz honoured thee with a great feast and laid thy relics, which work many healings, at Alaverdi beneath the divine altar, and in thy name began to build a small church at Telavi, that we might attain grace and mercy by thine intercession and say according to our strength:
Rejoice, thou who didst honourably fulfil thine earthly duty; rejoice, thou who didst bring to nought the designs of heretics; rejoice, thou who didst serenely give up thy soul for Christ; rejoice, thou who didst forsake earthly honour and beholdest heavenly glory; rejoice, thou who by sorrow and much struggle didst purchase the blessed life; rejoice, thou who instead of a passing queenship didst receive the light that passeth not; rejoice, holy queen, who hast drawn near to the Virgin Queen; rejoice, thou who wast clothed from on high with the crown of victory; rejoice, thou who greatly hast mercy on those who come to the tomb of thy bones; rejoice, thou who didst receive from the Lord authority over unclean spirits; rejoice, thou who bountifully grantest spiritual gifts; rejoice, comforter of all who flee to thee and call on thee in faith; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
The wounds of thy flesh and the feeling of pains have won thee that radiant eternal delight, in which thou rejoicest, O Ketevan, beauty of martyrs, and thou grantest the grace of healings to those who come with longing to thy church, O holy one, and deliverest from all the passions of the enemy and from pains those who venerate thy holy relics and sing fervently to God: Alleluia.
The Church of Georgia keepeth radiant festival, and thy people proclaimeth thy struggle; and do thou, as one who hast great boldness, entreat the good God not to give our inheritance over to the reproach of enemies, that all may not say: Where is their God, in whom they hope? – but to deliver us from war among brethren and from the invasion of foreigners, and grant an untroubled and wise life to those who sing to thee:
Rejoice, daughter of the house of the Bagratids, for like the Israelites thou wast chosen of the Lord; rejoice, renowned queen, for thou didst burn with the faith of Orthodoxy and quench the delusion of heresy; rejoice, fellow-struggler of the martyrs of old, for thou didst courageously despise the sharpness of iron and the heat of fire and thereby trample on the devices of the enemy; rejoice, thou firmer than adamant, unharmed in patience, whom the godless Persians reaped down, as before the radiantly crowned King Luarsab; rejoice, thou unconquered by thy adversaries, for with a woman’s nature thou didst overcome the violence of men; rejoice, thou who shinest with invincible struggle, for Christ God adorned thee with unfading crowns; rejoice, fulfiller of good petitions, for thou didst receive from the King of all the gift of wonders, and thy bare bones pour forth healing; rejoice, divinely radiant star, for thou shinest over all the ends of our land; rejoice, blessed mother of the Georgians, for radiant light dwelt in thee and made thee the strengthener of thy people; rejoice, thou blessed one remembered with blessing, for from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof thy name is praised; rejoice, invincible Bride of Christ, for thy memory radiantly glorifieth the Georgians; rejoice, sleepless guardian of thy land, for thy people kisseth with longing thy divinely beautiful icon and keepeth thy memory year by year; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
O all-radiant great-martyr Queen Ketevan, pour out now upon us the grace of thy prayer and reject not those who entreat thee, for we have sinned and done iniquity and have not done as God commanded us; but make our sorrowful life radiant with firm hope and shelter us from falling into sin, that by thy help we may attain the light of God that knoweth no evening and with the righteous sing to God: Alleluia.
This kontakion thrice, then
Springing from the royal root as a branch of David, thou, a daughter of the house of the Bagrationi, wast grafted onto that same root, and by suffering and death for Christ thou didst crush the head of the proud serpent. So now also heal our many wounds by thy prayer and grant us divine zeal for the fatherland, love of righteousness and courage of spirit, that with greater zeal we may offer thee this song of praise:
Rejoice, tree of radiant fruit that didst spring up in Iberia; rejoice, thou who from youth wast adorned with piety; rejoice, thou who wast filled with hope in the Lord and manly strength; rejoice, thou who wast armed with unceasing psalmody and prayer; rejoice, thou who wast clothed with many virtues as with a radiant garment; rejoice, thou who wast fenced about with the shield of grace and the spear of the cross; rejoice, thou who wast surrounded by an assembly of the wicked; rejoice, thou who didst flee from heresies and wast walled about by Orthodoxy; rejoice, thou who wast mercilessly beaten and didst endure dreadful torments; rejoice, thou who wast consumed by fire and didst find rest through a fierce struggle; rejoice, thou who art united with the glorious choir of the fathers who laid down their lives for faith and land; rejoice, thou who didst shine among the saints with all-wondrous glory; Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
O thou who didst receive victory from on high, holy great-martyr Ketevan, accept now the praise of those who magnify thee and remember not our evils, but help us, that the all-good King may have mercy on this our people and keep us unharmed from every affliction and from the snare of the enemy, O blessed one, and grant forgiveness of sins to those who sing to thee: Rejoice, great luminary of the Georgians, holy Queen Ketevan!
O manifest sun, luminary of Georgia, bountiful giver of miracles, merciful and without anger, defender of the poor and swift helper of the fallen, glorious among the saints and radiant in piety among women, O queen, all-praised Ketevan!
O wondrous and truly courageous martyr Ketevan, victorious in the struggle! By thy motherly mercy reconcile us to the good God, that He may drive away all our enemies and oppressors and grant us victory over them, renew again our faith in Christ and grant us unfailing love for God, king and fatherland, and raise up for us the horn of anointing, that the kingship of thy kin may not fail in this land until the end of time, and that they may be firmer than firm rocks and glorious for ever. Strengthen in their ministry 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 and all the monastic orders, the members of the Orthodox Church and all right-believing Christians. Glorify those who bear thy name and entreat thee. Entreat, all-praised and courageous martyr, the sweet Jesus whom thou lovest, to forgive us our apostasies, the destruction and defilement of churches, the murders of the servants of God, treachery, envy and lawlessness, the killing of our infants in the womb and the rest of the multitude of our sins.
O thou great in piety and radiant in the choir of martyrs, holy Queen Ketevan! With a mercy like that of Jesus God intercede for us before Him, that He may grant glory to the churches, honour to the clergy, good shepherding of the people to rulers, courage to soldiers, sinlessness to the laity and chastity to women; and to us a life of good conduct, adornment with works of mercy, enlightenment through holy prayer, cleansing through confession, radiance through communion, an honourable departure, the inheritance of the kingdom, singing with the angels, reigning with the saints, and with thee glory and thanksgiving; for to Him befitteth all glory, honour and worship, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and all-spotless, and the Mother of our God. More honourable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Lord, have mercy (Thrice).
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, of the holy great-martyr Queen Ketevan, luminary of Georgia, and of all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Author and compiler: Tinatin Mchedlishvili
