For all Akathists published on our site,Ā click here.Ā This Akathist was recently provided in English byĀ Maxim, who kindly asks all Orthodox Christians to keep him in their prayers for his repentance.
Feast Day: July 21
Troparion, 2nd tone:
Celebrating the memory of Your prophet Ezekiel, Lord, through him we pray, save our souls.
Kontakion, 4th tone:
You showed yourself to be a prophet of God, wonderful Ezekiel, and you proclaimed before all others the incarnation of the Lord, the Lamb and Creator, the Son of God, Who appeared for all eternity.
Kontakion 1
To him who was revealed as a prophet acceptable to God, who was enriched from Heaven with a divine mind raised to the unearthly, and who was deemed worthy to see the hidden things, we pray to the Holy Prophet Ezekiel. And you, Holy One, who interceded with our Lord for the forgiveness of the tribes that fell into sin, pray also for us who honor you: Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Ikos 1
Heavenly light was fulfilled in you, blessed Saint Ezekiel, for the grace of God descended and you ascended to the understanding of hidden things, receiving an angelic form in the times before the coming of the Savior and revealing to the world His eternal Birth, and now, rejoicing with the company of the Holy Prophets in Heaven, hear these praises from us:
Rejoice, you who fulfill the Will of God;
Rejoice, you who show us what is not in truth;
Rejoice, you who reveal prophecy and mediate the good way;
Rejoice, you who reveal what is to come;
Rejoice, open vision into the mysteries of Heaven;
Rejoice, power of the word, strength of what is said with love;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Ā Kontakion 2
You were born in the Jewish city called Sarira, Holy Ezekiel, the son of a priest from the tribe of Levi, and during the third destruction of Jerusalem, you were enslaved by Nebuchadnezzar and taken to Babylon. While in captivity, you lived near the river Hovar, and in the thirtieth year of your life, you received the gift of prophecy from God: Alleluia!
Ikos 2
On the fifth day of the month of June, a vision of great wonder was revealed to you, seeing the heavens open, a bright cloud in which fire walked and cast rays, and in the cloud were four living creatures like pure copper burned in fire, and each had four faces: human, lion, calf, and eagle, with four wings and four human hands. Then you saw four more wheels with life-giving power in them, and a voice came from Heaven: “Son of man, stand on your feet, that I may speak with you!”
Rejoice, for God has spoken to you;
Rejoice, for He has given you a piece of paper on which was written: “Lamentation, mourning, and bitterness”;
Rejoice, for He told you to eat that paper;
Rejoice, for it became like honey in your mouth;
Rejoice, for thus you have received the gift of prophecy;
Rejoice, for you were filled with the Spirit of Truth that entered your heart;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 3
After that, seven days passed, and God spoke to you again, Holy Prophet, commanding you to remain silent for a while and to shave your head and beard and burn them in three parts, symbolizing the three punishments that were to come upon the Jews: burning with fire through plague and famine, cutting with the sword and scattering into the air, showing all the wrath of God for the people of Israel who worshipped idols and were full of iniquity: Alleluia!
Ikos 3
In your time, the Holy Prophet Jeremiah prophesied in Jerusalem, who also spoke of the desolation of Jerusalem, for God worked in both of you, and you bore witness to each other that what you prophesied was true, to the amazement of those who honored you, Holy Ezekiel, thus:
Rejoice, for the Jews considered you liars;
Rejoice, for you suffered greatly from them;
Rejoice, for they tormented you in chains;
Rejoice, for the people of Israel believed in idols and oracles;
Rejoice, for all their faith was in false prophets;
Rejoice, for God saw everything, for He knows all things;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 4
You were clairvoyant, Holy Ezekiel, so that you saw things far away as if they were before you. Once, the angel of the Lord took you and brought you to Jerusalem, to Solomon’s temple, where you saw the idols outside and inside the temple, the unclean services of the priests of the tribe of Levi who offered sacrifices and incense to idols, worshipping the sun in the temple of God, while the women around the altar performed rituals to Aphrodite, and you saw the glory of God in wrath as at the river Hovar: Alleluia!
Ikos 4
Then you heard the voice of the Lord: “Son of man, is this abomination that these peoples are doing, as you see? They have filled the earth with uncleanness and have conspired to provoke Me and to reject Me. Therefore, I will also do them justice in My wrath, and My eye will not spare them, nor will I have pity on them; and when they cry out with a loud voice in My ears, I will not hear them.” And we tremble and pray:
Rejoice, for you have seen a heavenly man in white priestly garments;
Rejoice, for God sent him to the streets of Jerusalem;
Rejoice, for he marked the chosen ones with the sign of the “Tau” on their foreheads;
Rejoice, for only they were spared from God’s wrath;
Rejoice, for the rest of the Jews were put to the sword for their transgressions in Solomon’s temple;
Rejoice, for the Lord poured burning coals upon Jerusalem, scorching everything with fire;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 5
God’s punishment also fell upon the surrounding nations, even upon those in Egypt who laughed at the punishment that came upon Jerusalem, as you prophesied, Holy Ezekiel, but you also saw in a vision how God rebuilt His city and temple, for the Lord showed you the mystery of our deliverance from the bondage of the enemy through the incarnation of God born of the Most Holy Virgin, whom you called a locked door that no one entered except God: Alleluia!
Ikos 5
On another day, God took you and brought you into the midst of a field full of very dry human bones, and those bones received flesh through the word of God, and the Spirit came upon them and they revived, stood up on their feet, and gathering them together in a great assembly, the Lord said: “I will open your graves and bring you out of them!”
Rejoice, you who show us what lies beyond death;
Rejoice, for through you our pulse rises above the shadow of death;
Rejoice, great intercessor before God for us;
Rejoice, you who give us the gift of foresight;
Rejoice, you who conquer non-existence;
Rejoice, you who drive away the darkness from our minds;
Rejoice, you who bring light to the heart, soul, and mind;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 6
We also pray with a humble heart, Holy Ezekiel, intercede with Almighty God to open the tombs of curses and spells, that we may come out into the light free and untainted by all devilish works, and place within us the prophetic prayer that brings salvation and delivers the world from destruction: Alleluia!
Ikos 6
You knew many divine mysteries, Holy One, and you knew what had been and what was to come, all being the work of God with you, for you parted the waters as Saint Moses once did, having from the Lord the power to rule over the earth, water, air, and fire as a true servant of Heaven, and we gratefully praise you:
Rejoice, for you have arranged the waters on either side of the riverbed;
Rejoice, for the chosen people have passed through unharmed;
Rejoice, for the enemies who pursued them drowned;
Rejoice, you who defeated the pharaoh of death;
Rejoice, you who showed God’s mercy upon the chosen ones;
Rejoice, for you drove away dragons and beasts with prayer;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 7
The mercy of God was in you, Holy Prophet, because your heart was deep and wounded by every suffering you saw before your eyes, turning back from the gates of death those weakened by the great famine, begging God to feed the people tormented by lack of food, freeing those who were in bondage and bringing the lost to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 7
But to those who had strayed from the Lord and served idols in the temples of God and outside them, you were unforgiving, Holy One, for God through you announced bitter punishments that were later fulfilled, because His wrath was unstoppable for the uncleanness that was wrought among the Jewish people:
Rejoice, for you, Holy One, always proclaimed the word of God;
Rejoice, for you were not afraid of the consequences;
Rejoice, for the Jews hated the prophets;
Rejoice, for they brought their transgressions before them;
Rejoice, for you remained faithful to the commandment from Heaven;
Rejoice, for your voice prophesied until the end of your life;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 8
You prophesied the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, who will seek out His flock and look after it as a shepherd seeks out his scattered sheep, and He will bring them out from among the nations and feed them on good pasture, giving them rest, bringing back the stray sheep, healing the wounded sheep, and strengthening the weak sheep, but slaughtering the fat and strong sheep, for He will feed His flock with justice: Alleluia!
Ikos 8
Holy Ezekiel, as one born of a line of priests, shepherds, and guides, seek out for us the sheep who desire to remain forever in the flock of the Good Shepherd, and lead us to the pasture where we are meant to be, in the life ordained by God, and drive away all temptations that seek to change His will, for we worship God and call upon you thus:
Rejoice, you who come to our aid and stop the plundering;
Rejoice, you who bring the covenant of peace with God;
Rejoice, you who intercede in Heaven for forgiveness for our straying;
Rejoice, you who bless our lives with abundant fruit;
Rejoice, you who drive away the terror of temptations from us;
Rejoice, you who lift up the shame of the nation;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 9
We are greatly tormented, Holy Ezekiel, for we have become a mockery to our enemies who have strengthened themselves against us, devastated our lives, plundered our prosperity, struck at the root of our souls, and speak contemptuously of us as if we were slaves. But you, Holy One, do not let this be, but ask the Lord God to rise up and fight with us so that we may overcome our weakness, slavery, spell, and curse: Alleluia!
Ikos 9
Intercede with God, Holy Ezekiel, that He may give us life again, that the ruins may be rebuilt; that the orchards, plants, animals, and we may bear fruit in due season; that we may be faithful and heaven-loving offspring, that we may take control of our lives again, and we glorify you with bowed hearts:
Rejoice, you who stop impoverishment;
Rejoice, you who bring spiritual and physical wealth;
Rejoice, you who open the gates of heavenly goodness;
Rejoice, for through you we are better off than at the beginning;
Rejoice, you who stop mockery, contempt, spells, and curses;
Rejoice, you who untie all bonds, slavery, and helplessness;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 10
Bless our souls, Holy Ezekiel, sprinkle us with Living Water so that we may be alive, and put in us a new heart that vibrates eternally in prayer so that we may know the will of the Lord, see what is beyond sight, and keep the laws of God, fulfilling them with worthiness: Alleluia!
Ikos 10
Deliver us from all troubles and sufferings, Holy Prophet, that we may no longer be mocked by our enemies, call the grains to us and multiply them, make our city a place of joy, not desolate as our enemies wish with their viperous voices, let only what God wills be built within us and outside us:
Rejoice, you who bring us the happiness of the Garden of Eden;
Rejoice, rebuilding the ruins of our lives;
Rejoice, rebuilding the altar of the praying heart;
Rejoice, barrier against the invasion of enemies;
Rejoice, you who drive away the temptation of sadness;
Rejoice, you who lift us above the snares of demons;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 11
Through you, God restored honor to the tribes of Israel, for some of them had fallen under the curse of Saint Moses by serving idols, and they suffered greatly because their firstborn sons died as punishment for their disobedience, but you prayed, Holy Ezekiel, and the Lord had mercy on them: Alleluia!
Ikos 11
And behold, God spoke and revealed His new glory that would come through the birth of His Son from the Virgināa closed gate through which only Jesus Christ passedāand then He again arranged the inheritance of the tribes of Israel, who had been severely punished for the sins of their people, and we pray with tears:
Rejoice, giver of life;
Rejoice, savior from curses;
Rejoice, undoer of all magic;
Rejoice, giver of bodily health;
Rejoice, you who bring forgiveness for sins committed long ago;
Rejoice, you who undo what no one remembers;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 12
You performed many and countless miracles, Holy Ezekiel, who prophesied for over twenty years to the people of Israel, speaking boldly and confronting the Jews with their sins and idol worship, and proclaiming to them the wrath of God that always poured out upon them as you prophesied, for the Spirit of God was in you: Alleluia!
Ikos 12
Once, when you went before the chief priest of the Jews, you rebuked him harshly for giving himself over to the idolatrous sacrifices of the Chaldeans, a pagan people who killed their children on the altar of demon worship, and you urged him to cease his wickedness, but he was filled with rage and killed you by tearing you apart with horses, and your body was buried in the tomb of the ancestors of Abraham, the father of nations, and we who pray to you honor you:
Rejoice, you who left behind the memory of many prophecies;
Rejoice, for some are more relevant than ever;
Rejoice, for God is still angry at the worship of idols;
Rejoice, you who free us from the deception of the devil;
Rejoice, enlightener of minds shrouded in darkness;
Rejoice, our deliverer who are now in Heaven;
Rejoice, you who give us the strength to pray;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 13
O Holy Prophet Ezekiel, servant of the Lord, friend of the Angels, warrior of the Light, intercessor with the Holy Trinity! We pray that you take these prayers to the Throne of God, that He may be gracious to us, forgive our transgressions, and send us courage, wisdom, and strength from Heaven, that we may worship the Most Holy Trinity, crying out to Heaven forever: Alleluia!
This Kontakion is said 3 times.
Ikos 1
Heavenly light was fulfilled in you, blessed Saint Ezekiel, for the grace of God descended and you ascended to the understanding of hidden things, receiving an angelic form in the times before the coming of the Savior and revealing to the world His eternal Birth, and now, rejoicing with the company of the Holy Prophets in Heaven, hear these praises from us:
Rejoice, you who fulfill the Will of God;
Rejoice, you who show us what is not in truth;
Rejoice, you who reveal prophecy and mediate the good way;
Rejoice, you who reveal what is to come;
Rejoice, open vision into the mysteries of Heaven;
Rejoice, power of the word, strength of what is said with love;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Kontakion 1
To him who was revealed as a prophet acceptable to God, who was enriched from Heaven with a divine mind raised to the unearthly, and who was deemed worthy to see the hidden things, we pray to the Holy Prophet Ezekiel. And you, Holy One, who interceded with our Lord for the forgiveness of the tribes that fell into sin, pray also for us who honor you: Rejoice, Holy Prophet Ezekiel, grant us heavenly forgiveness and intercede with God for victory!
Prayer to Saint Prophet Ezekiel:
Holy Prophet Ezekiel, revealer of God, for your worthiness you received divine wisdom because He who sits among the Cherubim, the Lightning of Divinity, enlightened you and taught you unspeakable things. The hand of the Lord was upon you, speaking His Word, and you then guided all sinners through your words to return to repentance.
We pray that you bring us the news of our deliverance from temptation, that we may feel in our hearts that God has forgiven us and brought us back to His right hand. We pray that you protect us from those who plot spells, curses, and demonic invocations to harm us, and lift us above all the plots of darkness, above the devil’s spider web woven to keep us bound in temptation, burn with the fire of grace all the chains that prevent us from rising in spiritual flight, and be for us like a Guardian Angel until the end of our lives, so that we may come to enjoy the glory of the Kingdom of God forever and ever. Amen.
