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Also called the Fifth Evangelist, Feast Day: May 9
Kontakion 1
To the one who prophesied of Christ the Lord, the much-praised Rock of Zion who was to be placed at the head of the corner to unite the world into one, we sing these words of praise to the Holy Prophet Isaiah, for seeing through divine revelation the beauty of the Throne of the Holy Trinity, he now sits at the feet of the One He proclaimed and hears our prayers: Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the vision of the divine!
Ikos 1
The Creator of Angels enlightened you to speak with Him, and being a partaker of the spiritual mysteries received through revelation, you became a guiding light to the world, Holy Isaiah, becoming divine during your earthly life, and we call upon you:
Rejoice, trumpet of the Holy Spirit;
Rejoice, nourisher of the Church;
Rejoice, Evangelist of the Old Testament;
Rejoice, herald of the New Testament;
Rejoice, you who have penetrated the inexpressible mysteries of the Word;
Rejoice, receiver of all enlightening light of the mind;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the vision of divine things!
Kontakion 2
You were born in Jerusalem from the lineage of the kings of Judah, Holy Prophet, and growing up in the fear of God, you diligently learned the law of God because you loved and honored Him as your Lord and Master: Alleluia!
Ikos 2
At the appointed time, you were joined by a pious woman who, before the wedding, lived in virginity in the House of the Lord, serving Him with piety, in good and holy deeds, praying unceasingly to the One whom you also honored, and we pray to you to accept these gifts:
Rejoice, for your wife has borne you sons from God;
Rejoice, for you have been blessed with His blessings;
Rejoice, for you have said, “Behold, I and the children whom God has given me”;
Rejoice, for He has graciously looked upon the desires of your heart;
Rejoice, for you were loved beyond measure by the Lord, as a father loves his obedient children;
Rejoice, for you were pure as a tear before Him;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the vision of divine things!
Kontakion 3
Searching you, God found in you a pure soul and made you a papyrus on which He began to write His Word: commands to men and prophecies of things to come. And you, Holy Isaiah, received the royal charter of the Lord’s Will: Alleluia!
Ikos 3
The Word of God descended into your heart, and you received it, Holy Prophet, and let it penetrate your mind, then confessing with your lips what God had secretly inspired you to the amazement of those who praise you thus:
Rejoice, for you have risen to heavenly heights;
Rejoice, for you have ascended to the angelic realm of nature;
Rejoice, for from there you have seen the whole horizon;
Rejoice, for you have united the understanding of your mind with the flame of your heart;
Rejoice, for you have attained the meaning of the incomprehensible;
Rejoice, for through humility you have broken down the walls of limited knowledge;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to attain the vision of the divine!
Kontakion 4
Flying on the unseen heights of hesychastic prayer, delving into the abyss of the heart that burned, ever remembering the Name of God, you were deemed worthy to see Him sitting on the exalted throne, surrounded by Seraphim singing to Him, and you were afraid to see the Lord Sabaoth with your own eyes, fearing your own impurity: Alleluia!
Ikos 4
But the most holy mystery of Holy Communion was revealed to you as prophesied, for the Angel of the Lord touched your lips with a burning coal taken from the Altar in Heaven and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips, and the Lord will wipe away your iniquities and cleanse your sins,” and the angels around you sang thus:
Rejoice, for then the Lord spoke to you;
Rejoice, for He asked you, “Whom shall I send, and who will go to My people?”
Rejoice, for you answered Him, “Behold, I am here. Send me!”
Rejoice, for the Lord sent you to His people;
Rejoice, for He gave you the power to call them to repentance;
Rejoice, for He commanded you to make them choose between repentance and His righteous punishment;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the vision of divine things!
Kontakion 5
You spoke from the Word of God, Holy Isaiah, saying: “Therefore the Lord God will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” and the faithful marveled at the wisdom received from God: Alleluia!
Ikos 5
And behold, after 800 years, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, whose name was Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”
Rejoice, herald of the Nativity of Christ;
Rejoice, prophesying the joy of joys;
Rejoice, confessing both the Virgin and the Mother;
Rejoice, angel bringing divine commands;
Rejoice, you who plant living words in our hearts;
Rejoice, for these living words grow thereafter, fulfilling the Will of God;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to attain the vision of divine things!
Kontakion 6
Receiving with an open heart the path that God had set before you, you cried out to the whole human race: “For a Child is born to us, a Son is given to us, whose dominion is upon His shoulder, and His name is called: Angel of great counsel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And His dominion shall be great, and His peace shall have no end”: Alleluia!
Ikos 6
And behold, after eight centuries, at the River Jordan, a voice was heard from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” for the heavens opened, receiving the baptism of the Lord, The Spirit of God was seen descending like a dove and coming upon Him, and those present were amazed, saying:
Rejoice, foreteller of the Holy Trinity;
Rejoice, for you saw the Lord Christ as the Angel of the Great Council;
Rejoice, partaker of things to come;
Rejoice, warning of God’s wrath;
Rejoice, for you prophesied Christ as the mighty and victorious God;
Rejoice, for you saw His peace beyond the end of the ages;
Rejoice, for we pray: bring the same peace into our hearts;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the vision of divine things!
Kontakion 7
Prophesying about our Savior, you said: “And His dominion shall be great, and His peace shall have no end. He shall reign on the throne and over the kingdom of David, to strengthen it and establish it with judgment and justice, from now until forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” Alleluia!
Ikos 7
The zeal of the Lord inspired you too, Holy Isaiah, worthy of all honor, and you showed Jesus as the one who would bring light into darkness, bringing joy to the faithful who cry out to you thus:
Rejoice, for you saw beforehand the wonders wrought by the Lord Christ on earth;
Rejoice, for you quenched the thirst of those eager for salvation;
Rejoice, speaker of the mysteries of the future;
Rejoice, forerunner of the Greatest of the prophets;
Rejoice, for you too have paved the way of the Lord;
Rejoice, for you have laid flowers at His feet;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to behold the divine!
Kontakion 8
You showed the sufferings of the Lord, who did not open His mouth but went like a lamb to the slaughter, being given up to death for the transgressions of His people, prophesying also the Cross on which He was crucified to crucify our sins with Him: Alleluia!
Ikos 8
Confessing aloud God’s love for us, through the gift of foresight you penetrated the mystery of His Second Coming: “Behold, the Lord will come like fire, and His chariots like a storm, to give His victory with wrath and rebuke in the flame of fire. For with the fire of the Lord the whole earth will be judged.” And we, your supplicants, honor you thus:
Rejoice, you who are blessed with spiritual eyes;
Rejoice, you who have seen beyond the wall of blindness;
Rejoice, you who open the gates of knowledge for us;
Rejoice, you who give us the key to the holy mysteries;
Rejoice, you who unite feeling with the understanding of the Holy Spirit;
Rejoice, removing the blindness from our eyes;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the sight of divine things!
Kontakion 9
You served God in complete obedience throughout your life, Holy Isaiah, spending your time in the reproach of the world as a fool for the Lord, living in poverty and humility even though you were related to the kings of Judea, overlooking all the glory and riches of this world for the Holy Name of God: Alleluia!
Ikos 9
Once you walked naked for three years in the midst of Jerusalem, doing this according to the command of the Lord because the people had begun to run more to human help than to put their hope in God’s help, for it is written that men alone cannot defend themselves against the invasions of enemies, but only through prayer are they driven away, for this power belongs to the Lord, not to human nature.
Rejoice, for you prophesied the destruction of Egypt and Ethiopia;
Rejoice, for the Jews hoped for the help of those two countries in their fight against the king of the Assyrians;
Rejoice, for God brought the Egyptians and Ethiopians into bondage;
Rejoice, for later the Assyrians conquered many cities of the Jews;
Rejoice, for this was God’s punishment for the unbelievers;
Rejoice, for your nakedness was a sign of the Lord’s nakedness on the Cross as redemption for the nakedness of Adam who fell from Paradise;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the vision of divine things!
Kontakion 10
You were a great miracle worker, Holy Isaiah, bringing forth a spring of water from beneath Mount Zion, a spring which was later called “Siloam,” meaning “sent from God,” and that was a wonderful spring because it gave water only to the chosen people, while those of other tribes were left dry: Alleluia!
Ikos 10
At your prayers, Holy Prophet, God sent the Holy Archangel Michael, who killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers of the Assyrian army in one night, for the barbarians had surrounded the city of Jerusalem, and we glorify you:
Rejoice, for you prayed for King Hezekiah;
Rejoice, for he was in danger of a deadly illness;
Rejoice, for you announced to him that the Lord had heard his prayers;
Rejoice, for God gave him 15 more years of life in exchange for his tears;
Rejoice, for the sun also stood still at that time for ten hours on the wall;
Rejoice, for it was the sign of Hezekiah’s victory over death;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the vision of divine things!
Kontakion 11
You prophesied for 40 years, during which time four kings reigned over the kingdom of Judah, the last of whom, Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, became fierce in the worship of idols and put to death anyone who did not obey his pagan will, filling the city of Jerusalem with the blood of innocents whose cries rose up to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 11
For because of such horrors you were greatly distressed, Holy Isaiah, rebuking Manasseh and his nobles for their grave sins, and unable to bear such words from you, they plotted to kill you, to the lamentation of those who honored you thus:
Rejoice, for they have caught you with deceit;
Rejoice, for they took you out into the field, outside Jerusalem;
Rejoice, for they cut you with a saw from top to bottom;
Rejoice, for they cut your body in two;
Rejoice, for they could not touch your soul;
Rejoice, for you have united with the righteous in the bosom of Abraham;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the vision of divine things!
Kontakion 12
Thus you departed from life at the age of 126, receiving martyrdom in your old age, and through your hand the Lord delivered His people, being a great prophet and faithful in your visions, serving God unceasingly: Alleluia!
Ikos 12
Being a fruitful vine of the words incarnate from God, you drew back the sun and added days to the life of the faithful emperor, seeing with your spirit the end and bringing comfort to those who mourned, therefore, on the Holy Day of the Lord’s Resurrection, you ascended to the most desired Heaven, where we pray you to intercede for us to reach:
Rejoice, for your body was buried at the spring of Siloam;
Rejoice, for a bath was built in that place;
Rejoice, for once a year the Angel of the Lord stirs the water, so that the first to enter may be healed;
Rejoice, for there the man born blind received his sight through the mercy of Christ the Lord;
Rejoice, for the Savior sent him to the water to wash his eyes of the clay made from spittle;
Rejoice, for you have shown from Zion and forever what will be and what is hidden;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the sight of divine things!
Kontakion 13
Holy Prophet Isaiah, examine us with the Grace of God and open our eyes to understand what the Lord shows us, help our minds to penetrate spiritual mysteries, open our hearts from hardness so that they may receive the Holy Spirit who speaks, and do not let us perish in sin, but lead us to the harbor of salvation, adding to our days as many as are necessary to be received into the Kingdom of God, where life is eternal: Alleluia!
This Kontakion is said 3 times.
Ikos 1
The Creator of Angels enlightened you to speak with Him, and being a partaker of the spiritual mysteries received through revelation, you became a guiding light to the world, Holy Isaiah, becoming divine during your earthly life, and we call upon you:
Rejoice, trumpet of the Holy Spirit;
Rejoice, nourisher of the Church;
Rejoice, Evangelist of the Old Testament;
Rejoice, herald of the New Testament;
Rejoice, you who have penetrated the inexpressible mysteries of the Word;
Rejoice, receiver of all enlightening light of the mind;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the vision of divine things!
Kontakion 1
To the one who prophesied of Christ the Lord, the much-praised Rock of Zion who was to be placed at the head of the corner to unite the world into one, we sing these words of praise to the Holy Prophet Isaiah, for seeing through divine revelation the beauty of the Throne of the Holy Trinity, he now sits at the feet of the One He proclaimed and hears our prayers: Rejoice, Holy Prophet Isaiah, and lift us up to heavenly heights to gain the vision of the divine!
Prayer to Holy Prophet Isaiah
To the one who called us to walk in the Light of the Lord, who ascended the steps of spiritual vision to the Throne of God, becoming worthy of the chosen reign of the Holy Spirit, we pray with humility and faith to the Holy Prophet Isaiah.
Look, Saintly One, upon the pain of our souls and untie the troubles that have surrounded us, give us wisdom to put our hope only in God and not in men, to choose only what is good and pleasing to Him, to avoid the short path that leads us to destruction, and to drink from the Living Water of grace that opens minds and inflames prayer in hearts that seek only the Lord forever.
We are not worthy to ask for anything because our sins have bound us like chains, but we call upon you, Saintly One, to intercede with God to send us angels of counsel, guardians, guides, healers, and defenders, so that we may be freed from temptation and be able to discern with a clear mind in the war of confusion that the devil wages in our minds, bringing doubt about what is good and what is evil and thereby seeking to lead us to downfall and despair.
Descend from on high to us with the Holy Seraphim who nourished you with the burning coal of spiritual purity and open the way for us to Holy Communion, that we may be filled with the Body and Blood of Christ for the health of body and soul and for life in the Light, for only thus will we be healed of our passions, and only thus will we succeed in receiving the divine gifts that you, Holy Isaiah, bring us at the right time, so that we may serve God with joy and faith, for His is the Glory, Honor, and Magnificence, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever. Amen.
