For all Akathists published on our site, click here. This Akathist was recently provided in English by Maxim, who kindly asks all Orthodox Christians to keep him in their prayers for his repentance.
Feast Day: December 18
Kontakion 1
To him who had golden lips, thoughtful thoughts, wise words, and a mind elevated to hear the Word of God, who in the days of the Holy Prophet and King David brought humility to the hearts of those who sinned, we offer this prayer to the Holy Prophet Nathan. And you, Holy Nathan, wonderful among prophets, receive this sacrifice and pray for us who honor you: Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Ikos 1
Let all creation rejoice in the Love of our Father, God the Heavenly Father of all that is seen and of the Heavenly Powers, Who molded clay from His Hands and breathed the Holy Spirit upon it, for behold, the enlivened clay called the Holy Prophet Nathan was fruitful, not barren like his forefather Adam, and brought glory to his Creator through his faithful and wise conduct, and we humbly cry out to him:
Rejoice, Holy Prophet of the Old Testament;
Rejoice, glorious servant of the Lord God;
Rejoice, humble voice calling to repentance;
Rejoice, enlightened in words;
Rejoice, with the joy of those who have heard the Word from Heaven;
Rejoice, receptive vessel of divine destiny;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 2
You were born in the land of Judea, Holy Prophet Nathan, chosen by God to be the trumpet of truth and the preacher of His Will, and you joyfully accepted to serve Him with all your heart: Alleluia!
Ikos 2
Receiving the obedience to be one of the four prophets at the court of Saint King David, you strove with all your strength to be a reliable helper to him, but you preferred to remain hidden rather than show yourself as a great prophet, and we honor you thus:
Rejoice, humble defender of the Law;
Rejoice, fervent servant of God;
Rejoice, devoted servant of the Lord;
Rejoice, for He has entrusted you with a difficult mission;
Rejoice, for wisdom has overflowed in abundance;
Rejoice, steadfast in faith;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 3
Although you wished to remain silent, God entrusted you with the role of being Saint David’s teacher in following the faith and knowing His Law, so that he might lead the Jewish people with spiritual discernment and seeking in all things the power of the Lawgiver: Alleluia!
Ikos 3
Saint David, anointed as the first king of the Jews by the Holy Prophet Samuel, once sat and pondered, and received the thought to build the first stone temple dedicated to God, because until then all services were performed in tents, as the Holy Prophet Moses had written:
Rejoice, for you, Holy Nathan, were present;
Rejoice, for you encouraged Saint David;
Rejoice, for you told him that this work was pleasing to God;
Rejoice, for the king rejoiced;
Rejoice, for it was a prophetic thought;
Rejoice, for Saint David spoke from the enlightenment of his mind;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 4
But coming at night, Holy Nathan, God spoke to you and told you that His Will was that not David but his son should build His temple, because he had his hands stained with the blood of his enemies, and you ran immediately to bring this news to the king: Alleluia!
Ikos 4
You did not fear the wrath of King David, Holy Prophet, for you told him in detail all the words of God, and you did not even try to cover up the blessing you had given him the day before, because He who commands is the Lord, and He has the last word, and we worship:
Rejoice, for truth was your weapon and shield;
Rejoice, for you did not twist God’s Will;
Rejoice, for you accepted God’s Providence;
Rejoice, for you teach us to distinguish between His Voice and our own will;
Rejoice, for you give us the strength to confess those who are from God;
Rejoice, for you drive away the fear of retaliation;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 5
After some time had passed, King David fell into great sin, killing Uriah and taking his wife Bathsheba to be his wife, who at the time of Uriah’s death was already pregnant with David’s child, and God watched everything from Heaven: Alleluia!
Ikos 5
Learning of this through enlightenment from Above, Holy Nathan, and knowing that news of these sins had spread among the Jewish people and the camps of their enemies, you wanted to go quickly to Saint David to reveal God’s wrath to him, but you had temptations:
Rejoice, that the unclean one delayed you from intervening;
Rejoice, that he placed the naked body of a murdered man in your path;
Rejoice, that he forced you to deal with this first;
Rejoice, that you sought out the guilty party and did justice;
Rejoice, that you waited patiently for the moment of truth;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 6
Finally arriving at the king’s chamber, you chose the path of skillful speech, knowing that a warm and appropriate word is better at opening a heart to see its sin than rebuke and reproach, for which we praise you: Alleluia!
Ikos 6
You told King David a parable about a rich man who sacrificed the poor man’s sheep to feed his guests, even though he himself had many sheep, and the king immediately passed judgment that the rich man should be put to death and return the sheep fourfold:
Rejoice, for you, Holy Nathan, told him that he was the rich man;
Rejoice, for Saint David immediately saw his fall;
Rejoice, for he had been in sin for almost a year;
Rejoice, for he had been blinded by carnal passion;
Rejoice, for out of your love, Holy One, he received the truth;
Rejoice, skilled in prophecy;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 7
You told the Prophet David that God had accepted his repentance, Holy Nathan, but nevertheless the punishment He had decided upon was the death of his male child, conceived in sin while Bathsheba was still the wife of Uriah, for God is both merciful and just: Alleluia!
Ikos 7
King David clothed himself in sackcloth and poured ashes on his head, he did not rest on his bed for seven days and did not taste food, for his sins weighed on him more than a mountain rock and the thought of losing his child cut his heart like a sword, and we pray to you with tears, Holy Nathan:
Rejoice, you who proclaim the end of iniquity;
Rejoice, humble defender of holy things;
Rejoice, for the commandment of the Lord is “Thou shalt not kill!”;
Rejoice, for God hears the cry of spilled blood;
Rejoice, for He vindicates the innocent at the right time;
Rejoice, for you, Holy One, were sent to correct your king;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 8
After seven days of mourning, the child died, and Saint David, hearing this, was saddened, but then took off his clothes of repentance, dressed in his royal robes, asked for food to be brought to him, and then wrote Psalm 50, the most penetrating Psalm of repentance in the entire Psalter, so that God would forgive his transgressions: Alleluia!
Ikos 8
The punishment for murder and adultery in those days, according to the law left by Moses, was death, and the same punishment would have followed the Prophet David, but he, overcome by your gentleness, Holy Nathan, and by the wisdom with which you made him see the truth about himself, dared to ask the Lord to change the punishment from death to the reception of a humble spirit and a contrite heart:
Rejoice, for thanks to your love, the Psalm of repentance was born in the heart of Saint David;
Rejoice, for its verses appease the wrath of the Lord;
Rejoice, for the legacy of the Psalms has remained for thousands of years;
Rejoice, for even now Psalm 50 saves us from destruction;
Rejoice, for God does not desire the death of the sinner;
Rejoice, for He desires him to return and be alive;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 9
You did not despise your king, Holy Nathan, because although Saint David was known as a righteous man, without blemish, without fault, a good knower of God’s Law, when you saw him fall, you did not abandon him, but prayed even more fervently to the Lord for him, that his soul might not be lost, approaching the sinner with reverence and sin with determination, so that the sinner might be corrected and sin might cease: Alleluia!
Ikos 9
You were a true surgeon, Saint Nathan, binding the guilty one to his guilty conscience, then breaking him from sin through the likeness of the parable, so that the sinner renounced his fall and you won him for the Kingdom of God. Teach us also, Saint Nathan, to learn to love our loved ones who sin, without loving sin, but working with love and sincere prayer so as not to let them be lost in the darkness of shadows and despair:
Rejoice, for you do not let contempt speak;
Rejoice, for you give us understanding;
Rejoice, for you fill our hearts with love, driving away hatred;
Rejoice, for you give us the patience of the saints;
Rejoice, for we too fall, and we too sin;
Rejoice, and grant us to see first of all our own faults;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 10
You showed loyalty to King David throughout your life, prophesying that it was God’s will that his son Solomon, born of Bathsheba after the death of his firstborn, should inherit the throne instead of Adonijah, the firstborn of his first wife, because God had so decreed: Alleluia!
Ikos 10
Then you warned the Prophet David that Adonijah had proclaimed himself king, wanting to usurp the throne promised by God to Solomon, and then David immediately anointed Solomon as king so that there would be no division in the family, and you also prophesied, Holy Nathan, that God had made a covenant that his throne would last forever:
Rejoice, faithful counselor;
Rejoice, distinguished advisor;
Rejoice, wise diplomat;
Rejoice, courageous speaker of those who are;
Rejoice, crystal stream of divine words;
Rejoice, trumpet that brings peace;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 11
You lived a life full of responsibilities, Holy Nathan, being with the Holy Prophet David throughout his life, and then after his death you remained with his son, the new king Solomon, guiding him also on the path of God’s righteousness: Alleluia!
Ikos 11
God always gave you the power to speak of things to come, for He spoke to you in person, opening Heaven and sending His Voice to your ears, which had been created to receive the Word that was later incarnated from the Virgin, and we humbly honor you:
Rejoice, offspring of the house of Jacob;
Rejoice, for the Holy Prophet David named his third son “Nathan”;
Rejoice, for from this son of his sprang the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ;
Rejoice, for your name has remained blessed forever;
Rejoice, for you were a gift from God to enlighten kings;
Rejoice, for we also pray that you enlighten our minds and hearts;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 12
Many times you confronted King David and then his son Solomon, showing them their mistakes with wisdom and tact, gently guiding them toward righteousness, and now you rejoice among the ranks of the Holy Prophets in Heaven: Alleluia!
Ikos 12
Reaching a ripe old age, you breathed your last in peace and were buried in your own land. Receiving boldness at the Throne of God, we pray to you, Holy Nathan, to hear these prayers and have mercy on us:
Rejoice, guide of those who do not see their sins;
Rejoice, helper in decisions of faith;
Rejoice, you who set the mind that has strayed from the Truth on the right path;
Rejoice, you who teach us that the Commandments of the Lord are given to be fulfilled;
Rejoice, for you help us learn to ask for forgiveness;
Rejoice, for you do not let us lose our souls, Holy One;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 13
Holy Nathan, great Prophet, defender of the faith and righteousness of God, intercede for us with the mercy of the Lord and give us the strength to distinguish good from evil, to look at our souls with courage and to have the strength to understand where we have gone wrong, so that by asking forgiveness from the Merciful God, we may receive the gift of hearing His Voice when He calls us to repentance, to the glory of the Holy Trinity: Alleluia!
This Kontakion is said 3 times.
Ikos 1
Let all creation rejoice in the Love of our Father, God the Heavenly Father of all that is seen and of the Heavenly Powers, Who molded clay from His Hands and breathed the Holy Spirit upon it, for behold, the enlivened clay called the Holy Prophet Nathan was fruitful, not barren like his forefather Adam, and brought glory to his Creator through his faithful and wise conduct, and we humbly cry out to him:
Rejoice, Holy Prophet of the Old Testament;
Rejoice, glorious servant of the Lord God;
Rejoice, humble voice calling to repentance;
Rejoice, enlightened in words;
Rejoice, with the joy of those who have heard the Word from Heaven;
Rejoice, receptive vessel of divine destiny;
Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
Kontakion 1
To him who had golden lips, thoughtful thoughts, wise words, and a mind elevated to hear the Word of God, who in the days of the Holy Prophet and King David brought humility to the hearts of those who sinned, we offer this prayer to the Holy Prophet Nathan. And you, Holy Nathan, wonderful among prophets, receive this sacrifice and pray for us who honor you: Rejoice, Holy Prophet Nathan, grant us also the power to understand the Voice of God!
PRAYER
Holy Prophet Nathan, you were a passionate mediator between God and people, for although you lived far from human glory, you were a close servant of the Holy Prophet and King David, expressing your love for him countless times, a love of truth, not of empty and flattering words, a love for his soul, not for your own well-being, a sincere and true love, such as we rarely find in our times.
You show us the value of service, which includes, when necessary, speaking the truth with love to those we strive to serve. Give us courage, Holy One, to always speak the truth, to defend the Gospel and the faith of the Holy Orthodox Church, not to fear the power of others lest we cover our eyes and become participants in lawlessness.
Help us also to keep our way to salvation, to remain untouched by the heresies of the times, to confess God at any cost, to open our ears to spiritual hearing and our eyes to the mysteries of God, to lead a life of virtue devoted to the love of people and to the Holy Trinity, so that we may fully enjoy the Kingdom of the saved, now and forever and ever. Amen.
Then Psalm 50 is said…
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
