Akathist to the Holy and Righteous Patriarch Isaac

For all Akathists published on our site, click here. This Akathist was translated by Maxim, who kindly asks all Orthodox Christians to keep him in their prayers for his repentance. Original source at the bottom. Explore more prayer: Akathists to Prophets and Old Testament Saints , Patriarchs and Forefathers

Feast Days: August 21 and the Sunday of the Forefathers, second Sunday before Christmas

Kontakion 1
Chosen by God as the son of promise, born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age according to the word of the Lord, you who were offered in obedience on Mount Moriah and received back as from the dead, Holy Patriarch Isaac, intercede with the God of your fathers for us who sing to you: Rejoice, Isaac, beloved son and gentle patriarch, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Ikos 1
The Lord appeared to Abraham and promised a son through whom nations would be blessed; you, Isaac, were named by God Himself before your birth, a laughter of joy in barrenness turned to fulfillment. Marveling at this divine election, we cry out:
Rejoice, child of the covenant and heir of the promise;
Rejoice, born when hope seemed lost to human eyes;
Rejoice, sign of God’s power over nature and age;
Rejoice, through whom the seed of blessing advanced;
Rejoice, Isaac, son of laughter and faith.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 2
When the appointed time came, Sarah bore you, and Abraham called your name Isaac as the Lord had commanded; the household rejoiced at the fulfillment of the word spoken at the oaks of Mamre. To God Who works wonders we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 2
Weaned in due season and growing under the gaze of your father, you became the beloved son in whom the covenant rested. Seeing your life of quiet obedience, we praise you thus:
Rejoice, cherished son who brought joy to your parents’ old age;
Rejoice, living proof that nothing is too hard for the Lord;
Rejoice, inheritor of the land and the blessing;
Rejoice, link in the chain from Abraham to Israel;
Rejoice, you who dwelt in tents as a sojourner with faith;
Rejoice, Isaac, gentle bearer of the patriarchal line.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 3
Abraham was commanded to take you, his only son whom he loved, to the land of Moriah and offer you as a burnt offering. You went willingly, bearing the wood upon your shoulders, prefiguring the Lamb of God. To the Lord of obedience we cry: Alleluia!

Ikos 3
Bound upon the altar and laid upon the wood, you submitted in perfect trust as your father raised the knife; the angel of the Lord stayed his hand and provided a ram. In awe of your faith we proclaim:
Rejoice, willing victim who did not resist your father;
Rejoice, offered in total surrender to God’s will;
Rejoice, received back alive as in a figure of resurrection;
Rejoice, type of Christ Who would one day be sacrificed;
Rejoice, through whom Abraham’s faith was perfected;
Rejoice, Isaac, whose binding blessed all generations.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 4
After the trial on Moriah, you were comforted and continued in the ways of your father. When the time came to seek a wife, Abraham sent his servant to his kindred, and you received Rebekah who comforted you after your mother’s death. To the God Who orders all things we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 4
Rebekah became your wife, and you loved her; in her barrenness you entreated the Lord on her behalf, and He granted twins. Praising your prayerful life we say:
Rejoice, faithful husband who loved his wife dearly;
Rejoice, intercessor who prayed earnestly for offspring;
Rejoice, father to Esau and Jacob according to the Lord’s purpose;
Rejoice, you who received the divine oracle that the elder would serve the younger;
Rejoice, keeper of the household in peace and provision;
Rejoice, Isaac, model of spousal love and paternal prayer.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 5
Famine came upon the land, and you went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. There you sowed in that land and reaped a hundredfold, for the Lord blessed you. To the Provider of abundance we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 5
You dug wells as your father had done, facing strife yet persisting in peace; the Lord appeared to you at Beersheba and renewed the oath sworn to Abraham. Therefore we glorify you:
Rejoice, sojourner who trusted God in every land;
Rejoice, farmer blessed with plentiful harvest;
Rejoice, digger of wells that brought forth living water;
Rejoice, peacemaker who avoided conflict with the Philistines;
Rejoice, recipient of fresh divine assurances;
Rejoice, Isaac, whose prosperity witnessed to the Lord’s favor.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 6
Your eyes grew dim with age, and the time came to bless your sons. Though deceived in the matter of the birthright blessing, the word stood according to God’s foreknowledge. To the God Who sovereignly chooses we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 6
You blessed Jacob with the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth, and to Esau you gave a lesser yet real blessing. Contemplating divine providence we cry:
Rejoice, patriarch whose blessing carried eternal weight;
Rejoice, you through whom the promises flowed to Jacob;
Rejoice, vessel of God’s electing mercy;
Rejoice, father who honored the divine word despite human frailty;
Rejoice, whose life closed in the assurance of covenant faithfulness;
Rejoice, Isaac, bridge between promise and its unfolding.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 7
At the end of your days, full of years, you were gathered to your people and buried by your sons Esau and Jacob in the cave of Machpelah with Abraham and Sarah. Now dwelling with the righteous forefathers, you join in the eternal hymn: Alleluia!

Ikos 7
Gathering the virtues of your life—obedience, prayer, patience, faith, and peace—we who live in these latter days turn to you, Holy Isaac, asking your intercession before the throne of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob:
Rejoice, son of promise who trusted unto offering;
Rejoice, husband and father who walked in covenant ways;
Rejoice, well-digger whose springs still speak of blessing;
Rejoice, type of the obedient Son offered for the world;
Rejoice, patriarch whose quiet strength sustained the line;
Rejoice, you who now behold the face of the Lord in glory;
Rejoice, Isaac, righteous forefather and intercessor.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 8
Seeing the divine promises preserved through you, O Isaac, we behold the continuity of God’s covenant from Abraham to Jacob and the twelve tribes. Though your eyes were dim, your spiritual vision remained clear, beholding the future of Israel. To the God of the unending covenant we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 8
You stand as the vital link in the holy chain of patriarchs, neither initiating nor concluding the covenant but faithfully carrying it forward. Therefore we glorify you with these praises:
Rejoice, steadfast guardian of the patriarchal succession;
Rejoice, bridge between the first promise and its multiplication;
Rejoice, father whose house became the cradle of Israel;
Rejoice, you whose lineage prepared the way for the Messiah;
Rejoice, quiet strength in the unfolding of salvation history;
Rejoice, Isaac, whose life was woven into God’s eternal plan.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 9
Your wells, once stopped by the Philistines, were reopened by your servants and named in peace: Esek, Sitnah, Rehoboth, and finally Beersheba — “Well of the Oath.” In every place you sought not strife but room to dwell and worship. To the God of peace we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 9
You taught us by example to dig deep in arid lands and to persist until the Lord grants spaciousness. Praising your patience we cry aloud:
Rejoice, restorer of your father’s wells of blessing;
Rejoice, peacemaker who yielded ground rather than quarrel;
Rejoice, founder of altars wherever the Lord appeared;
Rejoice, dweller in tents who claimed no earthly city;
Rejoice, you whose oath-bound wells still speak of covenant fidelity;
Rejoice, Isaac, whose life flowed with living water from above.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 10
In the mystery of your offering on Moriah, the Church beholds a radiant prefiguration of Christ’s Passion: the beloved son carrying the wood, ascending the mountain, and willingly laid upon the altar. To the Lord prefigured in your obedience we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 10
O wondrous type of the Only-Begotten Son! Your silence and submission proclaim the mystery of redemption. With awe we sing to you:
Rejoice, living icon of the Lamb led to sacrifice;
Rejoice, son who prefigured the Father’s offering of His Beloved;
Rejoice, bound upon the wood yet not consumed by fire;
Rejoice, received again as a sign of resurrection hope;
Rejoice, through whom the faithful contemplate Christ’s obedience;
Rejoice, Isaac, most pure image of the coming Savior.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 11
When your earthly course was completed, you breathed your last, full of days, and were laid to rest in the cave of Machpelah beside Abraham and Sarah. Your sons, though divided in life, united to honor you in death. To the God Who grants rest to the righteous we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 11
Now you rejoice in the bosom of Abraham with all the holy forefathers, beholding in glory the fulfillment of the promises once given to you. Therefore we entreat you:
Rejoice, patriarch gathered to your people in peace;
Rejoice, dweller in the heavenly Machpelah of the saints;
Rejoice, you who intercede for all who call upon the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;
Rejoice, citizen of the City whose builder and maker is God;
Rejoice, heir of the better country that is heavenly;
Rejoice, Isaac, radiant among the righteous forefathers.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 12
O holy Isaac, as we contemplate your entire life of faith, obedience, prayer, patience, and blessing, we beseech you to stand before the throne of the Most High and offer our petitions. Help us to walk worthily in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham and your own. To the Triune God, glorified in His saints, we sing: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Ikos 12
Gathering together all your virtues and the grace granted to you by God, we offer this final hymn of praise:
Rejoice, son of promise and child of laughter;
Rejoice, obedient offering and type of Christ;
Rejoice, prayerful husband and father of two nations;
Rejoice, digger of wells and sower of hundredfold harvest;
Rejoice, peacemaker and bearer of covenant blessing;
Rejoice, gentle patriarch whose faith never wavered;
Rejoice, you who now shine in the Kingdom with Abraham and Jacob;
Rejoice, powerful intercessor before the God of the living.
Rejoice, Holy Patriarch Isaac, pray for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion 13
O holy and righteous Patriarch Isaac, beloved son of Abraham and Sarah, offered in faith and glorified by God! Accept this our humble Akathist as a song of thanksgiving and supplication. Intercede unceasingly for us before the God of your fathers, that we may inherit the incorruptible blessings of the age to come and together with you sing eternally: Alleluia!

Kontakion 13 is repeated three times.

Then repeat Kontakion 1

First Prayer to Patriarch Isaac
O holy Patriarch Isaac, you who were offered in faith and received back in mercy, who prayed for your wife and blessed your sons according to God’s will, intercede for us before the God of our fathers. Grant us a measure of your obedience, the fruitfulness of your prayer, and the peace that marked your days, that we too may inherit the eternal promises in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory forever. Amen.

Second Prayer to the Holy Patriarch Isaac
O holy and righteous Patriarch Isaac, beloved son of Abraham and Sarah, whom God named “Laughter” before your birth and gave as the child of promise in their old age, hear our prayer. You who walked in obedience with your father to Mount Moriah, carrying the wood of sacrifice upon your shoulders, and willingly offered yourself according to the will of God; you who were received back from the altar as a sign of life from the dead — intercede for us, that we too may offer ourselves living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord. You who prayed earnestly for your wife Rebekah when she was barren, and the Lord granted you twin sons according to His purpose; you who dug wells in the wilderness, persevered through strife, and found the place of Rehoboth and Beersheba where the Lord appeared to you and renewed the covenant — pray for us, that in our dryness and conflicts we may also find the living water of God’s blessing and peace. You who blessed your sons with the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth, and whose blessing could not be revoked, beseech the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to grant us the heavenly blessing that does not pass away. O gentle Patriarch, full of days, who was gathered to your people and buried with honor in the cave of Machpelah, look with mercy upon us who call upon your name. Intercede before the throne of the Most High that we may walk in the footsteps of your faith, patience, and obedience, and at the end of our earthly sojourn be numbered among the righteous forefathers in the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, the true Seed of Abraham in Whom all the promises are fulfilled. Through the prayers of our father Abraham and your intercession, O holy Isaac, may the God of the covenant grant us mercy, peace, and eternal life. Amen.

Now pray the Prayer of Manasseh

O Lord, Almighty God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous seed; who hast made heaven and earth, with all the ornament thereof; who hast bound the sea by the word of thy commandment; who hast shut up the deep, and sealed it by thy terrible and glorious name; whom all men fear, and tremble before thy power; for the majesty of thy glory cannot be borne, and thine angry threatening toward sinners is importable: but thy merciful promise is unmeasurable and unsearchable; for thou art the most high Lord, of great compassion, longsuffering, very merciful, and repentest of the evils of men. Thou, O Lord, according to thy great goodness hast promised repentance and forgiveness to them that have sinned against thee: and of thine infinite mercies hast appointed repentance unto sinners, that they may be saved. Thou therefore, O Lord, that art the God of the just, hast not appointed repentance to the just, as to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, which have not sinned against thee; but thou hast appointed repentance unto me that am a sinner: for I have sinned above the number of the sands of the sea. My transgressions, O Lord, are multiplied: my transgressions are multiplied, and I am not worthy to behold and see the height of heaven for the multitude of mine iniquities. I am bowed down with many iron bands, that I cannot lift up mine head, neither have any release: for I have provoked thy wrath, and done evil before thee: I did not thy will, neither kept I thy commandments: I have set up abominations, and have multiplied offences. Now therefore I bow the knee of mine heart, beseeching thee of grace. I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge mine iniquities: wherefore, I humbly beseech thee, forgive me, O Lord, forgive me, and destroy me not with mine iniquites. Be not angry with me for ever, by reserving evil for me; neither condemn me to the lower parts of the earth. For thou art the God, even the God of them that repent; and in me thou wilt shew all thy goodness: for thou wilt save me, that am unworthy, according to thy great mercy. Therefore I will praise thee for ever all the days of my life: for all the powers of the heavens do praise thee, and thine is the glory for ever and ever. Amen.