Akathist To Prophet King David 1
Akathist To Prophet King David 1
Ikos 1
When Saul, the King of Israel, disobeyed the command of God,
and the Lord rejected him from being King, He sent His high
priest, the Holy Prophet Samuel, to Bethlehem of Judah, where
he took David, the least among the sons of Jesse, from among
the flocks of the fields, and anointed him King with a horn of
oil, so that the Spirit of the Lord came upon the holy youth.
Wherefore, mindful of his humility and favor before the Lord,
we cry to him:
Rejoice, you did not walk in the counsel of the
ungodly;
Rejoice, you did not stand in the way of sinners!
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Rejoice, your will was in the law of the Lord;
Rejoice, in His law you meditated day and night!
Rejoice, you were established as King by God;
Rejoice, you proclaimed His Commandments!
Rejoice, you served the Lord with fear;
Rejoice, you rejoiced in Him with trembling!
Rejoice, the Lord was your Helper and glory;
Rejoice, when you cried to Him, He heard you!
Rejoice, God destroyed all who without
cause were your enemies;
Rejoice, His blessing was ever upon you,
who put your trust in Him!
Kontakion 2
When the Spirit of God departed from King Saul, the Lord
permitted an evil spirit to trouble him. Then the servants of the
King counseled him to seek a skillful harp player, that whenever
the demon would assail him, the sweet music of the harp would
drive it off. Wherefore, Saul dispatched a messenger to Jesse in
Bethlehem, saying: "Send me David, your son, who is with the
sheep." And whenever the evil spirit vexed the King, David
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would take his harp and play; and Saul was refreshed, and the
demon departed from him, so that he cried: Alleluia!
(People sing Alleluia!)
Ikos 2
In those days, the idolatrous Philistines, enemies of God's
people, gathered their armies together to destroy Israel, and
chief among their hosts was Goliath of Gath, a giant in stature,
who challenged the mighty warriors of Saul's army to a single
combat; but in their intense fear at the sight of Goliath, they fled
from before his face. Yet though he was but a youth, David went
forth to meet the enemy, taking up five smooth stones and his
shepherd's sling, and hit the ungodly warrior with a blow to the
forehead, so that he fell dead upon the earth. Wherefore, we cry
to him:
Rejoice, you went forth against the enemy in the name of
the Lord of Hosts;
Rejoice, you brought him low in the name of the God of the
armies of Israel, Whom he had defied!
Rejoice, the Lord delivered him into your hands;
Rejoice, you destroyed him as he blasphemed the living
God.
Rejoice, through you all the people knew that the Lord
saves not with sword and spear;
Rejoice, for the battle was the Lord's and He gave it into
your hands!
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Rejoice, seeing their champion fallen, the enemies of God's
people fled;
Rejoice, the Philistines were driven out of Judah and Israel!
Rejoice, you broke asunder the bonds of the foe;
Rejoice, you cast away their yoke from the people of the
Lord!
Rejoice, the righteous wrath of God was kindled against
His enemies;
Rejoice, the Lord wrought a great salvation for all Israel!
Kontakion 3
When the Holy David returned from slaying the enemy of the
Lord, the women of Israel came forth and joyfully sang his
praises with timbrels and instruments of music; then Saul the
King was moved to envy and jealousy, and sought occasion to
slay him. But Jonathan, the son of the King, full of godly love,
made a covenant with David, to be his brother forever; and so
great was their friendship and loyalty one to another that,
pondering it, we are all moved to cry: Alleluia!
(People sing Alleluia!)
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Ikos 3
David behaved more wisely than all the servants of the King,
and his name grew in the esteem of the people; but the hatred
which Saul the King nurtured against him increased, and he
sought to slay him with a javelin. Then the righteous youth fled
from the King's presence and went to the Holy Prophet Samuel,
the high priest of the Lord; and though the King sent many to
arrest him, and at length came himself to take him, yet the Spirit
of the Lord rendered all of them unable to act. Wherefore,
perceiving God's mercy toward those who set their trust in Him,
we cry:
Rejoice, when you called upon the Lord, He hearkened to
you;
Rejoice, in your affliction He enlarged you!
Rejoice, God had compassion upon you and heard your
prayers;
Rejoice, He made wondrous His holy one!
Rejoice, the light of the countenance of the Most High was
signed upon you;
Rejoice, He gave gladness to your heart!
Rejoice, the Lord alone made you to dwell in hope;
Rejoice, in peace you laid yourself down and slept!
Rejoice, when you awoke, He helped you;
Rejoice, you sacrificed a sacrifice of righteousness and
hoped in the Lord!
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Rejoice, the King of Heaven attended to the voice of your
supplications;
Rejoice, you worshiped in His Holy Tabernacle, in the fear
of Him!
Kontakion 4
When David fled from Saul the King, who unjustly desired his
death, he went to the Tabernacle of the Lord, to the Priest
Ahimelech, and asked him for bread for himself and his
companions in flight; and the pious priest, seeing his need, gave
him all that he had - the hallowed loaves of showbread, which
had been sanctified and offered in sacrifice to the Most High -
and they ate. This deed our Savior Jesus Christ in latter times
recounts, rebuking the hypocritical Pharisees, who had accused
Him and His disciples of violating the law of God; for blinded
by their malice, they were incapable of singing: Alleluia!
(People sing Alleluia!)
Ikos 4
As David hid from Saul, many joined him in the wilderness to
share his privations; but when the King learned that Ahimelech
the priest and those with him had given David food and a sword,
he accused them of treason and commanded his henchman to
slay them all, eighty-five in number. But when he heard of this
crime, David lamented the slaughter of the innocent ministers of
God, and took the son of Ahimelech under his protection to
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safeguard him. Wherefore, mindful of his reverence for the
priests of God and his compassion for the bereaved, we cry:
Rejoice, you in your filial love hid your parents from
the wrath of Saul;
Rejoice, you straightway obeyed the divine
command which the Prophet Gad delivered to
you!
Rejoice, you lamented the death of the priests slain by Saul
on your account;
Rejoice, you gave refuge to Abiathar, who survived
the slaughter!
Rejoice, the Lord guided you in the ways of His
righteousness;
Rejoice, because of your enemies, He made straight your
way before Him!
Rejoice, He saved you from those who persecuted you and
delivered you;
Rejoice, righteous was your help from God, Who saves all
who are upright of heart!
Rejoice, you gave praise to the Lord according to His
righteousness;
Rejoice, you ever chanted to the name of the Lord Most
High!
Rejoice, you confessed the Lord with your whole heart;
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Rejoice, you told of all His wonders!
Kontakion 5
Learning that David was in the wilderness of En-Gedi, Saul took
an army and went forth in pursuit of him. But David and his
followers hid themselves from the wrath of the King in a certain
cave. Now when Saul entered this very cave, to use it as a privy,
the men of David sought to persuade him to slay the King; yet
David would not lift his hand against the Lord's anointed, but
instead stealthily cut off the back part of Saul's robe, and later,
displaying the cloth as proof, declared from afar his innocence
of the treason of which the King thought him guilty. Wherefore,
marveling at his patience and forbearance, we cry: Alleluia!
(People sing Alleluia!)
Ikos 5
Another time, Saul again set out with his army to take David and
his men, and they encamped in the wilderness of Ziph. But
David, who saw them from afar, waited until all were asleep,
and penetrated the guard, and came upon the King asleep, with
his spear planted in the ground next to his head. Then David's
companion urged him to slay the sleeping King, but David said:
"Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, and
be guiltless?"; and he took instead Saul's spear and cruse of
water, and afterwards cried out from afar that he was guiltless of
all enmity towards the King, displaying the spear and cruse as
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proof. Wherefore, honoring his piety, we cry aloud such things
as these:
Rejoice, you were glad and rejoiced in the Lord;
Rejoice, you chanted to the name of the Most
High!
Rejoice, you declared all the praises of God in the
gates of the daughter of Zion;
Rejoice, you walked blameless and work
righteousness, speaking truth in your heart!
Rejoice, you said to the Lord: You are my Lord;
Rejoice, the Lord was the portion of your inheritance
and of your cup.
Rejoice, in you and all the saints that are on His earth,
has the Lord been wondrous;
Rejoice, He has wrought all His desires in you!
Rejoice, you blessed the Lord Who gave you
understanding;
Rejoice, you beheld the Lord ever before you!
Rejoice, God was at your right hand, that you might
never be shaken;
Rejoice, your heart was filled with joy and your tongue
with gladness!
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Rejoice, O Holy King and Prophet David, you ancestor of
God and singer of His praises!
Kontakion 6
In those days, the Philistines again rose up against Israel, and
prevailed in battle; and Jonathan, the friend of David, was slain;
and Saul the King, filled with despair, fell upon his sword. And
the godless infidels conquered and inhabited the cities of Israel.
But when David heard of the slaughter from one who escaped,
he mourned and wept, and rent his garments, and fasted for Saul
and Jonathan, and all the fallen. But the Lord God commanded
David to go to the city of Hebron, from where the men of Judah
came, and anointed David King. And all cried out to the
Almighty: Alleluia! (People sing Alleluia!)
Ikos 6
As David found favor with the Most High, his wisdom and skill
increased; but the house of Saul waned in power. Wherefore,
David became King over all Judah and Israel, and established
Jerusalem, even Zion, as his city, and here he brought the Ark of
the Covenant. And so great was his joy and zeal that he danced
in ecstasy before the Ark, clad only in a linen cloth, with
jubilation and the sound of the trumpet, and offered sacrifice to
the Lord in thanksgiving. Wherefore, mindful of his surpassing
love for the God of Israel, we cry to him such things as these:
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Rejoice, you blessed your people in the
name of God;
Rejoice, you offered up burnt offerings
before the Lord!
Rejoice, you longed to build a Temple for
the Most High;
Rejoice, your throne the Almighty vowed
to establish forever!
Rejoice, you conquered all the nations
which threatened the people of God;
Rejoice, you destroyed Moab and the
Syrians of Damascus!
Rejoice, you subdued Edom and the
Ammonites;
Rejoice, the Lord preserved you wherever
you went!
Rejoice, you exercised justice and righteousness to all
your people;
Rejoice, you loved the Lord with all your strength!
Rejoice, the Lord was your Foundation, your Refuge
and your Deliverer;
Rejoice, He led you forth into a spacious place!
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Rejoice, O Holy King and Prophet David, you ancestor of
God and singer of His Praises!
Kontakion 7
After David established his rule throughout Israel, he inquired:
"Is there yet any who is left of the house of Saul, that I may
show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" And one who had
served in Saul's household said to King David: "Jonathan has yet
a son, Mephibosheth, who is lame in his feet." Then, full of joy,
the King sent and fetched to his court the son of his sworn
brother, and gave over to him all that had belonged to Saul and
his house, and provided him with sustenance daily at the royal
table, as though he were one of his own sons. And marveling at
his generosity and loving-kindness, we cry out to God: Alleluia!
(People sing Alleluia!)
Ikos 7
Overcome by lust, David sinned with Bathsheba, the wife of
Uriah, one of his warriors, and she conceived his child; then, to
cover his sin, he had the man sent into the forefront of the battle
against the Ammonites, where he was slain by the enemy; and
David took the widow as his wife. But Nathan, the Prophet of
the Most High, rebuked the King by a parable, and mindful of
the magnitude of the evil he had wrought in the sight of God,
David said: "I have sinned against the Lord", and he repented his
iniquity. Wherefore, in thanksgiving for the words of penitence
which he has bequeathed to us, we cry:
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Rejoice, God had mercy on you, according to
His great mercy;
Rejoice, according to the multitude of His
Compassions, He blotted out your transgression!
Rejoice, He washed you thoroughly from
your iniquity;
Rejoice, He cleansed you from your sin!
Rejoice, the hidden and secret things of the
Lord's wisdom, He made manifest to you;
Rejoice, He sprinkled you with hyssop, and
you were made clean!
Rejoice, the Most High washed you and you
were made whiter than snow;
Rejoice, the Almighty made you to hear joy
and gladness!
Rejoice, He turned His face away from your
sins;
Rejoice, He blotted out all your iniquities!
Rejoice, God created in you a clean heart and
renewed a right spirit within you;
Rejoice, He did not cast you away from His presence,
nor did He take His Holy Spirit from you!
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Rejoice, O Holy King and Prophet David, you ancestor of
God and singer of His Praises!
Kontakion 8
When Nathan the Prophet denounced David for his sin, he
declared to him the sentence of the Lord, saying: "I will rise up
evil against you out of your own house, and the sword shall
never depart from you." And the words of the Lord were
fulfilled in David's sons, Absalom and Amnon; for the one slew
the other and fled, and rose up against his father, to usurp his
throne; and David in sadness was compelled to abandon
Jerusalem his city. Yet his trust was in the Lord his God, and he
did not cease to chant continually: Alleluia!
(People sing Alleluia!)
Ikos 8
David departed from Jerusalem, and Absalom, his son, entered
the city and the King's palace, and set himself up to rule in his
stead; and he dishonored his father's house. And this unworthy
son dared also to assemble a mighty army to pursue his father,
and there was a great battle, and Joab the general slew the
hapless rebel; but David, when he heard this, covered his face,
and wept bitterly, saying: "O Absalom, my son, my son
Absalom! I would have died for you, O Absalom, my son, my
son!" Wherefore, marveling at your paternal love, we cry to you:
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Rejoice, you acknowledged the evil which
you had done before God;
Rejoice, He restored to you the joy of His salvation!
Rejoice, with His governing Spirit, He establish
you;
Rejoice, you taught transgressors the ways of the
Lord!
Rejoice, through your zeal the ungodly turned back
to Him;
Rejoice, the Most High delivered you from your
blood-guiltiness!
Rejoice, your tongue rejoiced in His righteousness;
Rejoice, He opened your lips, and your mouth
declared His praise!
Rejoice, your broken spirit was a sacrifice to God;
Rejoice, your contrite and humbled heart He did not
despise!
Rejoice, in His good pleasure, the Lord did good to
Zion;
Rejoice, He was pleased with your sacrifice of
righteousness, with your oblation and whole-burnt
offerings!
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Rejoice, O Holy King and Prophet David, you ancestor of
God and singer of His Praises!
Kontakion 9
When David was full of years, the Philistines again rose up
against Israel, and foremost among them were the sons of the
giant Goliath, whom the King had slain in his youth. But the
armies of the people of God prevailed in battle, and David
extolled the Lord of hosts, crying melodiously: Alleluia!
(People sing Alleluia!)
Ikos 9
Lifting up his voice in thanksgiving to the Most High, David the
King chanted in sweet psalmody, saying: "I will give thanks to
You, O Lord, among the nations, and I will sing praises to Your
name!" And his lips were filled with gratitude for the God of
Jacob, Who was for him a tower of salvation, and showed mercy
to His anointed, to David and to his seed. Wherefore, grateful
also for the Psalms he has bequeathed us, we cry to him:
Rejoice, the Lord delivered you out of the hands of all your
enemies;
Rejoice, He is your Rock and your Fortress and your
Deliverer!
Rejoice, He is your Shield and the Horn of your Salvation;
Rejoice, He is your High Tower, your Refuge and Savior!
Rejoice, when your enemies came upon you in the day of
calamity, the Lord was your stay;
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Rejoice, He delivered you because He delighted in you!
Rejoice, He has rewarded you according to your
righteousness;
Rejoice, He has recompensed you according to the
cleanness of your hands!
Rejoice, you kept the ways of the Lord;
Rejoice, you did not depart from your God!
Rejoice, you were upright before the Most High.
Rejoice, you kept yourself from your iniquity!
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Rejoice, your eyes looked down upon the enemies of His
people!
Rejoice, you waited for God, Who saved you from
faintheartedness and from a tempest;
Rejoice, evening, morning and noonday, you told of
the mercy of the Lord and He heard your voice!
Ikos 11
Then David summoned Solomon his heir, and all the princes of
Judah and Israel, and said: "The Word of the Lord came to me,
saying: 'You have shed blood abundantly, and have made great
wars; you shall not build a house to My name. Behold, a son
shall be born to you, who shall be a man of peace: he shall build
a house for My name.'" And he said to the princes of Israel:
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"Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord Your God;
arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to
bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and the Holy Vessels
of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the
Lord." Wherefore, marveling at his love and zeal for the Most
High, we cry to him:
Rejoice, in God you commended your words, in God you
set your hope;
Rejoice, your life you declared to Him!
Rejoice, you kept watch for the Lord, your Helper;
Rejoice, He made His mercy manifest to you among your
enemies!
Rejoice, you shall dwell in His Tabernacle to the ages;
Rejoice, you shall be sheltered in the shelter of His wings!
Rejoice, you shall abide before the face of God in the age
to come;
Rejoice, you shall chant eternally to His name to the ages!
Rejoice, you appeared before Him in His sanctuary to see
His power and His glory;
Rejoice, you remembered the Lord upon your bed and at
dawn you meditated upon Him!
Rejoice, your soul cleaved onto the Most High;
Rejoice, His right hand was quick to help you!
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Rejoice, O Holy King and Prophet David, you ancestor of
God and singer of His Praises!
Kontakion 12
Taking up his Psaltery, David the King received inspiration from
the All-Holy Spirit, and chanted prophetically concerning the
coming of the Messiah, Who is his descendent according to the
flesh, His Baptism, His Suffering on the Cross and Death, His
Resurrection and Ascension. Wherefore, obedient to His
command, we chant with understanding to the Lord Who filled
his mouth with praise: Alleluia! (People sing Alleluia!)
Ikos 12
Casting ahead the gaze of his prophetic eyes, the Prophet King
declared to God: "Out of the mouths of babes and newborns
have You perfected praise", foreseeing the Lord's triumphal
entry into Zion; and perceiving from afar the hatred of the
Scribes and Sadducees for Him, he said: "The rulers were
assembled together, against the Lord." And truly beholding His
voluntary sufferings, he prophesied the very words Christ
uttered upon the Cross, saying: "My God, why have You
forsaken Me? They have parted My garments among
themselves, and for My vesture they have cast lots. They have
pierced My hands and My feet. They gave Me gall for My food,
and for My thirst they gave Me vinegar." Wherefore, full of awe
at the divine grace imparted to him, we say:
Rejoice, you cried: "Let God arise!";
Rejoice, you said: "Let His enemies be scattered!"
Rejoice, you exclaimed: "You led captivity captive";
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Rejoice, you declared: "Now I will arise, said the Lord!"
Rejoice, you shouted: "God is gone up in jubilation!";
Rejoice, you have said: "The Lord Ascended with the voice
of the trumpet!"
Rejoice, you cried to the Heavens: "Lift up your gates, and
the King of Glory shall enter in!";
Rejoice, you declared to the Angels: "The Lord of Hosts,
He is the King of Glory!"
Rejoice, you blessed the name of the Glory of God forever;
Rejoice, you confessed Him among the peoples with
instruments of Psalmody!
Rejoice, the Lord Almighty has comforted you;
Rejoice, out of the depths of the earth He brought you up!
Kontakion 13
(To be read three times)
Blessed are you, O Holy King and Prophet David, for the All-
Holy Spirit, abiding within you, filled your mouth with the
praises of the Most High, and by your inspired words teach us
how to rightly worship the Consubstantial Trinity! For evening,
morning and at noontide, seven times a day, our divine
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glorification begins, proceeds and concludes with your
wondrous Psalms. Wherefore, following your marvelous works,
we all cry out to God: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! (People sing
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!)
Ikos 1
When Saul, the King of Israel, disobeyed the command of God,
and the Lord rejected him from being King, He sent His high
priest, the Holy Prophet Samuel, to Bethlehem of Judah, where
he took David, the least among the sons of Jesse, from among
the flocks of the fields, and anointed him King with a horn of
oil, so that the Spirit of the Lord came upon the holy youth.
Wherefore, mindful of his humility and favor before the Lord,
we cry to him.
Rejoice, you did not walk in the counsel of the
ungodly;
Rejoice, you did not stand in the way of sinners!
Rejoice, your will was in the law of the Lord;
Rejoice, in His law you meditated day and night!
Rejoice, you were established as King by God;
Rejoice, you proclaimed His Commandments!
Rejoice, you served the Lord with fear;
Rejoice, you rejoiced in Him with trembling!
Rejoice, the Lord was your Helper and glory;
Rejoice, when you cried to Him, He heard
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you!
Rejoice, God destroyed all who without cause were
your enemies.
Rejoice, His blessing was ever upon you,
who put your trust in Him!
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Glorifying God Through His Light
50 Hour Prayer Vigil
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