Akathist Hymn to Saint Nicholas, Great Wonderworker

Kontakion 1

O champion wonderworker and superb servant of Christ,
thou who pourest out for all the world
the most precious myrrh of mercy
and an inexhaustible sea of miracles,
I praise thee with love, O Saint Nicholas;
and as thou art one having boldness toward the Lord,
from all dangers do thou deliver us,
that we may cry to thee:
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Ekos 1

An angel in manner though earthly by nature
did the Creator reveal thee to be;
for, foreseeing the fruitful beauty of thy soul, O most blessed Nicholas,
He taught all to cry to thee thus:
     Rejoice, thou who wast purified from thy mother’s womb!
     Rejoice, thou who wast sanctified even unto the end!
     Rejoice, thou who didst amaze thy parents by thy birth!
     Rejoice, thou who didst manifest power of soul straightway after birth!
     Rejoice, plant of the land of promise!
     Rejoice, flower of divine planting!
     Rejoice, virtuous vine of Christ’s vineyard!
     Rejoice, wonderworking tree of the paradise of Jesus!
     Rejoice, lily of paradisaical growth!
     Rejoice, myrrh of the fragrance of Christ!
     Rejoice, for through thee lamentation is banished!
     Rejoice, for through thee rejoicing is brought to pass!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 2

Seeing the effusion of thy myrrh, O divinely wise one,
our souls and bodies are enlightened,
understanding thee to be a wonderful, living source of unction, O Nicholas;
for with miracles like waters poured out through the grace of God
thou fillest them that faithfully cry unto God:
     Alleluia!

Ekos 2

Teaching incomprehensible knowledge about the Holy Trinity,
thou wast with the holy fathers in Nicea
a champion of the confession of the Orthodox Faith;
for thou didst confess the Son equal to the Father,
co-everlasting and co-enthroned,
and thou didst convict the foolish Arius.
Therefore the faithful have learned to sing to thee:
Rejoice, great pillar of piety!
     Rejoice, city of refuge for the faithful!
     Rejoice, firm stronghold of Orthodoxy!
     Rejoice, venerable vessel and praise of the Holy Trinity!
     Rejoice, thou who didst preach the Son of equal honour with the Father!
     Rejoice, thou who didst expel the demonized Arius from the council of the saints!
     Rejoice, father, glorious beauty of the fathers!
     Rejoice, wise goodness of all the divinely wise!
     Rejoice, thou who utterest fiery words!
     Rejoice, thou who guidest so well thy flock!
     Rejoice, for through thee faith is strengthened!
     Rejoice, for through thee heresy is overthrown!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 3

Through power given thee from on high
thou didst wipe away every tear from the face of those in cruel suffering,
O God-bearing Father Nicholas;
for thou wast shown to be a feeder of the hungry,
a superb pilot of those on the high seas,
a healer of the ailing,
and thou hast proved to be a helper to all that cry unto God:
     Alleluia!

Ekos 3

Truly, Father Nicholas,
a song should be sung to thee from heaven, and not from earth;
for how can a mere man proclaim the greatness of thy holiness?
But we, conquered by thy love, cry unto thee thus:
     Rejoice, model of lambs and shepherds!
     Rejoice, holy purification of morals!
     Rejoice, container of great virtues!
     Rejoice, pure and honourable abode of holiness!
     Rejoice, all-luminous lamp, beloved by all!
     Rejoice, light golden-rayed and blameless!
     Rejoice, worthy converser with angels!
     Rejoice, good guide of men!
     Rejoice, pious rule of faith!
     Rejoice, model of spiritual meekness!
     Rejoice, for through thee we are delivered from bodily passions!
     Rejoice, for through thee we are filled with spiritual delights!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 4

A storm of bewilderment confuseth our minds:
How can we worthily hymn thy wonders, O blessed Nicholas?
For no one could count them,
even though he had many tongues and willed to tell them;
but we make bold to sing to God Who is wonderfully glorified in thee:
     Alleluia!

Ekos 4

People near and far heard of the greatness of thy miracles,
O divinely-wise Nicholas,
for in the air with the delicate wings of grace
thou art accustomed to forestall those in misfortune,
quickly delivering all who cry to thee thus:
     Rejoice, deliverance from sorrow!
     Rejoice, channel of grace!
     Rejoice, dispeller of unexpected evils!
     Rejoice, planter of good desires!
     Rejoice, quick comforter of those in misfortune!
     Rejoice, dread punisher of wrongdoers!
     Rejoice, abyss of miracles poured out by God!
     Rejoice, tablets of the law of Christ written by God!
     Rejoice, strong uplifting of the fallen!
     Rejoice, support of them that stand aright!
     Rejoice, for through thee all deception is exposed!
     Rejoice, for through thee all truth is realized!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 5

Thou didst appear as a divinely-moving star,
guiding those who sailed upon the cruel sea
who were once threatened with imminent death,
if thou hadst not come to the help of those who called upon thee,
O wonderworking Saint Nicholas;
for, having forbidden the flying demons who shamelessly wanted to sink the ship,
thou didst drive them away,
and didst teach the faithful whom God saveth through thee to cry:
     Alleluia !

Ekos 5

The maidens, prepared for a dishonourable marriage because of their poverty,
saw thy great compassion to the poor, O most-blessed Father Nicholas,
when by night thou secretly gavest their aged father three bundles of gold,
hereby saving him and his daughters from falling into sin.
Wherefore, thou hearest from all thus:
     Rejoice, treasury of greatest mercy!
     Rejoice, depository of provision for people!
     Rejoice, food and consolation of those that flee unto thee!
     Rejoice, inexhaustible bread of the hungry!
     Rejoice, God-given wealth of those living in poverty on earth!
     Rejoice, speedy uplifting of paupers!
     Rejoice, quick hearing of the needy!
     Rejoice, acceptable care of the sorrowful!
     Rejoice, blameless provider for the three maidens!
     Rejoice, fervent guardian of purity!
     Rejoice, hope of the hopeless!
     Rejoice, delight of all the world!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworkerl

Kontakion 6

The whole world proclaimeth thee, O most blessed Nicholas,
as a quick intercessor in adversities;
for, oftentimes preceding those that travel by land and sail upon the sea,
thou helpest them in a single hour,
at the same time keeping from evils all that cry unto God:
     Alleluia!

Ekos 6

Thou didst shine as a living light,
bringing deliverance to the generals who received sentence to an unjust death,
who called upon thee, O good shepherd Nicholas,
when thou didst quickly appear in a dream to the emperor,
and didst terrify him and didst order him to release them unharmed.
Therefore, together with them we also gratefully cry unto thee:
     Rejoice, thou who helpest them that fervently call upon thee!
     Rejoice, thou who deliverest from unjust death!
     Rejoice, thou who preservest from false accusation!
     Rejoice, thou who destroyest the counsels of the unrighteous!
     Rejoice, thou who tearest lies to shreds like cobwebs!
     Rejoice, thou who gloriously exaltest truth!
     Rejoice, release of the innocent from their fetters!
     Rejoice, revival of the dead!
     Rejoice, revealer of righteousness!
     Rejoice, exposer of unrighteousness!
     Rejoice, for through thee the innocent were saved from the sword!
     Rejoice, for through thee they enjoyed the light!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 7

Desiring to dispel the blasphemous stench of heresy,
thou didst appear as a truly fragrant, mystical myrrh, O Nicholas;
by shepherding the people of Myra,
thou hast filled the whole world with thy gracious myrrh.
And so, dispel from us the stench of abominable sin,
that we may acceptably cry unto God.
     Alleluia!

Ekos 7

We understand thee to be a new Noah,
a guide of the ark of salvation, O holy Father Nicholas,
who drivest away the storm of all evils by thy direction,
and bringest divine calm to those that cry thus:
     Rejoice, calm harbor of the storm-tossed!
     Rejoice, sure preservation of those that are drowning!
     Rejoice, good pilot of those that sail upon the deeps!
     Rejoice, thou who rulest the raging of the sea!
     Rejoice, guidance of those in whirlwinds!
     Rejoice, warmth of those in frosts!
     Rejoice, radiance that dispellest the gloom of sorrow!
     Rejoice, light that illuminest all the ends of the earth!
     Rejoice, thou who deliverest people from the abyss of sin!
     Rejoice, thou who castest Satan into the abyss of hades!
     Rejoice, for through thee we boldly invoke the abyss of God’s compassion!
     Rejoice, for, as ones rescued through thee from the flood of wrath,
     we find peace with God!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 8

A strange wonder is thy sacred church shown to be to those that flock to thee,
O blessed Nicholas;
for, by offering in it even a small supplication,
we receive healing from great illnesses,
if only, after God, we place our hope in thee, faithfully crying aloud:
     Alleluia!

Ekos 8

Thou art truly a helper to all, O God-bearing Nicholas,
and thou hast gathered together all that flee unto thee,
for thou art a deliverer, a nourisher, and a quick healer to all on earth,
moving all to cry out in praise to thee thus:
     Rejoice, source of all kinds of healing!
     Rejoice, helper of those that suffer cruelly!
     Rejoice, dawn shining for prodigals in the night of sin!
     Rejoice, heaven-sent dew for those in the heat of labours!
     Rejoice, thou who givest prosperity to those that need it!
     Rejoice, thou who preparest an abundance for those that ask!
     Rejoice, thou who often forestallest requests!
     Rejoice, thou who restorest strength to the aged and gray-headed!
     Rejoice, convicter of many who have strayed from the true way!
     Rejoice, faithful steward of the mysteries of God!
     Rejoice, for through thee we conquer envy!
     Rejoice, for through thee we lead a moral life!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 9

Assuage all our pains, O Nicholas, our great intercessor,
dispensing gracious healings,
delighting our souls,
and gladdening the hearts
of all that fervently hasten to thee for help and cry unto God:
     Alleluia!

Ekos 9

The falsely-theorizing orators of the ungodly, we see,
were put to shame by thee, O divinely-wise Father Nicholas;
for thou didst confute Arius the blasphemer who divided the Godhead,
and Sabellius who mingled the persons of the Holy Trinity,
but thou hast strengthened us in Orthodoxy.
Therefore we cry unto thee thus:
     Rejoice, shield that defendest piety!
     Rejoice, sword that cuttest down impiety!
     Reioice teacher of the divine commandments!
     Rejoice, destroyer of impious doctrines!
     Rejoice, ladder set up by God, by which we mount to heaven!
     Rejoice, God-given protection, by which many are sheltered!
     Rejoice, thou who makest wise the unwise by thy sayings!
     Rejoice, thou who movest the slothful by thine example!
     Rejoice, inextinguishable brightness of God’s commandments!
     Rejoice, most luminous ray of the Lord’s statutes!
     Rejoice, for through thy teaching the heads of heretics are broken!
     Rejoice, for through thee the faithful are counted worthy of glory!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 10

Desiring to save thy soul,
thou didst truly subject thy body to the spirit, O our Father Nicholas;
for by silence first and by wrestling with thoughts,
thou didst add contemplation to activity,
and by contemplation thou didst acquire perfect knowledge
with which thou didst boldly converse with God and angels, always crying:
     Alleluia!

Ekos 10

Thou art a rampart, O most-blessed one, to those that praise thy miracles,
and to all that have recourse to thine intercession;
wherefore, free also us who are poor in virtue from poverty, temptations,
illness, and needs of various kinds, as we cry unto thee thus:
     Rejoice, thou who rescuest from eternal wretchedness!
     Rejoice, thou who bestowest incorruptible riches!
     Rejoice, imperishable food for those that hunger after righteousness!
     Rejoice, inexhaustible drink for those that thirst for life!
     Rejoice, thou who preservest from revolution and war!
     Rejoice, thou who freest us from chains and imprisonment!
     Rejoice, most-glorious intercessor in misfortunes!
     Rejoice, great defender in temptations!
     Rejoice, thou who hast snatched many from destruction!
     Rejoice, thou who hast kept countless numbers unharmed!
     Rejoice, for through thee sinners escape a frightful death!
     Rejoice, for through thee those that repent obtain eternal life!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 11

A song to the Most Holy Trinity didst thou bring,
surpassing others in thought, word, and deed, O most-blessed Nicholas;
for with much searching thou didst explain the precepts of the true Faith,
guiding us to sing with faith, hope, and love to the one God in Trinity:
     Alleluia!

Ekos 11

We see thee as a brilliant and inextinguishable ray
for those in the darkness of this life, O God-chosen Father Nicholas;
for with the immaterial angelic lights thou conversest
concerning the uncreated Light of the Trinity,
and thou enlightenest the souls of the faithful who cry unto thee thus:
     Rejoice, radiance of the Three-sunned Light!
     Rejoice, daystar of the unsetting Sun!
     Rejoice, lamp kindled by the Divine Flame!
     Rejoice, for thou hast quenched the demonic flame of impiety!
     Rejoice, bright preaching of the Orthodox Faith!
     Rejoice, luminous radiance of the light of the Gospel!
     Rejoice, lightning that consumest heresy!
     Rejoice, thunder that terrifiest tempters!
     Rejoice, teacher of true knowledge!
     Rejoice, revealer of the secret mind!
     Rejoice, for through thee the worship of creatures hath been abolished!
     Rejoice, for through thee we have learned to worship the Creator in the Trinity!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 12

Knowing the grace that hath been given thee by God,
dutifully and joyfully we celebrate thy memory, O most-glorious Father Nicholas,
and with all fervency we hasten to thy wonderful intercession;
unable to count thy glorious deeds which are like the sands of the seashore
and the multitude of the stars,
being at a loss to understand, we cry unto God:
     Alleluia!

Ekos 12

While we sing of thy wonders, we praise thee, O all-praised Nicholas;
for in thee God Who is glorified in the Trinity is wondrously glorified.
But even if we were to offer thee a multitude of psalms and hymns
composed from the soul, O holy wonderworker,
we should do nothing to equal the gift of thy miracles,
and amazed by them we cry unto thee thus:
      Rejoice, servant of the King of kings and Lord of lords!
     Rejoice, co-dweller with His heavenly servants!
     Rejoice, support of faithful kings!
     Rejoice, exaltation of the race of Christians!
     Rejoice, namesake of victory!
     Rejoice, eminent victor!
     Rejoice, mirror of all the virtues!
     Rejoice, strong buttress of all who flee unto thee!
     Rejoice, after God and the Theotokos, all our hope!
     Rejoice, health of our bodies and salvation of our souls!
     Rejoice, for through thee we are delivered from eternal death!
     Rejoice, for through thee we are deemed worthy of endless life!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 13

O most-holy and most-wonderful Father Nicholas,
consolation of all that sorrow,
accept our present offering,
and entreat the Lord that we be delivered from Gehenna
through thy God-pleasing intercession,
that with thee we may sing:
     Alleluia! This kontakion is read thrice.

And again Ekos 1 and Kontakion 1:

Ekos 1

An angel in manner though earthly by nature did the Creator reveal thee to be;
for, foreseeing the fruitful beauty of thy soul, O most blessed Nicholas,
He taught all to cry to thee thus:
     Rejoice, thou who wast purified from thy mother’s womb!
     Rejoice, thou who wast sanctified even unto the end!
     Rejoice, thou who didst amaze thy parents by thy birth!
     Rejoice, thou who didst manifest power of soul straightway after birth!
     Rejoice, plant of the land of promise!
     Rejoice, flower of divine planting!
     Rejoice, virtuous vine of Christ’s vineyard!
     Rejoice, wonderworking tree of the paradise of Jesus!
     Rejoice, lily of paradisaical growth!
     Rejoice, myrrh of the fragrance of Christ!
     Rejoice, for through thee lamentation is banished!
     Rejoice, for through thee rejoicing is brought to pass!
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

Kontakion 1

O champion wonderworker and superb servant of Christ,
thou who pourest out for all the world
the most precious myrrh of mercy
and an inexhaustible sea of miracles,
I praise thee with love, O Saint Nicholas;
and as thou art one having boldness toward the Lord,
from all dangers do thou deliver us,
that we may cry to thee:
     Rejoice, O Nicholas, Great Wonderworker!

 
A Prayer
 
Saint Nicholas, thou art a wondrous helper unto all unfortunate people – the poor and the sorrowful, the young and the old, the fallen and the dispossessed, those who journey afar and those who are homebound with illnesses. Count us among the multitudes which entreat thy compassion, and nurture us with the bread of thy mercy. Though we are many, thou knowest the very heart of each one of us and thou knowest our needs. Deliver us, Saint Nicholas, from all things that lead unto death, and bless us with all things that please God. Since thou art a tireless worker of wonders, teach us to be repentant prodigals and fruitful vines for Christ our Lord and Master. We thank thee for thy bountiful nourishment and provision. Amen.
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