As a man Thou didst come to the river, O Christ the King, / and hastenest to receive baptism, O Good One, / from the hands of the Forerunner / for the cleansing of our sins, O Lover of mankind. (2)

Glory, and now, the voice is the same: To the voice of one crying in the wilderness: / "Prepare ye the way of the Lord" / Thou hast come, O Lord, Who hast taken the form of a servant, / asking for baptism, knowing no sin. / The waters saw Thee and were afraid, / the Forerunner trembled and cried out, saying: / "How can the lamp enlighten the Light? / How will a servant lay his hand on the Lord? / Sanctify me and the waters, O Saviour, who lifts up the sin of the world!

The Prokeimenon as at the Liturgy and the reading of the 3 Parimia:

Isaiah's Prophecies Reading

Thus saith the Lord: Let the thirsty wilderness rejoice, let the wilderness rejoice, and let it blossom like a lily. And they will blossom, and all will rejoice, and the desert regions of the Jordan will rejoice. And the glory of Lebanon was given to her, and the honor of Carmel. And my people will see the glory of the Lord and the height of God. Be strong, weak hands and weak knees; encourage and say to those who are fearful in thought: "Be strong and do not be afraid; behold, our God recompenses judgment; He Himself will come and save you."

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will hear. Then the lame shall leap up like a deer, and the speech of the tongue-tied shall be clear; for the waters have burst forth in the wilderness, and the ravine in the thirsty land; and the waterless steppe will be turned into meadows, and in the thirsty land there will be a fountain of water. There will be rejoicing for the birds, [thickets of reeds,]* and swamps. And there shall be a pure way, and shall be called a holy way; (and) the unclean will not pass through there, nor will the unclean way be there; but those who are scattered will walk in it and will not go astray. And there shall be no lion there, and none of the wicked beasts shall ascend upon it, nor shall be found there, but shall go those who have been redeemed and gathered by the Lord. And they will return, and come to Zion with gladness and gladness; and everlasting joy is upon their heads: praise and rejoicing; and joy shall come upon them: torment, sorrow, and groaning have fled!

* in Greek and Slav. Menaion: [The abode of the sirens, and the reeds,]

Isaiah 35:1-10

2. The Prophecies of Isaiah Reading

Thus saith the Lord: Thirsty! Go [all] to the water; And all of you who have not money, come and buy and eat, and drink wine and fat without money and without payment. Why do you not value bread with silver, and your labor not for satiation? Hear me, and taste good things, and your soul will delight in good things. Give ear to me, and follow my ways, and hear me, and your soul shall dwell among good things; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, I will give you the holy inheritance of David, which is immutable. Behold, I have given Him as a testimony among the nations, as a ruler and ruler among the nations. Behold, the nations that do not know you will call you, and the nations that do not know you will run to you for the sake of the Lord your God and the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

Seek the Lord; and when ye find him, call upon him. But when he draws near to you, let the wicked man forsake his ways, and the wicked man his designs. And you shall turn to the Lord (your God), and you shall have mercy; and cry out, for he will soon forgive your sins. For My designs are not like your designs, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. But as heaven is separated from earth, so is my way from your ways, and your thoughts from my thought. For as if rain or snow come down from heaven, and it is not deflected from there, until it waters the earth, and it begins to bring forth and grow, and gives seed to him that sows, and bread to eat, so shall be my word, which, if it come out of my mouth, shall not return to me in vain, until it has done all that pleases me, and have fulfilled my ways and my commandments. For you will go out with joy, and in joy you will be taught: for the mountains and hills will leap and receive you with joy, and all the trees of the field will applaud with their branches. And instead of heather there will be a cypress, and instead of nettles there will be a myrtle; and it shall be in the name of the Lord, and for an everlasting sign, and shall not fail.

Isaiah 55:1-13

3. Isaiah's Prophecies Reading

Thus says the Lord: "Draw waters with gladness from the fountains of salvation!" And you will say on that day: "Sing praise to the Lord (and) call on His name; proclaim among the nations his glorious works; remind them that his name is exalted. Sing the name of the Lord, for He hath created lofty, proclaim it in all the earth. Rejoice and be glad, ye inhabitants of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is exalted in the midst of it.