Give thanks, O nations, at this feast, the firstborn of all feasts. Recount the sufferings, wounds, and pains that existed, so that we may know what wound the Child who was sent has healed.
Refrain: Blessed is He who was sufficient for our pains.
Give thanks, O nations who have been saved, to the Savior of all in His Birth. By mercy even my weak tongue has become a lyre. Let us sing the victories of the Firstborn on His feast.
Refrain: Blessed is He who made us worthy of His feast.
How can anyone marvel at a physician without first hearing and learning what illnesses there were? When our wound is proclaimed, then our Physician is magnified.
Refrain: Blessed is He who triumphed over our pains.
Created things were worshiped because the worshiper had become foolish: he worshiped everything, but did not worship the One. The Merciful One came down and broke the yoke that had enslaved all.
Refrain: Blessed is He who loosed our yoke.
The mercies of the Most High were revealed: He came down and freed His creation. In this blessed month, when slaves receive freedom, the Lord entered servitude so that He might call servants into freedom.
Refrain: Blessed is He who brought freedom.
The Lord of the months chose two months for His mysteries: His conception was in Nisan and His Birth in Kanun. In Nisan He sanctified those conceived, and in Kanun He freed those born.
Refrain: Blessed is He who made His months rejoice.
The sun cried out in silence to its Lord about those who worshiped it. It was painful for a servant to be worshiped in place of its Lord. See, creation rejoices now that the Creator is worshiped.
Refrain: Blessed is the Child who is worshiped.
Three months rose up and crowned Him with victories: one served His Birth, another His desired Resurrection, and another His blessed Ascension. The months bore crowns for Him.
Refrain: Blessed is He who triumphed in His months.
Uncover your face, O creation, and rejoice at our feast. Let the Church sing aloud, while heaven and earth sing in silence. Sing and give thanks to the Child who brought inner freedom.
Refrain: Blessed is He who tore up our bonds.
When fools honored the sun, their very honor insulted it. Now that they know it is a servant, its Lord is worshiped in its course. All the servants rejoice to be counted simply as servants.
Refrain: Blessed is He who restored the proper order of natures.
We turned things upside down and became servants of servants. Our freedom forced a servant to become our lord: we made the sun, servant of all, into lord over all.
Refrain: Blessed is He who turned us back toward Himself.
The moon too, which had been worshiped, was freed by His Birth. What a wonder: by the very light that illuminates eyes, eyes became dark because they gazed at it as though it were God.
Refrain: Blessed is the Ray who enlightened us.
Fire vindicated Your Birth, which took worship away from it. The Magi had worshiped fire, but when they worshiped before You they abandoned it and worshiped its Lord; they exchanged fire for the true Fire.
Refrain: Blessed is He who immersed us in His light.
Instead of senseless fire, which consumes its own body, the Magi worshiped the Fire who gave His Body to those who eat. The living Coal drew near and sanctified unclean lips.
Refrain: Blessed is He who mingled His Fire within us.
Error blinded humanity so that people worshiped created things. Fellow servants were worshiped while the Lord of all was defrauded. The One who is worshiped came down to Birth and gathered worship back to Himself.
Refrain: Blessed is He who was worshiped by all.
The Knower of all saw that we worshiped things that were made. He put on a body that was made so that, through our own custom, He might capture us; by means of a created body He drew us toward the Creator.
Refrain: Blessed is He who wisely devised the means and drew us.
The Evil One knew how to harm us: through luminous things he blinded us; through possessions he afflicted us; through gold he made us poor; through carved images he turned our heart into stone.
Refrain: Blessed is He who came and softened it.
They carved stones and set them up so that people would stumble over them. They did not place them in the road so that the blind would trip; they called them gods so that those with open eyes would stumble over them.
Refrain: Blessed is He who exposed the objects of false fear.
Sin spread its wings and covered everything, so that no one could look beyond it toward the truth above. Truth descended into the womb, came forth, and rolled away the wheel of error.
Refrain: Blessed is He who folded up error by His Birth.
Mercy could not endure seeing the road so obstructed. When He descended to conception He opened the road a little; when He came forth in Birth He trod it and fixed His milestones in it.
Refrain: Blessed is the peace of Your way.
He chose the prophets, and they cleared the road for the people. He sent the apostles, and they smoothed paths for the nations. The Evil One’s stumbling blocks were put to shame when the weak cleared them away.
Refrain: Blessed is He who made our paths straight.
The carved images secretly blinded those who carved them. They carved eyes into stone and blinded the eyes of the soul. Give thanks to Your Birth, which opened eyes that had been blind.
Refrain: Blessed is He who restored sight.
Let women give thanks for pure Mary. In Eve their mother their disgrace had become great; in Mary their sister their victory became greater still.
Refrain: Blessed is He who dawned from women.
Let the nations give thanks for Your Birth, through which they gained eyes to see. Their wine made them stagger, and they saw the lowliness of their own souls. They judged themselves and worshiped the One who rescued them.
Refrain: Blessed is He who taught repentance.
Humanity scattered its worship everywhere, yet did not seek the One who is truly worshiped so as to offer worship to Him. He could not endure revered objects receiving worship from people who had gone astray.
Refrain: Blessed is He who came down and was worshiped.
The gold of idols worshiped You: You drew it away from images toward works of mercy. Useless among the dead for the needs of the living, it ran to Your treasury just as it had run to Your manger.
Refrain: Blessed is He whom creation loved.
Frankincense worshiped Your Birth, though it had served demons. It had been sorrowful in its smoke, but rejoiced when it saw its Lord. Instead of being incense for error, it was offered before God.
Refrain: Blessed is Your Birth, which was worshiped.
Myrrh worshiped You on its own behalf and on behalf of its kindred perfumes. Wandering images had been anointed by the hands that carried their ointments. [In You the proud were made fragrant by the oil with which Mary anointed You.]
Refrain: Blessed is Your fragrance, which made us fragrant.
The gold that had itself been worshiped worshiped You when the Magi offered it. What had received worship in molten images gave worship to You; together with its worshipers it confessed that You are the One who is worshiped.
Refrain: Blessed is He who reclaimed His worship.
The Evil One and his forces fled—the one who had exulted in the world. On the high places they sacrificed calves to him, and in the gardens they slaughtered bulls for him. [He swallowed all creation and filled his belly with plunder.]
Refrain: Blessed is He who came and emptied him.
Our Lord said of him that he had fallen from heaven. The hateful one had exalted himself, but from his greatness he fell. Mary’s foot trod down the one who had struck Eve at the heel.
Refrain: Blessed is He who humbled him by His Birth.
The Chaldeans wandered everywhere and led people astray; the heralds of error had spread confusion throughout the world. They were silenced when the heralds of Truth overcame them.
Refrain: Blessed is the Child who was proclaimed.
Sin had spread out its nets for the catch. Give thanks for Your Birth, which tore apart the nets of error. The soul that had been trapped in the depths flew upward to the heights.
Refrain: Blessed is He who gave us wings.
His will was able to rescue us even by force. But force had not made us guilty, so He did not conquer us by force. The Evil One enslaved us through enticement; Your Birth persuaded us and gave us life.
Refrain: Blessed is He who planned our rescue and gave us life.
The creatures complained because they were worshiped; in silence they begged for freedom. The Liberator of all heard them and could not endure it. He came down, put on the form of a servant in the womb, came forth, and freed creation.
Refrain: Blessed is He who won back His creation.
Mercy burned in the heights at the voice of creation groaning. Gabriel was sent; he came and announced Your conception. When You reached Birth, the Watchers announced Your coming forth.
Refrain: Blessed above all is the worship offered to You.
For the joy of Birth is greater than the joy of conception. One angel announced Your conception to us; but at the joy of Your Birth, assemblies of Watchers announced the good news.
Refrain: Blessed is the good news of You on Your day.
I too will offer glory to You on Your day, O Worshiped One. Receive whatever fruit I possess, and give me the mercy that is Yours. If I, though evil, can give, how much more will You give, for You are good!
Refrain: Blessed is the wealth You show toward Your servant.
The two things sought in Your Birth have become ours. You put on our visible body; we put on Your hidden power. Our body became Your garment, and Your Spirit became our robe.
Refrain: Blessed is He who was adorned and adorned us.
Height and depth marveled that Your Birth subdued the rebels. We gave You hostages, and You gave us the Paraclete. When the hostages went up from us, the Mighty One descended to us.
Refrain: Blessed is He who took and sent.
Come, all you mouths: pour yourselves out and become like waters and wells of voices. May the Holy Spirit come and sing glory through all of us to the Father, who saved us through the Birth of His Son.
Refrain: Blessed above all is He in His Birth.