Unto thee, the all-praised maiden of Christ, who wast chosen by God from a family converted from idolatry, and wast united unto the holy nation, the people of regeneration, do we who pray to thee offer hymns of thanksgiving, O holy and most lauded greatmartyr Euphemia; for by thee are we delivered from the temptations and misfortunes which assail us. As thou hast boldness before the Lord, free us from all tribulations and hindrances, that with joy and compunction we may cry out to thee:
The precious and most lovely purity of thy soul having been preserved by an angel, O much-suffering Euphemia, thou wast vouchsafed to become a dweller with the angels. With them thou dost chant the thrice-holy hymn unto God in heaven, and on earth thou hearest us who love thee chant and offer thee such praises as these:
Seeing the most wicked tyrant Priscus, the proconsul of the ungodly Emperor Diocletian, implementing his ungodly plan to hold a great celebration in honor of the demon called Ares, whose temple and idol were in Chalcedon, and commanding that all repair thither to offer sacrifice to Ares according to their strength and means, the holy Euphemia concealed herself with forty-nine Christians in a certain secret place, chanting with them to the God of heaven: Alleluia!
Possessing the ineffable ability to contemplate the sole Author of creation, the holy virgin Euphemia conversed within her own mind and with the other Christians, saying: “It is fitting to obey a ruler's command if such is not contrary to the God of heaven; but if it be contrary, we should not only disobey such a command, but should oppose it.” Marveling at this thy reasoning, we offer these praises unto thee:
Preserved by the power of Christ, O most praised greatmartyr Euphemia, while thou wast held in the dungeon thou didst pay no mind to the tortures which lay before thee, but, encouraged by thy fellow prisoners, didst desire to please Christ the heavenly Bridegroom by sufferings, chanting unto Him: Alleluia!
Having the flame of love for the Lord burning in thy heart, thou didst bravely spurn the threats of the tyrant, who opened his living mouth and sharpened his tongue like a razor, desiring by blandishments and promises of gifts and honors to lure thee from the straight path. But with the others thou didst fearlessly answer: “The gifts and honors which thou dost promise, O Priscus, have I long since cast away from me! For the sake of Christ I have hated them and considered them as naught. For we hold the good things of heaven to be greater and more sublime than all the good things of earth!” For such wisdom, O holy Euphemia, accept from us this laudation:
A tempest of grievous tortures broke over thee, O much-suffering Euphemia; yet thou wast undaunted by the sufferings inflicted upon thee. And desiring to follow after Christ, thy Bridegroom, with courage thou didst answer thy tormentor, saying: “Do not hope to deflect me from the straight path, O Priscus! Thou wouldst be more likely to level the mountains to the ground or move the stars in the sky than to wrest my heart away from the true God!” And unto the Lord Jesus Christ, Who strengthened thee, thou didst chant: Alleluia!
Hearing from thee, the wise maiden, the wondrous words of the Lord Who loved thee, and perceiving thee to be a virgin young and comely, shining among the choir of the holy martyrs like the moon amid the stars, like a wolf the ungodly tyrant desired to cull thee from the flock of Christ. But, lifting thine eyes and hands up to heaven, thou didst cry out: “Forsake me not, O Christ Jesus, my Bridegroom, for in Thee do I hope! Give not over to wild beasts a soul which loveth Thee and confesseth Thy holy name! Let not mine enemy rejoice over me, but strengthen thy feeble handmaid, lest iniquity prevail over me!” Wherefore, blessing thee, we cry out to thee such things as these:
Thou didst pass over the world like a divinely guided star, shedding the light of faith in Christ upon all, O glorious passion-bearer Euphemia. And to thy tormentor thou didst courageously say: “Think not, O tyrant, that by thy deceptive wiles thou canst easily incline my weakness to thine iniquity and ungodliness! For though I am by nature a woman and weak, and in the flesh am young in years, yet is my heart wiser than thine, and my power in the holy Faith mightier than thy valor, for, acknowledging the true God, I chant unto Him: Alleluia!"
Perceiving the adamancy of the young maiden, the tyrant was greatly enraged and commanded that a wheel of torture be made ready, studded with a multitude of sharp blades, placed so that thy whole body would be lacerated and the flesh cut from thy bones; and to this wheel he bound the holy virgin, who made the sign of the Cross over herself. When his minions began to turn the wheel, her body was cut and her joints dislocated; but she made earnest supplication unto God, Saying: “O Lord Jesus Christ, enlightenment of my soul, Well-spring of life, Who grantest salvation to those who trust in Thee: Come now to mine aid, that all may know that Thou alone art God!” Wherefore, mindful of thy valor, O all-glorious greatmartyr, we also bless thee, saying:
Christ revealed thee to be a herald of miracles and the glory of God after the all-glorious healing, given thee by Him, of the wounds thou didst sustain on the wheel, O valiant greatmartyr Euphemia; and in the face of the torturers thou didst boldly proclaim Christ to be the true God; and sending up prayers of thanksgiving, thou didst chant with joy: Alleluia!
Thou didst shine forth like a radiant star, O greatmartyr Euphemia, dispelling the darkness of ungodliness, enlightening the hearts of those who suffered with thee, and illumining with neverwaning light the faithful who honor thy sufferings. Wherefore, praising thee, we earnestly cry out to thee:
Intent upon attaining his desire, the mindless tormentor gave thee over to fresh tortures, O holy greatmartyr Euphemia; for he ordered a furnace greatly heated, that he might cast thee into the midst thereof. But thou didst array thyself in prayer of the three youths, as in the breastplate, and to counter the material fire didst kindle the fire of fervent supplication to God, chanting unto Him: Alleluia!
The tormentor showed forth a new and inhuman rage when he saw thee praying and making the sign of the Cross over thyself as thou didst issue forth from the furnace as from a bridal-chamber, where in the midst of the flame thou hadst hymned the all-holy Trinity; and he ordered thee cast into a pit wherein were all manner of the serpents which creep upon the earth and are found in the waters: a multitude of adders and snakes. But, making the sign of the Cross over thyself, thou didst say: “O Jesus Christ, my Light, as Thou didst deliver Daniel from the mouths of the lions, so do Thou mightily preserve me by Thy hand, that Thy holy name may also be glorified in me!” And mindful of these thy sufferings, which transcended nature, we bless thee with such praises as these:
Beholding the strange and awesome suffering of the holy greatmartyr Euphemia, Victor and Sosthenes, the soldiers of the tyrant, marveled exceedingly at how a young maiden could in her youthful body so manfully withstand tortures for Christ; and shedding tears of compunction, they answered the tyrant with steadfast faith, saying: “We have come to recognize the one, true God, Who created heaven and earth; and we believe in Him and worship Him alone, crying out from the depths of our souls: Alleluia!"
Unto thee was Jesus most sweet all sweetness, all desire, O holy greatmartyr Euphemia; for for His sake thou didst sweetly endure bitter tortures, saying: “Shall I not drain the cup of sufferings Thou hast given me, O my beloved Bridegroom?” Wherefore, thou thyself hast been shown to be a cup pouring forth the sweetness of wondrous healings upon all who cry out to thee such things as these:
All angelic nature rejoiceth with great joy, O holy greatmartyr Euphemia, beholding thy valiant might and thy steadfast trust. And though the tyrant ordered thee beaten cruelly with staves, riven with a saw, and scorched upon a heated griddle, yet was he unable to harm thy holy body. Hearing of this great humiliation of the wicked foe, and that Christ God Himself fittingly crowned thee a greatmartyr, with thee we joyfully cry out to the Lord Who glorifieth thee: Alleluia!
Even the most eloquent tongue is unable to praise thy deeds and thy great feats of suffering as is meet, O Euphemia. For who can recount thy great sufferings, when the tyrant condemned thee to death and gave thee over to be devoured by wild beasts? Who can describe the shame of the choir of virgins when thou wast stripped naked and scorched upon the heated grill? Enduring these sufferings, thou didst cry out to the Lord Whom thou didst love: “O Lord of all the hosts, in me Thou hast revealed Thine invincible power, hast rebuked the weakness of the demons and the mindlessness of the tyrants; and Thou hast exalted me above all torments. Wherefore, accept me now, as Thou didst the martyrs before me, and likewise my sacrifice, which is offered to Thee with a contrite heart.” And remembering these thy sufferings with love, we offer thee compunctionate hymnody, saying:
Desiring to save thy soul, thou didst in every respect neglect thy body, O holy Euphemia; for when the fatal verdict was pronounced over thee, sentencing thee to be devoured by wild beasts, thou didst go forth like a meek lamb to be food for the lions; and like a dove thou didst fly aloft in soul to the celestial bridal-chamber of thy heavenly Bridegroom, the immortal Christ God, to Whom thou dost continually chant in the heavens: Alleluia!
Thou art a mighty and unshakable rampart for all who are perishing amid tribulation and confess the triune God, O most praised Euphemia; for the Creator of heaven and earth exalted thee, O all-wondrous greatmartyr, vouchsafing thee to join the angelic choirs on high. Wherefore, mindful of thy struggles, O much-suffering one, we bless thee, crying:
All hymnody faileth which doth attempt to touch upon the multitude of thy many sufferings, O most praised Euphemia; and even though we offer thee such laudations, they do not suffice for thy praise. Yet since by thy supplications we are vouchsafed ineffable benefactions by Christ God, in gratitude for thee we chant unto Him: alleluia!
With noetic eyes we behold thee shining upon us like a radiant lamp set in the lampstand of heaven before the throne of the all-holy Trinity, O holy virgin Euphemia; for thou hast received the grace to heal the every infirmity and wound of all who have recourse unto thee in prayer, soothing the griefs and freeing from falls into sin those who bow down and venerate thy holy icon with faith. And, mindful of thy speedy aid, we cry out to thee:
The grace of God was imparted unto thee, that thou mightest grant healing to all who have recourse unto thee, and moreover mightest keep and preserve from sudden and precipitous death everyone who remembereth and honoreth thy sufferings with faith, love and reverence. Deprive us not of thy grace, O much-suffering and valiant greatmartyr Euphemia, that, hale of body and spirit, we may in this age and that which is to come chant of thee to God: Alleluia!
We hymn thy wondrous struggles, we honor thy sufferings, we praise thy long-suffering, we bless thy holy end, and we glorify the invincible courage thou didst display in thy weak body, whereby thou hast been glorified in heaven and on earth, O holy, right victorious greatmartyr Euphemia; and in honor of thine all-glorious feats and sufferings we address these praises unto thee:
O much-suffering, most praised and holy greatmartyr Euphemia! Accept from us this hymnody of praise which, though unworthy, is offered to thee from reverent hearts. Preserve us by thy holy supplications, and from every sickness of soul and body deliver all who bow down before thine icon and venerate it with love, that having come to the end of a peaceful and untroubled life in this age, we may be vouchsafed with thee and all the saints to chant unto God: Alleluia!
The precious and most lovely purity of thy soul having been preserved by an angel, O much-suffering Euphemia, thou wast vouchsafed to become a dweller with the angels. With them thou dost chant the thrice-holy hymn unto God in heaven, and on earth thou hearest us who love thee chant and offer thee such praises as these:
Unto thee, the all-praised maiden of Christ, who wast chosen by God from a family converted from idolatry, and wast united unto the holy nation, the people of regeneration, do we who pray to thee offer hymns of thanksgiving, O holy and most lauded greatmartyr Euphemia; for by thee are we delivered from the temptations and misfortunes which assail us. As thou hast boldness before the Lord, free us from all tribulations and hindrances, that with joy and compunction we may cry out to thee:
O holy, glorious and most praised bride of Christ, greatmartyr Euphemia! Unto all of us gathered here this day before thy holy icon, who bow down before it and venerate it with humility and love, grant thou the spirit of thy zeal for the Lord God Who loved thee and strengthened thee amid thine all-wondrous sufferings. Taught from childhood by thy God-fearing parents, Philothronus and Theodorosia, always to reverence devoutly the days of the redemptive sufferings and the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, thou thyself didst suffer for His sake. And having been wondrously healed of thy wounds by the hand of the angel of God, and received ineffable radiance, thou didst astonish the unbelieving tyrants. Thou didst overcome multifarious tortures with the power of the lifecreating Cross. And after thou wast sentenced to be devoured by wild beasts, thou didst calmly entreat thy Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, that no evil come nigh thee and no wound draw near thy body. And thus, as thou didst pray, the lions and bears groveled at thy precious feet, thou didst receive a martyric end unto the glory of the Lord, and didst all-gloriously complete thy feat of suffering, ascending in soul to the heavens, unto the bridal-chamber of thy longed-for Bridegroom, Christ the King of glory, Wherefore, O most praised greatmartyr Euphemia, entreat Him Who loveth mankind in behalf of us who stand here praying, that He grant unto us, as He did to thee, patience and fortitude amid misfortunes and grievous circumstances; that He descend upon our children, to strengthen them in the Faith and in piety; that He teach us how we must instruct them; that He mercifully hearken unto us who entreat His beneficence, and that He not deprive us of His mercy; that He grant a Christian end to our life, painless, blameless and peaceful, and that we may receive communion of His divine Mysteries thereat. For having thus received salvation through thy holy supplications, intercession and aid, O Euphemia bride of Christ, we shall all glorify the all-holy and majestic name of the true God Who is wondrous in His saints-the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.