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ON MONDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK

AT THE TRITHEKTI

Troparion of the Prophecy. Tone 7.

In God is my salvation * and my glory.

Verse: Shall my soul not be subject to God? For from him is my salvation.

[14,24-32]

So I will bless you * as long as I live.

Verse: O God, my God, I watch for you at dawn.

AT VESPERS

Hearken to my voice, O God, when I entreat you.

Verse: Rescue my soul from the fear of the enemy.

[8,21-22; 9,1-7]

The Lord God, having considered, said: I will curse the earth again because of human works, because the human mind is bent intently on evils from youth. I will not again smite all living flesh as I have done. During all the days of the earth seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and spring will not cease by day and night. [9:1] And God blessed Noë and his sons and said to them: Increase and multiply and fill the earth and have dominion over it, And the fear and dread of you will be on all the wild animals of the earth and on all the flying creatures of heaven, and of all the creatures that move on the earth and on all the fishes of the sea. I have put them under your hands. And every creeping thing which is living shall be for food for you; I have given all things to you as herbs of grass. Except that you are not eat meat with the blood of life. For the blood of your lives I shall require of all the wild beasts and I shall require the life of human from the hand of a fellow human. Whoever sheds human blood, he shall be shed [This is what the Greek says, but the text may be corrupt. Some versions add ‘blood’ as subject]. instead of that blood, because I made humanity in the image of God. But you, increase and multiply and fill the earth and have dominion over it.

Hear us, O God, the hope of all the ends of the earth.

Verse: To you, O God, praise is due in Sion; * and to you vows shall be performed.

[11,19-31, 12,1-6]

A righteous son is born for life, but the persecution of the ungodly is for death. Perverted ways are an abomination to the Lord, but all who are blameless in their ways are acceptable to him. One who with the hand strikes hands unjustly will not be unpunished, but one who sows justice will receive faithful recompense. Like a ear ring in a pig’s snout is beauty in a ill-minded woman. Every desire of the just is good, but the hope of the ungodly will perish. There are those who sow abroad their own possessions and make them more, but there are those who gather them in and are diminished. Every simple soul is blessed, but a passionate man is not noble. May the one that hoards corn leave it for the nations, but blessing be on the head of one who shares. One who devises good things seeks good grace, one who seeks out wicked ones, they will seize him. One who trusts in wealth is the one who will fall, but one who helps the righteous is the one who will rise. One who does not deal graciously with their own household will inherit wind, but the senseless will serve the wise. From the fruit of justice grows a tree of life, but the souls of transgressors are cut off unripe. If the just is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear? [12,1] One who loves instruction loves sense, but one who hates rebukes is a fool. Better one who has found grace from the Lord, but a man who is a transgressor will be passed over in silence. A person will not succeed through transgression, but the roots of the righteous will not be pulled up. A courageous woman is a crown for her husband; but like a worm in wood, so a wife who does evil destroys her husband. The thoughts of the righteous are judgements, but the ungodly devise deceits. The words of the ungodly are deceitful, but the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

ON TUESDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK

AT THE TRITHEKTI

Troparion of the Prophecy. Tone 6.

Shout with joy to the Lord * all the earth.

Verse: Bless our God you nations, and make the sound of his praise be heard.

[25,1-9]
[The Greek of this chapter is more than usually paraphrastic. It is in effect a Targum on the Hebrew]

May God, our God, * bless us.

Verse: May God take pity on us and bless us, cause his face to shine upon us.

AT VESPERS

Sing to God, * chant to his Name.

Verse: Make a way for him who is mounted upon the west, the Lord is his name.

[This Prokeimenon, unusually, does not start with the first verse of the Psalm. In this case perhaps because the opening verses are so specifically linked to Pascha.]

[9,8-17]

May God, my salvation, * come to my aid.

Verse: Let the poor see and rejoice. Seek God and you will live.

[This Prokeimenon is curious. The text of the Prokeimenon is not that of the LXX proper, but is very similar to that of the 7th century corrector of the Sinaiticus. Also the Verse is taken from verse 32 of the Psalm rather than verse 1.]

[12,8-22]

The mouth of one with understanding is praised by a man, but the dull of heart is held in derision. Better a man in dishonour who is a slave to himself than one who surrounds himself with honour and lacks bread. A just man has pity on the souls of his beasts, but the bowels of the ungodly are without mercy. One who works his own land will be filled with bread, but those who pursue vanities lack sense. One whose pleasure is in banquets of wine will leave behind dishonour in his own strongholds. The desires of the ungodly are wicked, but the roots of the godly are strongly set. Through sin of the lips the sinner falls into snares, but the just escapes them. One who looks with gentleness will find mercy, but one who is contentious in the gates will afflict souls. From fruits of the mouth the soul of a man will be filled with blessings, but the recompense of his lips will be given him. The ways of fools are right in their own eyes, but the wise listen to advice. A fool announces his anger the same day, but a prudent man hides his own dishonour. The just declares open trust, but the witness of the unjust is deceitful. There are those who wound with a sword when they speak, but the tongues of the wise heal. True lips establish testimony, but a hasty witness has an unjust tongue. There is deceit in the heart of one who imagines wickedness, but those who wish for peace will rejoice. Nothing unjust pleases a just man, but the ungodly are filled with evils. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but one who acts faithfully is accepted by him.

ON WEDNESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK

AT THE TRITHEKTI

Troparion of the Prophecy. Tone 6.

Let all who seek you, O God, rejoice and be glad in you.

Verse: O God, come to my help.

[26,21 & 27,1-9]

[Most of this passage makes little sense in the LXX, which seems scarcely to have understood the Hebrew at all.]

See, the Lord is bringing his wrath from the holy place upon those who dwell on the land, and the land will uncover its blood and will not cover those who are slain upon it. [27:1] On that day God will bring his holy, great and strong sword upon the dragon, the serpent that flees, upon the dragon, the crooked serpent, and he will destroy the dragon. On that day a fair vine, a desire to make a beginning concerning it. I am a strong city, a city besieged, in vain shall I water it; for it will be captured by night, while by day its wall shall fall. There is no woman who has not taken hold of it. Who will set me to guard a reed in a field? Because of this enemy I have set it aside. Therefore because of this the Lord has done all the things that he appointed. I have been burnt up, those who dwell in it will cry out, Let us make peace with him, let us make peace. Those who are coming are children of Jacob; Israel will sprout and blossom and the inhabited world will be filled with his fruit. Shall he be smitten as he himself smote, and as he himself destroyed shall he be destroyed? Fighting and reviling he will send them away. Are you not the one who meditated with a harsh spirit to destroy them with a spirit of rage? Therefore the iniquity of Jacob will be taken away and this will be his blessing when I have taken away his sin, when they have broken all the stones of the altars in pieces like fine dust; and their trees will not remain and their idols will be cut down like distant thicket.

In you, Lord, I have hoped; let me not be put to shame for ever.

Verse: In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me.

AT VESPERS

Blessed is the Lord the God of Israel, * who alone works wonders.

Verse: O God, give your judgement to the king and your justice to the son of the king.

[9,18-29 & 10,1]

These are the sons of Noë, who came out of the ark, Sem, Cham and Iapheth; Cham was the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noë; from these were men scattered over all the earth. And Noë began to be a farmer of the land, and he planted a vine; and he drank of the wine and became drunk and lay naked in his house. And Cham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father and went out and told his two brothers outside. And Sem and Iapheth took a garment and put it on both their backs and walked backwards and covered up the nakedness of their father; and with their face backwards they did not see the nakedness of their father. But Noë awoke from the wine and realized what his younger son had done and he said, Canaan is accursed; he shall a servant boy to his brothers. And he said, ‘Blessed is Sem, and Canaan shall be his servant boy. May God broaden Iapheth, and may he dwell in the houses of Sem and let Canaan be his servant’. Noë lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. And all the days of Noë were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died. [10:1] These are the generations of the sons of Noë: Sem, Cham and Iapheth, and sons were born to them after the flood.

It is good for me to cling to God; * to place my hope in the Lord.

Verse: How good God is to Israel, to those who are upright in heart.

[12,23-28 & 13,1-9]

A man of understanding is a throne of perception, but the heart of fools will encounter curses. The hand of chosen ones will easily obtain might, but the deceitful will be for prey. A fearful word troubles the heart of the just, but a good message makes him glad. A just arbitrator will his own friend, but the opinions of the ungodly are unfair. Evils will pursue those who sin, while the way of the ungodly will lead them astray. The deceitful will catch no wild game, but a pure man is a precious possession. In ways of righteousness is life, but ways of those who remember wrongs lead to death. [13:1] A clever son is obedient to his father, but a disobedient son is for destruction. The good eats from the fruits of justice, but the souls of transgressors perish unripe. One who guards his mouth will preserve his own soul, but one that has hasty lips will terrify himself. Every idle person lives in desires, but the hands of the brave are diligent. The just hates an unjust word, but the ungodly is put to shame and will not have boldness to speak. Justice guards the innocent, while sin makes the impious worthless. There are those who enrich themselves, though they have nothing, and there are those who humble themselves amid great wealth. His own wealth is a ransom of a man’s life, but the poor does not undergo threatening. There is always light for the just, but light is quenched for the ungodly. Deceitful souls go astray in sins, but the just show pity and mercy.

ON THURSDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK

AT THE TRITHEKTI

Troparion of the Prophecy. Tone 6.

God is our King before the ages. * He has worked salvation in the midst of the earth.

Verse: Why, O God , have you finally rejected us? Why has your anger been enraged against the sheep of your pasture?

[28,14-22]

Thus says the Lord: Hear the word of the Lord, you afflicted [The Hebrew has ‘men of scorning’, i.e. ‘scorners’, on which Schleusner comments ‘ex interpretatione admodum inepta’. It is not clear whether the LXX understands that two groups or one are being addressed. The punctuation of the various editions implies two.] men and you rulers of this people which is in Jerusalem. Because you said, ‘We have made a covenant with Hell and agreements with Death. If a raging storm passes by, it will not come upon us. We have made falsehood our hope, and we will be sheltered by falsehood’, therefore thus says the Lord, the Lord. See, I am laying for the foundations of Sion a costly Stone, chosen, a corner-stone, precious for its foundations. And one who believes in it will not be put to shame. And I will set judgement for hope, but my compassion for balances [The Hebrew here means ‘a plummet’, but the Greek word can also mean ‘staging posts’ or ‘lodgings’.] And those that trust vainly in falsehood, because the storm will not pass you by. And will it not remove your covenant of death? And hope you have in Hell will in no way remain. If a raging storm comes against you, you will be like a pavement for it. When it passes by, it will take you, because morning by morning it will pass by day, and in the night there will be an evil hope. Learn to hear, you the distressed; we cannot fight, while we are too weak for us to be gathered. The will raise you up like a mountain of the ungodly, and he will be in the valley of Gabaon. With fury he will do his works, a work of bitterness. While his wrath will do what is unheard of, and its bitterness will be unheard of. And do rejoice nor let your bonds be strong, because I have heard from the Lord Sabaoth things accomplished and cut short, which he will do over the whole earth.

But I will rejoice for ever; * I will chant to the God of Jacob.

Verse: We will give you thanks, O God. We will give you thanks and call upon your name, and I will recount all your wonders.

AT VESPERS

Make your vows to the Lord, * and pay them.

Verse: God is known in Judea; his great name in Israel.

[10,32 & 11,1-9]

These are tribes of the sons of Noë according to their generations, according to their nations. From these the islands [This word is not in the Hebrew.] of the nations were scattered on the earth after the flood. [11,1] And the whole earth was of one tongue and one language. And it came to pass as they moved from the east that they found a plain in the land of Senaar and they dwelt there. And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them in fire’. And brick became as stone for them, and bitumen as mortar. And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, whose top will reach to haven, and let us make a name for ourselves before we are scattered over the face of the whole earth. And the Lord God came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men had built. And the Lord said, ‘See, they are all one race and one tongue, and they have begun to do this, and now nothing of all that they want to do will fail. Come, let us go down and confound their speech there, so that each one may not understand their neighbour’s language.’ And the Lord God scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth. And they stopped building the city and the tower. And so its name was called ‘Confusion’, because it was there that the Lord God confounded the tongues of the whole earth, and it was from there that the Lord God scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

I called to the Lord with my voice, * with my voice to God and he heard me.

Verse: In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord.

[13,19-25 & 14,1-6]

The desires of the godly delight the soul, but the works of the ungodly are far from knowledge. One who walks with the wise will be wise, but one who walks with fools will be known. Evils will pursue those who sin, but good things will overtake the just. A good man will inherit children’s children, but the wealth of the ungodly will be laid up for the just. The just will spend many years in wealth, but the unjust will perish suddenly. One who spares his own rod hates his own child, but one who loves chastens it with care. A just person eats and satisfies their soul, but the souls of the ungodly are in want. [14,1] Wise women build houses, but the foolish one razes them to the ground with her own hands. One who walks uprightly fears the Lord, but one who is crooked in his ways will be dishonoured. From the mouth of fools comes a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise will guard them. Where there are no oxen, the mangers are clean; but where there is much produce, the strength of the ox is manifest. A faithful witness will not lie, but an unjust witness kindles lies. You will look for wisdom from the wicked and not find it, but from the prudent knowledge is easy.

ON FRIDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK

AT THE TRITHEKTI

Troparion of the Prophecy. Tone 6.

He is compassionate and forgives their sins, * and will not destroy them.

Verse: Give heed to my law, my people; incline your ear to the words of my mouth.

[29,13-23]

Help us, O God our Saviour * for the glory of your name.

Verse: O God, the nations have entered your inheritance, defiled your holy temple, made Jerusalem a garden shed.

Today too the veneration of Cross takes place after the dismissal of the Hours, exactly as on Sunday. Then the Precious Cross is removed.

AT VESPERS

You who are seated upon the Cherubim, * manifest yourself.

Verse: Shepherd of Israel, attend, you who guide Joseph like a sheep.

[12,1-7]

Rejoice in God our helper; * shout with joy to the God of Jacob.

Verse: Take a psalm and sound the timbrel, a pleasant psaltery with a harp.

[14,15-26]

The simple believes every word, but the prudent goes to repentance. The wise fears and has turned away from evil, but the fool trusting in himself mixes with the ungodly. A person of quick temper acts thoughtlessly, but a prudent one bears many things. Fools will have wickedness as their portion, but the prudent will take hold of understanding. The evil will bow before the good, the impious will serve at the gates of the just. Friends will hate poor friends, but the rich has many friends. One who dishonours paupers commits sin, but one who has mercy on the poor is blessed. Those who go astray devise evils, but the good devise mercy and truth. Devisers of evils do not know mercy, but acts of mercy and faithfulness are with the devisers of good. With everyone who cares there is abundance, but the pleasure seeker and the callous will be in want. The crown of the wise is their wealth, but occupation of fools is wicked. A faithful witness will deliver a soul from evils, but a trickster kindles lies. In the fear of the Lord is hope of strength, while he leaves to his children a support of peace.

And the rest of the Liturgy of the Presanctified.

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This page was last updated on 18 April 2008