Isaiah 42.5-16 (6th Hour)

5Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 6I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. 8I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 9Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. 10Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. 11Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. 12Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.

13The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. 14I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. 15I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. 16And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

Genesis 18.20-33 (Vespers)

20And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. 30And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. 32And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. 33And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Proverbs 16.17-17.17 (Vespers)

17The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul. 18Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. 19Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. 20He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. 21The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. 22Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly. 23The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips. 24Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. 25There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. 26He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.

27An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire. 28A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

29A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good. 30He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass. 31The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. 32He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. 33The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

1Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife. 2A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren. 3The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts. 4A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue. 5Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished. 6Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers. 7Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince. 8A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth. 9He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends. 10A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool. 11An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him. 12Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly. 13Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house. 14The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with. 15He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD. 16Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it? 17A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Our Holy Father John, Disciple of St Gregory of Decapolis (820)

He entered monastic life when young and became a disciple of St Gregory of Decapolis (Nov. 20). In the days of the iconoclast heresy, he was privileged to be tortured along with his teacher St Gregory and St Joseph the Hymnographer (April 3) for their defense of the holy icons. When Gregory died, John became Abbot of the Decapolite monastery in Constantinople. He reposed in peace around 820; St Joseph buried him near St Gregory’s grave.

The Holy Martyr John the New of Ioannina (1526)

He moved as a young man to Constantinople to work as a craftsman. After the Turkish conquest of Constantinople, many Christians had denied Christ and embraced Islam. John spoke with many of these about the Faith and challenged them for their betrayal of Christ. Shamed and angered, some of them had him arrested, falsely stating that he had earlier accepted Islam and then returned to Christianity, which is punishable by death in Islamic law. He was tortured and cast into prison. When he was brought out for more torture on the day of Pascha, John came forward full of joy and singing ‘Christ is risen from the dead!’ To his torturers he cried, ‘Do what you will to me, and send me as quickly as possible from this transient life into life eternal. I am Christ’s servant; I follow Christ, and I die for Christ that I may live with Him.’ He has bound in chains and taken to be burned, but when he ran joyfully into the fire, his tormentors pulled him from the flames and beheaded him instead, then threw his head and body into the fire. Christians were able to gather a few of his wonderworking relics and bury them in the Great Church in Constantinople.