Isaiah 42.5-16 (6th Hour)

5Thus says the Lord God, who made the heaven, and established it; who settled the earth, and the things in it, and gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to them that tread on it: 6I the Lord God have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will strengthen you: and I have given you for the covenant of a race, for a light of the Gentiles: 7to open the eyes of the blind, to bring the bound and them that sit in darkness out of bonds and the prison-house. 8I am the Lord God: that is my name: I will not give my glory to another, nor my praises to graven images. 9Behold, the ancient things have come to pass, and so will the new things which I tell you: yes, before I tell them they are made known to you. 10Sing a new hymn to the Lord: you⌃ who are his dominion, glorify his name from the end of the earth: you⌃ that go down to the sea, and sail upon it; the islands, and they that dwell in them. 11Rejoice, you wilderness, and the villages thereof, the hamlets, and the dwellers in Kedar: the inhabitants of the rock shall rejoice, they shall shout from the top of the mountains. 12They shall give glory to God, and shall proclaim his praises in the islands. 13The Lord God of hosts shall go forth, and crush the war: he shall stir up jealousy, and shall shout mightily against his enemies. 14I have been silent: shall I also always be silent and forbear: I have endured like a travailing woman: I will now amaze and wither at once. 15I will make desolate mountains and hills, and will dry up all their grass; and I will make the rivers islands, and dry up the pools. 16And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not, and I will cause them to tread paths which they have not known: I will turn darkness into light for them, and crooked things into straight. These things will I do, and will not forsake them.

Genesis 18.20-33 (Vespers)

20And the Lord said, The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha has been increased towards me, and their sins are very great. 21I will therefore go down and see, if they completely correspond with the cry which comes to me, and if not, that I may know. 22And the men having departed thence, came to Sodom; and Abraam was still standing before the Lord. 23And Abraam drew near and said, Wouldest you destroy the righteous with the wicked, and shall the righteous be as the wicked? 24Should there be fifty righteous in the city, will you destroy them? will you not spare the whole place for the sake of the fifty righteous, if they be in it? 25By no means shall you do as this thing is so as to destroy the righteous with the wicked, so the righteous shall be as the wicked: by no means. You that judge the whole earth, shall you not do right? 26And the Lord said, If there should be in Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole city, and the whole place for their sakes. 27And Abraam answered and said, Now I have begun to speak to my Lord, and I am earth and ashes. 28But if the fifty righteous should be diminished to forty-five, will you destroy the whole city because of the five lacking? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I should find there forty-five. 29And he continued to speak to him still, and said, But if there should be found there forty? And he said, I will not destroy it for the forty's sake. 30And he said, Will there be anything against me, Lord, if I shall speak? but if there be found there thirty? And he said, I will not destroy it for the thirty's sake. 31And he said, Since I am able to speak to the Lord, what if there should be found there twenty? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I should find there twenty. 32And he said, Will there be anything against me, Lord, if I speak yet once? but if there should be found there ten? And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten's sake. 33And the Lord departed, when he left off speaking to Abraam, and Abraam returned to his place.

Proverbs 16.17-17.17 (Vespers)

17The paths of life turn aside from evil; and the ways of righteousness are length of life. He that receives instruction shall be in prosperity; and he that regards reproofs shall be made wise. He that keeps his ways, preserves his own soul; and he that loves his life will spare his mouth. 18Pride goes before destruction, and folly before a fall. 19Better is a meek-spirited man with lowliness, than one who divides spoils with the proud. 20He who is skillful in business finds good: but he that trusts in God is most blessed. 21Men call the wise and understanding evil: but they that are pleasing in speech shall hear more. 22Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessors; but the instruction of fools is evil. 23The heart of the wise will discern the things which proceed from his own mouth; and on his lips he will wear knowledge. 24Good words are honeycombs, and the sweetness thereof is a healing of the soul. 25There are ways that seem to be right to a man, but the end of them looks to the depth of hell. 26A man who labors, labors for himself, and drives from him his own ruin. 27But the perverse bears destruction upon his own mouth: a foolish man digs up evil for himself, and treasures fire on his own lips. 28A perverse man spreads mischief, and will kindle a torch of deceit with mischiefs; and he separates friends. 29A transgressor tries to ensnare friends, and leads them in ways that are not good. 30And the man that fixes his eyes devises perverse things, and marks out with his lips all evil: he is a furnace of wickedness. 31Old age is a crown of honor, but it is found in the ways of righteousness. 32A man slow to anger is better than a strong man; and he that governs his temper better than he that takes a city. 33All evils come upon the ungodly into their bosoms; but all righteous things come of the Lord.

1Better is a morsel with pleasure in peace, than a house full of many good things and unjust sacrifices, with strife. 2A wise servant shall have rule over foolish masters, and shall divide portions among brethren. 3As silver and gold are tried in a furnace, so are choice hearts with the Lord. 4A bad man hearkens to the tongue of transgressors: but a righteous man attends not to false lips. 5He that laughs at the poor provokes him that made him; and he that rejoices at the destruction of another shall not be held guiltless: but he that has compassion shall find mercy. 6Children's children are the crown of old men; and their fathers are the glory of children. The faithful has the whole world full of wealth; but the faithless not even a farthing. 7Faithful lips will not suit a fool; nor lying lips a just man. 8Instruction is to them that use it a gracious reward; and wherever it may turn, it shall prosper. 9He that conceals injuries seeks love; but he that hates to hide them separates friends and kindred. 10A threat breaks down the heart of a wise man; but a fool, though scourged, understands not. 11Every bad man stirs up strifes: but the Lord will send out against him an unmerciful messenger. 12Care may befall a man of understanding; but fools will meditate evils. 13Whoso rewards evil for good, evil shall not be removed from his house. 14Rightful rule gives power to words; but sedition and strife precede poverty. 15He that pronounces the unjust just, and the just unjust, is unclean and abominable with God. 16Why has the fool wealth? for a senseless man will not be able to purchase wisdom. He that exalts his own house seeks ruin; and he that turns aside from instruction shall fall into mischief. 17Have you a friend for every time, and let brethren be useful in distress; for on this account are they born.

Genesis 28.10-17 (Vespers, Annunciation)

10And Jacob went forth from the well of the oath, and departed into Charrhan. 11And came to a certain place and slept there, for the sun had gone down; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it at his head, and lay down to sleep in that place, 12and dreamed, and behold a ladder fixed on the earth, whose top reached to heaven, and the angels of God ascended and descended on it. 13And the Lord stood upon it, and said, I am the God of your father Abraam, and the God of Isaac; fear not, the land on which you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed. 14And your seed shall be as the sand of the earth; and it shall spread abroad to the sea, and the south, and the north, and to the east; and in you and in your seed shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed. 15And behold I am with you to preserve you continually in all the way wherein you shall go; and I will bring you back to this land; for I will not desert you, until I have done all that I have said to you. 16And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said, The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. 17And he was afraid, and said, How fearful is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

Ezekiel 43.27-44.4 (Vespers, Annunciation)

27And it shall come to pass from the eighth day and onward, that the priests shall offer your whole burnt offerings on the altar, and your peace-offerings; and I will accept you, says the Lord.

1Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that looks eastward; and it was shut. 2And the Lord said to me, This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it; for the Lord God of Israel shall enter by it, and it shall be shut. 3For the prince, he shall sit in it, to eat bread before the Lord; he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go forth by the way of the same. 4And he brought me in by the way of the gate that looks northward, in front of the house: and I looked, and, behold, the house was full of the glory of the Lord: and I fell upon my face.

Proverbs 9.1-11 (Vespers, Annunciation)

1Wisdom has built a house for herself, and set up seven pillars. 2She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine in a bowl, and prepared her table. 3She has sent forth her servants, calling with a loud proclamation to the feast, saying, 4Whoso is foolish, let him turn aside to me: and to them that lack understanding she says, 5Come, eat of my bread, and drink wine which I have mingled for you. 6Leave folly, that you⌃ may reign for ever; and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge. 7He that reproves evil men shall get dishonor to himself; and he that rebukes an ungodly man shall disgrace himself. 8Rebuke not evil men, lest they should hate you: rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. 9Give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more instruction. 10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel of saints is understanding: for to know the law is the character of a sound mind. 11For in this way you shall live long, and years of your life shall be added to you.

Ven. Zachariah the Recluse

His father, Carion the Egyptian, forsook his family to become a monk, taking Zacharias with him. Though very young, Zacharias manifested gifts of grace rarely seen among the elders of Sketis. Abba Moses once asked him, ‘What does it mean to be a monk?’, to which Zacharias replied by taking off his hat and treading it underfoot, saying ‘If a man be not so broken, he cannot be a monk.’ After shining as a great light among the holy monks of Scetis, he reposed at a young age.

Commemoration of the Miracle at the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev (?)

“Two friends, John and Sergius, swore brotherhood before the icon of the holy Mother of God in this monastery. John was a rich man, with a five-year-old son, Zachariah. John fell ill, and at his death commended his son to the care of Sergius, and left in Sergius’ keeping a large sum of silver and gold for him to hand over to Zachariah when he had grown up. When Zachariah came of age, however, Sergius denied receiving anything from the deceased John. Then Zachariah said: ‘Let him swear before the same icon of the most holy Mother of God, in front of which he accepted brotherhood with my late father, that he received nothing from John, and then I will seek nothing more from him.’ Sergius agreed, but when he had sworn this and went up to kiss the icon, some force held him back and would not allow him to come near. Then, tormented all at once by a demon, he began to cry out: ‘Holy fathers Antony and Theodosius, do not let this merciless angel destroy me!’ The demon had attacked him by God’s permission. He then told them of all the money which John had left. But when they opened the box, they found double the amount. Taking it, Zachariah gave it to the monastery and was himself tonsured as a monk. He lived a long time and was worthy of God’s great gifts, entering peacefully into eternity.” (Prologue)