At Psalm 140
In Tone 4
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
The Fast that brings integrity has now run half its course.* These past days have proved acceptable,* and now we see the need of the days to come.* Our perception of their value will make them yield more abundant fruit.* Therefore, let us beseech Christ our Benefactor* who fasted and endured the Cross for us:* Grant that we might share in Your divine Pascha without condemnation* and pass our lives in peace,** worthily glorifying You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In Tone 5
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
Those who do good deeds in secret* and receive a spiritual reward,* do not boast in public about their deeds,* but they carry them in their hearts;* and He who sees the secret deeds of all* grants us the reward of self-control.* Let us then complete this Great Fast without putting on a gloomy face;* but while praying in the secrecy of our souls,* let us cry out unceasingly:* Our Father, who art in heaven,* lead us not into temptation, we pray,** but deliver us from evil.
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
With your souls filled with unquenchable love, O holy martyrs,* you endured the most terrible sufferings without ever denying Christ;* and you laid low the impudence of the torturers.* You kept the faith unwavering and unharmed* and have gone to dwell in heaven.* Therefore, having the boldness to approach the Lord,** beg Him to grant us His great mercy.
In Tone 1
- Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Let us all wash our souls in the water of the Fast* and approach the precious and all-praiseworthy Cross of the Lord.* Let us faithfully bow to it,* drawing divine illumination from it* and reaping the fruit of eternal salvation,** which is peace and great mercy.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
O precious Cross, the boldness of the apostles,* You are revered by the Archangels, Powers and Principalities.* Save from all evil those who bow before You,* and make us worthy to pass through the course of the Fast in a holy way,** that we may see Your salvation and holy Resurrection.
In Tone 7
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Bowing before the Cross of the Lord on this day, let us sing:* Rejoice, O Tree of Life;* You are the joy of the world who destroy Hades and Death;* Your strength puts the demons to flight.* You are the invincible weapon and support of believers;** preserve and sanctify those who bow before You.
In Tone 4
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Having received the illumination of the knowledge of God,* the eyes of your heart were enlightened.* you wisely abandoned the darkness of delusion, wise one!* You confessed Christ, the Lord Who took flesh for all.* Therefore, most praised Chrysanthus,* you were made strong by the might of the Spirit,** and were shown to be stronger than your torturers.
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Having received the illumination of the knowledge of God,* the eyes of your heart were enlightened.* you wisely abandoned the darkness of delusion, wise one!* You confessed Christ, the Lord Who took flesh for all.* Therefore, most praised Chrysanthus,* you were made strong by the might of the Spirit,** and were shown to be stronger than your torturers.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
You counted the bait of the enemy and the burning of pleasures to be like a cobweb. * As you stood in the dark dungeon,* you were illumined with the light of God* and filled with spiritual fragrance* though you were surrounded by the stench of filth.* As a most excellent escort,* you led as a blameless bride to Christ** the woman who had sought to defile you!
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Daria of glorious fame,* you were wounded with the sweetest love of the Creator* and turned away from all ungodliness.* Through the many torments of your body,* you found within yourself a bridal chamber of God.* You were a divine vessel of the Spirit,* the adornment of athletes and the ornament of virgins!** You betrothed yourself to Christ by the many torments of your body!
In Tone 8, Glory… Now…
Today the inaccessible Lord draws me close to Him.* He endures His Passion to free me from my passions.* He who gives light to the blind, receives spitting from impure lips* and permits Himself to be scourged to save the captives.* When His Mother, the Virgin, saw Him on the Cross, she sighed and said:* Alas, O my beloved Child!* You surpass every mortal in beauty; yet You are now without charm or attraction,* having neither grace, nor form, nor life.* Alas! O Light of my eyes,* a sword pierces my hear, and I suffer inwardly to see You so.* I sing and praise Your Passion,* I venerate Your infinite mercy,** O long-suffering Lord, glory to You.
Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,* who alone does wondrous things.
verse: O God, give Your judgment to the king, and to the king’s son Your justice.
Reading I
Genesis 9:18-10:1
Prokeimenon II, Tone 4
To be near God is my happiness.* I have made the Lord God my refuge.
verse: How good God is to Israel, to those who are pure of heart.
Reading II
Proverbs 12:23-13:9