Prokeimenon (Psalm 79), tone 4: Shepherd of Israel, behold, / Instruct as Joseph’s sheep.
Verse: He sat on cherubs and appeared.
Prokeimenon (Psalm 79), tone 4: Notice us, O Shepherd of Israel, Leading the path like a sheep, Joseph!
Verse: Reveal Yourself, O He who sits on the cherubim!
Genesis reading. [Gen.12:1-7]
The Lord spoke to Abram: come out from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, and go to the land which I will show you. And I will make you a great language, and I will bless you, and I will magnify your name, and you will be blessed. And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse: and all families of the earth will be blessed because of you. And Abram went as the Lord said to him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. And Abram sang his wife Sarai, and Lot his brother's son, and all his possessions, the wealth of the gainer, and every soul that had acquired wealth in Haran: and they went out to drink into the ground. Canaan. And Abram went through the land to the length of it, even to the place of Shechem, even to a tall oak tree: and the Canaanites then dwelt in the land. And the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him: To your seed will I give this land. And there Abram built an altar to the Lord who appeared to him.
Reading Genesis [12:1–7]
The Lord God said to Abram: “Get out of your land, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great and numerous nation, and I will bless you, and I will glorify your name, and you will be blessed. And I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” And Abram went, as the Lord God had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left the land of Haran. And Abram took Sarah his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their property that they had acquired, and every soul that they had acquired in Haran, and they went out to go to the land of Canaan. And Abram walked the length of the land until the place of Shechem, to a tall oak tree; and then the Canaanites lived in that land. And the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him: “To your seed I will give this land.” And Abram built there an altar to the Lord, who appeared to him.
Prokeimenon (Psalm 80), tone 4: Rejoice in God/our Helper.
Verse: Receive the psalm and give the tympanum, the psalter is beautiful with the harp.
Prokeimenon (Psalm 80), tone 4: Rejoice, for God is our Helper!
Verse: Start singing, bring him a tympanum, a cheerful psalter with a harp!
Reading parables. [Proverbs 14:15–26]
The gentle one has faith in every word; the treacherous one comes to repentance. The wise man, fearing, will turn away from evil; the fool, trusting in himself, will mingle with the lawless. A sharp-witted man does things without advice; a wise man endures much. They share malice with madness: cunning will keep the feeling. The evil will creep before the good, and the wicked will serve before the door of the righteous. Friends will hate the friends of the poor: the friends of the rich are many. The wretched one is dishonorable, he sins: he who has mercy on the poor one, blessed. Those who err [unrighteous people] do evil, but those who do mercy and truth do good. Those who do evil do not have mercy and faith, but those who do good do not have mercy and faith. In everyone who cares there is abundance: but he who is covetous and carefree will be in poverty. The crown of the wise is their wealth: but the life of the foolish is evil. A faithful witness will deliver the soul from the evil ones; the flatterer will liquefy the lying ones. In the fear of the Lord is the hope of strength: He will leave the foundation [of the world] to his children.
Reading the book of Proverbs [14:15–26]
The gentle one believes every word, but the cunning one suspects a secret thought. The wise man fears and shuns evil, but the foolish, relying on himself, joins the wicked. A hot-tempered man acts recklessly, but a prudent husband endures a lot. The ignorant will receive evil as their inheritance, but the prudent will acquire knowledge. The wicked will bow before the good, and the wicked will wait at the doors of the righteous. Poor friends will be hated by their friends, but rich friends have many friends. He who dishonors the poor sins, but he who is merciful to the poor is praised. The erring wicked commit evil, but the good create mercy and truth. Those who build evil do not know mercy and faithfulness, but alms and faithfulness belong to good builders. Every caring person has plenty, but the reckless and carefree person will be in need. The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the life of the foolish is evil. A faithful witness will save a soul from evil, but a treacherous one spreads lies. In the fear of the Lord there is firm hope, and he will leave the establishment of peace to his sons.