At Vespers on Tuesday of the first week of Lent
ΕΝ Τῼ ΕΣΠΕΡΙΝῼ
Verses of the Triodi, tone 2:
Stichera of the Triodion, tone 2
Στιχηρὰ Τριῳδίου, Ἦχος β.
Similar to: As if he appeared:
To the bitter food of ancient times, which burst forth from paradise, through abstinence of passions we strive to learn, crying out to our God: on the Cross, the outstretched hand of Thy, the taste of beer and gall you who have tasted and endured sickness from nails, who have nailed all the bitterest sweets from our souls, for the sake of the goodness of generosity, save Thy servants.
Similar: How did You appear, Christ...
Having once been expelled from paradise because of bitter food, let us hasten and try, abstaining from passions, to receive it again, calling on our God: “Thou who stretched out Thy hands on the Cross, Who drank vinegar and tasted gall, and courageously endured the torment of nails, [Himself] nail and destroy all our bitterest pleasures, O Kind-hearted One, and save Thy servants!”
Ὡς ὡράθης Χριστὲ
Βρώσει πάλαι πικρᾷ, ἐξοικισθέντες Παραδείσου, ἐγκρατείᾳ τῶν παθῶν, ἐπισπεύσωμεν εἰσοικισθῆναι, ἀνακράζοντες, τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν· ὁ Σταυρῷ τανύσας παλάμας σου, ὄξος πιών, χολῆς τε γευσάμενος, καὶ ὀδύνας καρτερήσας, τὰς ἐκ τῶν ἥλων, τὰς πικροτάτας ἡδονάς, πάσας ἐκ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν ἐξηλώσας, διὰ σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμῶν, σῶσον τοὺς δούλους σου.
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Sometimes you drove out the food trees from paradise, and through your cross you entered into it. We bring Him to You in prayer, O Most Merciful, and faithfully we all pray to You: the sources of tears have now sent down to us, during abstinence, cleansing all the filth of our passions and sins, and all We cry diligently: Lord, glory to You.
Having once been expelled from paradise because of food from the tree [the knowledge of good and evil], we received it again through Your Cross. We all bring Him, like an intercessor, to You, O Most Merciful One, praying to You with faith: send us from above, at this time of abstinence, streams of tears, all the dirt of passions and our sins, cleansing, so that we all fervently cry out to You: “Glory to You, Lord!”
Ξύλου βρώσει ποτέ, ἀποικισθέντες Παραδείσου, τῷ Σταυρῷ σου πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσῳκίσθημεν, ὃν εἰς πρεσβείαν σοι προσάγομεν, Πολυέλεε, καὶ πιστῶς σου πάντες δεόμεθα. ἐν καιρῷ τῆς ἐγκρατείας, τὸν ῥύπον πάντα, ἐκκαθαιρούσας τῶν παθῶν, καὶ τῶν πταισμάτων ἡμῶν, ἵνα πάντες σοι βοῶμεν ἐκτενῶς· Κύριε δόξα σοι.
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Similar to: What we have done:
Temperance and pleasure grant to me, the Word, as sometimes paradise to Adam, to eat from all Your commandments, O our God, and to reap the reward of the fruit which you have denied of sin, yes I will precede your life-giving Passion on the Cross with joy.
Similar to: Perfect for me...
Grant me also the pleasure of abstinence, O Word, as You once gave paradise to Adam: to partake of every commandment of Yours, our God, restraining myself from the fruit that You called sinful, so that in joy I can achieve the life-giving Passion of Your Cross!
Τῶν πεπραγμένων μοι. Τῆς ἐγκρατείας τὴν τρυφήν, κᾀμοὶ Λόγε χάρισαι, ὡς τῷ Ἀδάμ, τὸν Παράδεισον ποτέ, ἐκ πάσης σου γεύεσθαι, ἐντολῆς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀπέχεσθαι ἀεὶ καρποῦ, ἧς ἀπέφηνας ἁμαρτίας, ἵνα τὸ ζωηφόρον Πάθος σου τοῦ Σταυροῦ, ἐν χαρᾷ προφθάσω.
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Prokeimenon, voice six: Lord, my God, in Thee I trust, save me.
Verse: Deliver me from all those who persecute me.
Prokeimenon (Psalm 7), tone 6: Lord my God, I have placed my hope in You, save me!
Verse: Deliver me from all my persecutors!
Προκείμενον Ἦχος πλ. αˊ Ψαλμὸς ζˊ. Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισα.
Στίχ. Σῶσόν με ἐκ πάντων τῶν διωκόντων με.
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Genesis reading (Genesis 1: 14–23).
God said, let there be lights in the firmament of heaven, to illuminate the earth, and to separate between day and night: and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years. And let them be for enlightenment in the firmament of heaven, as they were to shine upon the earth: and so it was. And God created two great lights: the great light at the beginning of the day, and the lesser light at the beginning of the night, and the stars. And I God set in the firmament of the heavens to shine on the earth, and to rule day and night, and to separate between light and darkness. And God sees it as good. And it was evening, and it was morning, the fourth day. And God said: let the waters sweep away the living souls of the living creatures, and the birds flying on the earth, in the firmament of heaven: and so it was. And God created the great whales, and every living thing that moves along the waters, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind: and God saw that it was good. And I God bless the verb: increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the seas: and let the birds multiply on the earth. And it was evening, and it was morning, the fifth day.
Reading Genesis [1, 14–23]
God said: “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to illuminate the earth and to separate day from night, and let them be for signs and to mark times, and days, and years, and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens, to shine on the earth." And so it became. And God created two great lights: the great light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars. And God placed them in the firmament of heaven to shine on the earth and rule day and night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning: the fourth day. And God said: “Let the waters wipe out the reptiles with living souls and the birds that fly above the earth in the firmament of heaven.” And so it became. And God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing that creeps, which the waters brought up, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that they were good. And God blessed them, saying: “Grow and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
And there was evening, and there was morning: the fifth day.
Γενέσεως τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα (Κεφ. Αˊ, 14–23)
Εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Γενηθήτωσαν φωστῆρες ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, εἰς φαῦσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τοῦ διαχωρίζειν ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς ἡμέρας, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς νυκτός, καὶ ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῖα, καὶ εἰς καιρούς, καὶ εἰς ἡμέρας, καὶ εἰς ἐνιαυτούς, καὶ ἔστωσαν εἰς φαῦσιν ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὥστε φαίνειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτω. Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς δύο φωστῆρας τοὺς μεγάλους, τὸν φωστῆρα τὸν μέγαν, εἰς ἀρχὰς ἡμέρας, καὶ τὸν φωστῆρα τὸν ἐλάσσω, εἰς ἀρχάς τῆς νυκτός, καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας. Καὶ ἔθετο αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὥστε φαίνειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἄρχειν τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτός καὶ διαχωρίζειν ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ φωτός, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σκότους, καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καλόν. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα, καὶ ἐγένετο πρωΐ, ἡμέρα τετάρτη. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Ἐξαγαγέτω τὰ ὕδατα, ἑρπετὰ ψυχῶν ζωσῶν, καὶ πετεινὰ πετώμενα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, κατὰ τὸ στερέωμα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτω.
Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ κήτη τὰ μεγάλα, καὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ζώων ἑρπετῶν, ἃ ἐξήγαγε τὰ ὕδατα κατὰ γένος αὐτῶν, καὶ πᾶν πετεινὸν πτερωτὸν κατὰ γένος. Καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καλά, καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτὰ ὁ Θεὸς λέγων. Αὐξάνεσθε, καὶ πληθύνεσθε, καὶ πληρώσατε τὰ ὕδατα ἐν ταῖς θαλάσσαις, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ πληθυνέσθωσαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα, καὶ ἐγένετο πρωῒ ἡμέρα πέμπτη.
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Prokeimenon, voice five: Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Your name throughout all the earth.
Verse: For Your splendor will exceed the heavens.
Prokeimenon (Psalm 8), tone 5: O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Your name for all the earth!
Verse: Your greatness is exalted above the sky!
Προκείμενον Ἦχος πλ. αˊ Ψαλμὸς ηˊ. Good luck!
Στίχ. Ὅτι ἐπήρθη ἡ μεγαλοπρέπειά σου ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν.
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Proverbs reading (Prov. 1: 20–33).