Thus says the Lord: turn to Me with all your heart, in fasting and in weeping and in mourning, and tear away your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord God that you are merciful and generous, long-suffering and abundantly merciful, and repent of your wickedness. Who knows whether he will turn, and repent, and leave behind a blessing, and a sacrifice, and a drink offering to the Lord your God; Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify the fast, preach celibacy. Gather the people, consecrate the church, choose the elders, unite the sucklings of the babies: let the groom come from his bed and the bride from her palace. Between the levels of the altar, the priests who serve the Lord will mourn, and they will say: Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not give Your inheritance to reproach, lest the Gentiles possess them, lest they cry among the nations: where their God is; And the Lord was jealous of His land, and had mercy on His people.
And the Lord answered His people, and said: Behold, I will send you wheat, and wine, and oil, and be satisfied with them, and I will not give you to be reproached among the nations. And I will wrest him from the north from you, and will cast him away into a dry land, and will destroy his face in the first sea, and his backside in the last sea: and his rottenness will rise up and rise stink it, for you magnify your works. Be bold on earth, rejoice and be merry, for the Lord has magnified what he has created. Be of good cheer, for the desert fields are frozen, for the tree bears its fruit, grapes and figs give its strength: And the children of Zion rejoice, and be glad in the Lord God is yours, for He will give you food in righteousness, and He will bring you the early and the late rain, as before. And your threshing floors will be filled with wheat, and your winepresses will overflow with wine and oil. And I will reward you in place of the years that you ate the springs and the moss, and the weeds, and the caterpillars, My great power, which I have sent upon you.
And eat meat and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, even if He has done wonders for you: and my people will never be put to shame.
Reading the prophecy of Joel [2: 12–26]
Thus says the Lord God: turn to Me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourning. And rend your hearts, and not your clothes, and turn to the Lord your God, for He is Merciful and Compassionate, Long-suffering and Abundant in Mercy, and has compassion on the misfortunes of men. Who knows, maybe He will turn and take pity, and leave behind Him a blessing: a sacrifice and a drink offering to the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate the fast, preach healing. Gather the people, hold a sacred meeting, choose the elders, bring the suckling babies, let the groom come out of his bedroom and the bride from her bridal chamber. Between the porch and the altar the priests who serve the Lord will weep and say: Spare, O Lord, Thy people, and do not give up Thy inheritance to reproach, lest the pagans rule over them, lest they say among the nations, “Where is their God?” And the Lord was jealous of His land and spared His people.
And the Lord answered and said to His people: Behold, I will send you bread, and wine, and oil, and be satisfied with them, and I will no longer give you over to the reproach of the nations. And I will remove the one who comes from the north from you and drive him into a waterless land, and I will destroy his front horde in the first sea, and his rear horde in the last sea, and a stench will come from him, and a stench will rise from him, because he has become exalted by his deeds. Be bold, O earth, rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done great things. Do not be afraid, animals of the field, for the desert fields have become green, the tree has brought forth its fruit, the grapes and figs have shown their strength. And you, children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God, for He has given you true food, and He will send you the early and the late rain, as before. And your threshing floors will be filled with grain, and your winepresses will overflow with wine and oil. And I will repay you for the years in which the locusts, and the worms, and the ergot, and the caterpillars, devoured my great army, which I sent against you. You will eat until you are full, and praise the name of the Lord your God for the wonders that He has done for you, and My people will never be put to shame.
Προφητείας Ἰωὴλ τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα (Κεφ Βˊ 1–26)
Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἐπιστράφητε πρός με ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ἐν νηστείᾳ, καὶ ἐν κλαυθμῷ, καὶ ἐν κοπετῷ, καὶ διαρρήξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, καὶ μὴ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπιστράφητε πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἐλεήμων καὶ οἰκτίρμων ἐστί, μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος, καὶ μετανοῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς κακίαις. Τίς οἶδεν, εἰ ἐπιστρέψει καὶ μετανοήσει, καὶ ὑπολείψεται ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ εὐλογίαν, καὶ θυσίαν καὶ σπονδὴν Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ὑμῶν; Σαλπίσατε σάλπιγγι ἐν Σιών, ἁγιάσατε νηστείαν, κηρύξατε θεραπείαν, συναγάγετε λαόν, ἁγιάσατε ἐκκλησίαν, ἐκλέξασθε πρεσβυτέρους, συναγάγετε νήπια θηλάζοντα μαστούς, ἐξελθέτω νυμφίος ἐκ τοῦ κοιτῶνος αὐτοῦ, καὶ νύμφη ἐκ τοῦ παστοῦ αὐτῆς. Ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς κρηπῖδος τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου κλαύσονται οἱ Ἱερεῖς, οἱ λειτουργοῦντες τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἐροῦσι· Φεῖσαι, Κύριε, τοῦ λαοῦ σου, καὶ μὴ δῷς τὴν κληρονομίαν σου εἰς ὄνειδος, τοῦ κατάρξαι αὐτῶν ἔθνη, ὅπως μὴ εἴπωσιν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι· Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν; Καὶ ἐζήλωσε Κύριος τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐφείσατο τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ.
Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη Κύριος, καὶ εἶπε τῷ λαῶ αὐτοῦ· Ἰδού, ἐγὼ ἐξαποστελῶ ὑμῖν τὸν σῖτον, καὶ τὸν οἶνον, καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον, καὶ ἐμπλησθήσεσθε αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ δώσω ὑμᾶς οὐκέτι εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ Βορρᾶ ἐκδιώξω ἀφˊ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐξώσω αὐτὸν εἰς γῆν ἄνυδρον, καὶ ἀφανιῶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν πρώτην, καὶ τὰ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν ἐσχάτην, ἀναβήσεται ἡ σαπρία αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀναβήσεται ὁ βρῶμος αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνε Κύριος τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, θάρσει ἡ γῆ, χαῖρε καὶ εὐφραίνου, ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνε Κύριος τοῦ ποιῆσαι, θαρσεῖτε, κτήνη τοῦ πεδίου, ὅτι βεβλάστηκε τὰ πεδία τῆς ἐρήμου, ὅτι ξύλον ἤνεγκε τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ, συκῆ καὶ ἄμπελος ἔδωκαν τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῶν. Καὶ τὰ τέκνα Σιὼν χαίρετε, καὶ εὐφραίνεσθε ἐπὶ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἔδωκεν ὑμῖν βρώματα εἰς δικαιοσύνην, καὶ βρέξει ὑμῖν ὑετὸν πρώϊμον καὶ ὄψιμον, καθὼς ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ πλησθήσονται αἱ ἅλωνες σίτου, καὶ ὑπερεκχυθήσονται οἱ ληνοὶ οἴνου καὶ ἐλαίου.
Καὶ ἀνταποδώσω ὑμῖν ἀντὶ τῶν ἐτῶν, ὧν κατέφαγεν ἡ ἀκρίς, καὶ ὁ βροῦχος, καὶ ἡ ἐρυσίβη, καὶ ἡ κάμπη, ἡ δύναμίς μου ἡ μεγάλη, ἥν ἐξαπέστειλα εἰς ὑμᾶς. Καὶ φάγεσθε ἐσθίοντες, καὶ ἐμπλησθήσεσθε, καὶ αἰνέσετε τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν, ὃς ἐποίησε μεθˊ ὑμῶν θαυμάσια, καὶ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ ὁ λαός μου εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.
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Prokeimenon voice 7: The Lord will give strength to His people, the Lord will bless His people with peace.
Verse: Bring to the Lord the son of God.
Prokeimenon (Psalm 28), tone 7: The Lord will give strength to His people, the Lord will bless His people with peace.
Verse: Bring it to the Lord, sons of God.
Προκείμενον Ἦχος βαρὺς. Κύριος ἰσχὺν τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ δώσει αὐτοῦ ἐν εἰρήνῃ).
Στίχ. Ἐνέγκατε τῷ Κυρίῳ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ.