The memory of the righteous is with praise, / but the testimony of the Lord, the Forerunner, is sufficient for you; / For you have shown that you are truly the most honorable of the prophets, / that in the streams of baptism you were worthy of the Preached One. / Moreover, having suffered for the truth, rejoicing, / you preached the good news to those in hell, God manifest in the flesh, / who takes away the sin of the world / and gives us great mercy.
Enough is enough. I showed you that you are afraid - for you have appeared. I showed you that you are afraid - for you have appeared. The most honorable is the most glorious (worthy of the greatest honor). Taking upon Himself - Taking upon Himself.
+ The testimony of the Lord suffices for you, Forerunner. - This is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I send My angel before You, who will prepare Your way before You. For I tell you, among those born of women there is not one prophet greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he (Luke 7:27-28).
You preached the good news to those in hell about God revealed in the flesh. The preaching of the Forerunner was continued in hell, where it also preceded the preaching of the Savior (before the resurrection). In the service for the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist, it is sung: Precede Life in hell, preach to those who are in darkness and the shadow of death who sit above the East, Christ our God (stichera on the lithium).