Composite 19 - Micah 4.2-3, 5; 6.2-5, 8; 5.4, 5 (Vespers)

1Thus says the Lord: From Sion will come forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he will judge among many peoples and rebuke mighty nations in a distant land. For all the peoples will walk, each its own way, while we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever. Thus says the Lord Almighty: Listen hills and valleys, foundations of the earth, because the Lord has a controversy with his people; for he will dispute with Israel, saying, ‘My people, what have I done to you? Or how have I grieved you? Or how have I troubled you? Answer me. For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and rescued you from the house of slavery, and sent Moses and Aaron before your face. My people, what have your enemies planned against you? Was it not told you, O man, what is good? And what does the Lord seek from you, except to execute judgement, and to love mercy and to be ready to walk with the Lord your God?’ Therefore the Lord will be magnified in strength, and will shepherd his flock in peace, to the extremities of the earth.

Composite 20 - Isaiah 55.1; 12.3-4; 55.2-13 (Vespers)

1Thus says the Lord: You who thirst, go to the water; and all who have no money, go, buy and eat and drink wine and fat without money or price. For thus says the Lord Almighty to you: My people, draw water with joy from the springs of salvation. And you will say in that day: Praise the Lord, cry his name aloud, declare his glory among the nations, call to mind that his name has been exalted. My people, hear me, and eat good things, and your soul will delight in good things. Attend with your ears and follow my ways. Listen to me and your soul will live among good things. And I will make an eternal covenant with you, and you will call upon me. And when you draw near me, let the impious abandon his ways, and the lawless man his plans; and turn back to me and I will have mercy on you and forgive your sins. For your plans are not as my plans, says the Lord; but as heaven is distant from the earth, so is my way distant from your ways, and your thoughts from my mind. For as rain or snow would come down from heaven and not return there, until it had soaked the earth, and it bring forth and bud and give seed to the sower, and bread for food, so shall my word be, which once it has come from my mouth will not return there until it has accomplished all that I willed; and I will make my ways and my commands succeed. For you will go out with joy, and be taught with gladness; for the mountains and hills will exult as they receive you with joy; and all the trees of the field will clap with their branches; and instead of the briar shall come up the cypress; instead of the nettle shall come up the myrtle; and the Lord shall be for a name and for an eternal sign, says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel.

Proverbs 9.1-11 (Vespers)

1Premudrost sazida sebi kuæu, i otesa sedam stupova; 2Pokla stoku svoju, rastvori vino svoje, i postavi sto svoj. 3Posla djevojke svoje, te zove svrh visina gradskih: 4Ko je lud, neka se uvrati ovamo. I bezumnima veli: 5Hodite, jedite hljeba mojega, i pijte vina koje sam rastvorila. 6Ostavite ludost i biæete živi, i idite putem razuma. 7Ko uèi potsmjevaèa, prima sramotu; i ko kori bezbožnika, prima rug. 8Ne karaj potsmjevaèa da ne omrzne na te; karaj mudra, i ljubiæe te. 9Kaži mudrome, i biæe još mudriji; pouèi pravednoga, i znaæe više. 10Poèetak je mudrosti strah Gospodnji, i znanje je svetijeh stvari razum. 11Jer æe se mnom umnožiti dani tvoji i dodaæe ti se godine životu.

Acts 14.6-18 (Epistle)

6Oni doznavši pobjegoše u gradove Likaonske, u Listru i u Dervu i u okolinu njihovu. 7I onamo propovijedahu jevanðelje. 8I jedan èovjek u Listri sjeðaše nemoæan u nogama, i bješe hrom od utrobe matere svoje, i ne bješe nikad hodio. 9Ovaj slušaše Pavla gdje govori. Pavle pogledavši na nj i vidjevši da vjeruje da æe ozdraviti, 10Reèe velikijem glasom: tebi govorim u ime Gospoda Isusa Hrista, ustani na svoje noge upravo. I skoèi, i hoðaše. 11A kad vidje narod šta uèini Pavle, podigoše glas svoj govoreæi Likaonski: bogovi naèiniše se kao ljudi, i siðoše k nama. 12I nazivahu Varnavu Jupiterom, a Pavla Merkurijem, jer on upravljaše rijeèju. 13A sveštenik Jupitera koji bješe pred gradom njihovijem dovede junce, i donese vijence pred vrata, i s narodom šæadijaše da prinosi žrtvu. 14A kad èuše apostoli, Varnava i Pavle, razdriješe haljine svoje, i skoèiše meðu narod vièuæi i govoreæi: 15Ljudi! šta to èinite? I mi smo kao i vi smrtni ljudi, koji vam propovijedamo jevanðelje da se od ovijeh lažnijeh stvari obratite k Bogu živome, koji stvori nebo i zemlju i more i sve što je u njima; 16Koji u prošavšijem naraštajima bješe pustio sve narode da idu svojijem putovima: 17I opet ne ostavi sebe neposvjedoèena, èineæi dobro, dajuæi nam s neba dažd i godine rodne, puneæi srca naša jelom i veseljem. 18I ovo govoreæi jedva ustaviše narod da im ne prinose žrtve, nego da ide svaki svojoj kuæi. A dok oni življahu ondje i uèahu,

John 7.14-30 (Gospel)

14Ali odmah u polovini praznika iziðe Isus u crkvu i uèaše. 15I divljahu se Jevreji govoreæi: kako ovaj zna knjige a nije se uèio? 16Tada im odgovori Isus i reèe: moja nauka nije moja, nego onoga koji me je poslao. 17Ko hoæe njegovu volju tvoriti, razumjeæe je li ova nauka od Boga ili ja sam od sebe govorim. 18Koji govori sam od sebe, slavu svoju traži; a ko traži slavu onoga koji ga je poslao, on je istinit i nema u njemu nepravde. 19Ne dade li Mojsije vama zakon i niko od vas ne živi po zakonu? Zašto tražite da me ubijete? 20Odgovori narod i reèe: je li ðavo u tebi? ko traži da te ubije? 21Odgovori Isus i reèe im: jedno djelo uèinih i svi se divite tome. 22Mojsije vam dade da se obrezujete ne kao da je od Mojsija nego od otaca i u subotu obrezujete èovjeka. 23Ako se èovjek u subotu obrezuje da se ne pokvari zakon Mojsijev, srdite li se na mene što svega èovjeka iscijelih u subotu? 24Ne gledajte ko je ko kad sudite, nego pravedan sud sudite. 25Tada govorahu neki od Jerusalimljana: nije li to onaj kojega traže da ubiju? 26I gle, kako govori slobodno i ništa mu ne vele: da ne doznaše naši knezovi da je on zaista Hristos? 27Ali ovoga znamo otkuda je; a Hristos kad doðe, niko neæe znati otkuda je. 28Tada Isus povika u crkvi uèeæi i reèe: i mene poznajete i znate otkuda sam; i sam od sebe ne doðoh, nego ima istiniti koji me posla, kojega vi ne znate. 29Ja ga znam, jer sam od njega i on me posla. 30Tada gledahu da ga uhvate; i niko ne metnu na nj ruke, jer još ne bješe došao èas njegov.

Hebrews 2.11-18 (Epistle, Blessing of Waters)

11Jer i onaj koji osveæuje, i oni koji se osveæuju, svi su od jednoga; zaradi toga uzroka ne stidi se nazvati ih braæom 12Govoreæi: objaviæu ime tvoje braæi svojoj, i posred crkve zapjevaæu te. 13I opet: ja æu se u njega uzdati. I opet: evo ja i djeca moja koju mi je dao Bog. 14Buduæi pak da djeca imaju tijelo i krv, tako i on uze dijel u tome, da smræu satre onoga koji ima državu smrti, to jest ðavola; 15I da izbavi one koji god od straha smrti u svemu životu biše robovi. 16Jer se zaista ne prima anðela, nego se prima sjemena Avraamova. 17Zato bješe dužan u svemu da bude kao braæa, da bude milostiv i vjeran poglavar sveštenièki pred Bogom, da oèisti grijehe narodne. 18Jer u èemu postrada i iskušan bi u onome može pomoæi i onima koji se iskušavaju.

John 5.1-4 (Gospel, Blessing of Waters)

1A potom bješe praznik Jevrejski, i iziðe Isus u Jerusalim. 2U Jerusalimu pak kod Ovèijeh vrata ima banja, koja se zove Jevrejski Vitezda, i oko nje pet pokrivenijeh trijemova, 3U kojima ležaše mnoštvo bolesnika, slijepijeh, hromijeh, suhijeh, koji èekahu da se zaljulja voda; 4Jer anðeo Gospodnji silažaše u odreðeno vrijeme u banju i muæaše vodu; i koji najprije ulažaše pošto se zamuti voda, ozdravljaše, makar kakva bolest da je na njemu.

Holy Prophet Jeremiah (583 BC)

He is the author of the Old Testament book that bears his name and of the Book of Lamentations; and Baruch, his scribe and disciple, composed the Old Testament book that bears his own name. Jeremiah was the son of Helkiah, of the tribe of Levi, from the city of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. He prophesied for thirty years, from 613 to 583 BC. When the Hebrew people were taken into captivity in the reigh of Zedekiah, the Prophet remained behind and mourned the downfall of the Jerusalem: this is the origin of the book of Lamentations. The Jews who remained fled into Egypt, forcibly taking Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch with them. In Egypt, his prophecies continued to disturb his own people, who stoned him to death by in 583.

His name means “The Lord is exalted.” He is ranked second among the great Prophets, after Isaiah.

The holy Prophets and Forefathers, who lived before Christ’s coming in the flesh are counted as Saints of the Church because they foresaw His coming, spoke of it in their prophecies, looked forward to it with Joy, and greeted Jesus as their Savior when he descended into Hades before his Resurrection.

Saint Tamara (Tamar), Queen of Georgia (1212)

‘Saint Tamara was the only child of King George III. Upon his death in 1184, she became Queen at the age of twenty-four. Despite her youth, she ruled the country with such wisdom and godliness — leading it to unprecedented military triumphs over the neighboring Moslem countries in defence of her kingdom, fostering arts and letters, and zealously strengthening Orthodoxy — that her reign is known as the Golden Age of Georgia. After her coronation, she convoked a local council to correct disorders in church life. When the bishops had assembled from all parts of her kingdom, she, like Saint Constantine at the First Ecumenical Council, honoured them as if she were a commoner, and they Angels of God; exhorting them to establish righteousness and redress abuses, she said in her humility, “Do away with every wickedness, beginning with me, for the prerogative of the throne is in no wise that of making war against God.” Saint Tamara called herself “the father of orphans and the judge of widows,” and her contemporaries called her “King” instead of “Queen.” She herself led her army against the Moslems and fearlessly defeated them; because of the reverence that even the enemies of Georgia had for her, entire mountain tribes renounced Islam and were baptized. She built countless churches and monasteries throughout her kingdom, and was a benefactress also to the Holy Land, Mount Athos, and holy places in Greece and Cyprus. She has always been much beloved by her people, who have memorialized her meekness, wisdom, piety, obedience, and peace-loving nature in innumerable legends, ballads, and songs; the poem written in her honor by Shota Rustaveli, “The Knight of the Panther Skin,” is the masterpiece of Georgian literature. The great Queen Tamara departed the earthly kingdom for the heavenly in the year 1212.’ (Great Horologion)

Synaxis of the Three New Righteous Martyrs of the Holy Mountain, Euthymius, Ignatius, and Acacius (1814-1815)

All three were monks on Mt Athos. All three had renounced Christ in their youth and embraced Islam, but had repented and pursued the Christian life with fervor. All three, at different times, returned to Constantinople and declared themselves Christians, dooming themselves to death under Islamic law. Acacius’s poor and pious mother told him, ‘As you voluntarily denied the Lord, so you must now voluntarily and courageously receive martyrdom for our sweet Jesus.’ All three were beheaded in Constantinople. The holy relics of all three are kept at the Skete of the Venerable Forerunner on the Holy Mountain, where they had been monks.