Isaiah 26.21-27.9 (6th Hour)

21Jer, gle, Gospod izlazi iz mjesta svojega da pohodi stanovnike zemaljske za bezakonje njihovo, i zemlja æe otkriti krvi svoje niti æe više pokrivati pobijenijeh svojih.

1Tada æe Gospod pokarati maèem svojim ljutijem i velikim i jakim levijatana, prugu zmiju, i levijatana, krivuljastu zmiju, i ubiæe zmaja koji je u moru. 2Tada pjevajte o vinogradu koji raða crvenijem vinom: 3Ja Gospod èuvam ga, u svako doba zaljevaæu ga; dan noæ èuvaæu ga da ga ko ne ošteti. 4Nema gnjeva u mene; ko æe staviti u boj nasuprot meni èkalj i trnje? ja æu pogaziti i spaliti sve. 5Ili neka se uhvati za silu moju da uèini mir sa mnom; uèiniæe mir sa mnom. 6Jednom æe se ukorijeniti Jakov, procvjetaæe i uzrasti Izrailj, i napuniæe vasiljenu plodom. 7Je li ga udario onako kako je udario one koji njega udaraše? je li ga ubio onako kako su ubijeni oni koje je ubio? 8S mjerom ga je karao, kad ga je odbacio, kad ga je odnio silnijem vjetrom svojim istoènijem. 9Zato æe se tijem oèistiti bezakonje Jakovljevo i to æe biti sva korist što æe se uzeti grijeh njegov kad sve kamenje oltarno razmetne kao razdrobljeno kreèno kamenje i ne bude više gajeva ni sunèanijeh likova,

Genesis 9.18-10.1 (Vespers)

18A bijahu sinovi Nojevi koji izidoše iz kovèega: Sim i Ham i Jafet; a Ham je otac Hanancima. 19To su tri sina Nojeva, i od njih se naseli sva zemlja. 20A Noje poèe raditi zemlju, i posadi vinograd. 21I napiv se vina opi se, i otkri se nasred šatora svojega. 22A Ham, otac Hanancima, vidje golotinju oca svojega, i kaza obojici braæe svoje na polju. 23A Sim i Jafet uzeše haljinu, i ogrnuše je obojica na ramena svoja, i iduæi natraške pokriše njom golotinju oca svojega, licem natrag okrenuvši se da ne vide golotinje oca svojega. 24A kad se Noje probudi od vina, dozna šta mu je uèinio mlaði sin, 25I reèe: proklet da je Hanan, i da bude sluga slugama braæe svoje! 26I još reèe: blagosloven da je Gospod Bog Simov, i Hanan da mu bude sluga! 27Bog da raširi Jafeta da živi u šatorima Simovijem, a Hanan da im bude sluga! 28I poživje Noje poslije potopa trista i pedeset godina. 29A svega poživje Noje devet stotina i pedeset godina; i umrije.

1A ovo su plemena sinova Nojevijeh, Sima, Hama i Jafeta, kojima se rodiše sinovi poslije potopa.

Proverbs 12.23-13.9 (LXX) (Vespers)

23Pametan èovjek pokriva znanje, a srce bezumnijeh razglašuje bezumlje. 24Ruka radljiva gospodariæe, a lijena æe davati danak. 25Briga u srcu èovjeèijem obara; a dobra rijeè razveseljava. 26Pravedniku je bolje nego bližnjemu njegovu; a bezbožnike zavodi put njihov. 27Ljenivac neæe peæi lova svoga, a u vrijedna je èovjeka dobro dragocjeno. 28Na putu pravde život je, i kuda ide staza njezina nema smrti.

1Mudar sin sluša nastavu oca svojega; a potsmjevaè ne sluša ukora. 2Od ploda usta svojih svaki æe jesti dobro, a duša nevaljalijeh ljudi nasilje. 3Ko èuva usta svoja, èuva svoju dušu; ko razvaljuje usne, propada. 4Željna je duša ljenivèeva, ali nema ništa; a duša vrijednijeh ljudi obogatiæe se. 5Na lažnu rijeè mrzi pravednik; a bezbožnik se mrazi i sramoti. 6Pravda èuva onoga koji hodi bezazleno; a bezbožnost obara grješnika. 7Ima ko se gradi bogat a nema ništa, i ko se gradi siromah a ima veliko blago. 8Otkup je za život èovjeku bogatstvo njegovo, a siromah ne sluša prijetnje. 9Vidjelo pravednièko svijetli se, a žižak bezbožnièki ugasiæe se.

Martyr Conon of Isauria (2nd c.)

The holy Martyr Conon lived in the days of the holy Apostles; he was born in the village of Bydane of Isauria in Asia Minor, to parents named Nestor and Nada. He was instructed in the Faith and baptised into Christ by the Archangel Michael himself, who, it is said, accompanied him for the rest of his life. His parents joined him in marriage to a pagan maiden named Anna; but on their wedding night he took a candle, put it under a vessel, and asked her ‘Which is better, light or darkness?’ She answered ‘Light,’ and he told her of the Christian faith and the joys of the spiritual life. She accepted Christ, and the two agreed to live in virginity. Conon went on to bring many pagans to Christ, including his own parents. His wife and both parents died after a few years (Nestor as a Martyr) and he gave himself up entirely to prayer, fasting, and contemplation on God. He was known as a wonder-worker, and even evil spirits were compelled to serve him.

During one of the persecutions, Magnus the governor of Isauria imprisoned Conon and had him tortured, beaten and stabbed with knives. Believers obtained some of his blood, and the sick who were anointed with it became well. A large crowd of Christians whom Conon had brought to Faith surrounded the governor’s palace demanding Conon’s release, and the frightened governor let him go. He lived for two more years in his own home, then reposed in peace.

St Mark of Athens (4th c.)

He was born in Athens of pagan parents, but believed and was baptized, and, forsaking everything, lived as a hermit in the desert beyond Egypt. He did not see another human being for ninety-five years, and we would know nothing of his life had not the monk Serapion come upon him. Mark was about to depart this life, and lived only long enough to tell Serapion his story. Serapion then gave him burial.

St Mark the Ascetic (5th c.)

St Mark was a disciple of St John Chrysostom, tonsured a monk at the age of forty by St John himself. He then withdrew to the Nitrian desert and lived for sixty years as a hermit, devoting himself to fasting, prayer, and writing spiritual discourses.

Saint Mark knew all the Holy Scriptures by heart. His compassion was so great that he wept at the distress of any of God’s creatures: once he wept for the blind pup of a hyena, and the pup received its sight. Though he lived alone in the desert, it is said that he received Communion from an angel.

The holy and scholarly Patriarch Photios held his writings in the highest esteem, and at one time there was a saying, ‘sell all that you have, and buy Mark.’ Some of these beautiful and profound writings may be read in English in the first volume of the Philokalia.