Isaiah 37.33-38.6 (6th Hour)

33Zato ovako veli Gospod za cara Asirskoga: neæe uæi u ovaj grad, niti æe baciti amo strijele, neæe se primaæi k njemu sa štitom, niti æe iskopati opkopa oko njega. 34Vratiæe se putem kojim je došao, a u grad ovaj neæe uæi, veli Gospod. 35Jer æu braniti taj grad i saèuvaæu ga sebe radi i radi Davida sluge svojega. 36Tada izide anðeo Gospodnji i pobi u okolu Asirskom sto i osamdeset i pet tisuæa; i kad ustaše ujutru, a to sve sami mrtvaci. 37Te se podiže Senahirim car Asirski, i otide, i vrativši se osta u Nineviji. 38I kad se klanjaše u domu Nisroka boga svojega, Adrameleh i Sarasar sinovi njegovi ubiše ga maèem, a sami pobjegoše u zemlju Araratsku, i na njegovo se mjesto zacari Esaradon sin njegov.

1U to vrijeme razbolje se Jezekija na smrt; i doðe k njemu prorok Isaija sin Amosov i reèe mu: ovako veli Gospod: naredi za kuæu svoju, jer æeš umrijeti i neæeš ostati živ. 2A Jezekija se okrete licem k zidu, i pomoli se Gospodu, 3I reèe: oh, Gospode, opomeni se da sam jednako hodio pred tobom vjerno i s cijelijem srcem, i tvorio što je tebi ugodno. I plaka Jezekija veoma. 4Tada doðe rijeè Gospodnja Isaiji govoreæi: 5Idi i reci Jezekiji: ovako veli Gospod Bog Davida oca tvojega: èuo sam molitvu tvoju, i vidio sam suze tvoje, evo dodaæu ti vijeku petnaest godina. 6I izbaviæu tebe i ovaj grad iz ruku cara Asirskoga, i braniæu ovaj grad.

Genesis 13.12-18 (Vespers)

12Avram življaše u zemlji Hananskoj, a Lot življaše po gradovima u onoj ravnici premještajuæi svoje šatore do Sodoma. 13A ljudi u Sodomu bijahu nevaljali, i griješahu Gospodu veoma. 14A Gospod reèe Avramu, pošto se Lot odijeli od njega: podigni sada oèi svoje, pa pogledaj s mjesta gdje si na sjever i na jug i na istok i na zapad. 15Jer svu zemlju što vidiš tebi æu dati i sjemenu tvojemu dovijeka. 16I uèiniæu da sjemena tvojega bude kao praha na zemlji; ako ko uzmože izbrojiti prah na zemlji, moæi æe izbrojiti i sjeme tvoje. 17Ustani, i prolazi tu zemlju u dužinu i u širinu; jer æu je tebi dati. 18I Avram diže šatore, i doðe i naseli se u ravnici Mamrijskoj, koja je kod Hevrona, i ondje naèini žrtvenik Gospodu.

Proverbs 14.27-15.4 (Vespers)

27Strah je Gospodnji izvor životu da se èovjek saèuva od prugala smrtnijeh. 28U mnoštvu je naroda slava caru; a kad nestaje naroda, propast je vladaocu. 29Ko je spor na gnjev, velika je razuma; a ko je nagao pokazuje ludost. 30Život je tijelu srce zdravo, a zavist je trulež u kostima. 31Ko èini krivo ubogome, sramoti stvoritelja njegova; a poštuje ga ko je milostiv siromahu. 32Za zlo svoje povrgnuæe se bezbožnik, a pravednik nada se i na smrti. 33Mudrost poèiva u srcu razumna èovjeka, a što je u bezumnima poznaje se. 34Pravda podiže narod, a grijeh je sramota narodima. 35Mio je caru razuman sluga, ali na sramotna gnjevi se.

1Odgovor blag utišava gnjev, a rijeè prijeka podiže srdnju. 2Jezik mudrijeh ljudi ukrašava znanje, a usta bezumnijeh prosipaju bezumlje. 3Oèi su Gospodnje na svakom mjestu gledajuæi zle i dobre. 4Zdrav je jezik drvo životno, a opaèina s njega kršenje od vjetra.

Martyrs Codratus (Quadratus) and those with him (258)

‘In a time of persecution of Christians, many of the faithful fled to the mountains and caves. The mother of this Codratus did so. She was pregnant at that time, and gave birth to Codratus in a forest, dying almost at once. He was kept safe and fed by the providence of God and his guardian angel. Codratus grew up in solitude with nature. He who gave manna from heaven to the Israelites in the wilderness released a sweet dew from a cloud onto the mouth of the child Codratus. When he was twelve years old, he went down to the town, and there some good people took a fancy to him and educated him. He studied medicine and then began to heal the sick, using both natural medicines and, more importantly, the spiritual power and prayer which had been with him from childhood. When a new persecution arose under Decius, Codratus was taken for trial and thrown into prison. Five of his friends stood beside him and confessed the name of Christ. They were: Cyprian, Dionysius, Anectus, Paul and Crescens. They were all dragged through the streets and struck with sticks and stones by the unbelievers, especially by the children, until they arrived at the scaffold. Here the martyrs prayed to God and were beheaded with the sword. A spring of water gushed out onto the earth at the spot, which to this day is called by Codratus’ name and commemorates the heroic death for Christ of the holy six. They suffered with honour for the truth in Corinth in the year 250, in the time of the Emperor Decius and his governor Jason.’ (Prologue)

Our Holy Mother Anastasia (563)

She was a noble lady at the Imperial court under the Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora. But when she was widowed she left Constantinople and all her privileges behind and fled to the Egyptian desert. There Abba Daniel tonsured her and, at her request, presented her to the brethren as the eunuch Anastasius, so that she might avoid discovery by imperial investigators. She closed herself in a small cell, where she spent twenty-eight years in prayer and askesis. Shortly before her death, her elder Daniel saw her face shining like the sun.