Isaiah 2.11-21 (6th Hour)

11Ponosite oèi èovjeèije poniziæe se, i visina ljudska ugnuæe se, a Gospod æe sam biti uzvišen u onaj dan. 12Jer æe doæi dan Gospoda nad vojskama na sve ohole i ponosite i na svakoga koji se podiže, te æe biti poniženi, 13I na sve kedre Livanske velike i visoke i na sve hrastove Vasanske, 14I na sve gore visoke i na sve humove izdignute, 15I na svaku kulu visoku i na svaki zid tvrdi, 16I na sve laðe Tarsiske i na sve likove mile. 17Tada æe se ponositost ljudska ugnuti i visina se ljudska poniziti, i Gospod æe sam biti uzvišen u onaj dan. 18I idola æe nestati sasvijem. 19I ljudi æe iæi u peæine kamene i u rupe zemaljske od straha Gospodnjega i od slave velièanstva njegova, kad ustane da potre zemlju. 20Tada æe baciti èovjek idole svoje srebrne i idole svoje zlatne, koje naèini sebi da im se klanja, krticama i slijepijem mišima, 21Ulazeæi u rasjeline kamene i u peæine kamene od straha Gospodnjega i od slave velièanstva njegova, kad ustane da potre zemlju.

Genesis 2.4-19 (Vespers)

4To je postanje neba i zemlje, kad postaše, kad Gospod Bog stvori zemlju i nebo, 5I svaku biljku poljsku, dokle je još ne bješe na zemlji, i svaku travku poljsku, dokle još ne nicaše; jer Gospod Bog još ne pusti dažda na zemlju, niti bješe èovjeka da radi zemlju, 6Ali se podizaše para sa zemlje da natapa svu zemlju. 7A stvori Gospod Bog èovjeka od praha zemaljskoga, i dunu mu u nos duh životni; i posta èovjek duša živa. 8I nasadi Gospod Bog vrt u Edemu na istoku; i ondje namjesti èovjeka, kojega stvori. 9I uèini Gospod Bog, te nikoše iz zemlje svakojaka drveta lijepa za gledanje i dobra za jelo, i drvo od života usred vrta i drvo od znanja dobra i zla. 10A voda tecijaše iz Edema natapajuæi vrt, i odande se dijeljaše u èetiri rijeke. 11Jednoj je ime Fison, ona teèe oko cijele zemlje Evilske, a ondje ima zlata, 12I zlato je one zemlje vrlo dobro; ondje ima i bdela i dragoga kamena oniha. 13A drugoj je rijeci ime Geon, ona teèe oko cijele zemlje Huske. 14A treæoj je rijeci ime Hidekel, ona teèe k Asirskoj. A èetvrta je rijeka Efrat. 15I uzevši Gospod Bog èovjeka namjesti ga u vrtu Edemskom, da ga radi i da ga èuva. 16I zaprijeti Gospod Bog èovjeku govoreæi: jedi slobodno sa svakoga drveta u vrtu; 17Ali s drveta od znanja dobra i zla, s njega ne jedi; jer u koji dan okusiš s njega, umrijeæeš. 18I reèe Gospod Bog: nije dobro da je èovjek sam; da mu naèinim druga prema njemu. 19Jer Gospod Bog stvori od zemlje sve zvijeri poljske i sve ptice nebeske, i dovede k Adamu da vidi kako æe koju nazvati, pa kako Adam nazove koju životinju onako da joj bude ime;

Proverbs 3.1-18 (Vespers)

1Sine moj, ne zaboravljaj nauke moje, i zapovijesti moje neka hrani srce tvoje. 2Jer æe ti donijeti dug život, dobre godine i mir. 3Milost i istina neka te ne ostavlja; priveži ih sebi na grlo, upiši ih na ploèi srca svojega. 4Te æeš naæi milost i dobru misao pred Bogom i pred ljudima. 5Uzdaj se u Gospoda svijem srcem svojim, a na svoj razum ne oslanjaj se. 6Na svijem putovima svojim imaj ga na umu, i on æe upravljati staze tvoje. 7Ne misli sam o sebi da si mudar; boj se Gospoda i uklanjaj se oda zla. 8To æe biti zdravlje pupku tvojemu i zaljevanje kostima tvojim. 9Poštuj Gospoda imanjem svojim i prvinama od svega dohotka svojega; 10I biæe pune žitnice tvoje obilja, i presipaæe se vino iz kaca tvojih. 11Sine moj, ne odbacuj nastave Gospodnje, i nemoj da ti dosadi karanje njegovo. 12Jer koga ljubi Gospod onoga kara, i kao otac sina koji mu je mio. 13Blago èovjeku koji naðe mudrost, i èovjeku koji dobije razum. 14Jer je bolje njom trgovati nego trgovati srebrom, i dobitak na njoj bolji je od zlata. 15Skuplja je od dragoga kamenja, i što je god najmilijih stvari tvojih ne mogu se izjednaèiti s njom. 16Dug život u desnici joj je, a u ljevici bogatstvo i slava. 17Puti su njezini mili puti i sve staze njezine mirne. 18Drvo je životno onima koji se hvataju za nju, i ko je god drži sreæan je.

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.