Scripture Readings
Composite 8 - Isaiah 40, 41, 45, 48, 54 (Vespers)
1Thus says the Lord: Comfort, comfort my people, says God. Priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem. Comfort her, because her humiliation has been completed; for her has sin has been abolished, because she has received from the Lord’s hand double for her sins. A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God. Every valley will be filled and every mountain and hill made low; what is crooked will become straight, and the rough ways will be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Go up onto a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Sion; lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem. Lift it up, do not be afraid. I the Lord God, I, the God of Israel, will hearken and will not forsake them; but I will open rivers from the mountains and springs in the middle of plains. I will turn the wilderness into water meadows and the thirsty earth with water courses. Let the heavens rejoice from on high and let the clouds rain justice. Let the earth sprout and blossom with mercy and justice. Announce a voice of gladness to the end of the earth and let this be heard: Say that the Lord has delivered his servant Jacob. And if they thirst through deserts, he will bring water for them from a rock. Rejoice you barren who have never given birth, break out and shout, you who have never known birth pangs, for the children of the deserted are more than those of her who has a husband.
Composite 9 - Malachi 3, 4 (Vespers)
1Thus says the Lord Almighty: See, I am sending my Angel, my messenger, before your face, who will prepare your way before you. And the Lord whom you seek will come to his temple. And who will endure the day of his entrance? And who will withstand at his appearing? Because he will enter like fire in a smelting furnace and like the lye of launderers. And he will come to you in judgement; and he will be a swift witness against the wicked and against adulteresses and against those swear falsely in his name and those who do not fear him, says the Lord Almighty. Because I am the Lord your God, and I have not changed and you, children of Jacob, have perverted the laws and not kept them. Therefore turn back to me and I will turn back to you, says the Lord Almighty. And all the nations will call you blessed and you will know that I am the Lord who discern between just and lawless on the day on which I make a peculiar possession of those who love me. Know then and remember the law of Moses my servant, as I gave him commandment on Horeb, to all Israel ordinances and judgements. And see, I will send you Elias the Thesbite, before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes; he will turn again the heart of father to son and of a man to his neighbour, lest when I come I smite the earth grievously, says the Lord Almighty, God the Holy One of Israel.
Composite 3 - Wisdom of Solomon 4, 5 (Vespers)
1A just man if he comes to his end will be at rest. A just man who dies will condemn the ungodly who are alive; for they will see the end of a just man and will not understand what they counselled concerning him. For the Lord will break the ungodly, render them voiceless and cast them headlong, and he will shake them from the foundations and they will be utterly worsted in sorrow, and their memory shall perish. They shall come with fear at the accounting of their sins, and their iniquities will convict them to their face. Then the just will stand with much boldness in the face of those who afflicted him and made his toils of no account. When they see this they will be troubled with great fear and will be amazed at the wonder of his salvation. For they will say as they repent and with anguish they will groan and say: Is this he whom we fools once made a laughing stock and a byword of reproach? We reckoned his life folly and his end dishonour. How has he been numbered among the children of God and his lot with the Saints? Therefore we have erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousness has not shone on us and the sun has not dawned on us. We have been filled with paths of lawlessness and destruction and journeyed through trackless paths, but have not known the way of the Lord.
Matthew 14.1-13
(Matins Gospel)
1U to vrijeme doðe glas do Iroda èetverovlasnika o Isusu;
2I reèe slugama svojijem: to je Jovan krstitelj; on ustade iz mrtvijeh, i zato èini èudesa.
3Jer Irod uhvati Jovana, sveza ga i baci u tamnicu Irodijade radi žene Filipa brata svojega.
4Jer mu govoraše Jovan: ne možeš ti nje imati.
5I šæaše da ga ubije, ali se poboja naroda; jer ga držahu za proroka.
6A kad bijaše dan roðenja Irodova, igra kæi Irodijadina pred njima i ugodi Irodu.
7Zato i s kletvom obreèe joj dati šta god zaište.
8A ona nauèena od matere svoje: daj mi, reèe, ovdje na krugu glavu Jovana krstitelja.
9I zabrinu se car; ali kletve radi i onijeh koji se gošæahu s njim, zapovjedi joj dati.
10I posla te posjekoše Jovana u tamnici.
11I donesoše glavu njegovu na krugu, i dadoše djevojci, i odnese je materi svojoj.
12I došavši uèenici njegovi, uzeše tijelo njegovo i ukopaše ga; i doðoše Isusu te javiše.
13I èuvši Isus, otide odande u laði u pusto mjesto nasamo. A kad to èuše ljudi, idoše za njim pješice iz gradova.
1 Corinthians 1.26-29 (Epistle)
26Jer pogledajte znanje svoje, braæo, da nema ni mnogo premudrijeh po tijelu, ni mnogo silnijeh ni mnogo plemenitijeh;
27Nego što je ludo pred svijetom ono izabra Bog da posrami premudre; i što je slabo pred svijetom ono izabra Bog da posrami jako;
28I što je neplemenito pred svijetom i uništeno izabra Bog, i što nije, da uništi ono što jest,
29Da se ne pohvali nijedno tijelo pred Bogom.
Acts 13.25-33
(Epistle, Forerunner)
25I kad svršivaše Jovan teèenje svoje, govoraše: ko mislite da sam ja nijesam ja; nego evo ide za mnom, kome ja nijesam dostojan razdriješiti remena na obuæi njegovoj.
26Ljudi braæo! sinovi roda Avraamova, i koji se meðu vama Boga boje! vama se posla rijeè ovoga spasenija.
27Jer oni što žive u Jerusalimu, i knezovi njihovi, ne poznaše ovoga i glasove proroèke koji se èitaju svake subote osudivši ga izvršiše.
28I ne našavši ni jedne krivice smrtne moliše Pilata da ga pogubi.
29I kad svršiše sve što je pisano za njega, skinuše ga s drveta i metnuše u grob.
30A Bog vaskrse ga iz mrtvijeh.
31I pokaziva se mnogo dana onima što izlaziše s njim iz Galileje u Jerusalim, koji su sad svjedoci njegovi pred narodom.
32I mi vam javljamo obeæanje koje bi ocevima našima da je ovo Bog ispunio nama, djeci njihovoj, podignuvši Isusa;
33Kao što je napisano i u drugom psalmu: ti si moj sin, ja te danas rodih.
Matthew 20.29-34 (Gospel)
29I kad je izlazio iz Jerihona za njim ide narod mnogi.
30I gle, dva slijepca sjeðahu kraj puta, i èuvši da Isus prolazi povikaše govoreæi: pomiluj nas Gospode, sine Davidov!
31A narod prijeæaše im da uæute; a oni još veæma povikaše govoreæi: pomiluj nas Gospode, sine Davidov!
32I ustavivši se Isus dozva ih, i reèe: šta hoæete da vam uèinim?
33Rekoše mu: Gospode, da se otvore oèi naše.
34I smilova se Isus, i dohvati se oèiju njihovijeh, i odmah progledaše oèi njihove, i otidoše za njim.
Mark 6.14-30
(Gospel, Forerunner)
14I zaèu car Irod za Isusa jer njegovo ime bijaše se razglasilo i reèe: Jovan krstitelj iz mrtvijeh usta, zato èini èudesa.
15Drugi govorahu: to je Ilija. A drugi govorahu: to je prorok ili kao koji od proroka.
16A kad èu Irod, reèe: to je Jovan koga sam ja posjekao, on usta iz mrtvijeh.
17Jer ovaj Irod posla te uhvatiše Jovana, i svezavši baci ga u tamnicu Irodijade radi žene Filipa brata svojega, jer se oženi njom.
18Jer Jovan govoraše Irodu: ne možeš ti imati žene brata svojega.
19A Irodijada rasrdi se na njega, i šæaše da ga ubije, ali ne mogaše.
20Jer se Irod bojaše Jovana znajuæi ga da je èovjek pravedan i svet, i èuvaše ga, i mnogo koješta èinjaše kako mu on reèe, i rado ga slušaše.
21I dogodi se dan zgodan, kad Irod na dan svoga roðenja davaše veèeru knezovima svojijem i vojvodama i starješinama Galilejskijem.
22I ušavši kæi Irodijadina i igravši i ugodivši Irodu i gostima njegovijem reèe car djevojci: išti u mene šta god hoæeš, i daæu ti.
23I zakle joj se: što god zaišteš u mene daæu ti, da bi bilo i do po carstva moga.
24A ona izišavši reèe materi svojoj: šta æu iskati? A ona reèe: glavu Jovana krstitelja.
25I odmah ušavši brzo k caru zaiska govoreæi: hoæu da mi daš sad na krugu glavu Jovana krstitelja.
26I zabrinu se car, ali kletve radi i gostiju svojijeh ne htje joj odreæi.
27I odmah posla car dželata, i zapovjedi da donese glavu njegovu.
28A on otišavši posijeèe ga u tamnici, i donese glavu njegovu na krugu, i dade djevojci, a djevojka dade je materi svojoj.
29I èuvši uèenici njegovi doðoše i uzeše tijelo njegovo, i metnuše ga u grob.
30I skupiše se apostoli k Isusu, i javiše mu sve i što uèiniše i šta ljude nauèiše.