Second Week

You, who alone fashioned our hearts, remember that we are dust; * do not condemn us to the lowest parts of the earth, O Sinless One.

Thus says the Lord: God will shine out on that day, in counsel with glory on the earth, to exalt and glorify the remnant of Israel. And there will be a remnant in Sion and a remnant in Jerusalem, they will all be called ‘Holy’ who are inscribed for life in Jerusalem. Because the Lord will wash the stain of the sons and daughters of Sion, and will cleanse the blood of Jerusalem[1] from the midst of them, with a spirit of judgement and a spirit of burning. And the Lord will come,[2] and it shall be that every place of mount Sion, and all the region round it a cloud will shelter by day, and like smoke and the light of fire burning by night, and it will be sheltered with all the glory. And it shall be for a shelter from heat, and with a shelter and a hiding place from harshness and rain. [5:1] Let me sing for my beloved a song of my loved one for my vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a hill,[3] on a fertile place. And I[4] made a hedge round it and dug a trench and planted a vine of Sorek and built a tower in the middle of it, and dug out a vat in it, and I waited for it to produce grapes, and it produced thorns. And now inhabitants of Jerusalem, and people[5] of Juda, judge between me and my vineyard. What should I yet have done for vineyard, and did not do? Because I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns. Now I will tell you what I shall do to my vineyard; I shall take out its hedge, and it will be for plundering; and I shall pull down its wall, and it will be for trampling under foot. And I will abandon my vineyard, and it will not be pruned or dug; and thorns will come up on it, as on fallow land; and I shall command the clouds not to shower rain on it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and a man of Juda the beloved plant.

Verse: The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the whole world and all who dwell in it.

The Lord God made for Adam and his wife tunics of skin, and clothed them. And God said: See, Adam has become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now lest he should ever stretch out his hand and take from the tree of life and eat and live for ever. And the Lord God sent him out of the Paradise of delight to work the earth from which he had been taken. And he cast Adam out and settled him opposite[6] the Paradise of delight; and he stationed the Cherubim, and the sword of flame turning about, to guard the way to the tree of life. [4:1] And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and said, ‘I have gained[7] a man through God’. And she gave birth once more to his brother Abel. And Abel became a shepherd of sheep, while Cain worked the earth. And it came to pass after some days that Cain brought from the fruits of the earth a sacrifice to the Lord. And Abel also brought from the firstborn of his sheep and of his fatlings. And God look upon Abel and upon his gifts; while he did not regard Cain and his gifts. And Cain was very sorrowful, and his face fell. And the Lord God said to Cain, ‘Why have you become very sorrowful, and why has your face fallen? If you offered correctly but did not divide correctly, did you not sin? Be still; his recourse shall be to you, and you shall rule him’.[8]

The Lord resists the proud, but to the humble he gives grace. The wise will inherit glory, but the ungodly have exalted dishonour. [4:1] Hear, children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you a good gift, do not forsake my law. For I too was a son obedient to my father and beloved in the sight of my mother. They taught me and said: Let our word be fixed in your heart, keep the commandments, do not forget, do not neglect the speech of my mouth, do not forsake it, and it will cling to you; love it, and it will watch over you. Trench it about and it will exalt you; honour it, that it may embrace you, that it may bestow on your head a crown of graces, may shield you with a crown of delight. Hear, my son, and accept my words, and years of life will be multiplied for you, that ways of life may become many for you. For I teach you ways of wisdom, I make you go up on right tracks. For if you journey, your steps will not be straitened; while if you run, you will not toil. Grasp my instruction; do not let it go, but guard it for yourself for your life. Do not enter the ways of the ungodly, do not imitate the ways of transgressors. In whatever place they pitch camp, do not enter there; keep away from them and pass by. For they cannot sleep unless they have done evil; sleep has been taken from them and they do not slumber[9]. For their bread is the bread of ungodliness, while they are drunk with lawless wine. But the ways of the just shine like light; they advance and give light until the day is established. The ways of the ungodly are dark, they do not know how they stumble. My son, attend to my speech, apply your ear to my words. So that your springs may not fail you, guard them in your heart. For there is life for those who find them, and healing for all flesh.

We are not able to hymn you worthily, but with supplication we beg, * ‘Do not destroy us with our iniquities, O Lord easy to placate’.

Lord, I have loved the beauty of your house, and the dwelling-place of your glory.

Thus says the Lord: The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Juda the beloved plant. I waited for it to produce judgement, but it produced iniquity, and not justice, but a cry. Woe to those who join house to house, and who bring field close to field, that they may remove something of their neighbour’s! Will you alone dwell on the land? For these things have been heard by the ears of the Lord of hosts. For though many houses come into being, great and fair, they will become a desert, and there will be no inhabitants in them. For where ten yoke of oxen work, it will produce one jar-full; and the one who sows twelve bushels will produce one. Woe to those who rise in the morning and go after strong drink, staying until late; for the wine will heat them; for with harp and psaltery and drums and flutes they drink wine, while they do not regard the works of the Lord, and they do not keep in mind the works of his hands. Therefore my people has become a prisoner, through not knowing the Lord; and has become a multitude of corpses, through famine and thirst for water. And Hell has broadened its soul[10] and opened its mouth, so as to leave no interval; and her glorious ones will go down and her great and her rich and her pestilent ones, and the one who rejoiced in her. And a man shall be humbled, and a man shall be dishonoured; and the lofty eyes shall be humbled. And the Lord of hosts will be exalted in judgement; and the holy God will be glorified in justice.

Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let us go out into the plain’.[11] And it came to pass while they were in the plain that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and killed him. And the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ And he said, ‘I do not know; am I my brother’s guardian?’ And the Lord said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the earth. And now you are accursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand; when you work the earth it will not put forth its strength to give to you; groaning and trembling you shall be on the earth’. And Cain said to the Lord, ‘My crime is too great for me to be forgiven; if you cast me out to-day from your face, then I shall hide from your face, and I shall be groaning and trembling on the earth; and it shall be that anyone who finds me will kill me’. And the Lord God said to him, ‘Not so, anyone who kills Cain will pay seven penalties’. And the Lord God put a mark on Cain, that no one who found should do away with him.

The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will give his people the blessing of peace.

My son, attend to my wisdom, apply your ear to my words, that you may guard a good understanding; the perception of my lips commands you: Do not pay attention to a worthless woman; for honey drips from the lips of a harlot, who smoothes your throat for a time; but afterwards[12] you will find it more bitter than gall, and sharper than a two-edged sword; for the feet of folly lead those who make use of her with death down to Hell, her footsteps are not firmly planted; for she does not go by ways of life, but her tracks are slippery and not easy to pick out. Now then, my son, hear me, and do not make my words of no effect. Make your way far from her; do not go near the doors of her houses, lest you give your life to others and your livelihood to those without mercy; lest strangers be filled with your strength, while your toils come to the houses of strangers; and finally you repent when the flesh of your body is worn away, and you say, ‘How have I hated instruction, and how has my heart turned from the reproofs of the just? I did not hear the voice of my instructor and my teacher; nor did I apply my ear; I was within a little of being in total evil in the midst of the church and the congregation’. My son, drink waters from your own vessels, and the source of your own wells.

God Most High, who dwell in Heaven and who created everything that has breath, save us; * for we have hoped in you, our Saviour.

The Lord of hosts will be exalted in judgement, and the holy God will be glorified in justice. And they that were despoiled shall be pastured like bulls, and lambs feed on the deserts of those taken away. Woe to those who draw sins to themselves as on a long rope, and iniquities as on the thong of a heifer’s yoke, saying, ‘Let him quickly bring near what he is going to do, that we may see it, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that we may know it!’ Woe to those who call evil good, who regard darkness as light and light darkness, who regard bitter as sweet and sweet bitter! Woe to them that are understanding in their own opinion, and knowledgeable in their own eyes! Woe to your strong ones who drink wine, and your powerful ones who also mix strong drink; who justify the ungodly for the sake of gifts, and deprive the just of justice! For this reason, in the same way that a reed will be burnt by a coal of fire, and be burnt up by a leaping flame, their root will be like chaff, and their flower will go up like dust; for they did not want the law of the Lord of hosts, but provoked the word of the Holy One of Israel. And the Lord of hosts was enraged with his people, and put out his hand upon them, and struck them; and the mountains were provoked and their carcasses became like dung in the middle of the way; and in all this his rage has not been turned away, but his hand is still raised high.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous; and be triumphant all you who are upright of heart.

Verse: Blessed are those whose iniquities have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered.

But Cain went out from the face of God and dwelt in the land of Naïd opposite Edem. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he was building a city; and he named it with his son’s name, Enoch. To Enoch was born Gaïdad; and Gaïdad begot Maleleël; and Maleleël begot Mathousala; and Mathousala begot Lamech. And Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Ada and the name of the second Sella. And Ada gave birth to Jobel; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and feed cattle; and the name of his brother was Joubal; it was who he revealed psaltery and harp. While Sella too gave birth, to Thobel, and he was a smith, a bronze smith of bronze and iron; while Thobel’s sister was Noëma. Now Lamech said to his wives, Ada and Sella, ‘Hear my voice, wives of Lamech, give ear to my words: because I have killed a man to my wounding, and a youth to my bruising. Because it has been revenged on Cain seven times, but on Lamech seventy times seven’. Now Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and gave birth to a son, and named his name Seth, saying: For God has raised up[13] for me other seed in place of Abel, whom Cain killed. And to Seth there was a son; he named his name Enos; he hoped to call on the name of the Lord God.

My son, drink water from your own vessels, and from the source of your own wells; let the waters from your source overflow for you,[14] let your waters go through your streets. Let them be for you alone, and let no stranger share with you. Let your source be for you your own, and be glad with the wife of your youth. Let the hart of love and the colt of your graces be your companion, let her be considered your own, and let her be with you at every moment; for living in the company of her love, you will achieve much. Be not much with a strange woman, do not be held in the arms of woman not your own; for the ways of a man are before the eyes of God, he keeps watch on all his tracks. Iniquities hunt a man; while each one is bound in ropes of his own sins. This man dies with the uninstructed; he has been cast out of the abundance of his own livelihood, and he has perished through folly. My son, if you go surety for your friend, you will entrust your hand to an enemy; for a man’s own lips are a strong snare, and he is caught by the lips of his own mouth. Do, my son, what I command you, and be safe.

We have fallen, raise us up; we have turned away, turn us back to you, O God as you love mankind * and hold together the ends of the earth.

Verse: I will bless the Lord at every moment; his praise shall ever be in my mouth.

It came to pass in the year that king Ozias died that I saw the Lord, seated on a high and exalted throne, and the house was full of his glory. And Seraphim stood round about him, the one had six wings and the other had six wings, and with two they covered their face, while with two they covered their feet and with two they flew. And they cried one to the other and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Sabaoth, the whole earth is full of his glory’.[15] And the lintel was lifted up at the sound with which they cried, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said, ‘Ah, wretch that I am, for I have been pricked to the heart; because, being a man and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of people who have unclean lips and I have seen the King, the Lord Sabaoth with my own eyes’. And one of the Seraphim was sent to me, and he had a coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with the tongs,[16] and he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips, and will take away your iniquities and will cleanse your sins’. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go to this people?’ And I said, ‘See, here am I. Send me’. And he said, ‘Go, and say to this people, “Hear with your hearing, and do not understand, and looking, look, and do not see”; for the heart of this people has become fat and with their ears they have become hard of hearing and they have shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart, and turn back, and I shall heal them’. And I said, ‘Until when, Lord?’ And he said, ‘Until cities are deserted through not being inhabited, and houses through there being no people, and the land shall be left a desert. And after these things God will take the men far away, and those who are left on the land will be multiplied’.

Verse: Your justice is as the mountains of God; and your judgements as the great deep.[17]

This is the book of the genesis of humankind; on the day God made Adam, he made him according to God’s image; male and female he made them, and he blessed them; and he named his name Adam on the day he made them. Adam lived two hundred and thirty years and begot a son according to his form and according to his image, and he named his name Seth. The days of Adam which he lived after begetting Seth were seven hundred, and he begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Adam, which he lived, were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. Seth lived two hundred and five years and begot Enos. And Seth lived after begetting Enos seven hundred and seven years, and he begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died. And Enos lived one hundred and ninety years and begot Cainan. And Enos lived seven hundred and fifteen years after begetting Cainan, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years and he died. And Cainan lived one hundred and seventy years and begot Maleleël. And Cainan lived seven hundred and forty years after begetting Maleleël and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died. And Maleleël lived one hundred and sixty five years and begot Jared. And Maleleël lived after begetting Jared for seven hundred and thirty years and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Maleleël were eight hundred and ninety five years and he died. And Jared lived one hundred and sixty two years and begot Enoch. And Jared lived after begetting Enoch eight hundred years and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty two years, and he died. And Enoch lived one hundred and sixty five years and begot Mathousala. But Enoch was well pleasing to God after begetting Mathousala and he begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty five years. And Enoch was well pleasing to God, and he was not to be found, because God translated him.

My son, do what I command you and be safe. For you have come into the hands of wicked men because of your friend. Do not be fainthearted, but stir up your friend also for whom you have gone surety. Do not give sleep to your eyes, and do not slumber with your eyelids, that you may be save yourself, like a gazelle from noose and as a bird from a snare. Go to the ant, sluggard, imitate him when you see his ways, and become wiser than him; for he has no husbandry, nor any to compel him, nor is he under a master; he prepares food in the summer and lays aside a great quantity at harvest. Or go to the bee[18] and learn what a worker she is and how serious the work that she does; which kings and private individuals make use of for health; she is desired and held glorious by all; and though she is weak in her strength, she has become outstanding by honouring wisdom. Until when, sluggard will you lie? When will you be roused from sleep? You sleep a little, you sit a little, you have a short doze, you fold your arms over your chest a little; then poverty comes on you like a wicked traveller, and want like good runner. But if you are not to sluggardly, your harvest will come like a spring, while your want will take itself like a bad runner. A foolish man and a lawless journey by ways that are not good; while the same winks with his eye, signals with his foot, teaches by pointings with his fingers. With a twisted heart he devises evils, at every moment such a person is stirring up troubles for a city. Therefore his destruction is coming suddenly, a deep wound and incurable fracture; he will be crushed through impurity of soul because he rejoices in everything which God hates: the eye of the haughty, an unjust tongue, hands that spill the blood of the just, a heart contriving wicked thoughts and feet that hurry to do wrong. An unjust witness sets lies alight and introduces judgements among brothers. My son, keep your father’s laws and do not spurn your mother’s rules.

Night and day we fall before you, Lord, to give our souls forgiveness of sins, * that we may worship you in peace and give you glory, Lover of mankind.

It came to pass in the days of Achaz, son of Jotham, son of Ozias, king of Juda, that Rasim king of Aram and Phakeë son of Romelias king of Israel came up to make on war on Jerusalem and they were unable to take it by siege. And a message came to the house of David saying: Aram has made an agreement with Ephraim; and his soul was amazed and the soul of his people, in the same way as a tree in a wood is shaken by a wind. And the Lord said to Isaias: Go out to meet Achaz, you and your son who is left behind, Jasoub,[19] by the pool of the upper road of the fuller’s field, and you are to say to him: Guard your stillness and do not be afraid, nor let your soul be weakened because of these two smoking brands of wood; for when the anger of my rage has passed, I shall heal again. And the son of Aram and the son of Romelias, because they have taken evil counsel concerning you, saying: Let us go up against Judea, and having spoken with them we shall turn them to us, and we shall make the son of Tabeël king for them; thus says the Lord Sabaoth: This counsel shall not abide, it shall not be; but the head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Raseim; but yet sixty five years and the kingdom of Ephraim will cease from being a people — and the head of Ephraim is Somoron, and the head of Somoron is the son of Romelias; and if you do believe, nor will you understand. And the Lord spoke again to Achaz, saying: Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God in the height or in the depth. And Achaz said: I shall not ask, nor shall I tempt the Lord. And he said: Hear then, house of David: is it a little thing for you to hold a contest with men: What if you hold a contest with the Lord? Because of this the Lord will give you a sign.

Verse: I waited, I waited for the Lord, and he attended to me, and listened to my supplication.

Noë was five hundred years old; and Noë begot three sons, Sem, Cham and Japhet. [6:1] And it came to pass when men began to become numerous on the earth that daughters were born to them. Now the sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took wives for themselves from all whom they had chosen. And the Lord God said, ‘My spirit shall not abide in these men for ever, because they are flesh; but their days shall be one hundred and twenty years’. Now the giants were upon the earth in those days; and after that, when the sons of God went into the daughters of men, they begot offspring for themselves; these were the giants of old, the men of renown. Now the Lord God, seeing that the wickednesses of men had multiplied upon the earth, and that every one in his heart thinks intently upon evils all his days, then God laid it to heart that he had made man upon the earth and he took thought. And God said, I will wipe away mankind, whom I made, from the face of the earth, from human to cattle, and from reptiles to the flying creatures of Heaven, because I have repented that I made them’. But Noë found grace before the Lord God.

My son, keep your father’s laws and do not spurn your mother’s rules. Attach them to your soul continually and hang then like a chain round your neck. When you walk, lead it along and let it be with you; when you sleep let it guard you, that it may talk with you when you wake. Because a commandment of the law is a lamp and a light, a way of life and reproof and instruction to keep you from an unmarried woman and from the calumny of a strange tongue. Let not desire for beauty conquer you, and do not be trapped by your eyes, nor captivated by her eyelids; for the value of a harlot is that of one loaf; while a woman hunts for the precious souls of men. Will anyone bind fire in his bosom without burning his clothes? Or will anyone tread on fire without burning his feet? So is one who goes in to an unmarried woman; he will not be held guiltless, nor will anyone who touches her. It is not remarkable if some one is caught stealing; for he steals to fill his soul when he is hungry; but if he is caught he will repay sevenfold and deliver himself by giving up all his goods. But the adulterer through lack of sense brings destruction on his soul; he bears pains and dishonours, and his disgrace will not be wiped out for ever. For the wrath of her husband is filled full of jealousy; he will not spare in the day of judgement, nor will he let his enmity go for any ransom, nor will he be reconciled by many presents. [7:1] My son, guard my words, hide my commandments with you. My son, honour the Lord, and you will be strong; apart from him, fear no other.

[1] The word ‘Jerusalem’ is not in the LXX, but it was added by Origen, from the Hebrew and so is included in the text of the Triodion.

[2] The translator has got into difficulties by reading ‘and he will create’ as ‘and he will come’.

[3] In fact both Greek and Hebrew have ‘horn’, but the Hebrew, on the basis of Arabic parallels, is understood to mean ‘an isolated hill’. Whether the LXX translator knew this is another question! If the experts are right this is the only example of this meaning of the word in Hebrew.

[4] In view of the next verses, where the owner speaks in the first person, the LXX’s change of person here is not so illogical.

[5] Hebrew has the singular in both phrases.

[6] These words are not in the Hebrew, but they are alluded to a number of times in the office for Cheese Sunday, notably in the Kontakion and in the Doxastikon at Vespers.

[7] In Hebrew there is a play on the verb and the name ‘Cain’. This is hardly possible to reproduce in Greek. I have tried to suggest the idea in English with ‘gain/Cain’.

[8] Both the Greek and the Hebrew of God’s words to Cain are extremely obscure. The first part of the Greek is an attempt to explain God’s refusal of Cain’s sacrifice, which is due to some ritual error. The second part is extremely obscure and there seems no satisfactory exegesis.

[9] Like Macbeth.

[10] The Hebrew is using the word in its ‘literal’ sense of ‘throat’, but LXX has misunderstood this. So have the Vulgate and the AV. In Hebrew all the pronouns are feminine and refer to Sheol.

[11] The Hebrew simply has, ‘And Cain said to his brother Abel’, but the LXX is supported by the Syriac, the Samaritan, the Vulgate and the Targums. AV’s ‘And Cain talked with Abel’ is an attempt to disguise the problem in the Hebrew.

[12] LXX takes the noun ‘her end’ as an adverb, and hence has no noun for the next clauses to refer to, but the adjectives are neuter, not feminine, hence ‘it’.

[13] The Hebrew again plays on the name, which one could reproduce in English by ‘Has set another son for me’, which is in fact a more literal rendering of the Hebrew.

[14] The Triodion, like the Alexandrinus and the corrector of the Sinaiticus, omits the negative in this sentence. The pious baronet’s note should be attached to this verse and not verse 13. There is no negative in the Hebrew

[15] Note the song of the Seraphim, in the biblical text, is in the third person. Since ‘Lord’ represents the proper name YHWH, many scholars take ‘Sabaoth’ as a divine title. The same is true of the Fathers and the liturgical texts. The usual LXX translation is ‘almighty’, in Greek ‘Pantocrator’, but the Isaiah translator keeps the Hebrew word. The Hebrew word means ‘armies’, either the armies of Israel, or the heavenly hosts, angels, stars and so forth, though its meaning in the divine title YHWH Sabaoth is less certain.

[16] This word, lavis, which is singular in Greek, is the one used for the spoon with which Communion is given. The word does not mean ‘spoon’. It is used in this way with direct reference to this verse of Isaias, just as the next verse is prescribed to be said after receiving Communion.

[17] Exceptionally the Verse is not the opening verse of the Psalm.

[18] The passage about the bee is not in the Hebrew.

[19] The words ‘left behind’ are, of course, part of the boy’s prophetic name; in Hebrew ‘Shear-Yashuv’, ‘A remnant shall return’. The LXX translator appears not to have understood this.