Made steadfast by the law of God, O blessed and glorious one, thou didst achieve control over all the passions, and having manifestly made thy mind the ruler thereof and become a divine intercessor, thou didst receive holy anointing as is meet, and wast a guide for the reason-endowed flock, O adornment of hierarchs and martyrs.

¶8

Glory…, Now & ever…: Troparion from the Pentecostarion.

¶9

A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon

¶10

The iniquitous emperor separated thee from thy flock like a sheep, O all-blessed Basil, for thou didst preach Christ God, our King, Who was slaughtered like a lamb; and he unjustly slew thee and commanded that thou be cast into the sea, thus obtaining for thee the kingdom of heaven and everlasting glory.

¶11

Thou didst all-gloriously set the steps of thy feet in the waters, O glorious Basil; for thy body, cast forth after thine end, as thou didst foretell, mightily traversed it, and thou didst honorably entrust the burden thereof to thy city of Amasea, to be for it an unashamed advocate, a river of healings, and the cleansing of divers ailments.

¶12

O thou who contained in thy womb the infinite God Who, in His love for mankind, became a man and, receiving our substance from thee, manifestly deified it: disdain me not, who am now filled with sorrow, O most pure one, but quickly take pity and free me from the various enmity of the wicked foe.

¶13

Stavrotheotokion—

¶14

When she beheld Thee, the Lamb and Shepherd, upon the Tree, the ewe-lamb who gave Thee birth lamented and cried out to Thee maternally: “O my Son most beloved, how it is that Thou hast been suspended upon the tree of the Cross? O Long‑suffering Word, how is it that thy hands and feet have been pierced with nails? How is it Thou hast shed Thy blood, O Master?”

¶15

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera: 3 in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Called from on high…”—

¶16

When divine love came upon thee, O all-wise Stephen, then, forsaking all carnal wisdom, thou didst follow Christ without turning back, and, emulating the apostles, didst preach God to the ignorant in faraway lands, and didst guide them all to the light of divine knowledge out of their darkness; wherefore, Christ, Whom thou didst serve, hath crowned thee with heavenly wreaths. Him do thou beseech, that He save and enlighten our souls.

¶17

When divine desire descended upon thee, O holy hierarch, then, forsaking all the deceptive wisdom which is in the world, thou didst seek that which is higher, desiring to ascend on high; hence, receiving wisdom not from men or through men, but from the providence of the Most High, thou didst devise a new alphabet to transmit the knowledge of Christ, and God became known to an ignorant people through thee. Him do thou beseech, O all-wise Stephen, that He save and enlighten our souls.

¶18

When divine knowledge came upon thee, O holy hierarch Stephen, then, moved by the Holy Spirit, thou didst come to enlighten a people who from of old had lain in the darkness of unbelief, and, enlightening them, didst move them toward the light of divine knowledge, and didst teach them to believe in the consubstantial Trinity, the one Godhead, Whom do thou entreat in our behalf, O all wise and holy hierarch, that He save and enlighten our souls.

¶19

And 3 stichera in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Joy of the ranks of heaven…”—

¶20

With thy teaching, O blessed Stephen, thou didst cultivate the hearts of the unbelieving people which of old had become stony; wherefore, all of us, the faithful, greatly bless thee as a teacher and instructor in piety.

¶21

Thy tongue became the pen of a swiftly writing scribe, O holy hierarch, explaining to all the mighty works of God. Thou didst lead men to a knowledge of God, and didst show forth Pamoi, the deviser of evil, as one mocked with ridicule; wherefore, assembling in spirit, we honor thy dormition.

¶22

Casting down the temples of the idols, O all-wise and holy hierarch, thou didst utterly destroy them, and didst consecrate churches in which Christ might be known; wherefore, we, thy spiritual children, hymn thee as an instructor in piety, and make supplication: Pray thou that our souls be saved.

¶23

Glory…, in Tone VI—

¶24

All the priests of the idols marvelled at thy wisdom and intelligent discourse, and they reviled their own vain religion as ungodly, and believed with all their soul upon Christ, Whom thou didst preach. Him do thou entreat, O all-wise Stephen, that all be saved who celebrate thy sacred festival and honor thy most holy memory with faith.

¶25

Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.

¶26

Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. Three Readings:

¶27

The memory of the just is praised, and the blessing of the Lord is upon his head. Blessed is the man who hath found wisdom, and the mortal who knoweth prudence. For it is better to traffic for her, than for treasures of gold and silver. And she is more valuable than precious stones: no precious thing is equal to her in value. For length of existence and years of life are in her right hand; and in her left hand are wealth and glory: out of her mouth righteousness proceedeth, and she carrieth law and mercy upon her tongue. Hearken to me, O children, for I will speak solemn truths. Blessed is the man who shall keep my ways; for my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and in them is prepared favor from the Lord. Ye, O men, do I exhort; and utter my voice to the sons of men. I, wisdom, have built up; upon counsel, knowledge and understanding have I called. Counsel and safety are mine; prudence is mine, and strength is mine. I love those that love me; they that seek me shall find grace. O ye simple, understand subtlety, and ye that are untaught, imbibe knowledge. Hearken unto me again; for I will speak solemn truths. For my throat shall meditate truth; and false lips are an abomination before me. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing in them wrong or perverse. They are all evident to those that understand, and right to those that find knowledge. For I will instruct you in truth, that your hope may be in the Lord, and ye may be filled with the Spirit.

¶28

The mouth of the righteous droppeth wisdom: but the tongue of the unjust shall perish. The lips of just men drop grace: but the mouth of the ungodly is perverse. False balances are an abomination before the Lord: but a just weight is acceptable unto Him. Wherever pride entereth, there will also disgrace: but the mouth of the humble doth meditate wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the overthrow of the rebellious shall spoil them. Possessions shall not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness will deliver from death. When a just man dieth, he leaveth regret: but the destruction of the ungodly is speedy and causeth joy. Righteousness traceth out blameless paths: but ungodliness encountereth unjust dealing. The righteousness of upright men delivereth them: but transgressors are caught in their own destruction. At the death of a just man his hope doth not perish: but the boast of the ungodly perisheth. A righteous man escapeth from a snare, and the ungodly man is delivered up in his place. In the mouth of ungodly men is a snare for citizens: but the understanding of righteous men is prosperous. In the prosperity of righteous men a city prospereth, but at the destruction of the wicked there is exultation. At the blessing of the upright a city shall be exalted, but by the mouths of ungodly men it is overthrown. A man void of understanding sneereth at his fellow citizens: but a sensible man is quiet.

¶29

When the righteous man is praised, the people will rejoice; for the memorial thereof is immortal: because it is known with God, and with men; for his soul pleased the Lord. Wherefore, O ye people, love wisdom, and ye shall live; desire it, and ye shall be instructed, for the beginning thereof is love and the keeping of the law. Honor wisdom, that ye may reign for evermore. I will tell you, and will not hide mysteries from you. For it is He that leadeth unto wisdom, and directeth the wise, the Author of all understanding and workmanship. For wisdom, which accomplisheth all things, hath taught me: for in her is an understanding spirit, holy, the brightness of the everlasting Light and the image of the goodness of God. She maketh them friends of God, and prophets, and is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of stars: being compared with the light, she is found before it. She delivered from pain those that attended upon her, and guided them in the right paths, and gave him knowledge of holy things; she kept him safe from those who lay in wait; in a sore conflict she gave him the victory: that all might know that godliness is stronger than all. But vice shall not prevail against wisdom, neither shall evil ever overcome wisdom, nor the wicked circumvent the judgment which accuseth them. For the ungodly said, reasoning with themselves, but not aright: “Let us oppress the righteous man, and let us not spare his holiness, nor feel shame before the gray hairs.of the elderly. Let our strength be the law of judgment: therefore, let us lie in wait for the righteous, because he is not pleasing to us, and is contrary to our doings; he upbraideth us with our offending the law and denounceth our offenses against our teaching. He professeth to have the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the child of the Lord. He hath become for us a reproof against our thoughts, and is grievous unto us even to behold: for his life is not like other men’s, his ways are of another fashion. We are esteemed of him as counterfeits. He abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness; he pronounceth the end of the just to be blessed. Let us see, therefore, if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen in the end of him. Let us examine him with despitefulness and torture, that we may know his meekness and prove his innocence. Let us condemn him with a shameful death: for by his own saying he shall be respected.” Such things did they imagine, and were deceived: for their own wickedness hath blinded them, and as for the mysteries of God, they knew them not, neither did they understand that Thou art the one God, Who hast power of life and death, Who savest in time of tribulation and deliverest from every evil. Thou art compassionate and merciful, granting grace to Thy saints, but resisting the proud with Thine upraised arm.

¶30

At Litia, the sticheron of the temple; and this sticheron of the holy hierarch, in Tone II—

¶31

Like the apostles thou didst teach all to believe in the Trinity One in essence, the sole Godhead; wherefore, honoring thee as is meet, we all bless thee as a spiritual father, an emulator of the apostles, the kinsman of holy hierarchs, and we make entreaty: Pray thou, that all who honor thy sacred memory be saved.

¶32

Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.

¶33

At the aposticha, these stichera, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “O house of Ephratha…”—

¶34

Thou wast the dwelling-place and habitation of the all-holy Spirit, O all-wise Stephen; wherefore, do thou also make us who honor thy sacred memory into a habitation for Him.

¶35

Stichos: Thy priests shall be clothed in righteousness, and Thy righteous shall rejoice.

¶36

Thy life shone forth like the sun in the hearts of the unbelievers, emitting the radiance of teachings; wherefore, do thou also illumine with never-waning light us who honor thy sacred memory.

¶37

Stichos: The saints shall boast in glory, and they shall rejoice upon their beds.

¶38

Cease not in thy supplications, O Stephen, for thy spiritual children whom thou didst beget through baptism, that we may all venerate thine honorable dormition.

¶39

Glory…, in Tone IV—

¶40

As a treasury of wisdom, O holy hierarch Stephen, thou didst illumine the hearts of the unbelieving with thy teaching, planting therein the seeds of piety; wherefore, as is meet, we all bless thee as an all-wise teacher, and we implore thee: Entreat Christ, Whom thou didst serve from thy youth, that He deliver us from the assaults of the enemy and save our souls.

¶41

Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.

¶42

Afire with divine desire from the years of thy youth, O all-wise Stephen, thou didst take up the burden of Christ, and, sowing the divine seed in the hearts of the people, which had from of old been hardened by unbelief, thou didst spiritual beget them evangelically; wherefore, honoring thine all-glorious memory, we beseech thee: Entreat Him Whom thou didst preach, that He save our souls.

Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.