Yearning for the beauties of paradise, and richly delighting in meadows of incorruption, thou didst blossom forth the knowledge of God for the world; and partaking thereof with spiritual love, O venerable one, we grow spiritually in soul. Twice

¶8

Now & ever…: Theotokion, or this stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel.: “As one valiant among the martyrs…”—

¶9

A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon

¶10

Having written with streams of tears of the coming of the Judge thou dost teach all to light the lamps of their souls, announcing the arrival of the Bridegroom, that we may all clothe ourselves with splendid vesture to greet Christ the Bridegroom. Twice

¶11

Now & ever…: Dogmatic theotokion, in the same tone—

¶12

Protecting thy body with abstinence, by prayers and vigils thou didst mortify the movements of the passions, O father. Wherefore, the power of the Spirit which dwelt within thee hath shown thee to be a noetic beacon for the whole world. Twice

¶13

Now & ever…: Theotokion, in the same tone—

¶14

Glory…, in Tone VI—

¶15

Having resolved to forsake the tumults of life, O ever-memorable Ephraim, thou didst attain unto the desert with love of stillness; and thereby led actively unto God, thou didst shine forth as a lamp upon the world, and didst pour forth the words of life upon men. Wherefore, never cease to make us steadfast by thy supplications, that our souls may be delivered from the alien foe, O venerable father.

¶16

Beholding our Life hanging upon the Tree, the most immaculate Theotokos cried out, lamenting maternally: “O my Son and my God, save those who hymn Thee with love!”

¶17

Aposticha stichera from the Octoechos; and Glory…, the composition of Anatolius, in Tone IV—

¶18

Drenching thy couch with thy tears, as did the prophet, and achieving repentance by instruction of life, by thy works and discourses thou hast shown us the fear of judgment; and, assembling, we all honor thy memory, O most blessed one, doer of all-glorious deeds of the Lord, O ever-memorable Ephraim. Wherefore, we entreat thee now: Pray thou to Christ God in behalf of our souls.

¶19

When she beheld Thee, the Lamb and Shepherd, upon the Tree, the Ewe-lamb who gave Thee birth lamented and exclaimed to Thee maternally: “How is it that Thou hast been suspended upon the tree of the Cross, O Long-suffering One? How is it that Thy hands and feet have been pierced with nails by the iniquitous, O Word, and Thou hast shed Thy blood, O Master?”

¶20

With the streams of thy tears thou didst irrigate the barren desert, and with sighs from the depths of thy soul thou didst render thy labors fruitful an hundredfold, and becamest a beacon for the whole world, resplendent with miracles. O Ephraim our father, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

¶21

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 4 in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Called from on high…”—

¶22

Inflamed by the love of the Savior from thy youth, with fervent haste thou didst forsake all passionate attachments to the world and didst follow after the Lord. Wherefore, thou didst mortify carnal-mindedness by ascetic struggles, and wast shown to be a most excellent vessel of dispassion. For this cause we call thee blessed, O our God-bearing father Isaac, as one who guideth us to the perfection of the virtues. Twice .

¶23

Consumed by divine yearning for stillness, rejoicing, thou didst take up thine abode in the wilderness; and holding converse with God, with a most pure heart thou didst unite thyself to Him, O father. Wherefore, thou wast thereby filled with godly rapture and divine illumination which passeth understanding, and becamest a wise teacher of solitaries, O our God-bearing father Isaac, initiating into the mysteries of the higher life those who receive the splendor of thy teachings with faith.

¶24

As a luminary of hesychasts, a knower of [men’s] thoughts and a sublime example [for all], thou dost bear our thoughts aloft toward the bestowal of perfect life, O blessed one; for like the dew which descendeth from Hermon upon the mountains of Sion, as it is written, O holy one, and like divine manna and immaterial nectar, thy wise and divinely inspired discourse doth ever gladden our souls and leadeth them to the Lord, O Isaac who art most blessed.

¶25

And 4 stichera in the same tone: Spec. Mel.: “Thou hast given a sign…”—

¶26

Thou gavest to thy Creator the inclination of thy heart, and didst direct all the movements of thy mind toward Him, O godly minded one; and through temperance and a life equal to that of the angels thou wast raised up to the utmost dispassion, and, becoming full of the radiance of the Paraclete, thou hast pleased God, O most blessed Isaac. Twice

¶27

Like a most fragrant meadow, the book of thy discourses delighteth the perception of our minds with the flowers of thy teachings, O blessed one, and by the divine Spirit dispelleth from our souls the fœtor of the passions and aridity of spirit; for in that thou didst live like an angel, O Isaac, thou guidest our minds to the life which is more sublime.

¶28

Having been wholly filled with God through ascetic labor, thou wast shown to be a divinely elect hierarch and shepherd, the presiding bishop of Nineveh, O all-blessed Isaac. Yet having tasted of the divine blessings of hesychia, O father, thou didst make thine abode in the desert; and having cleansed thy mind by visions and actions, thou didst hold converse with God.

¶29

Glory…, in Tone VIII—

¶30

Thou didst destroy the thorns of the passions by the fire of asceticism, and didst cultivate the fruit of virtue, O venerable one; for, presenting to God a mind divorced from matter, thou didst receive in thy soul the gifts of the divine energy, thereby becoming wholly divine; and showing forth by word and deed the graces of life in Christ, through thy personal example thou didst show thyself to be a teacher of monastics. And now, O father Isaac, cease not to intercede with Christ, that He illumine our minds with the light of knowledge divine.

¶31

In His love for mankind, the King of heaven appeared on earth and dwelt among men; for He Who received flesh from the pure Virgin and came forth from her having received human nature, is the only Son of God, two in nature but not hypostasis. Therefore, proclaiming Him to be truly perfect God and perfect man, we confess Christ our God. Him do thou beseech, O Mother unwedded, that our souls find mercy!

¶32

Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. Three Readings:

¶33

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for Himself. As gold in the furnace hath He tried them and received them as a burnt offering. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble. They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign for ever. Those who put their trust in Him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with Him: for grace and mercy is to His saints, and He hath care for His elect.

¶34

The righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the most High. Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand: for with his right hand shall he cover them, and with his arm shall he protect them. He shall take to him his jealousy for complete armor, and make the creature his weapon for the revenge of his enemies. He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, and true judgment instead of an helmet. He shall take holiness for an invincible shield. His severe wrath shall he sharpen for a sword, and the world shall fight with him against the unwise. Then shall the right aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from the clouds, as from a well-drawn bow, shall they fly to the mark. And hailstones full of wrath shall be cast as out of a stone bow, and the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the floods shall cruelly drown them. Yea, a mighty wind shall stand up against them, and like a storm shall blow them away: thus iniquity shall lay waste the whole earth, and ill-dealing shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty. Hear therefore, O ye kings, and understand; learn, ye that be judges of the ends of the earth. Give ear, ye that rule the people, and glory in the multitude of nations. For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from the Highest, who shall try your works, and search out your counsels.

¶35

Though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be in rest. For honorable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years. But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age. He pleased God, and was loved of Him: so that living among sinners he was translated. Yea, speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul. For the bewitching of naughtiness doth obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of concupiscence doth undermine the simple mind. He, being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time: for his soul pleased the Lord: therefore hasted He to take him away from among the wicked. This the people saw, and understood it not, neither laid they up this in their minds, that His grace and mercy is with His saints, and that He hath respect unto His chosen.

¶36

At Litia, these stichera idiomela—

¶37

In Tone I: Rejoice in the Lord, O ye company of monastics who have shouldered the divine yoke, and are enriched by receiving a most skilled guide to the way of ascetic labor: the God-bearing Isaac! For, as a husbandman of perfect virtue, he leadeth us by the hand to noetic ascents, that we might harvest the fruit of the Tree of Life, trampling underfoot the temptations of the evil one. Wherefore, spiritually celebrating his holy memory, let us glorify Christ Who granteth us mercy divine.

¶38

In Tone II: Having engaged in the ascetic way of life, thou didst love the beauty of stillness with an all-consuming desire, O blessed Isaac; for, devoting thyself wholly thereto, thou didst cast off every earthly burden, and having transcended the world and the flesh through steadfast vigilance and prayer, thou wast united unto God, and didst receive the firstfruits of the good things to come; for, speaking forever through the divine light, as a true servant of God thou didst dispel the darkness of the passions, and dost inflame our minds to desire and to seek things sublime.

¶39

In Tone III: Thou wast led by God from the ascetic life to the pastoral care of men’s soul, O most blessed Isaac, and when thou becamest a shepherd of the Church in Nineveh thou didst reverently and righteously excel as a most faithful husbandman of the Gospel. To the flock entrusted to thy care thou didst reveal thyself as a model of all righteousness, and having been tested as both a venerable hierarch and a God-bearing ascetic; and having finished well thy course, thou didst receive the reward of thy labors. In that thou hast boldness, pray for those who honor thee.

¶40

In Tone IV: Having cut off every offshoot of the passions with the pruning of the Word, O venerable father, thou dost cultivate the seed of virtue in fertile hearts; for the Bestower of wisdom, Who dwelt within thee, gave the words of everlasting life unto thee, who becamest resplendent in wisdom through godly works; for thou dost instruct us in modesty of morals and strictness of life, O divinely wise Isaac, that we may become partakers of Christ.

¶41

Glory…, in the same tone—

¶42

Let us, the choirs of monastics, honor Isaac of blessed memory, the hierarch and God-bearer among ascetics, as one full of grace divine; for having rendered his mind pure through most exalted hesychia, he became an instrument of the Holy Spirit, encouraging all to seek the goodly Pearl, and to disdain that which is in error. And delighting now in glory on high, he intercedeth without ceasing in behalf of our souls.

¶43

Preserve thy servants from all misfortunes, O blessed Theotokos, that we may all glorify thee, the hope of our souls.

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