let us walk after His holy commandments, «let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit «, let us offer to our God good deeds, faith, love, hope, patience, a contrite heart, tears of compunction, a cleansing of conscience, the putting to death of every sin and evil desire; let us serve the Lord with understanding and endurance and perseverance, let us embrace the love of our true God and Savior, let us sing to Him a new song, let us all sing, let us clap our hands in psalms and shout to God with a voice of exultation for «the Lord most high is terrible, a king over all the earth «. «great is the Lord, and of His greatness there is no end «, great is the Lord and great is His strength; for He has destroyed and smitten the enemy and devil, and He has trampled down death, and He has raised all, having bestowed eternal life. let us enter rejoicing into the joy of our Lord, as grateful servants let us all enjoy the good gifts of this good festival, rulers and ruled, slaves and free, men and women, old and young. Glorify the Lord our God, and hymn and magnify and wonder at this brilliant day, you who fast and you who do not fast, rejoice today, you who are self-controlled and you who are slothful, honor the day, rich and poor, dance with one another. The table is full, feast royally, all of you; the table is full, let no one go out hungry and deprived; all of you enjoy the riches of His goodness, for «Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us «, all draw from the inexhaustible spring of God the Savior and be glad; «taste and see that the Lord is good « God Jesus Christ who also has appeared to us. Let no one mourn for his failings, for forgiveness has risen from the tomb; let no one fear death, for the Savior's death has set us free; He has saved us and rescued us from Hades; He has snatched us from the tyranny of the devil and freed us from his slavery. Hades was embittered when it tasted the precious and holy flesh of the master, as Isaiah cried out beforehand, saying, «Hades was embittered when it met You below «. It was embittered because it was abolished; it was embittered because it was mocked; it was embittered; for it was also bound; it took a body and encountered God, it took what it saw and has fallen from where it did not see. death swallowed, not knowing, but having swallowed it knew whom it swallowed; it swallowed life, but it was swallowed by life; it swallowed the one with all, but because of the one it lost all; «it seized like a lion «, but its teeth were shattered. through sin death was strong, but finding no sin in Christ it remained powerless. «O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? « Christ is risen, and you are overthrown; Christ is risen, and angels rejoice and demons have fallen; Christ is risen, and we were delivered from corruption and rescued from the curse; Christ is risen, and we were raised with Him and deemed worthy of life. «Christ, having risen from the dead, has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep «; to Him be the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.
3
πορευθῶμεν ὀπίσω τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ ἐντολῶν, «καθαρίσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος «, προσάξωμεν τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν πράξεις ἀγαθάς, πίστιν, ἀγάπην, ἐλπίδα, ὑπομονήν, συντριμμὸν καρδίας, κατανύξεως δάκρυα, συνειδήσεως κάθαρσιν, νέκρωσιν πάσης ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἐπιθυμίας κακῆς· δουλεύσωμεν τῷ κυρίῳ μετὰ συνέσεως καὶ καρτερίας καὶ ἐπιμονῆς, ἐνστερνισώμεθα τὸ φίλτρον τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ᾄσωμεν αὐτῷ ᾆσμα καινόν, πάντες ᾄσωμεν, κροτήσωμεν ψαλμικῶς τὰς χεῖρας καὶ ἀλαλάξωμεν τῷ θεῷ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως ὅτι «κύριος ὕψιστος φοβερὸς βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν «. «μέγας κύριος καὶ τῆς μεγαλοσύνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστι πέρας «, μέγας κύριος καὶ μεγάλη ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ· κατήργησε γὰρ καὶ ἐπάταξε τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ διάβολον, καὶ τὸν θάνατον κατεπάτησε, καὶ πάντας ἀνέστησε ζωὴν αἰώνιον δωρησάμενος. εἰσέλθωμεν χαίροντες εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, ὡς δοῦλοι εὐγνώμονες ἀπολαύσωμεν πάντες τῶν ἀγαθῶν χαρισμάτων ταύτης τῆς καλῆς πανηγύρεως, ἄρχοντες καὶ ἀρχόμενοι, δοῦλοι καὶ ἐλεύθεροι, ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες, πρεσβύτεροι καὶ νεώτεροι. δοξάσατε κύριον τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν, καὶ τὴν λαμπρὰν ταύτην ἡμέραν ὑμνήσατε καὶ μεγαλύνατε καὶ θαυμάσατε, νηστεύοντες καὶ μὴ νηστεύοντες εὐφράνθητε σήμερον, ἐγκρατεῖς καὶ ῥάθυμοι τὴν ἡμέραν τιμήσατε, πλούσιοι καὶ πένητες μετ' ἀλλήλων χορεύσατε. ἡ τράπεζα γέμει, τρυφήσατε πάντες· ἡ τράπεζα γέμει, μηδεὶς ἐξέλθῃ πεινῶν καὶ στερούμενος· πάντες ἀπολαύσατε τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος, ὅτι «τὸ πάσχα ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστός «, πάντες ἀντλήσατε ἐκ τῆς ἀκενώτου πηγῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος θεοῦ καὶ εὐφράνθητε· «γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ κύριος « θεὸς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὃς καὶ ἐπέφανεν ἡμῖν. Μηδεὶς θρηνείτω τὰ πταίσματα, συγγνώμη γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ τάφου ἀνέτειλε· μηδεὶς φοβείσθω τὸν θάνατον, ἠλευθέρωσε γὰρ ἡμᾶς ὁ τοῦ σωτῆρος θάνατος· ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Ἅιδου ἐρρύσατο· ἐξήρπασεν ἐκ τῆς καταδυναστείας τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τῆς δουλείας αὐτοῦ ἠλευθέρωσεν. ἐπικράνθη ὁ Ἅιδης γευσάμενος τῆς τιμίας καὶ ἁγίας σαρκὸς τοῦ δεσπότου, καθὼς Ἡσαΐας προανεφώνησεν «ὁ Ἅιδης « λέγων «ἐπικράνθη συναντήσας σοι κάτω «. ἐπικράνθη ἐπειδὴ κατηργήθη· ἐπικράνθη ἐπειδὴ ἐνεπαίχθη· ἐπικράνθη· καὶ γὰρ ἐδεσμεύθη· ἔλαβε σῶμα καὶ θεῷ περιέτυχεν, ἔλαβεν ὅπερ ἔβλεπε καὶ πέπτωκεν ὅθεν οὐκ ἔβλεπε. κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἀγνοῶν, καταπιὼν δὲ ἔγνω ὃν κατέπιε· κατέπιε ζωήν, κατεπόθη δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς ζωῆς· κατέπιε τὸν ἕνα μετὰ πάντων, ἀπώλεσε δὲ διὰ τὸν ἕνα τοὺς πάντας· «ἥρπασεν ὡς λέων «, συνεθλάσθη δὲ τοὺς ὀδόντας. διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ θάνατος ἴσχυεν, ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ δὲ ἁμαρτίαν μὴ εὑρὼν ἀνενέργητος ἔμεινε. «ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον; ποῦ σου, Ἅιδη, τὸ νῖκος; « ἀνέστη Χριστὸς καὶ σὺ καταβέβλησαι· ἀνέστη Χριστὸς καὶ χαίρουσιν ἄγγελοι καὶ πεπτώκασι δαίμονες· ἀνέστη Χριστὸς καὶ φθορᾶς ἐλυτρώθημεν καὶ κατάρας ἐρρύσθημεν· ἀνέστη Χριστὸς καὶ ἡμεῖς συνανέστημεν καὶ ζωῆς ἠξιώθημεν. «Χριστὸς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστὰς ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἐγένετο «· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν.
3