Bilingual reading

But for your holy ones there was great light. Their enemies, hearing their voice but not seeing their form, counted it a happy thing that they had not suffered,

yet for that they do not hurt them, though wronged by them before, they are thankful; and because they had been at variance with them, they begged for pardon.

Therefore you provided a burning pillar of fire, to be a guide for your people’s unknown journey, and a harmless sun for their glorious exile.

For the Egyptians well deserved to be deprived of light and imprisoned by darkness, they who had imprisoned your children, through whom the incorruptible light of the law was to be given to the race of men.

After they had taken counsel to kill the babes of the holy ones, and when a single child had been abandoned and saved to convict them of their sin, you took away from them their multitude of children, and destroyed all their army together in a mighty flood.

Our fathers were made aware of that night beforehand, that, having sure knowledge, they might be cheered by the oaths which they had trusted.

Salvation of the righteous and destruction of the enemies was expected by your people.

For as you took vengeance on the adversaries, by the same means, calling us to yourself, you glorified us.

For holy children of good men offered sacrifice in secret, and with one consent they agreed to the covenant of the divine law, that they would partake alike in the same good things and the same perils, the fathers already leading the sacred songs of praise.

But the discordant cry of the enemies echoed back, and a pitiful voice of lamentation for children was spread abroad.

Both servant and master were punished with the same just doom, and the commoner suffering the same as king;

Yes, they all together, under one form of death, had corpses without number. For the living were not sufficient even to bury them, Since at a single stroke, their most cherished offspring was consumed.

For while they were disbelieving all things by reason of the enchantments, upon the destruction of the firstborn they confessed the people to be God’s children.

For while peaceful silence wrapped all things, and night in her own swiftness was half spent,

your all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne, a stern warrior, into the midst of the doomed land,

bearing as a sharp sword your authentic commandment, and standing, it filled all things with death, and while it touched the sky it stood upon the earth.

Then immediately apparitions in dreams terribly troubled them, and unexpected fears came upon them.

And each, one thrown here half dead, another there, made known why he was dying;

for the dreams, disturbing them, forewarned them of this, that they might not perish without knowing why they were afflicted.

The experience of death also touched the righteous, and a multitude were destroyed in the wilderness, but the wrath didn’t last long.

For a blameless man hurried to be their champion, bringing the weapon of his own ministry, prayer, and the atoning sacrifice of incense. He withstood the indignation and set an end to the calamity, showing that he was your servant.

And he overcame the anger, not by strength of body, not by force of weapons, but by his word, he subdued the avenger by bringing to remembrance oaths and covenants made with the fathers.

For when the dead had already fallen in heaps one upon another, he intervened and stopped the wrath, and cut off its way to the living.

For the whole world was pictured on his long robe, and the glories of the fathers were upon the engraving of the four rows of precious stones, and your majesty was upon the diadem on his head.

The destroyer yielded to these, and they feared; for it was enough only to test the wrath.

أَمَّا قِدِّيسوكَ فكانَ عِندَهم نورٌ عَظيم وكانَ أُولٰئِكَ الَّذينَ يَسمَعونَ أَصْواتَهم مِن غَيرِ أَن يُبصِروا صُوَرَهم يُغَبِّطونَهم على أَنَّهم لم يُقاسوا العَذاب

ويَشكُرونَهم على أَنَّهم لا يُؤذونَ بَعدَ أَن ظُلِموا ويَستَغفِرونَهم مِن مُعاداتِهم لَهم

بَدَلَ الظُّلمَةِ جَعَلتَ لِهٰؤُلاءِ عَمودًا وَهَّاجًا دَليلًا في طَريقٍ لم يَعرِفوه وشَمسًا لا تُؤْذي في هِجرَتِهمِ المَجيدة

أَمَّا أُولٰئِكَ فكانوا يَستَوجِبونَ أَن يَفقِدوا النُّور ويُحبَسوا في الظُّلمَة لِأَنَّهم حَبَسوا أَبْناءَكَ الَّذينَ سيُمنَحُ العالَمُ بِهم نورَ شَريعَتِكَ غَيرَ القابِلِ لِلفَساد

ولَمَّا عَزَموا على قَتْلِ أَطْفالِ القِدِّيسين وخُلِّصَ طِفْلٌ واحِدٌ مِنهم بَعد أَن عُرِّضَ اِنتَزَعتَ جُمهورَ أَولادِهم لِتُعاقِبَهم وأَهلَكتَهم جَميعًا في الماءِ الجارِف

وتِلكَ اللَّيلَةُ أُخبِرَ بِها آباؤُنا مِن قَبْلُ لِكَي تَطيبَ نُفوسُهم لِعِلمِهمِ اليَقينِ بِأَيَّةِ أَقْسامٍ وَثِقوا

فتَوَقَّعَ شَعبُكَ خَلاصَ الأَبْرارِ وهَلاكَ الأَعْداء

لِأَنَّ ما عاقَبتَ بِه المُقاوِمين صارَ لَنا مَوضوعَ ٱفتِخارٍ بِدَعوَتِكَ لَنا

فإِنَّ بَني الصَّالِحينَ القِدِّيسين كانوا يَذبَحونَ خُفيَةً وأَجمَعوا على إِقامَةِ هٰذه الشَّريعَةِ الإِلٰهيَّة أَن يَشْتَرِكَ القِدِّيسون في الخَيراتِ والمَخاطِرِ على السَّواء وكانوا مُنذُ ذٰلك الحين يُنشِدونَ أَناشيدَ الآباء

وكانَت جَلَبَةُ الأَعْداءِ النَّاشِزَةُ تَرُدُّ علَيهم وصَوتُ الباكينَ على أَطْفالِهم بِالنَّحيب يَنتَشِرُ بَعيدًا

وكانَ العِقابُ الواحِدُ يُصيبُ العَبدَ والسَّيِّد وكان ٱبنُ الشَّعبِ والمَلِك يعانِيانِ العَذابَ الواحِد

ماتوا كُلُّهم ميتةً واحِدة فكانَ لَهم جُثَثٌ لا تُحْصى حتَّى إِنَّ الأَحْياءَ لم يَكْفوا لِدَفنِهم إِذ في لَحظَةٍ أُبيدَ أَعَزُّ نَسْلِهم

وبَعدَ أَن أَبَوا بِسَبَبِ السِّحرِ أَن يُؤمِنوا بِشَيء اِعتَرَفوا عِندَ هَلاكِ الأَبْكار بأَنَّ هٰذا الشَّعبَ هو ٱبنٌ للهِ

وبَينَما كان صَمتٌ هادِئ يُخَيِّمُ على كُلِّ شَيء. وكانَ اللَّيلُ في مُنتَصَفِ مَسيرِه السَّريع

هَجَمَت كَلِمَتُكَ القَديرةُ مِنَ السَّماءِ مِنَ العُروشِ المَلَكِيَّة كالمُحارِبِ العَنيف في وَسَطِ الأَرضِ المَلْعونة. كانَت تَحمِلُ قَضاءَكَ المَحْتوم كَسَيفٍ مُرهَف

فوَقَفَت ومَلأَت كُلَّ مَكانٍ مَوتًا وكانَ رَأسُها في السَّماءِ وقَدَماها على الأَرْض

حينَئِذٍ بلبَلَتهم فجأةً رُؤَى أَحْلامٍ مُخيفة وغَشِيَتهم مَخاوِفُ غَيرُ مُتَوَقَّعة

فصُرِعَ كُلُّ واحِدٍ هُنا وهُناكَ بَينَ حَيٍّ ومَيت وكان يُعلِنُ لِأَيِّ سَبَبٍ يَموت

لِأَنَّ الأَحْلامَ الَّتي أَقلَقَتهم أَنْبَأَتهم بِذٰلك لِئَلَّا يَهلِكوا وهم يَجهَلونَ لِماذا يُعانونَ هٰذا العَذاب

لٰكِنَّ مِحنَةَ المَوت كانَت تُصيبُ الأَبْرارَ أَيضًا ووَقَعَتِ الضَّربَة على عَدَدٍ كَبيرٍ مِنهم في البَرِّيَّة. غَيرَ أَنَّ الغَضَبَ لم يَلبَثْ طَويلًا

لِأَنَّ رَجُلًا لا عَيبَ فيه بادَرَ لِحِمايَتِهِم فذَهَبَ بِسِلاحِ خِدمَتِه الَّذي هو الصَّلاةُ والتَّكفيرُ بالبَخور وقاوَمَ الغَضَبَ وقَضى على الآفَة مُظهِرًا أَنَّه خادِمُكَ

فٱنتَصَرَ على الحِقدِ لا بِقُوَّةِ الجَسَد ولا بِعَمَلِ السِّلاح بل بالكَلامِ سَيطَرَ على المُعاقِب مُذَكِّرًا بِالأَقْسامِ والعُهود المَقطوعةِ مع الآباء

وبَينَما كانَ القَتْلى يَتَكَدَّسون وَقَفَ في الوَسَطِ ورَدَّ الغَضَب وقَطَعَ علَيه طَريقَ الأَحْياء

لِأَنَّه على ثَوبِه الطَّويلِ كانَ العالَمُ كُلُّه وكانَت أَسْماءُ الآباءِ المَجيدةُ مَنْقوشةً في أَربَعَةِ صُفوفِ الحِجارة وكانَت عَظَمَتُكَ على تاجِ رَأسِه

فلَمَّا رَأَى المُبيدُ ذٰلك تَراجَعَ وخاف وكانَ مُجَرَّدُ ٱختِبارِ الغَضَبِ قد كَفى