Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete

⁵Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: ⁶I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; ⁷To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. ⁸I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. ⁹Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. ¹⁰Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. ¹¹Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. ¹²Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands. ¹³The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. ¹⁴I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. ¹⁵I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. ¹⁶And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

²⁰And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; ²¹I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. ²²And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. ²³And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? ²⁵That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? ²⁶And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. ²⁷And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: ²⁸Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. ²⁹And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. ³⁰And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. ³¹And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. ³²And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. ³³And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

¹⁷The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul. ¹⁸Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. ¹⁹Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. ²⁰He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. ²¹The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. ²²Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly. ²³The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips. ²⁴Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. ²⁵There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. ²⁶He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him. ²⁷An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire. ²⁸A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends. ²⁹A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good. ³⁰He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass. ³¹The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. ³²He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. ³³The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. ¹Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife. ²A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren. ³The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts. ⁴A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue. ⁵Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished. ⁶Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers. ⁷Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince. ⁸A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth. ⁹He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends. ¹⁰A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool. ¹¹An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him. ¹²Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly. ¹³Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house. ¹⁴The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with. ¹⁵He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD. ¹⁶Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it? ¹⁷A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.