Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume XIII/Ephraim the Syrian and Aphrahat/Nisibene Hymns/Hymn LIX

1. Lo! Death for us on Satan, inflicts vengeance:&#160; come let us hear his shame and rejoice, for he rejoiced in our shame.&#8212;2. R., To Thee be glory from Thy flock, from Thee:&#160; are subdued both Death and Satan, under Thy Feet!&#8212;3. D., Evil ones shall be hung upright, but thou, head downward:&#160; for, reversely, thou crucifiedst, Simon on the tree.&#8212;4. S., Touching all else I am silent, Death, for my time wanes:&#160; Simon himself conjured me, &#8220;Crucify me thus.&#8221;&#8212;5. Were it the just that cursed me, I had not grieved:&#160; the curse of Death unto me, is worse than hell.&#8212;6. D., The shame of our Lord I have not spoken of, it is too great for my mouth:&#160; that I should weigh and compare His Passion, with Thy torment.&#8212;7. Twelve judgment thrones shall He set, for His Twelve:&#160; for by the twelve tribes thou, even thou, shall be condemned.&#8212;8. A halter unbought shalt thou hang thee, O thou Satan:&#160; as that Thy disciple hung him, a halter for a price.&#8212;9. Haply yon hell in mercy, shall be emptied:&#160; and thou shalt dwell there alone, with Thy ministers.&#8212;10. Manifold are Thy curses, and how shall I count them?&#160; Lo! the sum of all thy curses, is on thy members.&#8212;11. The evil in the fire shall stab thee, who madest them evil:&#160; they shall upbraid thee &#8220;wherefore, broughtest thou us hither?&#8221;&#8212;12. Sinners shall rail against thee, and haply their threats:&#160; shall be worse to thee than the torment, of yonder hell.&#8212;13. These shall be unto thee there, all of them Satans:&#160; as thou hast been to them here, the one Satan.&#8212;14. The Watchers shall seize and hurl thee down, calling to mind:&#160; how through thee men hurled their Lord, from the height to the depth.&#8212;15. All men will run to stone thee, not forgetting that through thee the maddened people ran, to stone their Maker.&#8212;16. On thee, Evil One, from all mouths shall be, the spitting of wrath:&#160; for through thee they spat on Him Whose spittle, gave sight to the blind.&#8212;17. On thee, Evil One, from all tongues, shall be all curses:&#160; for through thee men blasphemed Him, Who opened dumb mouths.&#8212;18. Blessed is He Who avenged our wrong, though in silence:&#160; and stirred up Death against the Evil One, to fall upon him!&#8212;19. Sound we Hosannas, my brethren, as did Gideon: &#160; who when he sounded, the oppressors, fell on one another!