A Prayer for Safe Passage and for the Jews
“…souls of the righteous enter; no longer do the gloomy regions of death take in the spirits of the living. Following you, who became at once the firstfruits of the living and of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20), so that you might be Lord of both the dead and the living (Romans 14:9), the whole mass of the dead takes courage, and not without reason.
‘Receive, then, my spirit’ (Acts 7:59). Do not let the hunters lie in wait for your sparrow (Psalm 124:7), nor let the enemies who meet me at the gates spoil my departure from the earth or trouble my ascent into the heavens.”
This prayer, then, he offered up for himself; but he offered up another, in turn, for the people of the Jews: “Lord, do not set this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). And…
Greek
ψυχαὶ τῶν δικαίων εἰσέρχονται· οὐκέτι τὰ ζοφερὰ τοῦ θανάτου χωρία τὰ τῶν ζώντων παραλαμβάνει πνεύματα. Μετὰ σὲ τῶν ζώντων ἀπαρχὴν καὶ νεκρῶν ἅμα 5 γενόμενον, ἵνα καὶ νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃς, ὅλων θαρρεῖ τῶν νεκρῶν, οὐκ ἔξω λόγου, τὸ φύραμα. «∆έξαι τοίνυν τὸ πνεῦμά μου.» Μὴ συχωρήσῃς τὸ σὸν στρουθίον λοχῆσαι τοῖς θηρεύουσι μηδὲ τοῖς συναντῶσιν ἐν πύλαις ἐχθροῖς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἀποδημίαν λυμαίνεσθαι μηδὲ θορυβῆσαί μοι τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδον. 27 Ἀλλὰ ταύτην μὲν ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ τὴν προσευχήν, ἑτέραν δὲ πάλιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἔθυεν· «Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην.» Καὶ