THE GLORIOUS CANTICLES: CANTICLE 3

CANTICLE 3

¹Blessed be the Lord who sendeth forth His messengers, and planteth His word in the mouths of the just.
²In the days of silence, when Heaven was still, did He stir the hearts of three, and set fire to their tongues.
³First rose Elior, son of the hill country, whose soul was girded with wisdom from the womb.
⁴In the wilderness he walked, and the breath of the Lord moved upon him as the dawn upon the fields.
⁵And lo, the voice of the Most High spake unto him, saying: Behold, I send thee to speak of My Son who shall come.
⁶Declare unto the people that wisdom hath a face, and shall dwell among them clothed in flesh.
⁷Then did Elior weep, for he saw in vision the days of the Son, and the joy of the lowly made glad.
⁸He descended unto the cities, and the old men marveled at his speech, and the scribes were confounded.
⁹But the princes waxed wroth, for his words cut as a blade, and stirred the dust of their buried guilt.
¹⁰And he was brought in fetters before their tribunal, yet feared he not, nor turned aside his mouth.
¹¹And when they struck his cheek, he looked toward Heaven and said: Glory to Him who shall come after me.
¹²So was Elior hanged upon the steps of the Temple, and his blood flowed as a witness unto the corners of Ivalice.
¹³Then rose Jorah, son of the sea wind, whose spirit was as a flame upon the mountain’s edge.
¹⁴He beheld signs in the Heavens, and wonders in the deep, and all cried unto him to declare their meaning.
¹⁵And the Lord spake unto him in the hush of night, saying: Thou shalt proclaim the works of My Son before they come.
¹⁶He shall open the eyes of the blind, and the tongue of the mute shall sing aloud. Go thou and prepare the way.
¹⁷And Jorah journeyed through the land of Avar, and the multitudes pressed to hear him.
¹⁸He spake of healing, and of the casting out of devils, and of the mercy that shall walk with men.
¹⁹But they who feared the light stirred up false witnesses, and bound him with chains of deceit.
²⁰They hanged him beside the cliffs and the sea, and he was martyred for his Lord.
²¹And the death took up the prophet unto the Lord, and the angels bore him where no tempest may reach.
²²Then rose Phara, of the dry plateau, whose voice was as thunder upon the plain, and whose gaze was as iron.
²³He sought not the favor of kings, nor the silver of merchants, but walked alone where none had trod.
²⁴In the stillness of the high places did the Lord speak unto him, saying: Cry out against the tempest that approacheth.
²⁵For the Son of God draweth nigh, and shall be as a shield to the righteous and a snare to the proud.
²⁶Cry aloud, O Phara, and say unto the kingdoms: Turn from the sword, and make straight the way of the Lord. For He shall save the world from chaos.
²⁷Then did Phara descend among the cities of men, and his steps were as judgment, and his words as fire.
²⁸He rebuked the mighty, and gave no quarter unto the flatterer, nor did he flinch before the warlord’s wrath.
²⁹He proclaimed salvation to the humble, and peace to those who would follow the Son that is to come.
³⁰But the rulers gnashed their teeth, for he uprooted their idols and overthrew their altars of deceit.
³¹They took him in the night, with violence and guile, and bore him to the place of execution.
³²And there, beneath the open sky, he raised his eyes and spake: I see the gates of Paradise, and they open before me.
³³Then he was hanged, and the blood of Phara mingled with the dust of the land he loved; and for his Lord, he died the death.
³⁴But his soul rose as a star unto the Lord, and the Heavens rejoiced at the return of the faithful.
³⁵Thus were the three prophets sent, and each fulfilled the word given unto him, even unto death.
³⁶Not for pride did they speak, nor for power did they suffer, but for love of the Lord and for the hope of the world.
³⁷Their voices were cut off, but their words endure; their bones were broken, but their witness standeth forever.
³⁸O ye peoples, consider their faithfulness, and incline thine ear to the cry of their hearts.
³⁹For they looked not upon the day’s reward, but upon the glory yet to be revealed in the Son of God.
⁴⁰Their hope was steadfast, and their hands were clean; their lips spake no guile, and their feet turned not aside.
⁴¹Blessed are they that walk in the path of the prophets, and who cherish the word sown in tribulation.
⁴²For the Lord is not forgetful of His servants, nor shall He leave the blood of the just without recompense.
⁴³As a lamp in darkness were they, and their light hath not gone out, but shineth unto this day.
⁴⁴And the Lord spake unto the children of men, saying: Remember ye the prophets, for in their words is the breath of life.
⁴⁵Their testimony shall be a lamp unto thy feet, and a light unto thy path in the darkness of this world.
⁴⁶Behold, I send My Son, the righteous King, to fulfill all that was spoken by the mouth of these my servants.
⁴⁷He shall bind the broken-hearted, and proclaim liberty unto the captives, and open the prison unto them that are bound.
⁴⁸In His hand is the rod of justice, and in His mouth a sword of truth.
⁴⁹Therefore, gird thyselves with the armor of faith, and take up the shield of hope, that ye may stand in the evil day.
⁵⁰Trust not in the strength of armies, nor in the cunning of men, but in the Lord alone, who maketh wars to cease.
⁵¹Look unto the hills, from whence cometh thy help; thy help cometh from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Ivalice.
⁵²He hath stilled the raging of the seas, and hath broken the bow of the mighty.
⁵³He shall bring down the proud and exalt the humble; the sword of the wicked shall fall by His hand.
⁵⁴Sing ye praises, O ye nations, for His mercy endureth forever; proclaim His salvation from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
⁵⁵The Lord hath not forgotten His covenant; His word is sure, and His judgments are righteous.
⁵⁶Blessed are they that hear the voice of the prophets, and keep the statutes of the Lord.
⁵⁷Their remembrance is as ointment poured forth; their names are written in the book of life.
⁵⁸As the morning dew upon the grass, so shall their reward be multiplied in the Kingdom of the Most High.
⁵⁹Yea, the Lord will arise as a mighty warrior, and His banner shall be exalted among the peoples.
⁶⁰The kingdoms shall bow before His throne, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
⁶¹Rejoice, O ye faithful, and be glad in the Lord thy God; for He hath given thee a great hope and an eternal promise.
⁶²The prophets have shown thee the way; follow it with all thy heart and soul.
⁶³The Lord is thy refuge and thy strength; a very present help in trouble.
⁶⁴Keep thy eyes fixed upon Him, and He shall guide thee in paths of righteousness forevermore.
⁶⁵Let all Ivalice sing praise unto the Lord, for He is exalted above all gods.
⁶⁶Though the prophets walked unto death, yet their words remaineth forever; a foundation unshaken amid the storms of time.
⁶⁷Their blood hath watered the seeds of truth, and from their sacrifice hath sprung forth the tree of salvation.
⁶⁸O ye people, hearken unto their voice, for they are the messengers of the Most High, sent before the dawn of the great day.
⁶⁹In the midst of darkness, they shineth as stars, guiding the weary and the lost unto the fold of the Shepherd.
⁷⁰Ye that tremble in the shadow of fear, take courage, for the Lord is nigh unto thee, and His mercy shall not depart.
⁷¹Lift up thy hands in supplication, and thy hearts in thanksgiving, for the promises of the Lord are sure.
⁷²The Son shall come in glory and might, and with Him shall be the restoration of all things.
⁷³His Kingdom shall have no end, and peace shall reign upon Ivalice as the waters cover the sea.
⁷⁴Blessed are the faithful who endure unto the end, for they shall be clothed in white raiment and shall hunger no more.
⁷⁵Praise ye the Lord, all ye nations; extol His name forevermore.
⁷⁶For He is worthy of all honor and glory and praise, unto eternity.
⁷⁷Amen and Amen, saith the Lord God Almighty, whose Kingdom endureth through all generations.

▷THE SEVEN SCRIPTURES OF THE CHURCH OF GLABADOS
    ▷THE CANTICLES
        ▷THE GLORIOUS CANTICLES
            ▶1—2—3—4—5—6—7

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