The Nisibene Hymns

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