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Prophetic Readings for the Eves of Nativity and Easter

In the Tradition of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church

Editor The Rev. Fr. Shnork Souin

In the first chapter and verse of the Book of Hebrews, the author states, "In days of old God has spoken to us by his prophets, now in these last days, God has spoken to us by his Son." In this one short and wonderful message we realize the wisdom of listening for God�s Word that we might come to know God�s Word made flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Therefore, throughout the history of the universal church, on the eves of both Epiphany and Pascha (Easter), there has been an important and pious liturgical tradition of reading these Messianic Prophesies from of old. While these prophetic readings are not an exhaustive record of God�s promise of salvation recorded and found in the pages of the Old Testament, which are filled entirely in, with and through the presence of Christ, they are still numerous and require a great length of time to read. Because of the way in which the world is today, and the way the church struggles to feed her children with the spiritual food in the limited time that she has with them, these two evenings may be the only ones throughout each year when these important and God given prophecies might be proclaimed.

While in days of old these rites may have been profitable and well attended, we have found with the passage of time that in many churches, people are easily distracted and unable to profit from the entirety of the readings which could take upwards of an hour. Rather than allow churches to avoid the rite completely, as seen from time to time, we are seeking to find ways to make it not only less time consuming, but more palatable and why not, more enjoyable for our people.

While the entire reading is still encouraged, our desire as shared by Armenian clergy everywhere, is that our people hear and understand the proclamation of these prophecies, as they herald the Good News of Salvation in the celebration of Christ�s Birth, Baptism and His Glorious Resurrection from the dead, promised in prophecies from of old. We also wish to allow for some summarization in order to keep the attention of those present without diminishing the message and the power of the scriptures.

We have therefore undertaken, here, to provide a full English translation of all the Sacred Scripture Readings of both the Nativity and Easter Eves, based primarily on a modification of the King James Version. Those sections, which I believe to be the most concise and crucial for the audible reading and comprehension of the messianic prophecies have been placed in large print. It is hoped that this summarization will not only contain the full impact and integrity of the prophetic proclamation, but will also bring them to the ears of more and more faithful so that God might be glorified as we attend the "table" of the Lord�s Word, from which faith is nourished (Romans 10:13).

Faithfully

Rev. Fr. Shnork Souin

Prophetic Readings for the Eve of Nativity

A Reading from the Book of Genesis 1:1-31

^{1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ²And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. ³And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. ⁴And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁵And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. ⁶And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. ⁷And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. ⁸And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. ⁹And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. ¹⁰And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. ¹¹And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ¹²And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. ¹³And the evening and the morning were the third day. ¹⁴And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: ¹⁵And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. ¹⁶And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. ¹⁷And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, ¹⁸And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. ²⁰And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. ²¹And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. ²²And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. ²³And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. ²⁴And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. ²⁵And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. ²⁶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. ²⁷So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ²⁸And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. ²⁹And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. ³⁰And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creeps upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. ³¹And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

2:1-251Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ²And on the seventh day God ended his work, which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work, which he had made. ³And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. ⁴These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. ⁶But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. ⁷And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
^{8And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁰And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. ¹¹The name of the first is Pison: that is it which encompasses the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; ¹²And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. ¹³And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that encompasses the whole land of Ethiopia. ¹⁴And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
^{15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. ¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: ¹⁷But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die. ¹⁸And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.
^{19And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. ²⁰And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.
^{21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh around it; ²²And with the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, he made a woman, and brought her unto the man. ²³And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ²⁴Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
^{25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

3:1-241Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, has God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? ²And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: ³But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. ⁴And the serpent said unto the woman, You shall not surely die: ⁵For God knows that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. ⁶And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. ⁷And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. ⁸And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. ⁹And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where are you? ¹⁰And he said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. ¹¹And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded you that you should not eat? ¹²And the man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. ¹³And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. ¹⁴And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life: ¹⁵And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. ¹⁶Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you. ¹⁷And unto Adam he said, Because you have hearkened unto the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you; and you shall eat the herb of the field; ¹⁹In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return unto the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and unto dust shall you return.
^{20And Adam called his wife�s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. ²¹Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. ²²And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: ²³Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. ²⁴So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the Tree of Life.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah 7:10-17
^{10Moreover the LORD spoke again unto Ahaz, saying, ¹¹Ask you a sign of the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. ¹²But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. ¹³And he said, Hear you now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?
^{14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.}^{15Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. ¹⁶For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that you abhor shall be forsaken of both her kings. ¹⁷The LORD shall bring upon you, and upon your people, and upon your father�s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading From the Book of Exodus 14:24-31
^{24And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the army of the Egyptians, ²⁵And took off their chariot wheels, that they drove them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.
^{26And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. ²⁷And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. ²⁸And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. ²⁹But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. ³⁰Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. ³¹And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.
Exodus 15:1-21^{1Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider has he thrown into the sea. ²The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father�s God, and I will exalt him. ³The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. ⁴Pharaoh�s chariots and his host has he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also were drowned in the Red Sea. ⁵The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. ⁶Your right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: your right hand, O LORD, has dashed in pieces the enemy. ⁷And in the greatness of your excellency you have overthrown them that rose up against you: you sent forth your wrath, which consumed them as stubble. ⁸And with the blast of your nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. ⁹The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. ¹⁰You blew with your wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. ¹¹Who is like unto you, O LORD, among the gods? who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? ¹²You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them. ¹³You in your mercy have led forth the people whom you have redeemed: you have guided them in your strength unto your holy habitation. ¹⁴The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. ¹⁵Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. ¹⁶Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of your arm they shall be as still as a stone; till your people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which you have purchased. ¹⁷You shall bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which you have made for you to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. ¹⁸The LORD shall reign forever and ever. ¹⁹For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. ²⁰And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. ²¹And Miriam answered them, Sing you to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider has he thrown into the sea.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading From the Book of the Prophet Micah 5:2-7
^{2But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, although you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. ³Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travails has brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. ⁴And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. ⁵And this man shall be our peace,
when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. ⁶And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he comes into our land, and when he treads within our borders. ⁷And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that waits not for man, nor waits for the sons of men.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Proverbs 1:2-9
^{2To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; ³To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; ⁴To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. ⁵A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: ⁶To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. ⁷The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. ⁸My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother: ⁹For they shall be an ornament of grace unto your head, and chains about your neck.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading From the Prophet Isaiah 9:6-7
^{6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ^{7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy

A Reading From the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 11:1-9
^{1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: ²And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; ³And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: ⁴But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
^{5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. ⁶The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. ⁷And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. ⁸And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice� den. ⁹They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 35:3-8
^{3Strengthen you the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. ⁴Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with recompense; he will come and save you. ⁵Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. ⁶Then shall the lame man leap as an hare, and the tongue of the dumb sing:
for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. ⁷And the parched ground shall become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. ⁸And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, although fools, shall not accidentally enter.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 40:10-17
^{10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. ¹¹He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
^{12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? ¹³Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor has taught him? ¹⁴With whom took he counsel and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding? ¹⁵Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he takes up the isles as a very little thing. ¹⁶And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. ¹⁷All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy

A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 42:1-8
^{1Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. ²He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. ³A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. ⁴He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he has set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
^{5Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which comes out of it; he that gives breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
^{6I the LORD has called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and offer you for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; ⁷To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners, and them that sit in darkness. ⁸I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy

{A} A Reading From the Book of the
Prophet Daniel 3:1-16(a)
^{1Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
^{2Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ³Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
^{4Then a herald cried aloud, "To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, ⁵That at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up: ⁶And whosoever does not fall down and worships, shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ⁷Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ⁸Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. ⁹They spoke and said to king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever. ¹⁰You, O king, have made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image: ¹¹And whosoever does not fall down and worship, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ¹²There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded you: they serve not your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up. ¹³Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not you serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? ¹⁵Now if you be ready that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? ¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar,
{B} Daniel 3:16(b)-18

"We have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ¹⁸But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.
{C} Daniel 3:19-23
^{19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury,
and the form of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more. ²⁰And he commanded the mightiest men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
^{21Then these men were bound in their coats, their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. ²²Therefore because the king�s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
^{23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace (blessing and praising the Lord God).
Song of the Three Young Men
{D} Daniel 3:
"Prayer of Azariah"

Then Azariah stood and offered this prayer; in the midst of the fire he opened his mouth and said: ³"Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, and worthy of praise; and your name be glorified for ever. ⁴For you are just in all that you have done to us, and all your works are true and your ways right, and all your judgments are truth. ⁵You have executed true judgments in all that you have brought upon us and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our fathers, for in truth and justice you have brought all this upon us because of our sins. ⁶For we have sinfully and lawlessly departed from you, and have sinned in all things and have not obeyed your commandments; ⁷we have not observed them or done them, as you have commanded us that it might go well with us. ⁸So all that you have brought upon us, and all that you have done to us, you have done in true judgment. ⁹You have given us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world. ¹⁰And now we cannot open our mouths; shame and disgrace have befallen your servants and worshippers. ¹¹For your name�s sake do not give us up utterly, and do not break your covenant, ¹²and do not withdraw your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham your beloved and for the sake of Isaac your servant and Israel your holy one,
^{13to whom you promised to make their descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the shore of the sea. ¹⁴For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any nation, and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins. ¹⁵And at this time there is no prince, or prophet, or leader, no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, no place to make an offering before you or to find mercy. ¹⁶Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted,
as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls, and with tens of thousands of fat lambs;
^{17such may our sacrifice be in your sight this day, and may we wholly follow you, for there will be no shame for those who trust in you.
^{18And now with all our heart we follow you, we fear you and seek your face. ¹⁹Do not put us to shame, but deal with us in your forbearance and your abundant mercy. ²⁰Deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works and give glory to your name, O Lord! Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame; ²¹let them be disgraced and deprived of all power and dominion, and let their strength be broken. ²²Let them know that you are the Lord, the only God, glorious over the whole world.
{E} Daniel 3
^{23Now the king�s servants who threw them in did not cease feeding the furnace fires with naphtha, pitch, tow, and brush. ²⁴And the flame streamed out above the furnace forty-nine cubits, ²⁵and it broke through and burned those of the Chaldeans whom it caught about the furnace. ²⁶But the Angel of the Lord came down into the furnace to be with Azariah and his companions, and drove the fiery flame out of the furnace, ²⁷and made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind, so that the fire did not touch them at all or hurt or trouble them.
^{28Then the three, as with one mouth, praised and glorified and blessed God in the furnace, saying:
{F} Daniel 3
^{29 "Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, and to be praised and highly exalted forever;
And blessed is your glorious, holy name and to be highly praised and highly exalted for ever;
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory and to be extolled and highly glorified forever.
Blessed are you upon the throne of your kingdom glory and to be extolled and highly exalted forever.
Blessed are you, who are seated upon cherubim and looks upon the deeps, and to be praised and highly exalted forever.
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven and to be sung and glorified forever.
Priest: Bless, praise and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, you priests of the Lord, sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Priest: Bless, praise and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Priest: Bless, praise and highly exalt him forever.
Bless him, all who worship the Lord, the God of gods, sing praise to him and give thanks to him, for his mercy endures forever."
Priest: To you is befitting glory, O God of Zion, and to you are offered prayours from Jerusalem.
A Reading From the Letter of St. Paul to Titus 2:11-15
^{11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹²Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; ¹³Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; ¹⁴Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. ¹⁵These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise you.

Alleluia, Alleluia,

Prophetic Readings for the Eve of Pascha
(Easter Eve)
A Reading from the Book of Genesis 1:1-31
^{1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ²And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. ³And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. ⁴And God saw the light, that it was good:
and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁵And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. ⁶And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. ⁷And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. ⁸And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. ⁹And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. ¹⁰And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. ¹¹And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ¹²And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. ¹³And the evening and the morning were the third day. ¹⁴And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: ¹⁵And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. ¹⁶And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. ¹⁷And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the eareh, ¹⁸And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. ²⁰And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. ²¹And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. ²²And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. ²³And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. ²⁴And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. ²⁵And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
^{26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. ²⁷So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ²⁸And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. ²⁹And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. ³⁰And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creeps upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. ³¹And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

2:1-25^{1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ²And on the seventh day God ended his work, which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work, which he had made. ³And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. ⁴These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. ⁶But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. ⁷And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.}^{8And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁰And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. ¹¹The name of the first is Pison: which encompasses the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; ¹²And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. ¹³And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that encompasses the whole land of Ethiopia. ¹⁴And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
^{15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. ¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: ¹⁷But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die. ¹⁸And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.
^{19And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. ²⁰And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
^{21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; ²²And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. ²³And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ²⁴Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. ²⁵And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

3:1-241Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Though, has God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? ²And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: ³But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. ⁴And the serpent said unto the woman, You shall not surely die: ⁵For God knows that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. ⁶And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. ⁷And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. ⁸And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. ⁹And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where are you? ¹⁰And he said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. ¹¹And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded you that you should not eat? ¹²And the man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. ¹³And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. ¹⁴And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life: ¹⁵And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. ¹⁶Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you. ¹⁷And unto Adam he said, Because you have hearkened unto the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you; and you shall eat the herb of the field; ¹⁹In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return unto the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and unto dust shall you return. ²⁰And Adam called his wife�s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. ²¹Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. ²²And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: ²³Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. ²⁴So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the Tree of Life.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Book of Genesis 22:1-18
^{1And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. ²And

(T)o Abraham God said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you of. ³And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and carried the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. ⁴Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. ⁵And Abraham said unto his young men, Stay here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. ⁶And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. ⁷And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? ⁸And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. ⁹And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. ¹⁰And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. ¹²And he said, Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do you any thing unto him: for now I know that you fear God, seeing you has not withheld your son, your only son from me. ¹³And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. ¹⁴And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. ¹⁵And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, ¹⁶And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because you has done this thing, and has not withheld your son, your only son: ¹⁷That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; ¹⁸And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you has obeyed my voice.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Book of Exodus 12:1-24
^{1And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ²This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. ³Speak unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house: ⁴And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
^{5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: you shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: ⁶And you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. ⁷And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. ⁸And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. ⁹Eat not of it raw, nor soaked at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with everything thereof. ¹⁰And you shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire. ¹¹And thus shall you eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD�S passover. ¹²For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. ¹³And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. ¹⁴And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and you shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.
^{15Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. ¹⁷And you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall you observe this day in your generations by an ordinance forever. ¹⁸In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. ¹⁹Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eats that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. ²⁰You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall you eat unleavened bread. ²¹Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. ²²And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. ²³For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. ²⁴And you shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Jonah 1:1-17
^{1Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ²Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. ³But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. ⁴But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. ⁵Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. ⁶So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest you, O sleeper? arise, call upon your God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. ⁷And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. ⁸Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray you, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is your occupation? and from where do you come? what is your country? and of what people are you? ⁹And he

(Jonah) said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which has made the sea and the dry land. ¹⁰Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why have you done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. ¹¹Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto you, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. ¹²And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. ¹³Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. ¹⁴Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech you, O LORD, we beseech you, let us not perish for this man�s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for you, O LORD, has done as it pleased you. ¹⁵So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. ¹⁶Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. ¹⁷Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 2:1-10^{1Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish�s belly, ²And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and you heard my voice. ³For you cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all your billows and your waves passed over me. ⁴Then I said, I am cast out of your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple. ⁵The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. ⁶I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever: yet have you brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. ⁷When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayour came in unto you, into your holy temple. ⁸They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. ⁹But I will sacrifice unto you with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. ¹⁰And the LORD spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
Jonah 3:1-10
^{1And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, ²Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid you. ³So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days� journey. ⁴And Jonah began to enter into the city a day�s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. ⁵So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. ⁶For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ⁷And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: ⁸But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. ⁹Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not? ¹⁰And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Jonah 4:1-11
^{1But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. ²And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray you, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repent of the evil. ³Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech you, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. ⁴Then said the LORD, You do well to be angry? ⁵So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the East Side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. ⁶And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. ⁷But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. ⁸And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. ⁹And God said to Jonah, You do well to be angry for the gourd? And he said I do well to be angry, even unto death. ¹⁰Then said the LORD, You have had pity on the gourd, for the which you have not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: ¹¹And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Book of Exodus 14:24-31
^{24And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, ²⁵And took off their chariot wheels, that they drove them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.
^{26And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. ²⁷And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. ²⁸And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. ²⁹But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. ³⁰Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. ³¹And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.
Exodus 15:1-21
^{1Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider has he thrown into the sea. ²The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father�s God, and I will exalt him. ³The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. ⁴Pharaoh�s chariots and his host has he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. ⁵The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. ⁶Your right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: your right hand, O LORD, has dashed in pieces the enemy. ⁷And in the greatness of your Excellency you has overthrown them that rose up against you: you sent forth your wrath, which consumed them as stubble. ⁸And with the blast of your nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. ⁹The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. ¹⁰You blew with your wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. ¹¹Who is like unto you, O LORD, among the gods? who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? ¹²You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them. ¹³You in your mercy have led forth the people whom you have redeemed: you have guided them in your strength unto your holy habitation. ¹⁴The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. ¹⁵Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. ¹⁶Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of your arm they shall be as still as a stone; till your people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which you has purchased. ¹⁷You shall bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which you has made for you to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. ¹⁸The LORD shall reign forever and ever. ¹⁹For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. ²⁰And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. ²¹And Miriam answered them, Sing you to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider has he thrown into the sea.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)

Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 60:1-13
^{1Arise, shine; O Jerusalem, for your light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. ²For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and its people: but the LORD shall arise upon you, and his glory shall be seen upon you. ³And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
^{4Lift up your eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to you: your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. ⁵Then you shall see, and flow together and your heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto you, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto you. ⁶The multitude of camels shall cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praises of the LORD. ⁷All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto you: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. ⁸Who are these that fly as a cloud and as the doves to their windows? ⁹Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you. ¹⁰And the sons of strangers shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister unto you: for in my wrath I smote you, but in my favor have I had mercy on you. ¹¹Therefore your gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto you the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. ¹²For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted. ¹³The glory of Lebanon shall come unto you, the firtree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Book of Job 38:1-30
^{1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, ²Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? ³Gird up now your loins like a man; for I will demand of you, an answer. ⁴Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare it, if you have understanding. ⁵If you know, who has laid its measures,? or who has stretched the line upon it? ⁶Where are its foundations fastened? or who laid its corner stone; ⁷When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? ⁸Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? ⁹When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, ¹⁰And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, ¹¹And said, Only until here shall you come, but no further: and here shall your proud waves stop? ¹²Has you commanded the morning since your days; and caused the dayspring to know his place; ¹³That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it? ¹⁴It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment. ¹⁵And from the wicked, light is withheld, and the high arm shall be broken. ¹⁶Has you entered into the springs of the sea? or has you walked in the search of the depth? ¹⁷Have the gates of death been opened unto you? or has you seen the doors of the shadow of death? ¹⁸Have you perceived the breadth of the earth? if you know, declare it. ¹⁹Where is the way where light dwells? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof, ²⁰That you should take it to its boundry, and that you should know the paths to its house? ²¹Do you know it, because you were already born? or because the number of your days is great? ²²Have you entered into the treasures of the snow? or have you seen the treasures of the hail, ²³Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? ²⁴By what way is the light parted, which scatters the east wind upon the earth? ²⁵Who has divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder; ²⁶To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, where there is no man; ²⁷To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth? ²⁸Has the rain a father? or who has begotten the drops of dew? ²⁹Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who has given it birth? ³⁰The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Book of Joshua 1:1-9
^{1Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spoke unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses� minister, saying, ²Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. ³Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. ⁴From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. ⁵There shall not be any man able to stand before you all the days of your life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with you: I will not fail you, nor forsake you. ⁶Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shall you divide for an inheritance the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give them. ⁷Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded you: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. ⁸This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. ⁹Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Second Book of Kings 2:1-22
^{1And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. ²And Elijah said unto Elisha, Stay here, I beg you; for the LORD has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel. ³And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came to Elisha, and said unto him, Did you know that the LORD will take away your master from your head today? And he said, Yes, I know it; hold your peace. ⁴And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, stay here, I beg you; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So they came to Jericho. ⁵And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, you know that the LORD will take away your master from your head to day? And he answered, Yes, I know it; hold your peace. ⁶And Elijah said unto him, Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. And they two went on. ⁷And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by the Jordan. ⁸And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that they two went over on dry ground. ⁹And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you, before I be taken away from you. And Elisha said, I beg you, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. ¹⁰And he said, You have asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so unto you; but if not, it shall not be so. ¹¹And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and separated them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. ¹²And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and tore them in two pieces. ¹³He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of the Jordan; ¹⁴And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and struck the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted: and Elisha went across. ¹⁵And when the sons of the prophets who were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. ¹⁶And they said unto him, Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men; let them go, we beg you, and seek your master: unless the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, You shall not send. ¹⁷And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. ¹⁸And when they came again to him, (for he stayed at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not? ¹⁹And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I beg of you, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. ²⁰And he said, Bring me a new cruet, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. ²¹And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. ²²So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spoke.

Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 31:31-34
^{31Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: ³²Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was there guardian and keeper, saith the LORD: ³³But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will place my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴And no more shall every man teach his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their sin, and I will remember their sin no more.
Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
A Reading from the Book of Ezekiel 37:1-14
^{1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, ²And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. ³And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, only you know. ⁴Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O you dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. ⁵Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live: ⁶And I will lay sinew upon you, and will bring flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD. ⁷So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. ⁸And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. ⁹Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. ¹⁰So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. ¹¹Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. ¹²Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, ¹⁴And shall put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall you know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
Reader: Kneeling in prayer, we beseech the Lord
(3 times)
Priest: Lord have mercy
{A} Daniel 3:1-16(a)
^{1Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. ²Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ³Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
^{4Then a herald cried aloud, "To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, ⁵That at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up: ⁶And whosoever does not fall down and worships, shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
^{7Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ⁸Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. ⁹They spoke and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever. ¹⁰You, O king, have made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image: ¹¹And whosoever does not fall down and worship, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ¹²There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded you: they serve not your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up. ¹³Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not you serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? ¹⁵Now if you be ready that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? ¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar,
{B} Daniel 3:16(b)-18

"We have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ¹⁸But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.
{C} Daniel 3:19-23
^{19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times hotter. ²⁰And he commanded the mightiest men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
^{21Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
^{22Therefore because the king�s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. ²³And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace (blessing and praising the Lord God).
Song of the Three Young Men
{D} Daniel 3:
"Prayer of Azariah"
Then Azariah stood and offered this prayer; in the midst of the fire he opened his mouth and said: ³"Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, and worthy of praise; and your name be glorified for ever. ⁴For you are just in all that you have done to us, and all your works are true and your ways right, and all your judgments are truth. ⁵You have executed true judgments in all that you have brought upon us and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our fathers, for in truth and justice you have brought all this upon us because of our sins. ⁶For we have sinfully and lawlessly departed from you, and have sinned in all things and have not obeyed your commandments; ⁷we have not observed them or done them, as you have commanded us that it might go well with us. ⁸So all that you have brought upon us, and all that you have done to us, you have done in true judgment. ⁹You have given us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world. ¹⁰And now we cannot open our mouths; shame and disgrace have befallen your servants and worshippers. ¹¹For your name�s sake do not give us up utterly, and do not break your covenant, ¹²and do not withdraw your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham your beloved and for the sake of Isaac your servant and Israel your holy one, ¹³to whom you promised to make their descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the shore of the sea. ¹⁴For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any nation, and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins. ¹⁵And at this time there is no prince, or prophet, or leader, no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, no place to make an offering before you or to find mercy. ¹⁶Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted, as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls, and with tens of thousands of fat lambs; ¹⁷such may our sacrifice be in your sight this day, and may we wholly follow you, for there will be no shame for those who trust in you. ¹⁸And now with all our heart we follow you, we fear you and seek your face. ¹⁹Do not put us to shame, but deal with us in your forbearance and your abundant mercy. ²⁰Deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works, and give glory to your name, O Lord! Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame; ²¹let them be disgraced and deprived of all power and dominion, and let their strength be broken. ²²Let them know that you are the Lord, the only God, glorious over the whole world.
{E} Daniel 3:
^{23Now the king�s servants who threw them in did not cease feeding the furnace fires with naphtha, pitch, tow, and brush. ²⁴And the flame streamed out above the furnace forty-nine cubits, ²⁵and it broke through and burned those of the Chaldeans whom it caught about the furnace. ²⁶But the Angel of the Lord came down into the furnace to be with Azariah and his companions, and drove the fiery flame out of the furnace, ²⁷and made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind, so that the fire did not touch them at all or hurt or trouble them. ²⁸Then the three, as with one mouth, praised and glorified and blessed God in the furnace, saying:
{F} Daniel 3:
^{29 "Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, and to be praised and highly exalted forever;
And blessed is your glorious, holy name and to be highly praised and highly exalted for ever;
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory and to be extolled and highly glorified forever.
Blessed are you upon the throne of your kingdom glory and to be extolled and highly exalted forever.
Blessed are you, who are seated upon cherubim and looks upon the deeps, and to be praised and highly exalted forever.
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven and to be sung and glorified forever.
Priest: Bless, praise and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, you priests of the Lord, sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Priest: Bless, praise and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Priest: Bless, praise and highly exalt him forever.
Bless him, all who worship the Lord, the God of gods, sing praise to him and give thanks to him, for his mercy endures forever."
Priest: To you is befitting glory, O God of Zion, and to you are offered prayers from Jerusalem.
A Reading from the First Letter of St. Paul
to the Corinthians 15:1-11
^{1Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand; ²By which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. ³For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ⁵And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: ⁶After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. ⁷After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. ⁸And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ⁹For I am the least of the apostles, and am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. ¹¹Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so you believed.
Alleluia, Alleluia,}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

St. Mary Armenian Church 200 West Mount Pleasant Avenue Livingston, New Jersey 07039	Phone: 973-533-9794 FAX: 973-992-0458 Email: info@myarmenianchurch.org