Lenten Lectionary: The First Week

Monday in Holy Week - Sixth Hour

Reader:The Troparion of the Prophecy, in the 6th Tone:

With a contrite soul we fall down before Thee, and we pray unto Thee, O Savior of the world: for Thou art the God of them that repent.

Choir:Glory…. Both Now… And the choir repeats the Troparion

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 125, in the 4^th Tone:

When the Lord turned again the captivity of Sion.

Stichos: Then was our mouth filled with joy

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 1:1

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, that I was in the midst of the captivity by the river of Chobar; and the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month; this was the fifth year of the captivity of king Joakim. 3 And the word of the Lord came to Jezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river of Chobar; and the hand of the Lord was upon me. 4 And I looked, and, behold, a sweeping wind came from the north, and a great cloud on it, and brightness round about it, and gleaming fire, and in the midst of it as it were the appearance of amber in the midst of the fire, and brightness in it. 5 And in the midst as it were the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; the likeness of a man was upon them. 6 And each one four faces, and each one four wings. 7 And their legs were straight; and their feet were winged, and sparks, like gleaming brass, and their wings were light. 8 And the hand of a man was under their wings on their four sides. 9 And the faces of them four turned not when they went; they went everyone straight forward. 10 And the likeness of their faces was the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right of the four; and the face of a calf on the left of the four; and the face of an eagle to the four. 11 And the four had their wings spread out above; each one two joined to one another, and two covered their bodies. 12 And each one went straight forward: wherever the spirit was going they went, and turned not back. 13 And in the midst of the living creatures an appearance as of burning coals of fire, as an appearance of lamps 15 And I looked, and, behold, the four one wheel on the ground near the living creatures. 16 And the appearance of the wheels was as the appearance of beryl: and the four had one likeness: and their work was as it were a wheel in a wheel. 17 They went on their four sides: they turned not as they went; 18 neither did their backs : and they were high: and I beheld them, and the backs of them four were full of eyes round about. 19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures lifted themselves off the earth. the wheels were lifted off. 20 Wherever the cloud happened to be, there was the spirit Or, with power ready to go: the wheels went and were lifted up with them; because the spirit of life was in the wheels.

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 126, in the 4^th Tone:

Except the Lord build the house, in vain do thy labour that build it.

Stichos: Except the Lord guard the city, in vain doth he watch that guardeth her.

Monday in Holy Week - Vespers

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 127, in the 6^th Tone:

The Lord bless thee out of Sion, and mayest Thou see the good things of Jerusalem.

Stichos: Blessed are all they that fear the Lord, that walk in His ways.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from Exodus.

Exodus 1:1

These are the names of the sons of Israel that came into Egypt together with Jacob their father; they came in each with their whole family. 2 Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judas, 3 Issachar, Zabulon, Benjamin, 4 Dan and Nephthalim, Gad and Aser. 5 But Joseph was in Egypt. And all the souls born of Jacob were seventy-five. 6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. 7 And the children of Israel increased and multiplied, and became numerous and grew exceedingly strong, and the land multiplied them. 8 And there arose up another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. 9 And he said to his nation, Behold, the race of the children of Israel is a great multitude, and is stronger than we: 10 come then, let us deal craftily with them, lest at any time they be increased, and whensoever war shall happen to us, these also shall be added to our enemies, and having prevailed against us in war, they will depart out of the land. 11 And he set over them task-master, who should afflict them in their works; and they built strong cities for Pharao, both Pitho, and Ramesses, and On, which is Heliopolis. 12 But as they humbled them, by so much they multiplied, and grew exceedingly strong: and the Egyptians greatly abhorred the children of Israel. 13 And the Egyptians tyrannised over the children of Israel by force. 14 And they embittered their life by hard labours, in the clay and in brick-making, and all the works in the plains, according to all the works, wherein they caused them to serve with violence. 15 And the king of the Egyptians spoke to the midwives of the Hebrews; the name of the one was, Sepphora; and the name of the second, Phua. 16 And he said, When ye do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and they are about to be delivered, if it be a male, kill it; but if a female, save it. 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt appointed them; and they saved the male children alive. 18 And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, Why is it that ye have done this thing, and saved the male children alive?19 And the midwives said to Pharao, The Hebrew women are not as the women of Egypt, for they are delivered before the midwives go in to them. So they bore children. 20 And God did well to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very strong.

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 128, in the 6^th Tone:

We have blessed you in the name of the Lord.

Stichos: Many a time have they warred against me from my youth.

Deacon: Command:

Priest: Wisdom! Aright! The Light of Christ…(Prostration by all)

Reader: The reading is from Job.

Job 1:1

There was a certain man in the land of Ausis, whose name was Job; and than man was true, blameless, righteous, and godly, abstaining from everything evil. 2 And he had seven sons and three daughters. 3 And his cattle consisted of seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred she-asses in the pastures, and a very great household, and he had a great husbandry on the earth; and that man was most noble of the men of the east. 4 And his sons visiting one another prepared a banquet every day, taking with them also their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And when the days of the banquet were completed, Job sent and purified them, having risen up in the morning, and offered sacrifices for them, according to their number, and one calf for a sin offering for their souls: for Job said, Lest peradventure my sons have thought evil in their minds against God. Thus, then Job did continually. 6 And it came to pass on a day, that behold, the angels of God came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came with them. 7 And the Lord said to the devil, Whence are thou come? And the devil answered the Lord, and said, I am come from compassing the earth, and walking up and down in the world. 8 And the Lord said to him, Hast thou diligently considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a man blameless, true, godly abstaining from everything evil? 9 Then the devil answered, and said before the Lord, Does Job worship the Lord for nothing? 10 Hast thou not made a hedge about him, and bout his household, and all his possessions round about? and hast thou not blessed the works of his hands, and multiplied his cattle upon the land? 11 But put forth thine hand, and touch all that he has: verily he will bless thee to thy face. 12 Then the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I give into thine hand all that he has, but touch not himself. So the devil went out from the presence of the Lord.

Tuesday in Holy Week - Sixth Hour

Reader:The Troparion of the Prophecy, in the 1st Tone:

Those that have sinned beyond measure, do Thou abundantly forgive, O Savior, and vouchsafe us without condemnation to worship Thy holy Resurrection, through the intercessions of Thy most pure Mother, O Thou Who alone art plenteous in mercy.

Choir:Glory…. Both Now… And the choir repeats the Troparion

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 129, in the 6^th Tone:

For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption.

Stichos: Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 1:21

When those went, went; and when those stood, stood; and when those lifted off with them: for the spirit of life was in the wheels. 22 And the likeness over the heads of the living creatures was as a firmament, as the appearance of crystal, spread out over their wings above. 23 And their wings were spread out under the firmament, reaching one to the other; two to each, covering their bodies. 24 And I heard the sound of their wings when they went, as the sound of much water: and when they stood, their wings were let down. 25 And lo! a voice from above the firmament 26 that was over their head, the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne upon it: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as an appearance of a man above. 27 And I saw as it were the resemblance of amber from the appearance of the lions and under I saw an appearance of fire, and the brightness thereof round about. 28 As the appearance of the bow when it is in the cloud in days of rain, so was the form of brightness round about. 2:1 This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And I saw and fell upon my face, and heard the voice of one speaking: and he said to me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak to thee.

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 130, in the 4^th Tone:

Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth and for evermore.

Stichos: O Lord, my heart is not exalted, nor are mine eyes become lofty.

Tuesday in Holy Week - Vespers

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 131, in the 6^th Tone:

Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest, Thou and the ark of Thy holiness.

Stichos: Remember, O Lord, David and all his meekness.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from Exodus.

Exodus 2:5

And the daughter of Pharao came down to the river to bathe; and her maids walked by the river's side, and having seen the ark in the ooze, she sent her maid, and took it up. 6 And having opened it, she sees the babe weeping in the ark: and the daughter of Pharao had compassion on it, and said, This is one of the Hebrew's children. 7 And his sister said to the daughter of Pharao, Wilt thou that I call to thee a nurse of the Hebrews, and shall she suckle the child for thee? 8 And the daughter of Pharao said, Go: and the young woman went, and called the mother of the child. 9 And the daughter of Pharao said to her, Take care of this child, and suckled it. 10 And when the boy was grown, she brought him to the daughter of Pharao, and he became her son; and she called his name, Moses, saying, I took him out of the water.

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 132, in the 4^th Tone:

Behold now, what is so good or so joyous as for brethren to dwell together in unity?

Stichos: It is like the oil of myrrh upon the head, which runneth down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron.

Deacon: Command:

Priest: Wisdom! Aright! The Light of Christ…(Prostration by all)

Reader: The reading is from Job.

Job 1:13

And it came to pass on a certain day, that Job's sons and his daughters were drinking wine in the house of their elder brother. 14 And, behold, there came a messenger to Job, and said to him, The yokes of oxen were ploughing, and the she-asses were feeding near them; 15 and the spoilers came and took them for a prey, and slew the servants with the sword; and I having escaped alone am come to tell thee. 16 While he was yet speaking, there came another messenger, and said to Job, Fire has fallen from heaven, and burnt up the sheep, and devoured the shepherds like wise; and I having escaped alone am come to tell thee. 17 While he was yet speaking, there came another messenger, and said to Job, The horsemen formed three companies against us, and surrounded the camels, and took them for a prey, and slew the servants with the sword; and I only escaped, and am come to tell thee. 18 While he is yet speaking, another messenger comes, saying to Job, While thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking with their elder brother, 19 suddenly a great wind came on from the desert, and caught the four corners of the house, and the house fell upon thy children, and they are dead; and I have escaped alone, and am come to tell thee. 20 So Job arose, and rent his garments, and shaved the hair of his head, and fell on the earth, and worshipped, 21 and said, I myself came forth naked from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither; the Lord gave, the Lord has taken away: as it seemed good to the Lord, so has it come to pass; blessed by the name of the Lord. 22 In all these events that befell him Job sinned not at all before the Lord, and did not impute folly to God.

Wednesday in Holy Week - Sixth Hour

Reader:The Troparion of the Prophecy, in the 8th Tone:

Today the evil council hath assembled, and against Thee hath meditated empty things. Today by a covenant doth Judas pledge himself to hanging, and Caiaphas unwillingly confesseth that one shall willingly receive death for all. O Christ God our Redeemer, glory to Thee.

Choir:Glory…. Both Now… And the choir repeats the Troparion

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 133, in the 4^th Tone:

The Lord bless thee out of Sion, He that made heaven and the earth.

Stichos: Behold now, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 2:3

And he said to me, Son of Man, I send thee forth to the house of Israel, them that provoke me; who have provoked me, they and their fathers to this day. 4 And thou shalt say to them, This saith the Lord. 5 Whether then indeed they shall hear or fear. (for it is a provoking house, ) yet they shall know that thou art a prophet in the midst of them. 6 And thou, son of man, fear not, nor be dismayed at their face; (for they will madden and will rise up against thee round about, and thou dwellest in the midst of scorpions): be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their countenance, for it is a provoking house. 7 And thou shalt speak my words to them, whether they will hear or fear: for it is a provoking house. 8 And thou, son of man, hear him that speaks to thee; be not thou provoking, as the provoking house: open thy mouth, and eat what I give thee. 9 And I looked, and behold, a hand stretched out to me, and in it a volume of a book. 10 And he unrolled it before me: and in it the front and the back were written : and there was written Lamentation, and mournful song, and woe. 11 rise up against thee round about, and thou dwellest in the midst of scorpions): be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their countenance, for it is a provoking house. 3:1 And he said to me, Son of Man, eat this volume, and go and speak to the children of Israel. 2 So he opened my mouth, and caused me to eat the volume. And he said to me, Son of man, 3 thy mouth shall eat, and thy belly shall be filled with this volume that is given to thee. So I ate it; and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 134, in the 6^th Tone:

Ye that fear the Lord, bless ye the Lord.

Stichos: Praise ye the name of the Lord; O ye servants, praise the Lord.

Wednesday in Holy Week - Vespers

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 135, in the 4^th Tone:

O give thanks unto the God of heaven; for His mercy endureth for ever.

Stichos: O give thanks unto the God of gods; for His mercy endureth for ever.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from Exodus.

Exodus 2:11

And it came to pass in that length of time, that Moses having grown, went out to his brethren the sons of Israel: and having noticed their distress, he sees an Egyptian smiting a certain Hebrew of his brethren the children of Israel. 12 And having looked round this way and that way, he sees no one; and he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 13 And having gone out the second day he sees two Hebrew men fighting; and he says to the injurer, Wherefore smitest thou thy neighbour? 14 And he said, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? wilt thou slay me as thou yesterday slewest the Egyptian? Then Moses was alarmed, and said, If it be thus, this matter has become known. 15 And Pharao heard this matter, and sought to slay Moses; and Moses departed from the presence of Pharao, and dwelt in the land of Madiam; and having come into the land of Madiam, he sat on the well. 16 And the priest of Madiam had seven daughters, feeding the flock of their father Jothor; and they came and drew water until they filled their pitchers, to water the flock of their father Jothor. 17 And the shepherds came, and were driving them away; and Moses rose up and rescued them, and drew water for them, and watered their sheep. 18 And they came to Raguel their father; and he said to the, Why have ye come so quickly to-day? 19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us from the shepherds, and drew water for us and watered our sheep. 20 And he said to his daughters, And where is he? and why have ye left the man? call him therefore, that he may eat bread. 21 And Moses was established with the man, and he gave Sepphora his daughter to Moses to wife. 22 And the woman conceived and bore a son, and Moses called his name Gersam, saying, I am a sojourner in a strange land.

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 137, in the 4^th Tone:

O Lord, Thy mercy endureth for ever; disdain not the work of Thy hands.

Stichos: I will confess Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; and before angels will I chant unto Thee.

Deacon: Command:

Priest: Wisdom! Aright! The Light of Christ…(Prostration by all)

Reader: The reading is from Job.

Job 2:1

And it came to pass on a certain day, that the angels of God came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came among them to stand before the Lord. 2 And the Lord, said to the devil, Whence comest thou? Then the devil said before the Lord, I am come from going through the world, and walking about the whole earth. 3 And the Lord said to the devil, Hast thou observed by servant Job, that there is none of men upon the earth like him, a harmless, true, blameless godly man, abstaining from all evil? and he yet cleaves to innocence, whereas thou has told me to destroy his substance without cause? 4 And the devil answered and said to the Lord, Skin for skin, all that a man has will he give as a ransom for his life. 5 Nay, but put forth thine hand, and touch his bones and his flesh: verily he will bless thee to thy face. 6 And the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I deliver him up to thee; only save his life. 7 So the devil went out from the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from his feet to his head. 8 And he took a potsherd to scrape away the discharge, and sat upon a dung-heap outside the city. 9 And when much time had passed, his wife said to him, How long wilt thou hold out, saying, Behold, I wait yet a little while, expecting the hope of my deliverance? for, behold, thy memorial is abolished from the earth, even thy sons and daughters, the pangs and pains of my womb which I bore in vain with sorrows; and thou thyself sittest down to spend the nights in the open air among the corruption of worms, and I am a wanderer and a servant from place to place and house to house, waiting for the setting of the sun, that I may rest from my labours and my pangs which now beset me; but say some word against the Lord, and die. 10 But he looked on her, and said to her, Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women. If we have received good things of the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure evil things? In all these things that happened to him, Job sinned not at all with his lips before God.

Thursday in Holy Week - First Hour

Reader:The Troparion of the Prophecy, in the 3rd Tone:

Thou wast struck on the face for the sake of mankind, yet wast not moved to anger; deliver our life from corruption, O Lord, and save us.

Choir:Glory…. Both Now… And the choir repeats the Troparion

Reader:The Prokeimenon (based on Psalm 82:17), in the 1st Tone:

Let the nations understand that Thy name is Lord.

Stichos: O God, who shall be likened unto Thee?

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 11:18

O Lord, teach me, and I shall know: then I saw their practices. 19 But I as an innocent lamb led to the slaughter, knew not: against me they devised an evil device, saying, Come and let us put wood into his bread, and let us utterly destroy him from off the land of the living, and let his name not be remembered any more. 20 O Lord, that judgest righteously, trying the reins and hearts, let me see thy vengeance taken upon them, for to thee I have declared my cause. 21 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, that seek my life, that say, Thou shalt not prophesy at all in the name of the Lord, but if thou dost, thou shalt die by our hands: 22 behold, I will visit them : their young men shall die by the sword; and their sons and their daughters shall die of famine: 23 and there shall be no remnant left of them; for I will bring evil upon the dwellers in Anathoth, in the year of their visitation. 12:1 Righteous art thou, O Lord, that I may make my defence to thee, yea, I will speak to thee of judgments. Why is it that the way of ungodly men prospers? that all hat deal very treacherously are flourishing? 2 Thou hast planted them, and they have taken root; they have begotten children, and become fruitful; thou art near to their mouth, and far from their reins. 3 But thou, Lord, knowest me; thou hast proved my heart before thee; purify them for the day of their slaughter. 4 How long shall the land mourn, and the grass of the field wither, for the wickedness of them, that dwell in it? the beasts and birds are utterly destroyed; because the people said, God shall not see our ways. 5 Thy feet run, and they cause thee to faint; how wilt thou prepare to ride upon horses? and thou hast been confident in the land of thy peace? how wilt thou do in the roaring of Jordan? 9 Is not my inheritance to me a hyaena's cave , or a cave round about her? Go ye, gather togetehr all the wild beasts of the field, and let them come to devour her. 10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have defiled my portion, they have made my desirable portion a trackless wilderness; 11 it is made a complete ruin: for my sake the whole land has been utterly ruined, because there is none that lays the matter to heart. 14 For this saith the Lord, concerning all the evil neighbours that touch mine inheritance, which I have divided to my people Israel; Behold, I will draw them away from their land, and I will cast out Juda from the midst of them. 15 And it shall come to pass, after I have cast them out, that I will return, and have mercy upon them, and will cause them to dwell every one in his inheritance, and every one is his land.

Reader:The Prokeimenon, in the 8th Tone:

Make your vows and pay them to the Lord our God.

Stichos: In Judea is God known, His name is great in Israel.

Thursday in Holy Week - Vespers

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 139, in the 1st Tone:

Rescue me, O Lord, from the evil man; from the unjust man deliver me.

Stichos: Who have devised injustice in their hearts all the day long.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from Exodus.

Exodus 19:10

And the Lord said to Moses, Go down and solemnly charge the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their garments. 11 And let them be ready against the third day, for on the third day the Lord will descend upon mount Sina before all the people. 12 And thou shalt separate the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves that ye go not up into the mountain, nor touch any part of it: every one that touches the mountain shall surely die. 13 A hand shall not touch it, for every one that touches shall be stoned with stones or shot through with a dart, whether beast or whether man, it shall not live: when the voices and trumpets and cloud depart from off the mountain, they shall come up on the mountain. 14 And Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified them, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the people, Be ready: for three days come not near to a woman. 16 And it came to pass on the third day, as the morning drew nigh, there were voices and lightnings and a dark cloud on mount Sina: the voice of the trumpet sounded loud, and all the people in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses led the people forth out of the camp to meet God, and they stood by under the camp. 18 The mount of Sina was altogether on a smoke, because God had descended upon it in fire; and the smoke went up as the smoke of a furnace, and the people were exceedingly amazed. 19 And the sounds of the trumpet were waxing very much louder. Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice.

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 58, in the 7th Tone:

Rescue me from mine enemies, O God, and from them that rise up against me redeem me.

Stichos: Deliver me from them that work iniquity.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from Job.

Job 38:1

And after Elius had ceased from speaking, the Lord spoke to Job through the whirlwind and clouds, saying, 2 Who is this that hides counsel from me, and confines words in his heart, and thinks to conceal them from me? 3 Gird thy loins like a man; and I will ask thee, and do thou answer me. 4 Where wast thou when I founded the earth? tell me now, if thou hast knowledge, 5 who set the measures of it, if thou knowest? or who stretched a line upon it? 6 On what are its rings fastened? and who is he that laid the corner-stone upon it? 7 When the stars were made, all my angels praised me with a loud voice. 8 And I shut up the sea with gates, when it rushed out , coming forth out its mother's womb. 9 And I made a cloud its clothing, and swathed it in mist. 10 And I set bounds to it, surrounding it with bars and gates. 11 And I said to it, Hitherto shalt thou come, but thou shalt not go beyond, but thy waves shall be confined within thee. 12 Or did I order the morning light in thy time; and did the morning star then first see his appointed place; 13 to lay hold of the extremities of the earth, to cast out the ungodly out of it? 14 Or didst thou take clay of the ground, and form a living creature, and set it with the power of speech upon the earth? 15 And hast thou removed light from the ungodly, and crushed the arm of the proud? 16 Or hast thou gone to the source of the sea, and walked in the tracks of the deep? 17 And do the gates of death open to thee for fear; and did the porters of hell quake when they saw thee? 18 And hast thou been instructed in the breadth of the whole earth under heaven? tell me now, what is the extent of it? 22 But hast thou gone to the treasures of snow? and hast thou seen the treasures of hail? 23 And is there a store of them, for thee against the time of thine enemies, for the day of wars and battle? 42:1 Then Job answered and said to the Lord, 2 I know that thou canst do all things, and nothing is impossible with thee. 3 For who is he that hides counsel from thee? or who keeps back his words, and thinks to hide them from thee? and who will tell me what I knew not, great and wonderful things which I understood not? 4 But hear me, O Lord, that I also may speak: and I will ask thee, and do thou teach me. 5 I have heard the report of thee by the ear before; but now mine eye has seen thee.

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 50:4

The Lord even God gives me the tongue of instruction, to know when it is fit to speak a word: he has appointed for me early, he has given me an ear to hear: 5 and the instruction of the Lord, even the Lord, opens mine ears, and I do not disobey, nor dispute. 6 I gave my back to scourges, and my cheeks to blows; and I turned not away my face from the shame of spitting: 7 but the Lord God became my helper; therefore I was not ashamed, but I set my face as a solid rock; and I know that I shall never be ashamed, 8 for he that has justified me draws near; who is he that pleads with me? let him stand up against me at the same time: yea, who is he that pleads with me? let him draw nigh to me. 9 Behold, the Lord, the Lord, will help me; who will hurt me? behold, all ye shall wax old as a garment, and a moth shall devour you. 10 Who is among you that fears the Lord? let him hearken to the voice of his servant: ye that walk in darkness, and have no light, trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon God. 11 Behold, ye all kindle a fire, and feed a flame: walk in the light of your fire, and in the flame which ye have kindled. This has happened to you for my sake; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

Friday in Holy Week - The Royal Hours

First Hour

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 40, in the 4th Tone:

His heart gathered iniquity unto himself.

Stichos: Blessed is the man that hath understanding for the poor man and the pauper.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Zachariah.

Zechariah 11:10

And I will take my beautiful staff, and cast it away, that I may break my covenant which I made with all the people. 11 And it shall be broken in that day; and the Chananites, the sheep that are kept for me, shall know that it is the word of the Lord. 12 And I will say to them, If it be good in your eyes, give me my price, or refuse it. And they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the Lord said to me, Drop them into the furnace, and I will see if it is good metal, as I was proved for their sakes. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them into the furnace in the house of the Lord.

Friday in Holy Week - The Royal Hours

Third Hour

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 37, in the 4th Tone:

For I am ready for scourges, and my sorrow is continually before me.

Stichos: O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine anger, nor chasten me in Thy wrath.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 50:4

Friday in Holy Week - The Royal Hours

Sixth Hour

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 8, in the 4th Tone:

O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful in Thy name in all the earth.

Stichos: For Thy magnificence is lifted high above the heavens.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 52:13

Behold, my servant shall understand, and be exalted, and glorified exceedingly. 14 As many shall be amazed at thee, so shall thy face be without glory from men, and thy glory shall not be honoured by the sons of men. 15 Thus shall many nations wonder at him; and kings shall keep their mouths shut: for they to whom no report was brought concerning him, shall see; and they who have not heard shall consider. 53:1 O Lord, who has believed our report? and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 We brought a report as of a child before him; he is as a root in a thirsty land: he has no form nor comeliness; and we saw him, but he had no form nor beauty. 3 But his form was ignoble, and inferior to that of the children of men: he was a man in suffering, and acquainted with the bearing of sickness, for his face is turned from us; he was dishonoured, and not esteemed. 4 He bears our sins, and is pained for us; yet we accounted him to be in trouble, and in suffering, and in affliction. 5 But he was wounded on account of our sins, and was bruised because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his bruises we were healed. 6 All we as sheep have gone astray; every one has gone astray in his way; and the Lord gave him up for our sins. 7 And he, because of his affliction, opens not his mouth: he was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. 8 In humiliation his judgment was taken away: who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken away from the earth: because of the inquities of my people he was led to death. 9 And I will give the wicked for his burial, and the rich for his death; for he practised no iniquity, nor craft with his mouth. 10 The Lord also is pleased to purge him from his stroke. If ye can give an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed: 11 the Lord also is pleased to take away from the travail of his soul, to shew him light, and to form him with understanding; to justify the just one who serves many well; and he shall bear their sins. 12 Therefore he shall inherit many, and he shall divide the spoils of the mighty; because his soul was delivered to death: and he was numbered among the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and was delivered because of their inquities. 54:1 Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that dost not travail: for more are the children of the desolate than of her that has a husband: for the Lord has said,

Friday in Holy Week - The Royal Hours

Ninth Hour

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 13, in the 6th Tone:

The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God.

Stichos: There is none that doeth good, no not one.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 11:18

O Lord, teach me, and I shall know: then I saw their practices. 19 But I as an innocent lamb led to the slaughter, knew not: against me they devised an evil device, saying, Come and let us put wood into his bread, and let us utterly destroy him from off the land of the living, and let his name not be remembered any more. 20 O Lord, that judgest righteously, trying the reins and hearts, let me see thy vengeance taken upon them, for to thee I have declared my cause. 21 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, that seek my life, that say, Thou shalt not prophesy at all in the name of the Lord, but if thou dost, thou shalt die by our hands: 22 behold, I will visit them : their young men shall die by the sword; and their sons and their daughters shall die of famine: 23 and there shall be no remnant left of them; for I will bring evil upon the dwellers in Anathoth, in the year of their visitation. 12:1 Righteous art thou, O Lord, that I may make my defense to thee, yea, I will speak to thee of judgments. Why is it that the way of ungodly men prospers? that all hat deal very treacherously are flourishing? 2 Thou hast planted them, and they have taken root; they have begotten children, and become fruitful; thou art near to their mouth, and far from their reins. 3 But thou, Lord, knowest me; thou hast proved my heart before thee; purify them for the day of their slaughter. 4 How long shall the land mourn, and the grass of the field wither, for the wickedness of them, that dwell in it? the beasts and birds are utterly destroyed; because the people said, God shall not see our ways. 5 Thy feet run, and they cause thee to faint; how wilt thou prepare to ride upon horses? and thou hast been confident in the land of thy peace? how wilt thou do in the roaring of Jordan? 9 Is not my inheritance to me a hyaena's cave , or a cave round about her? Go ye, gather togetehr all the wild beasts of the field, and let them come to devour her. 10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have defiled my portion, they have made my desirable portion a trackless wilderness; 11 it is made a complete ruin: for my sake the whole land has been utterly ruined, because there is none that lays the matter to heart. 14 For this saith the Lord, concerning all the evil neighbours that touch mine inheritance, which I have divided to my people Israel; Behold, I will draw them away from their land, and I will cast out Juda from the midst of them. 15 And it shall come to pass, after I have cast them out, that I will return, and have mercy upon them, and will cause them to dwell every one in his inheritance, and every one is his land.

Friday in Holy Week - Vespers

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 21, in the 4th Tone:

They have parted my garments among themselves, and for my vesture have they cast lots.

Stichos: O God, my God, attend to me; why hast Thou forsaken me?

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from Exodus.

Exodus 33:11

And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as if one should speak to his friend; and he retired into the camp: but his servant Joshua the son of Naue, a young man, departed not forth from the tabernacle. 12 And Moses said to the Lord, Lo! thou sayest to me, Lead on this people; but thou hast not shewed me whom thou wilt send with me, but thou hast said to me, I know thee above all, and thou hast favour with me. 13 If then I have found favour in thy sight, reveal thyself to me, that I may evidently see thee; that I may find favour in thy sight, and that I may know that this great nation is thy people. 14 And he says, I myself will go before thee, and give thee rest. 15 And he says to him, If thou go not up with us thyself, bring me not up hence. 16 And how shall it be surely known, that both I and this people have found favour with thee, except only if thou go with us? So both I and thy people shall be glorified beyond all the nations, as many as are upon the earth. 17 And the Lord said to Moses, I will also do for thee this thing, which thou hast spoken; for thou hast found grace before me, and I know thee above all. 18 And Moses says, Manifest thyself to me. 19 And God said, I will pass by before thee with my glory, and I will call by my name, the Lord, before thee; and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and will have pity on whom I will have pity. 20 And God said, Thou shalt not be able to see my face; for no man shall see my face, and live. 21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me: thou shalt stand upon the rock; 22 and when my glory shall pass by, then I will put thee into a hole of the rock; and I will cover thee over with my hand, until I shall have passed by. 23 And I will remove my hand, and then shalt thou see my back parts; but my face shall not appear to thee.

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 34, in the 4th Tone:

Judge them, O Lord, that do me injustice; war against them that war against me.

Stichos: Take hold of weapon and shield, and arise unto my help.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from Job.

Job 42:12

And the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than the beginning: and his cattle were fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, a thousand she-asses of the pastures. 13 And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the first Day, and the second Casia, and the third Amalthaea's horn. 15 And there were not found in comparison with the daughters of Job, fairer women that they in all the world: and their father gave them an inheritance among their brethren. 16 And Job lived after his affliction a hundred and seventy years: and all the years he lived were two hundred and forty: and Job say his sons and his sons' sons, the fourth generation.

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 52:13

Thus saith the Lord: Behold, my servant shall understand, and be exalted, and glorified exceedingly. 14 As many shall be amazed at thee, so shall thy face be without glory from men, and thy glory shall not be honoured by the sons of men. 15 Thus shall many nations wonder at him; and kings shall keep their mouths shut: for they to whom no report was brought concerning him, shall see; and they who have not heard shall consider. 53:1 O Lord, who has believed our report? and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 We brought a report as of a child before him; he is as a root in a thirsty land: he has no form nor comeliness; and we saw him, but he had no form nor beauty. 3 But his form was ignoble, and inferior to that of the children of men: he was a man in suffering, and acquainted with the bearing of sickness, for his face is turned from us; he was dishonoured, and not esteemed. 4 He bears our sins, and is pained for us; yet we accounted him to be in trouble, and in suffering, and in affliction. 5 But he was wounded on account of our sins, and was bruised because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his bruises we were healed. 6 All we as sheep have gone astray; every one has gone astray in his way; and the Lord gave him up for our sins. 7 And he, because of his affliction, opens not his mouth: he was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. 8 In humiliation his judgment was taken away: who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken away from the earth: because of the inquities of my people he was led to death. 9 And I will give the wicked for his burial, and the rich for his death; for he practised no iniquity, nor craft with his mouth. 10 The Lord also is pleased to purge him from his stroke. If ye can give an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed: 11 the Lord also is pleased to take away from the travail of his soul, to shew him light, and to form him with understanding; to justify the just one who serves many well; and he shall bear their sins. 12 Therefore he shall inherit many, and he shall divide the spoils of the mighty; because his soul was delivered to death: and he was numbered among the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and was delivered because of their inquities. 54:1 Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that dost not travail: for more are the children of the desolate than of her that has a husband.

Reader:The Prokeimenon, Psalm 87, in the 6th Tone:

They laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Stichos: O Lord God of my salvation, by day have I cried and by night before Thee.

Saturday in Holy Week - Matins

Reader:The Prokeimenon, in the 4th Tone:

Arise, O Lord, help us and redeem us for Thy name’s sake.

Stichos: O God, with our ears have we heard, for our fathers have told us.

Deacon: Wisdom!

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 37:1

And the hand of the Lord came upon me, and the Lord brought me forth by the Spirit, and set me in the midst of the plain, and it was full of human bones. 2 And he led me round about them every way: and, behold, there were very many on the face of the plain, very dry. 3 And he said to me, Son of man, will these bones live? and I said, O Lord God, thou knowest this. 4 And he said to me, Prophesy upon these bones, and thou shalt say to them, Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus saith the Lord to these bones; Behold, I will bring upon you the breath of life: 6 and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and will spread skin upon you, and will put my Spirit into you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 7 So I prophesied as the Lord commanded me: and it came to pass while I was prophesying, that, behold there was a shaking, and the bones approached each one to his joint. 8 And I looked, and behold, sinews and flesh grew upon them, and skin came upon them. 9 And he said to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord; Come from the four winds, and breathe upon these dead men, and let them live. 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath entered into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, a very great congregation. 11 And the Lord spoke to me, saying, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: and they say, Our bones are become dry, our hope has perished, we are quite spent. 12 therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will open your tombs, and will bring you up out of your tombs, and will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, that I may bring up my people from their graves. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and ye shall live, and I will place you upon your own land: and ye shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and will do it, saith the Lord.

Reader:The Prokeimenon, in the 7th Tone:

Arise, O Lord my God, let Thy hand be lifted high; forget not Thy paupers to the end.

Stichos: I will confess Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Thy wonders.

Saturday in Holy Week - Vespers

Reader: The reading is from Genesis.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. 2 But the earth was unsightly and unfurnished and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God moved over the water. 3 And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. 4 And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided between the light and the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night, and there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it be a division between water and water, and it was so. 7 And God made the firmament, and God divided between the water which was under the firmament and the water which was above the firmament. 8.And God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good, and there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, Let the water which is under the heaven be collected into one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so. And the water which was under the heaven was collected into its places, and the dry land appeared. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gatherings of the waters he called Seas, and God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit-tree bearing fruit whose seed in it, according to its kind on the earth, and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 60:1

Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2 Behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and there shall be gross darkness on the nations: but the Lords shall appear upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And kings shall walk in thy light, and nations in thy brightness. 4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold thy children gathered: all thy sons have come from far, and thy daughters shall be borne on men's shoulders. 5 Then shalt thou see, and fear, and be amazed in thine heart; for the wealth of the sea shall come round to thee, and of nations and peoples; and herds of camels shall come to thee, 6 and the camels of Madiam and Gaepha shall cover thee: all from Saba shall come bearing gold, and shall bring frankincense, and they shall publish the salvation of the Lord. 7 And all the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered, and the rams of Nabaeoth shall come; and acceptable sacrifices shall be offered on my altar, and my house of prayer shall be glorified. 8 Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves with young ones to me? 9 The isles have waited for me, and the ships of Tharsis among the first, to bring thy children from Safar, and their silver and their gold with them, and that for the sake of the holy name of the Lord, and because the Holy One of Israel is glorified. 10 And strangers shall build thy walls, and their kings shall wait upon thee: for by reason of my wrath I smote thee, and by reason of mercy I loved thee. 11 And thy gates shall be opened continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; to bring in to thee the power of the Gentiles, and their kings as captives. 12 For the nations and the kings which will not serve thee shall perish; and those nations shall be made utterly desolate. 13 And the glory of Libanus shall come to thee, with the cypress, and pine, and cedar together, to glorify my holy place. 14 And the sons of them that afflicted thee, and of them that provoked thee, shall come to thee in fear ; and thou shalt be called Sion, the city of the Holy One of Israel. 15 Because thou has become desolate and hated, and there was no helper, therefore I will make thee a perpetual gladness, a joy of many generations. 16 And thou shalt suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt eat the wealth of kings: and shalt know that I am the Lord that saves thee and delivers thee, the Holy One of Israel.

Reader: The reading is from Exodus.

Exodus 12:1

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be to you the beginning of months: it is the first to you among the months of the year. 3 Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, On the tenth of this month let them take each man a lamb according to the houses of their families, every man a lamb for his household. 4 And if they be few in a household, so that there are not enough for the lamb, he shall take with himself his neighbour that lives near to him, as to the number of souls, every one according to that which suffices him shall make a reckoning for the lamb. 5 It shall be to you a lamb unblemished, a male of a year old: ye shall take it of the lambs and the kids. 6 And it shall be kept by you till the fourteenth of this month, and all the multitude of the congregation of the children of Israel shall kill it toward evening. 7 And they shall take of the blood, and shall put it on the two door-posts, and on the lintel, in the houses in which soever they shall eat them. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in this night roast with fire, and they shall eat unleavened bread with bitter herbs. 9 Ye shall not eat of it raw nor sodden in water, but only roast with fire, the head with the feet and the appurtenances. 10 Nothing shall be left of it till the morning, and a bone of it ye shall not break; but that which is left of it till the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11 And thus shall ye eat it: your loins girded, and your sandals on your feet, and your staves in your hands, and ye shall eat it in haste. It is a passover to the Lord.

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Jonah.

Jonah 1:1

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonas the son of Amathi, saying 2 Rise, and go to Nineve, the great city, and preach in it; for the cry of its wickedness is come up to me. 3 But Jonas rose up to flee to Tharsis form the presence of the Lord. And he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tharsis: and he paid his fare, and went up into it, to sail with them to Tharsis from the presence of the Lord. 4 And the Lord raised up a wind on the sea; and there was a great storm on the sea, and the ship was in danger of being broken. 5 And the sailors were alarmed, and cried every one to his god, and cast out the wares that were in the ship into the sea, that it might be lightened of them. But Jonas was gone down into the hold of the ship, and was asleep, and snored. 6 And the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, Why snorest thou? arise, and call upon thy God, that God may save us, and we perish not. 7 And each man said to his neighbour, Come, let us cast lots, and find out for whose sake this mischief is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonas. 8 And they said to him, Tell us what is thine occupation , and whence comest thou, and of what country and what people art thou? 9 And he said to them, I am a servant of the Lord: and I worship the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea, and the dry land. 10 Then the men feared exceedingly, and said to him, What is this that thou has done? for the men knew that he was fleeing from the face of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 And they said to him, What shall we do to thee, that the sea may be calm to us? for the sea rose and lifted its wave exceedingly. 12 And Jonas said to them, Take me up, and cast me into the sea, and the sea shall be calm to you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 13 And the men tried hard to return to the land, and were not able: for the sea rose and grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 And they cried to the Lord, and said, Forbid it , Lord: let us not perish for the sake of this man's life, and bring not righteous blood upon us: for thou, Lord, hast done as thou wouldest. 15 So they took Jonas, and cast him out into the sea: and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 And the men feared the Lord very greatly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord, and vowed vows. 2:1 Now the Lord had commanded a great whale to swallow up Jonas: and Jonas was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights. 2 And Jonas prayed to the Lord his God out of the belly of the whale, 3 and said, I cried in my affliction to the Lord my God, and he hearkened to me, even to my cry out of the belly of hell: thou heardest my voice. 4 Thou didst cast me into the depths of the heart of the sea, and the floods compassed me: all thy billows and thy waves have passed upon me. 5 And I said, I am cast out of thy presence: shall I indeed look again toward thy holy temple? 6 Water was poured around me to the soul: the lowest deep compassed me, my head went down 7 to the clefts of the mountains; I went down into the earth, whose bars are the everlasting barriers: yet, O Lord my God, let my ruined life be restored. 8 When my soul was failing me , I remembered the Lord; and may my prayer come to thee into thy holy temple. 9 They that observe vanities and lies have forsaken their own mercy. 10 But I will sacrifice to thee with the voice of praise and thanksgiving: all that I have vowed I will pay to thee, the Lord of my salvation. 11 And the whale was commanded by the Lord, and it cast up Jonas on the dry land. 3:1 And the word of the Lord came to Jonas the second time, saying, 2 Rise, go to Nineve, the great city, and preach in it according to the former preaching which I spoke to thee of. 3 And Jonas arose, and went to Nineve, as the Lord had spoken. Now Nineve was an exceeding great city, of about three days' journey. 4 And Jonas began to enter into the city about a day's journey, and he proclaimed, and said, Yet three days, and Nineve shall be overthrown. 5 And the men of Nineve believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloths, form the greatest of them to the least of them. 6 And the word reached the king of Nineve, and he arose from off his throne, and took off his raiment from him, and put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes. 7 And proclamation was made, and it was commanded in Nineve by the king an by his great men, saying, Let not men, or cattle, or oxen, or sheep, taste any thing, nor feed, nor drink water. 8 So men and cattle were clothed with sackcloths, and cried earnestly to God: and they turned every one from their evil way, and from the iniquity that was in their hands, saying, 9 Who knows if God will repent, and turn from his fierce anger, and so we shall not perish? 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil ways; and God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did it not. 4:1 But Jonas was very deeply grieved, and he was confounded. 2 And he prayed to the Lord, and said, O Lord, were not these my words when I was yet in my land? therefore I made haste to flee to Tharsis; because I knew that thou are merciful and compassionate, long-suffering, and abundant in kindness, and repentest of evil. 3 And now, Lord God , take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. 4 And the Lord said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved? 5 And Jonas went out from the city, and sat over against the city; and he made for himself there a booth, and he sat under it, until he should perceive what would become of the city. 6 And the Lord God commanded a gourd, and it came up over the head of Jonas, to be a shadow over his head, to shade him from his calamities: and Jonas rejoiced with great joy for the gourd. 7 And God commanded a worm the next morning, and it smote the gourd, and it withered away. 8 And it came to pass at the rising of the sun, that God commanded a burning east wind; and the sun smote on the head of Jonas, and he fainted, and despaired of his life, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. 9 And God said to Jonas, art thou very much grieved for the gourd? And he said, I am very much grieved, even to death. 10 And the Lord said, Thou hadst pity on the gourd, for which thou has not suffered, neither didst thou rear it; which came up before night, and perished before another night: 11 and shall not I spare Nineve, the great city, in which dwell more than twelve myriads of human beings, who do not know their right hand or their

Reader: The reading is from Joshua, son of Nun.

Joshua 5:10

And the children of Israel kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, to the westward of Jericho on the opposite side of the Jordan in the plain. 11 Land they ate of the grain of the earth unleavened and new corn. 12 In this day the manna failed, after they had eaten of the corn of the land, and the children of Israel no longer had manna: and they took the fruits of the land of Phoenicians in that year. 13 And it came to pass when Joshua was in Jericho, that he looked up with his eyes and saw a man standing before him, and there was a drawn sward in his hand; and Joshua drew near and said to him, Art thou for us or on the side of our enemies? 14 And he said to him, I am now come, the chief captain of the host of the Lord. 15 And Joshua fell on his face upon the earth, and said to him, Lord, what commandest thou thy servant?

Reader: The reading is from Exodus.

Exodus 13:20

And the children of Israel departed from Socchoth, and encamped in Othom by the Socchoth, and encamped in Othom by the wilderness. 21 And God led them, in the day by a pillar of cloud, to show them the way, and in the night by a pillar of fire. 22 And the pillar of cloud failed not by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, before all the people. 14:1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Speak to the children of Israel, and let them turn and encamp before the village, between Magdol and the sea, opposite Beel-sepphon: before them shalt thou encamp by the sea. 3 And Pharao will say to his people, As for these children of Israel, they are wandering in the land, for the wilderness has shut them in. 4 And I will harden the heart of Pharao, and he shall pursue after them; and I will be glorified in Pharao, and in all his host, and all the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so. 5 And it was reported to the king of the Egyptians that the people had fled: and the heart of Pharao was turned, and that of his servants against the people; and they said, What is this that we have done, to let the children of Israel go, so that they should not serve us? 6 So Pharao yoked his chariots, and led off all his people with himself: 7 having also taken six hundred chosen chariots, and all the cavalry of the Egyptians, and rulers over all. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharao king of Egypt, and of his servants, and he pursued after the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went forth with a high hand. 9 And the Egyptians pursued after them, and found them encamped by the sea; and all the cavalry and the chariots of Pharao, and the horsemen, and his host were before the village, over against Beel-sepphon. 10 And Pharao approached, and the children of Israel having looked up , beheld, and the Egyptians encamped behind them: and they were very greatly terrified, and the children of Israel cried to the Lord; 11 and said to Moses, Because there were no graves in the land of Egypt, has thou brought us forth to slay us in the wilderness? What is this that thou hast done to us, having brought us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word which we spoke to thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in this wilderness. 13 And Moses said to the people, Be of good courage: stand and see the salvation which is from the Lord, which he will work for us this day; for as ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 15 and the Lord said to Moses, Why criest thou to me? speak to the children of Israel, and let them proceed. 16 And do thou lift up thy rod , and stretch forth thy hand over the sea and divide it, and let the children of Israel enter into the midst of the sea on the dry land. 17 And lo! I will harden the heart of Pharao and of all the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them; and I will be glorified upon Pharao, and on all his host, and on his chariots and his horses. 18 And all the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I am glorified upon Pharao and upon his chariots and his horses. 19 And the angel of God that went before the camp of the children of Israel removed and went behind, and the pillar of the cloud also removed from before them and stood behind them. 20 And it went between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and stood; and there was darkness and blackness; and the night passed, and they came not near to one another during the whole night. 21 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the Lord carried back the sea with a strong south wind all the night, and made the sea dry, and the water was divided. 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the water of it was a wall on the right hand and a wall on the left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued them and went in after them, and every horse of Pharaoh, and his chariots, and his horsemen, into the midst of the sea. 24 And it came to pass in the morning watch that the Lord looked forth on the camp of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and troubled the camp of the Egyptians, 25 and bound the axle-trees of their chariots, and caused them to go with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians. 26 And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch forth tine hand over the sea, and let the water be turned back to its place, and let it cover the Egyptians coming both upon the chariots and the riders. 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the water returned to its place toward day; and the Egyptians fled from the water, and the Lord shook off the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 and the water returned and covered the chariots and the riders, and all the forces of Pharaoh, who entered after them into the sea: and there was not left of them even one. 29 But the children of Israel went along dry land in the midst of the sea, and the water was to them a wall on the right hand, and a wall on the left. 30 So the Lord delivered Israel in that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead by the shore of the sea. 31 And Israel saw the mighty hand, the things which the Lord did to the Egyptians; and the people feared the Lord, and they believed God and Moses his servant. 15:1 Then say Moses and the children of Israel this song to God, and spoke, saying,

Reader:Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:Horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:He was to me a helper and protector for salvation. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:This is my God and I will glorify him; my father's God, and I will exalt him. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:The Lord bringing wars to nought, the Lord is his name. 4 He has cast the chariots of Pharaoh and his host into the sea. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:The chosen mounted captains: they were swallowed up in the Red Sea. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:He covered them with the sea: they sank to the depth like a stone. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:Thy right hand, O God, has been glorified in strength. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:Thy right hand, O God, has broken the enemies. 7 And in the abundance of thy glory thou hast broken the adversaries to pieces. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:Thou sentest forth thy wrath, it devoured them as stubble. 8 And by the breath of thine anger the water parted asunder. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:The waters were congealed as a wall, the waves were congealed in the midst of the sea. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils; I will satisfy my soul, I will destroy with my sword, my hand shall have dominion. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:Thou sentest forth thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty water. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:Who is like to thee among the gods, O Lord? who is like to thee? glorified in holiness, marvelous in glories, doing wonders. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:Thou stretchedst forth thy right hand, the earth swallowed them up. 13 Thou hast guided in thy righteousness this thy people whom thou hast redeemed. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:By thy strength thou hast called them into thy holy resting-place. 14 The nations heard and were angry, pangs have seized on the dwellers among the Phylistines. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:Then the princes of Edom, and the chiefs of the Moabites hasted; trembling took hold upon them, all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:Let trembling and fear fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm, let them become as stone. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:Till thy people pass over, O Lord, till this thy people pass over, O Lord, till this thy people pass over, whom thou hast purchased. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:Bring them in and plant them in the mountain of their inheritance, in thy prepared habitation, which thou, O Lord, hast prepared; the sanctuary, O Lord, which thine hands have made ready. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:The Lord reigns for ever and ever and ever. 19 For the horse of Pharao went in with the chariots and horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought upon them the water of the sea. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:But the children of Israel walked through dry land in the midst of the sea. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.Let us sing to the Lord,

Choir:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader:For gloriously is He glorified.

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Zephaniah.

Zephaniah 3:8

Therefore wait upon me, saith the Lord, until the day when I rise up for a witness: because my judgment shall be on the gatherings of the nations, to draw to me kings, to pour out upon them all my fierce anger: for the whole earth shall be consumed with the fire of my jealousy. 9 For then will I turn to the peoples a tongue for her generation, that all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve him under one yoke. 10 >From the boundaries of the rivers of Ethiopia will I receive my dispersed ones; they shall offer sacrifices to me. 11 In that day thou shalt not be ashamed of all thy practices, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then will I take away from thee thy disdainful pride, and thou shalt no more magnify thyself upon my holy mountain. 12 And I will leave in thee a meek and lowly people; 13 and the remnant of Israel shall fear the name of the Lord, and shall do no iniquity, neither shall they speak vanity; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed, and lie down, and there shall be none to terrify them. 14 Rejoice, O daughter of Sion; cry aloud , O daughter of Jerusalem; rejoice and delight thyself with all thine heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. 15 The Lord has taken away thine iniquities, he has ransomed thee from the hand of thine enemies: the Lord, the King of Israel, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.

Reader: The reading is from the first book of Kings.

1 Kings 17:8

And the word of the Lord came to Eliu, saying, 9 Arise, and go to Sarepta of the Sidonian land: behold, I have there commanded a widow-woman to maintain thee. 10 And he arose and went to Sarepta, and came to the gate of the city; and, behold, a widow-woman was there gathering sticks; and Eliu cried after her, and said to her, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 11 And she went to fetch it; and Eliu cried after her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of the bread that is in thy hand. 12 And the woman said, As the Lord thy God lives, I have not a cake, but only a handful of meal in the pitcher, and a little oil in a cruse, and, behold, I am going to gather two sticks, and I shall go in and dress it for myself and my children, and we shall eat it and die. 13 And Eliu said to her, Be of good courage, go in and do according to thy word; but make me thereof a little cake, and thou shalt bring it out to me first, and thou shalt make some for thyself and thy children last. 14 For thus saith the Lord, The pitcher of meal shall not fail, and the cruse of oil shall not diminish, until the day that the Lord gives rain upon the earth. 15 And the woman went and did so, and did eat, she, and he, and her children. 16 And the pitcher of meal failed not, and the cruse of oil was not diminished, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by the hand of Eliu. 17 And it came to pass afterward, that the son of the woman the mistress of the house was sick; and his sickness was very severe, until there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Eliu, What have I to do with thee, O man of God? hast thou come in to me to bring my sins to remembrance, and to slay my son? 19 And Eliu said to the woman, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and took him up to the chamber in which he himself lodged, and laid him on the bed. 20 And Eliu cried aloud, and said, Alas, O Lord, the witness of the widow with whom I sojourn, thou hast wrought evil for her in slaying her son. 21 And he breathed on the child thrice, and called on the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, let, I pray thee, the soul of this child return to him. 22 And it was so, and the child cried out, 23 and he brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; and Eliu said, See, thy son lives. 24 And the woman said to Eliu, Behold, I know that thou art a man of God, and the word of the Lord in thy mouth is true.

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 61:10

and they shall greatly rejoice in the Lord. Let my soul rejoice in the Lord; for he has clothed me with the robe of salvation, and the garment of joy: he has put a mitre on me as on a bridegroom, and adorned me with ornaments as a bride. 11 And as the earth putting forth her flowers, and as a garden its seed; so shall the Lord, even the Lord, cause righteousness to spring forth, and exultation before all nations. 62:1 For Sion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest , until her righteousness go forth as light, and my salvation burn as a torch. 2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and kings thy glory: and one shall call thee by a new name, which the Lords shall name. 3 And thou shalt be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. 4 And thou shalt no more be called Forsaken; and thy land shall no more be called Desert: for thou shalt be called My Pleasure, and thy land Inhabited: for the Lord has taken pleasure in thee, and thy land shall be inhabited. 5 And as a young man lives with a virgin, so shall thy sons dwell in thee: and it shall come to pass that as a bridegroom will rejoice over a bride, so will the Lord rejoice over thee.

Reader: The reading is from Genesis.

Genesis 22:1

And it came to pass after these things that God tempted Abraam, and said to him, Abraam, Abraam; and he said, Lo! I am here. 2 And he said, Take thy son, the beloved one, whom thou hast loved -- Isaac, and go into the high land, and offer him there for a whole-burnt-offering on one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraam rose up in the morning and saddled his ass, and he took with him two servants, and Isaac his son, and having split wood for a whole-burnt-offering, he arose and departed, and came to the place of which God spoke to him, 4 on the third day; and Abraam having lifted up his eyes, saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraam said to his servants, Sit ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will proceed thus far, and having worshipped we will return to you. 6 And Abraam took the wood of the whole-burnt-offering, and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took into his hands both the fire and the knife, and the two went together. 7 And Isaac said to Abraam his father Father. And he said, What is it, son? And he said, Behold the fire and the wood, where is the sheep for a whole-burnt-offering? 8 And Abraam said, God will provide himself a sheep for a whole-burnt-offering, my son. And both having gone together, 9.came to the place which God spoke of to him and there Abraam built the altar and laid the wood on it, and having bound the feet of Isaac his son together, he laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraam stretched forth his hand to take the knife to slay his son. 11 And an angel of the Lord called him out of heaven, and said Abraam, Abraam. And he said, Behold, I am here. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the child, neither do anything to him, for now I know that thou fearest God, and for my sake thou hast not spared thy beloved son. 13 And Abraam lifted up his eyes and beheld, and lo! a ram caught by his horns in a plant of Sabec; and Abraam went and took the ram, and offered him up for a whole-burnt-offering in the place of Isaac his son. 14 And Abraam called the name of that place, The Lord hath seen; that they might say to-day, In the mount the Lord was seen. 15 And an angel of the Lord called Abraam the second time out of heaven, saying, I have sworn by myself, says the Lord, because thou hast done this thing, and on my account hast not spared thy beloved son, 16 surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is by the shore of the sea, and thy seed shall inherit the cities of their enemies. 17 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast hearkened to my voice. 18 And Abraam returned to his servants, and they arose and went together to the well of the oath; and Abraam dwelt at the well of the oath.

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken in heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind; 2 to declare the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of recompence; to comfort all that mourn; 3 that there should be given to them that mourn in Sion glory instead of ashes, the oil of joy to the mourners, the garment of glory for the spirit of heaviness: and they shall be called generations of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for glory. 4 And they shall build the old waste places, they shall raise up those that were before made desolate, and shall renew the desert cities, even those that had been desolate for many generations. 5 And strangers shall come and feed thy flocks, and aliens shall be thy ploughment and vine-dressers. 6 But ye shall be called priests of the Lord, the ministers of God: ye shall eat the strength of nations, and shall be admired because of their wealth. 7 Thus shall they inherit the land a second time, and everlasting joy shall be upon their head. 8 For I am the Lord who love righteousness, and hate robberies of injustice; and I will give their labour to the just, and will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring in the midst of peoples: every one that sees them shall take notice of them, that they are a seed blessed of God;

Reader: The reading is from the second book of Kings.

2 Kings 4:8

And a day came, when Elisaie passed over to Soman, and there was a great lady there, and she constrained him to eat bread: and it came to pass as often as he went into the city, that he turned aside to eat there. 9 And the woman said to her husband, See now, I know that this is a holy man of God who comes over continually to us. 10 Let us now make for him an upper chamber, a small place; and let us put there for him a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall come to pass that when he comes in to us, he shall turn in thither. 11 And a day came, and he went in thither, and turned aside into the upper chamber, and lay there. 12 And he said to Giezi his servant, Call me this Somanite. and he called her, and she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, Say now to her, Behold, thou hast taken all this trouble for us; what should I do for thee? Hast thou any request to make to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she said, I dwell in the midst of my people. 14 And he said to Giezi, What must we do for her? and Giezi his servant said, Indeed she has no son, and her husband is old. 15 And he called her, and she stood by the door. 16 And Elisaie said to her, At this time next year, as the season is, thou shalt be alive, and embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, do not lie to thy servant. 17 And the woman conceived, and bore a son at the very time, as the season was, being alive, as Elisaie said to her. 18 And the child grew: and it came to pass when he went out to his father to the reapers, 19 that he said to his father, My head, my head. and his father said to a servant, carry him to his mother. 20 And he carried him to his mother, and he lay upon her knees till noon, and died. 21 And she carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of god; and she shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 And she called her husband, and said, Send now for me one of the young men, and one of the asses, and I will ride quickly to the man of God, and return. 23 And he said, Why art thou going to him to-day? It is neither new moon, nor the Sabbath. And she said, It is well. 24 And she saddled the ass, and said to her servant, Be quick, proceed: spare not on my account to ride, unless I shall tell thee. Go, and thou shalt proceed, and come to the man of God to mount Carmel. 25 And she rode and came to the man of God to the mountain: and it came to pass when Elisaie saw her coming, that he said to Giezi his servant, See now, that Somanite comes. 26 Now run to meet her, and thou shalt say, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? and she said, It is well. 27 And she came to Elisaie to the mountain, and laid hold of his feet; and Giezi drew near to thrust her away. And Elisaie said, Let her alone, for her soul is much grieved in her, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told it me. 28 And she said, Did I ask a son of my lord? For did I not say, Do not deal deceitfully with me? 29 And Elisaie said to Giezi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go: if thou meet any man, thou shalt not salute him, and if a man salute thee thou shalt not answer him: and thou shalt lay my staff on the child's face. 30 And the mother of the child said, As the Lord lives and as thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. And Elisaie arose, and went after her. 31 And Giezi went on before her, and laid his staff on the child's face: but there was neither voice nor any hearing. So he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked. 32 And Elisaie went into the house, and, behold, the dead child was laid upon his bed. 33 And Elisaie went into the house, and shut the door upon themselves, the two, and prayed to the Lord. 34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and bowed himself upon him, and the flesh of the child grew warm. 35 And he returned and walked up and down in the house: and he went up, and bowed himself on the child seven times; and the child opened his eyes. 36 And Elisaie cried out to Giezi, and said, Call this Somanite. So he called her, and she came in to him: and Elisaie said, Take thy son. 37 And the woman went in, and fell at his feet, and did obeisance bowing to the ground; and she took her son, and went out.

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 63:11

Then he remembered the ancient of days, saying, Where is he that brought up from the sea the shepherd of the sheep? where is he that put his Holy Spirit in them? 12 who led Moses with his right hand, the arm of his glory? he forced the water to separate from before him to make himself an everlasting name. 13 He led them through the deep, as a horse through the wilderness, and they fainted not, 14 and as cattle through a plain: the Spirit came down from the Lord and guided them: thus thou leddest thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. 15 Turn from heaven, and look from thy holy habitation and from thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength? where is the abundance of thy mercy and of thy compassions, that thou hast withholden thyself from us? 16 For thou art our Father; for through Abraham knew us not, and Israel did not acknowledge us, yet do thou, O Lord, our Father, deliver us: thy name has been upon us from the beginning. 17 Why hast thou caused us to err, O Lord, from thy way? and has hardened our hearts, that we should not fear thee? Return for thy servants' sake, for the sake of the tribes of thine inheritance, 18 that we may inherit a small part of thy holy mountain. We are become as at the beginning , when thou didst not rule over us, and thy name was not called upon us. 64:1 If thou wouldest open the heaven, trembling will take hold upon the mountains from thee, and they shall melt, 2 as wax melts before the fire; and fire shall burn up the enemies, and thy name shall be manifest among the adversaries: at thy presence the nations shall be troubled, 3 whenever thou shalt work gloriously; trembling from thee shall take hold upon the mountains. 4 From of old we have not heard, neither have our eyes seen a God beside thee, and thy works which thou wilt perform to them that wait for mercy. 5 For these blessings shall happen to them that work righteousness, and they shall remember thy ways: behold, thou wast angry and we have sinned; therefore we have erred.

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 31:31

Therefore howl ye for Moab on all sides; cry out against the shorn men in a gloomy place. I will weep for thee, even upon the extreme part of the earth; for the Lord has a controversy with the nations, he is pleading with all flesh, and the ungodly are given to the sword, saith the Lord. 32 Thus said the Lord; Behold, evils are proceeding from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind goes forth from the end of the earth. O vine of Aserema, as with the weeping of Jazer: thy branches are gone over the sea, they reached the cities of Jazer: destruction has come upon the fruits, and upon thy grape-gatherers. 33 And the slain of the Lord shall be in the day of the Lord from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth: they shall not be buried; they shall be as dung on the face of the earth. Joy and gladness have been utterly swept off the land of Moab: and though there was wine in thy presses, in the morning they trod it not, neither in the evening did they raise the cry of joy. 34 >From the cry of Esebon even to Aetam their cities uttered their voice, from Zogor to Oronaim, and their tidings as a heifer of three years old, for the water also of Nebrin shall be dried up. Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and lament, ye rams of the flock: for your days have been completed for slaughter, and ye shall fall as the choice rams.

Reader: The reading is from Daniel.

Daniel 3:1

In his eighteenth year Nabuchodonosor the king made a golden image, its height was sixty cubits, its breadth six cubits: and he set it up in the plain of Deira, in the province of Babylon. 2 And he sent forth to gather the governors, and the captains, and the heads of provinces, chiefs, and princes, and those who were in authority, and all the rulers of districts, to come to the dedication of the image. 3 So the heads of provinces, the governors, the captains, the chiefs, the great princes, those who were in authority, and all the rulers of districts, were gathered to the dedication of the image which king Nabuchodonosor had set up; and they stood before the image. 4 Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, ye peoples, tribes, and languages, 5 at what hour ye shall hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and sackbut, and psaltery , and every king of music, ye shall fall down and worship the golden image which king Nabuchodonosor has set up. 6 And whosoever shall not fall down and worship, in the same hour he shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace. 7 And it came to pass when the nations heard the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and sackbut, and psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the nations, tribes, and languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image which king Nabuchodonosor had set up. 8 Then came near certain Chaldeans, and accused the Jews to the king, saying, 9 O king, live for ever. 10 Thou, O king, has made a decree that every man who shall hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, sackbut, and psaltery, and all kinds of music, 11 and shall not fall down and worship the golden image, shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom thou has appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, who have not obeyed thy decree, O king: they serve not thy gods, and worship not the golden image which thou hast set up. 13 Then Nabuchodonosor in wrath and anger commanded to bring Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago: and they were brought before the king. 14 And Nabuchodonosor answered and said to them, Is it true, Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, that ye serve not my gods, and worship not the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now then if ye be ready, whensoever ye shall hear the sound of the trumpet, and pipe, and harp, and sackbut, and psaltery, and harmony, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the golden image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, in the same hour ye shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace; and who is the God that shall deliver you out of my hand? 16 Then answered Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago and said to king Nabuchodonosor, We have no need to answer thee concerning this matter. For our God whom we serve is in the heavens, able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will rescue us from thy hands, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the image which thou hast set up. 19 Then Nabuchodonosor was filled with wrath, and the form of his countenance was changed toward Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago: and he gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than usual, until it should burn to the uttermost. 20 And he commanded mighty men to bind Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then those men were bound with their coats , and caps, and hose, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace, 22 forasmuch as the king's word prevailed; and the furnace was made exceeding hot. 23 Then these three men, Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, fell bound into the midst of the burning furnace, and walked in the midst of the flame, singing praise to God, and blessing the Lord. 24 Then Azariah stood and offered this prayer; in the midst of the fire he opened his mouth and said: 25 "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, God of our fathers, and worthy of praise; and Thy name is glorified for ever. 26 For Thou art just in all that Thou hast done to us, and all Thy works are true and Thy ways right, and all Thy judgements are truth. 27 Thou hast executed true judgements in all that Thou hast brought upon us and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our fathers, for in truth and justice Thou hast brought all this upon us because of our sins. 28 For we have sinfully and lawlessly departed from Thee, and have sinned in all things and have not obeyed Thy commandments; we have not observed them or done them, as Thou hast commanded us that it might go well with us. 29 So all that Thou hast brought upon us, and all that Thou hast done to us, Thou hast done in true judgement. 30 Thou hast given us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world. 31 And now we cannot open our mouths; shame and disgrace have befallen Thy servants and worshippers. 32 For Thy name's sake do not give us up utterly, and do not break Thy covenant, and do not withdraw Thy mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham Thy beloved and for the sake of Isaac Thy servant and Israel Thy holy one, to whom Thou didst promise to make their descendants as amny as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the shore of the sea. 33 For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any nation, and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins. 34 And 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 Thee or to find mercy. 35 Yet 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; such may our sacrifice be in Thy sight this day, and may we wholly follow Thee, for there will be no shame for those who trust in Thee. 36 And now with all our heart we follow Thee, we fear Thee and seek Thy face. 37 Do not put us to shame, but deal with us in Thy forbearance and in Thy abundant mercy. 38 Deliver us in accordance with Thy marvelous works, and give glory to Thy name, O Lord! 39 Let all who do harm to Thy servants be put to shame; let them be disgraced and deprived of all power and dominion, and let their strengths be broken. 40 Let them know that Thou art the Lord, the only God, glorious over the whole world." 41 Now the king's servants who threw them in did not cease feeding the furnace fires with naptha, pitch, tow, and brush. 42 And the flame streamed out above the furnace forty nine cubits, and it broke through and burned those of the Chaldeans whom it caught about in the furnace. 43 But 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, and 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. 44 Then the three, as with one mouth, praised and glorified and blessed God in the furnace, saying: 45 "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, God of our fathers, and to be praised and highly exalted for ever; 46 And blessed is Thy glorious, holy name, and to be highly praised and highly exalted for ever; 47 Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy holy glory, and to be extolled and highly glorified for ever. 48 Blessed art Thou, who sittest upon cherubim and lookest upon the deeps, and to be praised and highly exalted for ever. 49 Blessed art Thou upon the throne of Thy kingdom, and to be extolled and highly exalted for ever. 50 Blessed art Thou in the firmament of heaven, and to be sung and glorified for ever.

The Hymn of the Three Youths

Reader:Bless the Lord all works of the Lord.