Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil

1:1In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. 2But the earth was empty and unoccupied, and darknesses were over the face of the abyss; and so the Spirit of God was brought over the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light.” And light became. 4And God saw the light, that it was good; and so he divided the light from the darknesses. 5And he called the light, ‘Day,’ and the darknesses, ‘Night.’ And it became evening and morning, one day. 6God also said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide waters from waters.” 7And God made a firmament, and he divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament. And so it became. 8And God called the firmament ‘Heaven.’ And it became evening and morning, the second day. 9Truly God said: “Let the waters that are under heaven be gathered together into one place; and let the dry land appear.” And so it became. 10And God called the dry land, ‘Earth,’ and he called the gathering of the waters, ‘Seas.’ And God saw that it was good. 11And he said, “Let the land spring forth green plants, both those producing seed, and fruit-bearing trees, producing fruit according to their kind, whose seed is within itself, over all the earth.” And so it became. 12And the land brought forth green plants, both those producing seed, according to their kind, and trees producing fruit, with each having its own way of sowing, according to its species. And God saw that it was good. 13And it became evening and the morning, the third day. 14Then God said: “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven. And let them divide day from night, and let them become signs, both of the seasons, and of the days and years. 15Let them shine in the firmament of heaven and illuminate the earth.” And so it became. 16And God made two great lights: a greater light, to rule over the day, and a lesser light, to rule over the night, along with the stars. 17And he set them in the firmament of heaven, to give light over all the earth, 18and to rule over the day as well as the night, and to divide light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And it became evening and morning, the fourth day. 20And then God said, “Let the waters produce animals with a living soul, and flying creatures above the earth, under the firmament of heaven.” 21And God created the great sea creatures, and everything with a living soul and the ability to move that the waters produced, according to their species, and all the flying creatures, according to their kind. And God saw that it was good. 22And he blessed them, saying: “Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea. And let the birds be multiplied above the land.” 23And it became evening and morning, the fifth day. 24God also said, “Let the land produce living souls in their kind: cattle, and animals, and wild beasts of the earth, according to their species.” And so it became. 25And God made the wild beasts of the earth according to their species, and the cattle, and every animal on the land, according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26And he said: “Let us make Man to our image and likeness. And let him rule over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and the wild beasts, and the entire earth, and every animal that moves on the earth.” 27And God created man to his own image; to the image of God he created him; male and female, he created them. 28And God blessed them, and he said, “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29And God said: “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant upon the earth, and all the trees that have in themselves the ability to sow their own kind, to be food for you, 30and for all the animals of the land, and for all the flying things of the air, and for everything that moves upon the earth and in which there is a living soul, so that they may have these on which to feed.” And so it became. 31And God saw everything that he had made. And they were very good. And it became evening and morning, the sixth day.

2:1And so the heavens and the earth were completed, with all their adornment. 2And on the seventh day, God fulfilled his work, which he had made. And on the seventh day he rested from all his work, which he had accomplished.

1Alleluia. Confess to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is forever.

2Let Israel now say: For he is good, for his mercy is forever.

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16The right hand of the Lord has wrought virtue. The right hand of the Lord has exalted me. The right hand of the Lord has wrought virtue.

17I will not die, but I will live. And I will declare the works of the Lord.

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22The stone which the builders have rejected, this has become the head of the corner.

23By the Lord has this been done, and it is a wonder before our eyes.

1After these things occurred, God tested Abraham, and he said to him, “Abraham, Abraham.” And he answered, “Here I am.” 2He said to him: “Take your only begotten son Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of vision. And there you shall offer him as a holocaust upon one of the mountains, which I will show to you.” 3And so Abraham, getting up in the night, harnessed his donkey, taking with him two youths, and his son Isaac. And when he had cut wood for the holocaust, he traveled toward the place, as God had instructed him. 4Then, on the third day, lifting up his eyes, he saw the place at a distance. 5And he said to his servants: “Wait here with the donkey. I and the boy will hurry further ahead to that place. After we have worshipped, will return to you.” 6He also took the wood for the holocaust, and he imposed it upon his son Isaac. And he himself carried in his hands fire and a sword. And as the two continued on together, 7Isaac said to his father, “My father.” And he answered, “What do you want, son?” “Behold,” he said, “fire and wood. Where is the victim for the holocaust?” 8But Abraham said, “God himself will provide the victim for the holocaust, my son.” Thus they continued on together. 9And they came to the place that God had shown to him. There he built an altar, and he set the wood in order upon it. And when he had bound his son Isaac, he laid him on the altar upon the pile of wood. 10And he reached out his hand and took hold of the sword, in order to sacrifice his son. 11And behold, an Angel of the Lord called out from heaven, saying, “Abraham, Abraham.” And he answered, “Here I am.” 12And he said to him, “Do not extend your hand over the boy, and do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, since you have not spared your only begotten son for my sake.” 13Abraham lifted up his eyes, and he saw behind his back a ram among the thorns, caught by the horns, which he took and offered as a holocaust, instead of his son. 14And he called the name of that place: ‘The Lord Sees.’ Thus, even to this day, it is said: ‘On the mountain, the Lord will see.’ 15Then the Angel of the Lord called out to Abraham a second time from heaven, saying: 16“By my own self, I have sworn, says the Lord. Because you have done this thing, and have not spared your only begotten son for my sake, 17I will bless you, and I will multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gates of their enemies. 18And in your offspring, all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you obeyed my voice.”

1And when the Sabbath had passed, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought aromatic spices, so that when they arrived they could anoint Jesus. 2And very early in the morning, on the first of the Sabbaths, they went to the tomb, the sun having now risen. 3And they said to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us, away from the entrance of the tomb?” 4And looking, they saw that the stone was rolled back. For certainly it was very large. 5And upon entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, covered with a white robe, and they were astonished. 6And he said to them, “Do not become frightened. You are seeking Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you into Galilee. There you shall see him, just as he told you.”