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Sat03Apr2021
Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great on Great and Holy Saturday
GREAT VESPERS WITH DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT
At Psalm 140
In Tone 1
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
Accept our evening prayers, O holy Lord,* and grant us the remission of our sins,* for You alone have revealed to the world the Resurrection.
- Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Walk about Zion, you people, and encompass her;* and within her walls give glory to Him Who is risen from the dead.* For He is our God Who has delivered us* from our iniquities.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Come, you people, let us praise and worship Christ,* glorifying His Resurrection from the dead.* For He is our God Who has delivered the world* from the delusion of the enemy.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
By Your Passion, O Christ,* we have been set free from our passions,* and by Your Resurrection* we have been delivered from corruption.* O Lord, glory be to You!
In Tone 8
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Today hell groans and cries aloud:* “It had been better for me had I not accepted Mary’s Son,* for He has come to me and destroyed my power;* He has shattered the gates of brass,* and as God He raised up the souls that I once held.”* Glory to Your Cross, O Lord, and to Your Resurrection!
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Today hell groans and cries aloud:* “It had been better for me had I not accepted Mary’s Son,* for He has come to me and destroyed my power;* He has shattered the gates of brass,* and as God He raised up the souls that I once held.”* Glory to Your Cross, O Lord, and to Your Resurrection!
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Today hell groans and cries aloud:* “My power has been destroyed.* I accepted a mortal man as one of the dead;* yet I cannot keep Him prisoner,* and with Him I shall lose all those whom I ruled.* I held in my power the dead from all ages;* but see, He is raising them all.”* Glory to Your Cross, O Lord, and to Your Resurrection.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Today hell groans and cries aloud:* “My dominion has been swallowed up;* the Shepherd has been crucified and He has raised Adam.* I am deprived of those whom I once ruled;* in my strength I have devoured them, but now I have cast them forth.* He who was crucified has emptied the tombs;* the power of death has no more strength.”* Glory to Your Cross, O Lord, and to Your Resurrection.
In Tone 6
Glory…
Moses the Great mystically prefigured this present day, saying:* “And God blessed the seventh day.”* For this is the blessed Sabbath, this is the day of rest,* on which the only-begotten Son of God rested from all His works.* Suffering death in accordance with the plans of salvation,* He kept the Sabbath in the flesh;* and returning once again to what He was,* through His Resurrection He has granted us eternal life,* for He alone is good and loves mankind.
Now…
Let us praise the Virgin Mary,* glory of all the world and gate of heaven,* Daughter of men and Mother of the Lord,* song of the angelic hosts and adornment of the faithful.* For she is revealed as heaven and the temple of the Godhead.* It is she who, breaking down the middle wall of enmity,* established peace and opened the palace of the King.* With her, therefore, as anchor of our faith,* we have as our defender the Lord whom she has borne.* Be of good courage, then, people of God, be of good courage:* for in His almighty power* He will make war upon our foes.
Reading I
Genesis 1:1-13
Reading II
Isaiah 60:1-16
Reading III
Exodus 12:1-11
Reading IV
Jonah 1:1-4:11
Reading V
Joshua 5:10-15
The following reading is never omitted.
Reading VI
Exodus 13:20-15:19
The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “Consecrate to me every first-born that opens the womb among the Israelites, both of man and beast, for it belongs to me.” Moses said to the people, “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, that place of slavery. It was with a strong hand that the Lord brought you away. Nothing made with leaven must be eaten. This day of your departure is in the month of Abib. Therefore, it is in this month that you must celebrate this rite, after the Lord , your God, has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers he would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and the seventh day shall also be a festival to the Lord .
Only unleavened bread may be eaten during the seven days; no leaven and nothing leavened may be found in all your territory. On this day you shall explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ It shall be as a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead; thus the law of the Lord will ever be on your lips, because with a strong hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. Therefore, you shall keep this prescribed rite at its appointed time from year to year.
“When the Lord , your God, has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, which he swore to you and your fathers he would give you, you shall dedicate to the Lord every son that opens the womb; and all the male firstlings of your animals shall belong to the Lord . Every first-born of an ass you shall redeem with a sheep. If you do not redeem it, you shall break its neck. Every first-born son you must redeem. If your son should ask you later on, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall tell him, ‘With a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, that place of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every first-born in the land of Egypt, every first-born of man and of beast. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord everything of the male sex that opens the womb, and why I redeem every first-born of my sons.’ Let this, then, be as a sign on your hand and as a pendant on your forehead: with a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
Now, when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the Philistines’ land, though this was the nearest; for he thought, should the people see that they would have to fight, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. Instead, he rerouted them toward the Red Sea by way of the desert road. In battle array the Israelites marched out of Egypt.
Moses also took Joseph’s bones along, for Joseph had made the Israelites swear solemnly that, when God should come to them, they would carry his bones away with them. Setting out from Succoth, they camped at Etham near the edge of the desert. The Lord preceded them, in the daytime by means of a column of cloud to show them the way, and at night by means of a column of fire to give them light. Thus they could travel both day and night. Neither the column of cloud by day nor the column of fire by night ever left its place in front of the people.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn about and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, just opposite, by the sea. Pharaoh will then say, ‘The Israelites are wandering about aimlessly in the land. The desert has closed in on them.’ Thus will I make Pharaoh so obstinate that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord .” This the Israelites did. When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about them. “What have we done!” they exclaimed. “Why, we have released Israel from our service!”
So Pharaoh made his chariots ready and mustered his soldiers- six hundred first-class chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt, with warriors on them all. So obstinate had the Lord made Pharaoh that he pursued the Israelites even while they were marching away in triumph. The Egyptians, then, pursued them; Pharaoh’s whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers, caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea, at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. Pharaoh was already near when the Israelites looked up and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them. In great fright they cried out to the Lord .
And they complained to Moses, “Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, ‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert.”
But Moses answered the people, “Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the Lord will win for you today. These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. The Lord himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea, split the sea in two, that the Israelites may pass through it on dry land. But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate that they will go in after them. Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and charioteers. The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I receive glory through Pharaoh and his chariots and charioteers.”
The angel of God, who had been leading Israel’s camp, now moved and went around behind them. The column of cloud also, leaving the front, took up its place behind them, so that it came between the camp of the Egyptians and that of Israel. But the cloud now became dark, and thus the night passed without the rival camps coming any closer together all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord swept the sea with a strong east wind throughout the night and so turned it into dry land. When the water was thus divided, the Israelites marched into the midst of the sea on dry land, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.
The Egyptians followed in pursuit; all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and charioteers went after them right into the midst of the sea. In the night watch just before dawn the Lord cast through the column of the fiery cloud upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic; and he so clogged their chariot wheels that they could hardly drive. With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel, because the Lord was fighting for them against the Egyptians.
Then the Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their charioteers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth. The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea, when the Lord hurled them into its midst. As the water flowed back, it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh’s whole army which had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not a single one of them escaped. But the Israelites had marched on dry land through the midst of the sea, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel on that day from the power of the Egyptians. When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore and beheld the great power that the LORD had shown against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord and believed in him and in his servant Moses.
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
Reader: Let us sing to the Lord.
All: For He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my fathers God, and I will exalt him.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name. Pharaohs chariots and his host he cast into the sea; and his picked officers are sunk in the Red Sea. The floods cover them; they went down into the depths like a stone.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: In the greatness of Your majesty You overthrow Your adversaries; Your send forth Your fury, it consumes them like stubble. At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up, the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: Who is like You, O Lord , among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, terrible in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them. You have led in Your steadfast love the people whom You have redeemed, You have guided them by Your strength to Your holy abode.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: The peoples have heard, they tremble; pangs have seized on the inhabitants of Philistia. Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; the leaders of Moab, trembling seizes them; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of Your arm, they are as still as a stone, till Your people, O Lord , pass by, till the people pass by whom You have purchased.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: You bring them in, and plant them on Your own mountain, the place, O Lord , which You have made for Your abode, the sanctuary, Lord , which Your hands have established.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: The Lord will reign for ever and ever.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
All: Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been clothed with glory.
Reader: Both now and forever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
All: Let us sing to the Lord
Reader: For He has been clothed with glory.
Reading VII
Zephaniah 3:8-15
Reading VIII
Kings 17:8-24
Reading IX
Isaiah 61:10-62:5
Reading X
Genesis 22:1-18
Reading XI
Isaiah 61:1-9
Reading XII
Kings 4:8-37
Reading XIII
Isaiah 63:11-64:5
Reading XIV
Jeremiah 31:31-34
The following reading is never omitted.
Reading XV
Daniel 3:1-88
King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden statue made, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, which he set up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then ordered the satraps, prefects, and governors, the counsellors, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the officials of the provinces to be summoned to the dedication of the statue which he had set up.
The satraps, prefects, and governors, the counsellors, treasurers, judges, and magistrates and all the officials of the provinces, all these came together for the dedication and stood before the statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. A herald cried out: “Nations and peoples of every language, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments, you are ordered to fall down and worship the golden statue which King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be instantly cast into a white-hot furnace.”
Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments, the nations and peoples of every language all fell down and worshiped the golden statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
At that point, some of the Chaldeans came and accused the Jews to King Nebuchadnezzar: “O king, live forever! O king, you issued a decree that everyone who heard the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments should fall down and worship the golden statue; whoever did not was to be cast into a white-hot furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have made administrators of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego; these men, O king, have paid no attention to you; they will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up.”
Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and sent for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were promptly brought before the king. King Nebuchadnezzar questioned them: “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not serve my god, or worship the golden statue that I set up? Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made, whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments; otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace; and who is the God that can deliver you out of my hands?”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up.”
Nebuchadnezzar’s face became livid with utter rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual and had some of the strongest men in his army bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the white-hot furnace. They were bound and cast into the white-hot furnace with their coats, hats, shoes and other garments, for the king’s order was urgent. So huge a fire was kindled in the furnace that the flames devoured the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into it. But these three fell, bound, into the midst of the white-hot furnace. They walked about in the flames, singing to God and blessing the Lord.
In the fire Azariah stood up and prayed aloud:
“Blessed are you, and praiseworthy, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and glorious forever is your name. For you are just in all you have done; all your deeds are faultless, all your ways right, and all your judgments proper. You have executed proper judgments in all that you have brought upon us and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our fathers. By a proper judgment you have done all this because of our sins; For we have sinned and transgressed by departing from you, and we have done every kind of evil. Your commandments we have not heeded or observed, nor have we done as you ordered us for our good. Therefore all you have brought upon us, all you have done to us, you have done by a proper judgment. You have handed us over to our enemies, lawless and hateful rebels; to an unjust king, the worst in all the world. Now we cannot open our mouths; we, your servants, who revere you, have become a shame and a reproach. For your name’s sake, do not deliver us up forever, or make void your covenant. Do not take away your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, your beloved, Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one, To whom you promised to multiply their offspring like the stars of heaven, or the sand on the shore of the sea. For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation, brought low everywhere in the world this day because of our sins. We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader, no holocaust, sacrifice, oblation, or incense, no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you. But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received; As though it were holocausts of rams and bullocks, or thousands of fat lambs, So let our sacrifice be in your presence today as we follow you unreservedly; for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you. Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy. Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord: Let all those be routed who inflict evils on your servants; Let them be shamed and powerless, and their strength broken; Let them know that you alone are the Lord God, glorious over the whole world.”
Now the king’s men who had thrown them in continued to stoke the furnace with brimstone, pitch, tow, and faggots. The flames rose forty-nine cubits above the furnace, and spread out, burning the Chaldeans nearby. But the angel of the Lord went down into the furnace with Azariah and his companions, drove the fiery flames out of the furnace, and made the inside of the furnace as though a dew-laden breeze were blowing through it. The fire in no way touched them or caused them pain or harm.
Then these three in the furnace with one voice sang, glorifying and blessing God:
“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever.
After verse 56: “Blessed are You in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever,” all stand and sing:
Refrain: Sing praise to the Lord, and exalt Him above all forever.
This refrain is sung after each verse of the Canticle.
Canticle of the Three Youths
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. R.
Angels of the Lord, and you heavens, bless the Lord. R.
All you waters above the heavens, and all you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord. R.
Sun and moon, and stars of heaven, bless the Lord. R.
Every shower and dew, and all you winds, bless the Lord. R.
Fire and heat, frost and chill, bless the Lord. R.
Ice and snow, and nights and days, bless the Lord. R.
Light and darkness, lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord. R.
Let the earth bless the Lord. R.
Mountains and hills, and everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord. R.
You springs, and seas and rivers, bless the Lord. R.
You dolphins and all water creatures, and all you birds of the air, bless the Lord. R.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord. R.
You children of the earth, bless the Lord: O Israel, bless the Lord. R.
Priests of the Lord, and servants of the Lord, bless the Lord. R.
Spirits and souls of the just, holy people of humble heart, bless the Lord. R.
Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, bless the Lord. R.
Apostles, prophets and martyrs of the Lord, bless the Lord. R.
Let us bless the Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. R.
Both now and forever and unto ages of ages. Amen. R.
Let us praise, bless and worship the Lord. R.Small Litany
Instead of the Trisagion Hymn
All who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia. (3)
Glory… Both now…
Have put on Christ, Alleluia.
All who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia.Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Let all the earth worship and sing to You,* chanting praise to Your Name, O Most High.
verse: Sing joyfully to God, all you the earth; chant the glory of His Name, give to Him noble praise.
Epistle
Romans 6:3-11
We do not sing Alleluia; in its place we sing the following verses from Psalm 81 in Tone 7:
Refrain: O God, arise and judge the earth,* for all the nations are Yours.
verse: God arises in the divine assembly; He judges in the midst of the heavens.
verse: How long will you judge unjustly and favour the cause of the wicked?
verse: Defend the lowly and the fatherless, give justice to the afflicted and the destitute.
verse: Rescue the lowly and poor; deliver them from the hands of the wicked.
verse: They do not know or understand; they go about in darkness.
verse: I have said: You are divine; you are the sons of the Most High. Yet like men, you will die; you shall fall like any other prince.
Gospel
Matthew 28:1-20
Instead of the Cherubic Hymn, we sing:
Let all mortal flesh be silent and stand with fear and trembling. Let thoughts remove earthly concerns, for the King of kings, the Lord of lords comes to be sanctified. He is given as food to the faithful. All ranks of angelic choirs of glory go before Him. Many-eyed Cherubim, six-winged Seraphim hide their faces and cry out the hymn: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Hymn to the Mother of God
Do not weep over Me, O Mother, as you see in the grave the Son Whom you have conceived in your womb without seed. I will resurrect and be glorified and I, as God, will forever gloriously raise those who with faith and love magnify you.
Communion Verse
The Lord has waked as if from sleep:* He is risen and saves us. Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.