3.30.2013

Today's Bible story

March 30, 2013

Holy Saturday - Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter

We hope that today is a good day.

Today's Bible story based on the calendar of the Catholic Church.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/calendar.php

Most of these contents are things of The World English Bible.
http://ebible.org/web/

-----

+ Saints: St. John Climacus
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=192

-----

Genesis 1:1 — 2:2

1 In the beginning, God* created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God's Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.

3 God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

4 God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.

5 God called the light "day", and the darkness he called "night". There was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 God said, "Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."

7 God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.

8 God called the expanse "sky". There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9 God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.

10 God called the dry land "earth", and the gathering together of the waters he called "seas". God saw that it was good.

11 God said, "Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth"; and it was so.

12 The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.

13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

14 God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years;

15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of sky to give light on the earth"; and it was so.

16 God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars.

17 God set them in the expanse of sky to give light to the earth,

18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.

19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

20 God said, "Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of sky."

21 God created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good.

22 God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

24 God said, "Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind"; and it was so.

25 God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.

26 God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

27 God created man in his own image. In God's image he created him; male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them. God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

29 God said, "Behold,† I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.

30 To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;" and it was so.

31 God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

2:1 The heavens, the earth, and all their vast array were finished.

2 On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.


*1:1: The Hebrew word rendered "God" is "?????????" (Elohim).

†1:29: "Behold", from "??????", means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.

-----

Genesis 22:1-18

1 After these things, God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!"
He said, "Here I am."

2 He said, "Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of."

3 Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him.

4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off.

5 Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go yonder. We will worship, and come back to you."

6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together.

7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, "My father?"
He said, "Here I am, my son."
He said, "Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

8 Abraham said, "God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they both went together.

9 They came to the place which God had told him of. Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood.

10 Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.

11 Yahweh's angel called to him out of the sky, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!"
He said, "Here I am."

12 He said, "Don't lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."

13 Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

14 Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh Will Provide.* As it is said to this day, "On Yahweh's mountain, it will be provided."

15 Yahweh's angel called to Abraham a second time out of the sky,

16 and said, "I have sworn by myself, says Yahweh, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,

17 that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring† greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring‡ will possess the gate of his enemies.

18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring,§ because you have obeyed my voice."


*22:14: or, Yahweh-Jireh, or, Yahweh-Seeing

†22:17: or, seed

‡22:17: or, seed

§22:18: or, seed

-----

Exodus 14:15〜15:18

14:15 Yahweh said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward.

16 Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the middle of the sea on dry ground.

17 Behold, I myself will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them: and I will get myself honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies, over his chariots, and over his horsemen.

18 The Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh, when I have gotten myself honor over Pharaoh, over his chariots, and over his horsemen."

19 The angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them, and stood behind them.

20 It came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud and the darkness, yet gave it light by night: and one didn't come near the other all night.

21 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 The children of Israel went into the middle of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the middle of the sea: all of Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 In the morning watch, Yahweh looked out on the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and confused the Egyptian army.

25 He took off their chariot wheels, and they drove them heavily; so that the Egyptians said, "Let's flee from the face of Israel, for Yahweh fights for them against the Egyptians!"

26 Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come again on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen."

27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it. Yahweh overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea.

28 The waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even all Pharaoh's army that went in after them into the sea. There remained not so much as one of them.

29 But the children of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.

30 Thus Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

31 Israel saw the great work which Yahweh did to the Egyptians, and the people feared Yahweh; and they believed in Yahweh, and in his servant Moses.

15:1a Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to Yahweh,

-----

Gospel: Luke 24:1-12

1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they and some others came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.

2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

3 They entered in, and didn't find the Lord Jesus' body.

4 While they were greatly perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling clothing.

5 Becoming terrified, they bowed their faces down to the earth.
They said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?

6 He isn't here, but is risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee,

7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again?"

8 They remembered his words,

9 returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest.

10 Now they were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them told these things to the apostles.

11 These words seemed to them to be nonsense, and they didn't believe them.

12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping and looking in, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he departed to his home, wondering what had happened.

-----

Romans 6:3-11

3 Or don't you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;

6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin.

7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.

8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;

9 knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him!

10 For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.

11 Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

-----

*Lamentations 5:1-22

1 Remember, Yahweh, what has come on us:
Look, and see our reproach.

2 Our inheritance is turned to strangers,
Our houses to aliens.

3 We are orphans and fatherless;
Our mothers are as widows.

4 We have drunken our water for money;
Our wood is sold to us.

5 Our pursuers are on our necks:
We are weary, and have no rest.

6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians,
To the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

7 Our fathers sinned, and are no more;
We have borne their iniquities.

8 Servants rule over us:
There is no one to deliver us out of their hand.

9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives,
Because of the sword of the wilderness.

10 Our skin is black like an oven,
Because of the burning heat of famine.

11 They ravished the women in Zion,
The virgins in the cities of Judah.

12 Princes were hanged up by their hand:
The faces of elders were not honored.

13 The young men bare the mill;
The children stumbled under the wood.

14 The elders have ceased from the gate,
The young men from their music.

15 The joy of our heart is ceased;
Our dance is turned into mourning.

16 The crown is fallen from our head:
Woe to us! for we have sinned.

17 For this our heart is faint;
For these things our eyes are dim;

18 For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate:
The foxes walk on it.

19 You, Yahweh, remain forever;
Your throne is from generation to generation.

20 Why do you forget us forever,
And forsake us so long time?

21 Turn us to yourself, Yahweh, and we shall be turned.
Renew our days as of old.

22 But you have utterly rejected us;
You are very angry against us.

-----