The word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. Behold, I will command a widow woman there to feed you.” And he arose and went to Zarephath, to the gate of the city; and behold, there a widow woman was gathering wood. And Elijah called to her and said to her: “Fill me with some water in a vessel to drink.” And she went to dial. And Elijah shouted after her and said: “Take a piece of bread into your hand for me.” And the woman said: “As the Lord your God lives! Do I have baked bread? I only have a handful of flour in a jug and a little oil in a pot. Look, I’ll find two logs of wood, and I’ll go home and cook it for myself and my children, and we’ll eat and die.” And Elijah said to her: “Do not be afraid! Go and do according to your word: but first prepare a small loaf of bread for me there and bring it out to me, and then make it for yourself and your children afterwards. For this is what the Lord God of Israel says: “The jar of flour will not fail, and the pot of oil will not be empty, until the day when the Lord sends down rain on the face of all the earth.” And the woman went and did according to the word of Elijah; and she, and he, and her children ate.
And from that day on, the jar of flour did not run low, and the pot of oil did not become empty, according to the word of the Lord that He spoke through Elijah. And it happened after this that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell ill, and his illness was very serious, so that his spirit left him. And the woman said to Elijah: “What is it to me and to you, man of God? You came to me to remind me of my iniquities and to kill my son!” And Elijah said to the woman, “Give me your son.” And he took it from her bosom and carried it to the upper room where he lived, and laid it on his bed. And Elijah cried out and said: “Alas, O Lord! I am a witness of the widow with whom I live: You brought grief by killing her son.” And he blew on the child three times, and called on the Lord for help and said: “Lord my God, may his soul return to this child!” And so it became. And he cried, and the Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s soul returned to him, and he came to life. And Elijah took the child and brought him out of the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said: “Look: your son is alive!” And the woman said to Elijah: “Behold, I understand that you are a man of God, and in your mouth is the faithful word of the Lord.”
Reading the prophecies of Isaiah (Is.61:10–11, 62:1–5).
Let my soul rejoice in the Lord: for he has clothed me with the robe of salvation, and the robe of gladness: as a bridegroom, place a crown on me, and as a bride, adorn me with beauty. And like the earth that sprouts its blossom, and like a heap of its seeds, it vegetates: thus will the Lord, the Lord, increase righteousness and joy in the sight of all nations. For the sake of Zion I will not keep silent, and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not let go, until my righteousness comes out like a light, and my salvation is kindled like a light. And the nations will see your righteousness, and the kings will see your glory, and they will call you by a new name, by which the Lord calls her. And you will have a crown of kindness in the hand of the Lord, and a diadem of the kingdom in the hand of your God. And even though no one is called forsaken, and your land is not called desolate, you will be called My will and your land, the world: for the Lord has pleased you, and your land will be inhabited together. And just as a young man lives with a virgin, so will your sons live with you: and as the groom rejoices over his bride, so will the Lord rejoice over you.
Reading the prophecy of Isaiah [61:10–11; 62:1–5]
Let my soul rejoice because of the Lord, for He has clothed me with the robe of salvation and has clothed me with the robe of gladness, just as He has placed a crown on me as a bridegroom and has adorned me with finery as a bride. And just as the earth produces its flowering plants, and the garden its seeds, so the Lord will bring forth truth and joy before all nations. For the sake of Zion I will not be silent, and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still, until My righteousness rises like a light and My salvation flares up like a shining light. And the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings will see your glory, and they will call you by a new name, which the Lord will call you. And you will be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. And you will no longer be called forsaken, and your land will no longer be called desert, but you will be called “My will”, and your land – “The Universe”, for the Lord will favor you and your land will be inhabited. And as a young man marries a virgin, so will your sons live with you, and as the groom rejoices over his bride, so will the Lord rejoice over you.
Genesis reading (Genesis 22:1–18).
It came to pass, according to these words, that God tempted Abraham, and said to him: Abraham, Abraham. And he said: behold. And he said: understand your beloved son, whom you loved Isaac, and go to the high earth, and offer him there as a burnt offering, one from the mountains where the river is. Abraham rose in the morning and saddled his donkey. And he took with him the two children, and his son Isaac, and grew the wood for a burnt offering, and rose up, and came to the place which God had spoken unto him, on the third day. And Abraham looked with his eyes and saw the place from afar. And Abraham said to his youth: Sit here with the donkey, and we and the kids will go to Onde, and having bowed we will return to you. Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son: and he took in his hands the fire, and the knife, and both of them together. Isaac said to his father Abraham: Father. He said: what is a child? It says: Behold the fire and the wood, where is the sheep for a burnt offering? Abraham said: God will see for Himself the sheep for a burnt offering, child.
And when they both walked together, they came to the place, and God said to him: And Abraham built an altar there, and laid on the wood; and when he had bound Isaac his son, he laid him on the altar. on top of the firewood. And Abraham stretched out his hand, took the knife, and sacrificed his son. And the Angel of the Lord called from heaven, and said: To Abraham, to Abraham. He said: behold. And he said: Do not lay your hand on the child, but do something to him: now I know that you feared God, and you did not spare your beloved son for My sake. And Abraham looked with his eyes, and behold, there was one ram holding a horn in the garden of Savek. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son Isaac. And Abraham called the name of that place: The Lord has seen. Let them say this day: The Lord will appear on the mountain. And the Angel of the Lord called out to Abraham a second time from heaven, saying: By myself you swore, saith the Lord, for whose sake did you create this verb, and did not spare your son your beloved for my sake.
Truly I will bless you, and multiply I will multiply your seed like the stars of heaven, and like the sand that covers the sea: and your seed will inherit the cities of adversaries. And all the nations of the earth will be blessed because of your seed, because you have listened to My voice.
Reading Genesis [22:1–18]