Genesis 1:1-13 (Eve of the Nativity – 12/24)
(Also read on Great and Holy Saturday Pascha services, on the 1st Monday of Lent, and on 1/5 the Eve of the Theophany)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. And God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.