Scripture Reading for the
Common Calendar Year
(beginning January 1st)

April 23

Text taken from the
Third Millennium Bible^® (TMB^®)
(New Authorized Version^TM NAV^TM)

The Lectionary According to the Common Calendar

Psalm 101

1 I will sing of mercy and judgment; 
unto Thee, O LORD, will I sing.
2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt Thou come unto me? 
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes; 
I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
4 A froward heart shall depart from me; 
I will not know a wicked person.
5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off; 
him that hath a haughty look and a proud heart will I not suffer.

6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; 
he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house; 
he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land, 
that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.

Mark 3:19b-35

And they went into a house; 20 and the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when His friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on Him; for they said, "He is beside himself." 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of devils he casteth out devils." 23 And He called them unto Him, and said unto them in parables,

"How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27 No man can enter into a strong man's house and despoil his goods, unless he will first bind the strong man; and then he will despoil his house. 28 "Verily I say unto you, all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men and blasphemies, however they shall blaspheme; 29 but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation";

30 because they said, "He hath an unclean spirit."

31 There came then His brethren and His mother, and standing outside they sent unto Him, calling Him. 32 And the multitude sat about Him, and they said unto Him, "Behold, thy mother and thy brethren outside seek for thee." 33 And He answered them, saying,

"Who is My mother, or My brethren?"

34 And He looked round about on those who sat about Him and said,

"Behold, My mother and My brethren. 35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother."

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, whether we are bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot shall say, "Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, "Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now hath God set the members, every one of them, in the body as it hath pleased Him. 19 And if they were all one member, where would be the body? 20 But now there are many members, yet but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, "I have no need of thee"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." 22 Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked, 25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26 And whenever one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God hath set some in the church: first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracle workers, then those with gifts of healing, helpers, administrators, and those with diversity of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

31 But covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.

Ruth 4:1-17

1 Then went Boaz up to the gate and sat himself down there; and behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by, unto whom he said, "Ho, such a one! Turn aside, sit down here." And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, "Sit ye down here." And they sat down. 3 And he said unto the kinsman, "Naomi, who hath come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land which was our brother Elimelech's. 4 And I thought to advise thee, saying, `Buy it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it. But if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is none to redeem it besides thee, and I am after thee.'" And he said, "I will redeem it." 5 Then said Boaz, "What day thou buyest the field from the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance." 6 And the kinsman said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance. Redeem thou my right for thyself, for I cannot redeem it."

7 Now this was the manner in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was a testimony in Israel. 8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, "Buy it for thyself." So he drew off his shoe. 9 And Boaz said unto the elders and unto all the people, "Ye are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's from the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place. Ye are witnesses this day." 11 And all the people who were at the gate and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who hath come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two built the house of Israel; and do thou worthily in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 And let thy house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee by this young woman."

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife; and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception and she bore a son. 14 And the women said unto Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, who hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life and a nourisher of thine old age; for thy daughter-in-law who loveth thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him." 16 And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 17 And the women, her neighbors, gave it a name, saying, "There is a son born to Naomi"; and they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Words of Wisdom - Ecclesiasticus 12:16

An enemy speaketh sweetly with his lips, but in his heart he imagineth how to throw thee into a pit. He will weep with his eyes, but if he find opportunity, he will not be satisfied with blood.