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

April 24

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

The Lectionary According to the Common Calendar

Psalm 102

1 Hear my prayer, O LORD,
and let my cry come unto Thee.
2 Hide not Thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble;
incline Thine ear unto me. In the day when I call,
answer me speedily.
3 For my days are consumed like smoke,
and my bones are burned as a hearth.
4 My heart is smitten and withered like grass,
so that I forget to eat my bread.
5 By reason of the voice of my groaning
my bones cleave to my skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I watch, and am as a sparrow
alone upon the housetop.
8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day,
and them that are mad against me are sworn against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread
and mingled my drink with weeping,
10 because of Thine indignation and Thy wrath;
for Thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.
11 My days are like a shadow that declineth,
and I am withered like grass.

12 But Thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever,
and Thy remembrance unto all generations.
13 Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion;
for the time to favor her, yea, the set time has come.
14 For Thy servants take pleasure in her stones,
and favor the dust thereof.
15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD,
and all the kings of the earth Thy glory.
16 When the LORD shall build up Zion,
He shall appear in His glory.
17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute,
and not despise their prayer.

18 This shall be written for the generation to come,
and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
19 For He hath looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
from heaven did the LORD behold the earth,
20 to hear the groaning of the prisoner,
to loose those that are appointed to death,
21 to declare the name of the LORD in Zion,
and His praise in Jerusalem,
22 when people are gathered together,
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

23 He weakened my strength on the way;
He shortened my days.
24 I said, "O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days;
Thy years are throughout all generations.
25 Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure;
yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment;
and as a vesture shalt Thou change them,
and they shall be changed.
27 But Thou art the same,
and Thy years shall have no end.
28 The children of Thy servants shall continue,
and their seed shall be established before Thee."

Mark 4:1-20 

1 And He began again to teach by the seaside. And there was gathered unto Him a great multitude, so that He entered into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And He taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in His doctrine: 

3 "Hearken! Behold, there went out a sower to sow. 4 And it came to pass as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony ground where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good ground; and it yielded fruit that sprang up and increased and brought forth: some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundredfold." 

9 And He said unto them, 

"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." 

10 And when He was alone, those who were about Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said unto them, 

"Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God; but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables, 12 that, `seeing they may see, and not perceive, and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven them.'" 

13 And He said unto them, 

"Know you not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables? 14 The sower soweth the Word. 15 And these are they by the wayside, where the Word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the Word that was sown in their hearts. 16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground who, when they have heard the Word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 but they have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time. Afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the Word's sake, immediately they are offended. 18 And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the Word, 19 but the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful. 20 And these are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the Word and receive it and bring forth fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

1 Corinthians 13

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up; 5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth. But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then shall I know, even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

1 Samuel 1

1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 And he had two wives: the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. 4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters, portions. 5 But unto Hannah he gave a double portion, for he loved Hannah; but the LORD had shut up her womb. 6 And her adversary also provoked her sorely to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. 7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. 8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, "Hannah, why weepest thou? And why eatest thou not? And why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than ten sons?"

9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. (Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.) 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD and wept sorely. 11 And she vowed a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid, and remember me and not forget Thine handmaid, but wilt give unto Thine handmaid a manchild, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head."

12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli observed her mouth. 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. 14 And Eli said unto her, "How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee." 15 And Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. 16 Count not thine handmaid as a daughter of Belial, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto." 17 Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of Him." 18 And she said, "Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her countenance was no more sad.

19 And they rose up in the morning early and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20 Therefore it came to pass, when the time had come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bore a son and called his name Samuel [that is, Asked of God], saying, "Because I have asked him of the LORD."

21 And the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, "I will not go up until the child is weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD and there abide for ever." 23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, "Do what seemeth to thee good. Tarry until thou have weaned him, only the LORD establish His word." So the woman remained, and gave her son suck until she weaned him. 24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks and one ephah of flour and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh; and the child was young. 25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, "Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman who stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. 27 For this child I prayed, and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.

Words of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 6:7

All the labor of man is for his mouth, 
and yet the appetite is not filled.