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

April 6

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

The Lectionary According to the Common Calendar

Psalm 86 

1 Bow down Thine ear, O LORD; 
hear me, for I am poor and needy. 
2 Preserve my soul, for I am holy; 
O Thou my God, save Thy servant that trusteth in Thee. 
3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord, 
for I cry unto Thee daily. 
4 Make the soul of Thy servant rejoice, 
for unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 
5 For Thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive, 
and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee. 
6 Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; 
and attend to the voice of my supplications. 
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee, 
for Thou wilt answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like unto Thee, O Lord; 
neither are there any works like unto Thy works. 
9 All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord, 
and shall glorify Thy name. 
10 For Thou art great and doest wondrous things: 
Thou alone art God.

11 Teach me Thy way, O LORD; I will walk in Thy truth; 
unite my heart to fear Thy name. 
12 I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, 
and I will glorify Thy name for evermore. 
13 For great is Thy mercy toward me, 
and Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

14 O God, the proud have risen against me, 
and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul, and have not set Thee before them. 
15 But Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, 
gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. 
16 O turn unto me and have mercy upon me; 
give Thy strength unto Thy servant, and save the son of Thine handmaid. 
17 Show me a token for good, that they that hate me may see it and be ashamed, 
because Thou, LORD, hast helped me and comforted me.

Matthew 27:11-26

11 And Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked Him, saying, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" And Jesus said unto him,

"Thou sayest."

12 And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. 13 Then said Pilate unto Him, "Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?" 14 And He answered him never a word, insomuch that the governor marveled greatly.

15 Now at that feast, the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. 16 And they had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas. 17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, "Whom will ye that I release unto you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered Him.

19 When he had sat down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, "Have thou nothing to do with that just man; for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him." 20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said unto them, "Which of the two will ye that I release unto you?" They said, "Barabbas!" 22 Pilate said unto them, "What shall I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?" They all said unto him, "Let him be crucified!" 23 And the governor said, "Why, what evil hath he done?" But they cried out the more, saying, "Let him be crucified!"

24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail, but rather that a tumult was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person. See ye to it." 25 Then answered all the people and said, "His blood be on us, and on our children!" 26 Then released he Barabbas unto them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

1 Corinthians 3:16-23 

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, and ye are that temple. 

18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written: "He taketh the wise in their own craftiness"; 20 and again, "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain." 21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come -- all are yours, 23 and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

Joshua 6

1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, "See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof and the mighty men of valor. 3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns; and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5 And it shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him." 6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said unto them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD." 7 And he said unto the people, "Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD."

8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD and blew with the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests who blew with the trumpets, and the rearward came after the ark, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets. 10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, "Ye shall not shout nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I bid you shout. Then shall ye shout." 11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once; and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.

12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually and blew with the trumpets; and the armed men went before them, but the rearward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets. 14 And the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp. So they did six days.

15 And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city in the same manner seven times. Only on that day they compassed the city seven times. 16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, "Shout! For the LORD hath given you the city. 17 And the city shall be accursed, even it and all who are therein, to the LORD. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 And ye, in all ways keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it. 19 But all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the LORD. They shall come into the treasury of the LORD."

20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets. And it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him; and they took the city. 21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.

22 But Joshua had said unto the two men who had spied out the country, "Go into the harlot's house, and bring out from thence the woman and all that she hath, as ye swore unto her." 23 And the young men who were spies went in and brought Rahab and her father and her mother and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred and left them outside the camp of Israel. 24 And they burned the city with fire and all that was therein. Only the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and of iron they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, "Cursed be the man before the LORD who riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho. He shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it."

27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

Words of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 5:2-3

Be not rash with thy mouth, 
and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God. 
For God is in heaven and thou upon earth: 
therefore let thy words be few. 
For a dream cometh through a multitude of business, 
and a fool's voice is known by a multitude of words.