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

February 22

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

The Lectionary According to the Common Calendar

Psalm 48

1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God, on the mountain of His holiness.

2 Beautiful in situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion;
on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
3 God is known in her palaces as a refuge.

4 For lo, the kings were assembled,
they passed by together.
5 They saw it and so they marveled;
they were troubled and hastened away.
6 Fear took hold upon them there, and pain as of a woman in travail;
7 Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God:
God will establish it for ever.

9 We have thought of Thy lovingkindness, O God,
in the midst of Thy temple.
10 According to Thy name, O God, so is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth;
Thy right hand is full of righteousness.

11 Let Mount Zion rejoice!
Let the daughters of Judah be glad because of Thy judgments!
12 Walk about Zion and go round about her,
count the towers thereof;
13 mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces,
that ye may tell it to the generation that follows.
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
He will be our guide even unto death.

Matthew 16:13-20

13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying,

"Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"

14 And they said, "Some say that Thou art John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said unto them,

"But who say ye that I am?"

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him,

"Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in Heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven."

20 Then He charged His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ.

Acts 25:1-27

1 Now when Festus had come into the province, after three days he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem. 2 Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul and besought him, 3 desiring a favor against him: that he would have Paul brought to Jerusalem, so that they might lie in wait on the way to kill him. 4 But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly thither. 5 "Let those therefore," he said, "who among you are able, go down with me and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him."

6 And when he had tarried among them more than ten days, he went down unto Caesarea. And the next day, sitting in the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought. 7 And when he had come, the Jews who came down from Jerusalem stood round about and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove, 8 while Paul answered for himself: "Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor yet against Caesar have I offended any thing at all." 9 But Festus, desiring to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, "Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem and there be judged of these things before me?" 10 Then said Paul, "I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. 11 For if I am an offender, or have committed anything worthy of death, I should not refuse to die; but if there is nothing to these things whereof they accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar." 12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, "Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? Unto Caesar shalt thou go!"

13 Some days later, King Agrippa and Bernice came unto Caesarea to salute Festus. 14 And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul's cause unto the king, saying, "There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix, 15 about whom, when I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him. 16 To them I answered, 'It is not in the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die before he that is accused has the accusers face to face, and has license to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him.' 17 Therefore when they had come hither, without any delay on the morrow, I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought forth, 18 against whom, when the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation of such things as I supposed, 19 but had certain questions against him concerning their own superstition and of one Jesus, who was dead and whom Paul affirmed to be alive. 20 And because I was in doubt as to this manner of questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged on these matters. 21 But when Paul appealed to be reserved for a hearing by Augustus, I commanded him to be kept until I might send him to Caesar." 22 Then Agrippa said unto Festus, "I would also hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," said he, "thou shalt hear him."

23 And on the morrow, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered into the place of hearing with the chief captains and principal men of the city, at Festus' command Paul was brought forth. 24 And Festus said, "King Agrippa and all men who are here present with us, ye see this man about whom all the multitude of the Jews have applied to me, both at Jerusalem and also here, crying out that he ought not to live any longer. 25 But when I found that he hath committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him. 26 Of him I have nothing certain to write unto my lord. Therefore I have brought him forth before you, and especially before thee, O King Agrippa, that after we have examined him I might have something to write. 27 For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not also to specify the crimes laid against him."

Exodus 20:1-11

1 And God spoke all these words, saying:

2 "I am the LORD thy God, who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

4 "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I, the LORD thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, 6 and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments.

7 "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.

8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Words of Wisdom - Ecclesiasticus 4:29

Be not hasty with thy tongue,
and in thy deeds slack and remiss.