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

July 3

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

Song of the Three Holy Children 3-12, 18-22

3 "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, God of our fathers; 
Thy name is worthy to be praised and glorified for evermore. 
4 For Thou art righteous in all the things that Thou hast done to us; 
yea, true are all Thy works, Thy ways are right, and all Thy judgments truth. 
5 In all the things that Thou hast brought upon us, 
and upon the holy city of our fathers, even Jerusalem, 
Thou hast executed true judgment; 
for according to truth and judgment didst Thou bring all these things upon us because of our sins. 
6 For we have sinned and committed iniquity, 
departing from Thee. 
7 In all things have we trespassed, and not obeyed Thy commandments, nor kept them, 
neither done as Thou hast commanded us, that it might go well with us. 
8 Therefore all that Thou hast brought upon us, 
and every thing that Thou hast done to us, Thou hast done in true judgment. 
9 And Thou didst deliver us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful forsakers of God, 
and to an unjust king, and the most wicked in all the world. 
10 And now we cannot open our mouths; 
we are become a shame and reproach to Thy servants and to them that worship Thee.

11 "Yet deliver us not up wholly, for Thy name's sake, 
neither disannul Thou Thy covenant. 
12 And cause not Thy mercy to depart from us, 
for Thy beloved Abraham's sake, for Thy servant Issac's sake, and for Thy holy Israel's sake, 

18 "And now we follow Thee with all our heart; 
we fear Thee and seek Thy face. 
19 Put us not to shame; 
but deal with us in Thy lovingkindness and according to the multitude of Thy mercies. 
20 Deliver us also according to Thy marvelous works, and give glory to Thy name, O Lord; 
and let all them that do Thy servants hurt be ashamed; 
21 and let them be confounded in all their power and might, 
and let their strength be broken. 
22 And let them know that Thou art God, the only God, 
and glorious over the whole world."

Luke 3:12-20

12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, "Master, what shall we do?" 13 And he said unto them, "Exact no more than that which is appointed you." 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, "And what shall we do?" And he said unto them, "Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages."

15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts whether John was the Christ or not, 16 John answered, saying unto them all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I cometh, the straps of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor and will gather the wheat into His garner; but the chaff He will burn with fire unquenchable."

18 And with many other exhortations preached he unto the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

Ephesians 6:1-9 

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor thy father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." 4 And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 

5 Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ, 6 not with eyeservice as menpleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with good will doing service, as to the Lord and not to men, 8 knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive from the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening, knowing that your Master also is in Heaven; neither is there respect of persons with Him.

Nehemiah 4:6-23

6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto half its height, for the people had a mind to work. 7 But it came to pass that when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being rebuilt, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, 8 and conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem and to hinder it. 9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

10 And Judah said, "The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish, so that we are not able to build the wall." 11 And our adversaries said, "They shall not know, neither see, until we come in the midst among them and slay them and cause the work to cease." 12 And it came to pass that when the Jews who dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, "From all places whence ye shall return unto us, they will be upon you." 13 Therefore set I men in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places; I even set the people by families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, "Be not ye afraid of them; remember the Lord, who is great and fearsome, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses."

15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. 16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields and the bows and the jackets of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who built on the wall and those who bore burdens with those who loaded -- every one with one of his hands wrought in the work and with the other hand held a weapon. 18 For the builders, every one, had his sword girded by his side, and so built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. 19 And I said unto the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, "The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. 20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us. Our God shall fight for us."

21 So we labored in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared. 22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, "Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labor in the day." 23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us, put off our clothes, except that every one put them off for washing.

Words of Wisdom -  Proverbs 19:5

A false witness shall not be unpunished, 
and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.