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

March 1

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

The Lectionary According to the Common Calendar

Psalm 55

1 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not Thyself from my supplication.
2 Attend unto me and hear me; I mourn in my complaint and moan,
3 because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked;
for they cast iniquity upon me,
and in wrath they hate me.

4 My heart is sorely pained within me,
and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
and horror hath overwhelmed me.
6 And I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
For then would I fly away and be at rest.
7 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness;
8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest."

9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues,
for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof;
mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.
11 Wickedness is in the midst thereof;
deceit and guile depart not from her streets.

12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me;
then I could have borne it.
Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me;
then I would have hid myself from him.
13 But it was thou, a man mine equal,
my guide and mine acquaintance.
14 We took sweet counsel together,
and walked unto the house of God in company.

15 Let death seize upon them, and let them go down alive into hell;
for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.

16 As for me, I will call upon God,
and the LORD shall save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud,
and He shall hear my voice.
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
for there were many with me.
19 God shall hear and afflict them,
even He that abideth of old.
Because they have not changed,
therefore they fear not God.
20 He hath put forth his hands against those that are at peace with him;
he hath broken his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
but war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
yet were they drawn swords.

22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee.
He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23 But Thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction;
bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in Thee.

Matthew 18:15-20

15 "Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that `in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. 18 Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and so whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.

19 "Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth concerning anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in Heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them."

Romans 1:18-32

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath shown it unto them. 20 For from the creation of the world the invisible things of Him are clearly seen, being understood through the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. 21 For when they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God, nor were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and to birds and fourfooted beasts and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies among themselves. 25 They changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature. 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men, working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense for their error which was meet.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not fitting, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity. They are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, spiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affections, implacable, unmerciful. 32 And knowing the judgment of God, that those who commit such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but have pleasure in those who do them.

Leviticus 18

1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 2 "Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them: `I am the LORD your God. 3 According to the doings of the land of Egypt wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. 4 Ye shall do My judgments and keep Mine ordinances to walk therein; I am the LORD your God. 5 Ye shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

6 "`None of you shall approach any who is near of kin to him to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD. 7 The nakedness of thy father or the nakedness of thy mother shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness. 9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover. 10 The nakedness of thy son's daughter or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover; for theirs is thine own nakedness. 11 The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 12 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman. 13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, for she is thy mother's near kinswoman. 14 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother. Thou shalt not approach his wife: she is thine aunt. 15 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter-in-law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 16 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness. 17 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter to uncover her nakedness: for they are her near kinswomen; it is wickedness. 18 Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister to vex her, to uncover her nakedness beside the other in her life time.

19 "`Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. 20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor's wife, to defile thyself with her. 21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination. 23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith, neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.

24 "`Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things, for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you, 25 and the land is defiled. Therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. 26 Ye shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, neither any of your own nation nor any stranger who sojourneth among you 27 (for all these abominations have the men of the land done, who were before you, and the land is defiled), 28 that the land spew not you out also when ye defile it, as it spewed out the nations that were before you. 29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls who commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 Therefore shall ye keep Mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.'"

Words of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 2:24

There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.