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

March 20

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

The Lectionary According to the Common Calendar

Psalm 72

1 Give the king Thy judgments, O God,
and Thy righteousness unto the king's son.
2 Then shall he judge Thy people with righteousness,
and Thy poor with judgment.

3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people
and the little hills, by righteousness.
4 He shall judge the poor of the people;
he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
5 They shall fear Thee as long as the sun and moon endure,
throughout all generations.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass,
as showers that water the earth.
7 In his days shall the righteous flourish,
and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him,
and his enemies shall lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents;
the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him;
all nations shall serve him.
12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth;
the poor also and him that hath no helper.
13 He shall spare the poor and needy,
and shall save the souls of the needy.
14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence,
and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given from the gold of Sheba;
prayer also shall be made for him continually, and daily shall he be praised.
16 There shall be corn by the handful in the earth upon the top of the mountains;
the fruit thereof shall wave like Lebanon, and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 His name shall endure for ever, his name shall be continued as long as the sun,
and men shall be blessed in him; all nations shall call him blessed.

18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone doeth wondrous things.
19 And blessed be His glorious name for ever,
and let the whole earth be filled with His glory!
Amen
and Amen.

20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

Matthew 23:13-22

13 "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men, for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

15 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

16 "Woe unto you, ye blind guides, who say, `Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.' 17 Ye fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18 And ye say, `Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is liable.' 19 Ye fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it and by Him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by Heaven, sweareth by the throne of God and by Him that sitteth thereon.

Romans 10

1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.

5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law: that "the man who doeth those things shall live by them." 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh in this manner: "Say not in thine heart, `Who shall ascend into Heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, "`Who shall descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead). 8 But what saith it? "The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart," that is, the word of faith which we preach: 9 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture saith, "Whosoever believeth in Him shall not be ashamed." 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all who call upon Him. 13 For "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

"How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!"

16 But they have not all obeyed the Gospel. For Isaiah saith, "Lord, who hath believed our report?" 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Yes, verily:
"Their sound went out into all the earth,
and their words unto the ends of the world."

19 But I ask, did not Israel know? First Moses saith,
"I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people,
and by a foolish nation I will anger you."

20 But Isaiah is very bold and saith,
"I was found by them that sought Me not;
I was made manifest unto them that asked not after Me."

21 But to Israel he saith,
"All day long I have stretched forth My hands
unto a disobedient and gainsaying people."

Deuteronomy 5:22-33

22 "These words the LORD spoke unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone, and delivered them unto me. 23 And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness (for the mountain did burn with fire), that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes and your elders. 24 And ye said, `Behold, the LORD our God hath shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. 25 Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 Go thou near and hear all that the LORD our God shall say; and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee, and we will hear it and do it.'

28 "And the LORD heard the voice of your words when ye spoke unto me; and the LORD said unto me: `I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken unto thee. They have well said all that they have spoken. 29 O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children for ever! 30 Go, say to them, "Get you into your tents again." 31 But as for thee, stand thou here by Me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.'

32 "Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you; ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

Words of Wisdom - Proverbs 11:7 

When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish; 
and the hope of unjust men perisheth.