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

March 22

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

1 O God, why hast Thou cast us off for ever? 
Why doth Thine anger smoke against the sheep of Thy pasture? 
2 Remember Thy congregation, which Thou hast purchased of old, 
the rod of Thine inheritance, which Thou hast redeemed, this Mount Zion, wherein Thou hast dwelt. 
3 Lift up Thy feet unto the perpetual desolations, 
even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. 
4 Thine enemies roar in the midst of Thy congregations; 
they set up their ensigns for signs. 
5 Once a man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees, 
6 but now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers. 
7 They have cast fire into Thy sanctuary; 
they have defiled by casting down to the ground the dwelling place of Thy name. 
8 They said in their hearts, "Let us destroy them together!" 
They have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. 
9 We see not our signs; there is no more any prophet; 
neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

10 O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? 
Shall the enemy blaspheme Thy name for ever? 
11 Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand, even Thy right hand? 
Pluck it out of Thy bosom! 
12 For God is my King of old, 
working salvation in the midst of the earth. 
13 Thou didst divide the sea by Thy strength; 
Thou breakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. 
14 Thou breakest the heads of Leviathan in pieces, 
and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness. 
15 Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood; 
Thou driedst up mighty rivers. 
16 The day is Thine, the night also is Thine; 
Thou hast prepared the light and the sun. 
17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth; 
Thou hast made summer and winter.

18 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, 
and that the foolish people have blasphemed Thy name. 
19 O deliver not the soul of Thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked; 
forget not the congregation of Thy poor for ever. 
20 Have respect unto the covenant, 
for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. 
21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed; 
let the poor and needy praise Thy name.

22 Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause; 
remember how the foolish man reproacheth Thee daily. 
23 Forget not the voice of Thine enemies; 
the tumult of those that rise up against Thee increaseth continually.

Matthew 23:33-39

33 "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers! How can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets and wise men and scribes, and some of them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city, 35 that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, ye shall not see Me henceforth till ye shall say, `Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!'"

Romans 11:22-36

22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in His goodness. Otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 For I, brethren, would not have you be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits: that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written:

"There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer,
and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
27 For this is My covenant unto them
when I shall take away their sins."

28 Concerning the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake; but concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30 For as in times past ye have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief, 31 even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.

33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!

34 "For who hath known the mind of the Lord?
Or who hath been His counselor?"

35 Or,

"who hath first given to Him,
and it shall be recompensed unto him again?"

36 For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things, to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:10-25

10 "And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities which thou built not, 11 and houses full of all good things which thou filled not, and wells dug which thou dug not, vineyards and olive trees which thou planted not, when thou shalt have eaten and be full, 12 then beware lest thou forget the LORD who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve Him, and shalt swear by His name. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people who are round about you 15 (for the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

16 "Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted Him in Massah. 17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes which He hath commanded thee. 18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, 19 to cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.

20 "And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, `What mean the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments which the LORD our God hath commanded you?' 21 then thou shalt say unto thy son: `We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes; 23 and He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He swore unto our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. 25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He hath commanded us.'

Words of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 4:5-6

The fool foldeth his hands together 
and eateth his own flesh.
Better is a handful with quietness, 
than both the hands full with travail and vexation of the spirit.