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

March 3

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

The Lectionary According to the Common Calendar

Psalm 57

1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in Thee.
Yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge until these calamities pass by.

2 I will cry unto God Most High,
unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He shall send from heaven and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up;
God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.

4 My soul is among lions, and I lie even among them that are set on fire,
even the sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

5 Be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Thy glory be above all the earth.

6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down.
They have dug a pit before me, into the midst whereof they themselves are fallen.

7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed;
I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake, my glory! Awake, psaltery and harp!
I myself will awaken early.
9 I will praise Thee, O Lord, among the people;
I will sing unto Thee among the nations.
10 For Thy mercy is great unto the heavens,
and Thy truth unto the clouds.

11 Be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Thy glory be above all the earth.

Matthew 19:1-15

1 And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these sayings, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.
3 The Pharisees also came unto Him, testing Him and saying unto Him, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?" 4 And He answered and said unto them,

"Have ye not read, that He that made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, `For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh'? 6 Therefore they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."

7 They said unto Him, "Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away?" 8 He said unto them,

"Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her who is put away doth commit adultery."

10 His disciples said unto Him, "If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry." 11 But He said unto them,

"All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12 For there are some eunuchs who were so born from their mother's womb, and there are some eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."

13 Then were there brought unto Him little children, that He should put His hands on them and pray. And the disciples rebuked them, 14 but Jesus said,

"Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto Me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven."

15 And He laid His hands on them and departed thence.

Romans 2:17-29

17 Behold, thou art called a Jew and rest in the law and make thy boast of God, 18 and knowest His will and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed from the law, 19 and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth. 21 Thou therefore who teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? 23 Thou that makest thy boast in the law, dost thou dishonor God through breaking the law? 24 For, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you," as it is written.

25 For circumcision verily profiteth if thou keep the law; but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if the Uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27 And shall not uncircumcision, which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who having the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and whose circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter, and whose praise is not from men, but from God.

Leviticus 19:26-37

26 "`Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood; neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe omens. 27 Ye shall not round off the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. 28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

29 "`Do not prostitute thy daughter to cause her to be a whore, lest the land fall to whoredom and the land become full of wickedness. 30 Ye shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD.

31 "`Regard not those who have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

32 "`Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

33 "`And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. 34 But the stranger who dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself, for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

35 "`Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measuring length, weight, or number. 36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 Therefore shall ye observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.'"1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

Words of Wisdom - Ecclesiasticus 7:15

Hate not laborious work, neither husbandry, 
which the Most High hath ordained.