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

March 31

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

The Lectionary According to the Common Calendar

Psalm 80

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;
Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
stir up Thy strength, and come and save us.

3 Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine,
and we shall be saved.

4 O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt Thou be angry against the prayer of Thy people?
5 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
6 Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbors,
and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine,
and we shall be saved.

8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt;
Thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9 Thou preparedst room for it, and didst cause it to take deep root,
and it filled the land.
10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it,
and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
11 She sent out her boughs unto the sea,
and her branches unto the river.

12 Why hast Thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they that pass by the way do pluck her?
13 The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
14 Return, we beseech Thee, O God of hosts; look down from heaven,
and behold and visit this vine,
15 and the vineyard which Thy right hand hath planted,
and the branch that Thou madest strong for Thyself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
they perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance.
17 Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand,
upon the son of man whom Thou madest strong for Thyself.
18 So will we not go back from Thee;
quicken us, and we will call upon Thy name.
19 Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts;
cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved!

Matthew 26:14-30

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests 15 and said unto them, "What will ye give me if I will deliver Him unto you?" And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

17 Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto Him, "Where wilt Thou that we prepare for Thee to eat the Passover?" 18 And He said,

"Go into the city to a certain man and say unto him, `The Master saith, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with My disciples."'"

19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them, and they made ready the Passover.

20 Now when the evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they ate, He said,

"Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me."

22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him, "Lord, is it I?" 23 And He answered and said,

"He that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, the same shall betray Me. 24 The Son of Man goeth as it is written of Him, but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born."

25 Then Judas, who betrayed Him, answered and said, "Master, is it I?" He said unto him,

"Thou hast said."

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said,

"Take, eat; this is My body."

27 And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,

"Drink ye all of it; 28 for this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom."

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the Mount of Olives.

Romans 16:1-20

1 I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea, 2 that ye receive her in the Lord as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you. For she hath been a succorer of many, and of myself also.

3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, 4 who have for my life laid down their own necks, unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ. 6 Greet Mary, who bestowed much labor on us. 7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles and who also were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Salute Urbanus, our helper in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Salute Apelles, approved in Christ. Salute those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Salute Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. 12 Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord. 13 Salute Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 14 Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brethren who are with them. 15 Salute Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Salute one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.

17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them. 18 For such as they serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For your obedience has become known abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf; but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Deuteronomy 28:15-35

15 "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee:

16 "Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be thy basket and thy stores. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy cattle, and the flocks of thy sheep. 19 Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

20 "The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke in all that thou settest thine hand unto to do until thou be destroyed and until thou perish quickly, because of the wickedness of thy doings whereby thou hast forsaken Me. 21 The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee until He have consumed thee from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. 22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blight, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. 23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. 24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust; from heaven shall it come down upon thee until thou be destroyed.

25 "The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies; thou shalt go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them, and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 And thy carcass shall be meat unto all fowls of the air and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall frighten them away. 27 The LORD will smite thee with the boils of Egypt, and with the hemorrhoids, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. 28 The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart; 29 and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways.

"And thou shalt be only oppressed and despoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. 30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her. Thou shalt build a house, and thou shalt not dwell therein. Thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. 31 Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof. Thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee. Thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them. 32 Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look and fail with longing for them all the day long; and there shall be no might in thine hand. 33 The fruit of thy land and all thy labors shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed always, 34 so that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 35 The LORD shall smite thee in the knees and in the legs with a sore boil that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

Words of Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 4:13

Better is a poor and wise child, than an old and foolish king who will no more be admonished. For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.