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

May 5

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

The Lectionary According to the Common Calendar

Psalm 109:1-20

1 Hold not thy peace, 
O God of my praise. 
2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me; 
they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. 
3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred, 
and fought against me without a cause. 
4 For my love they are my adversaries, 
but I give myself unto prayer. 
5 They have rewarded me evil for good, 
and hatred for my love.

6 Set Thou a wicked man over him, 
and let Satan stand at his right hand. 
7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned, 
and let his prayer be counted as sin. 
8 Let his days be few, and let another take his office. 
9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. 
10 Let his children be continually vagabonds and beg; 
let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. 
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath, 
and let the strangers despoil his labor. 
12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him, 
neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children. 
13 Let his posterity be cut off, 
and in the generation to follow let their name be blotted out. 
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the LORD, 
and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. 
15 Let them be before the LORD continually, 
that He may cut off the memory of them from the earth; 
16 because he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, 
that he might even slay the broken in heart. 
17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him; 
as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. 
18 As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, 
so let it come into his bowels like water and like oil into his bones. 
19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, 
and as a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. 
20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD 
and of them that speak evil against my soul.

Mark 6:45-52

45 And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the boat, and go to the other side before Him unto Bethsaida, while He sent away the people. 46 And when He had sent them away, He departed onto a mountain to pray.

47 And when evening had come, the boat was in the midst of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 And He saw them toiling in rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them. And about the fourth watch of the night, He came unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 49 But when they saw Him walking upon the sea, they supposed it was a spirit and cried out, 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. And immediately He talked with them, and said unto them,

"Be of good cheer! It is I; be not afraid."

51 And He went up unto them and into the boat, and the wind ceased. And they were sore amazed within themselves beyond measure and wondered, 52 for they had considered not the miracle of the loaves, as their hearts were hardened.

1 Corinthians 16:13-24 

13 Watch ye; stand fast in the faith; acquit yourselves like men; be strong. 14 Let all your things be done with charity. 

15 I beseech you, brethren (ye know the household of Stephanas and that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints), 16 that ye submit yourselves unto such and to everyone that helpeth with us and laboreth. 17 I am glad about the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. 18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours; therefore acknowledge ye those who are such. 

19 The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. 20 All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with a holy kiss. 

21 The salutation of me, Paul, with mine own hand. 

22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. Maranatha! 

23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 

24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

1 Samuel 15:1-23

1 Samuel also said unto Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. 2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts: `I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he lay in wait for him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.'" 

4 And Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley. 6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, "Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, which is over against Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep and of the oxen, and of the fatlings and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 11 "I repent that I have set up Saul to be king, for he has turned back from following Me and hath not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried unto the LORD all night. 12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set him up a place, and has gone about and passed on and gone down to Gilgal." 13 And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said unto him, "Blessed be thou of the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD." 14 And Samuel said, "What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" 15 And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed." 16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, "Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night." And he said unto him, "Say on."

17 And Samuel said, "When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey and said, `Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.' 19 Why then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst leap upon the spoil and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?" 20 And Saul said unto Samuel, "Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal." 22 And Samuel said, "Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king."

Words of Wisdom - Ecclesiasticus 13:26

A cheerful countenance is a token of a heart that is in prosperity, 
and the finding out of parables is a wearisome labor of the mind.