Psalm 94

New International Version

Psalm 94

¹The Lord is a God who avenges.^(A)
    O God who avenges, shine forth.^(B)
²Rise up,^(C) Judge^(D) of the earth;
    pay back^(E) to the proud what they deserve.
³How long, Lord, will the wicked,
    how long will the wicked be jubilant?^(F)

⁴They pour out arrogant^(G) words;
    all the evildoers are full of boasting.^(H)
⁵They crush your people,^(I) Lord;
    they oppress your inheritance.^(J)
⁶They slay the widow^(K) and the foreigner;
    they murder the fatherless.^(L)
⁷They say, “The Lord does not see;^(M)
    the God of Jacob^(N) takes no notice.”

⁸Take notice, you senseless ones^(O) among the people;
    you fools, when will you become wise?
⁹Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
    Does he who formed the eye not see?^(P)
¹⁰Does he who disciplines^(Q) nations not punish?
    Does he who teaches^(R) mankind lack knowledge?
¹¹The Lord knows all human plans;^(S)
    he knows that they are futile.^(T)

¹²Blessed is the one you discipline,^(U) Lord,
    the one you teach^(V) from your law;
¹³you grant them relief from days of trouble,^(W)
    till a pit^(X) is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴For the Lord will not reject his people;^(Y)
    he will never forsake his inheritance.
¹⁵Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,^(Z)
    and all the upright in heart^(AA) will follow it.

¹⁶Who will rise up^(AB) for me against the wicked?
    Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?^(AC)
¹⁷Unless the Lord had given me help,^(AD)
    I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.^(AE)
¹⁸When I said, “My foot is slipping,^(AF)”
    your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
¹⁹When anxiety^(AG) was great within me,
    your consolation^(AH) brought me joy.

²⁰Can a corrupt throne^(AI) be allied with you—
    a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?^(AJ)
²¹The wicked band together^(AK) against the righteous
    and condemn the innocent^(AL) to death.^(AM)
²²But the Lord has become my fortress,
    and my God the rock^(AN) in whom I take refuge.^(AO)
²³He will repay^(AP) them for their sins
    and destroy^(AQ) them for their wickedness;
    the Lord our God will destroy them.

Ruth 1

New International Version

Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons

1 In the days when the judges ruled,^[a]^(A) there was a famine in the land.^(B) So a man from Bethlehem in Judah,^(C) together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while^(D) in the country of Moab.^(E) ²The man’s name was Elimelek,^(F) his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion.^(G) They were Ephrathites^(H) from Bethlehem,^(I) Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

³Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. ⁴They married Moabite women,^(J) one named Orpah and the other Ruth.^(K) After they had lived there about ten years, ⁵both Mahlon and Kilion^(L) also died,^(M) and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem

⁶When Naomi heard in Moab^(N) that the Lord had come to the aid of his people^(O) by providing food^(P) for them, she and her daughters-in-law^(Q) prepared to return home from there. ⁷With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

⁸Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home.^(R) May the Lord show you kindness,^(S) as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands^(T) and to me. ⁹May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest^(U) in the home of another husband.”

Then she kissed^(V) them goodbye and they wept aloud^(W) ¹⁰and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”

¹¹But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?^(X) ¹²Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— ¹³would you wait until they grew up?^(Y) Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter^(Z) for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!^(AA)”

¹⁴At this they wept^(AB) aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law^(AC) goodbye,^(AD) but Ruth clung to her.^(AE)

¹⁵“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law^(AF) is going back to her people and her gods.^(AG) Go back with her.”

¹⁶But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you^(AH) or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go,^(AI) and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people^(AJ) and your God my God.^(AK) ¹⁷Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely,^(AL) if even death separates you and me.”^(AM) ¹⁸When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.^(AN)

¹⁹So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem.^(AO) When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred^(AP) because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

²⁰“Don’t call me Naomi,^[b]” she told them. “Call me Mara,^[c] because the Almighty^[d]^(AQ) has made my life very bitter.^(AR) ²¹I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.^(AS) Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted^[e] me;^(AT) the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

²²So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite,^(AU) her daughter-in-law,^(AV) arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest^(AW) was beginning.^(AX)

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Footnotes

Ruth 1:1 Traditionally judged
Ruth 1:20 Naomi means pleasant.
Ruth 1:20 Mara means bitter.
Ruth 1:20 Hebrew Shaddai; also in verse 21
Ruth 1:21 Or has testified against

1 Timothy 5:1-8

New International Version

Widows, Elders and Slaves

5 Do not rebuke an older man^(A) harshly,^(B) but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men^(C) as brothers, ²older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

³Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.^(D) ⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents,^(E) for this is pleasing to God.^(F) ⁵The widow who is really in need^(G) and left all alone puts her hope in God^(H) and continues night and day to pray^(I) and to ask God for help. ⁶But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.^(J) ⁷Give the people these instructions,^(K) so that no one may be open to blame. ⁸Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied^(L) the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.