¹⁴ The women^(A) said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord,^(B) who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer.^(C) May he become famous throughout Israel!

⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Psalm 34^[a][b]

Of David. When he pretended to be insane^(A) before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³ We ought always to thank God for you,^(A) brothers and sisters,^[a] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.^(B)

¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances;^(A) for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.^(A)

¹⁷ Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[b]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.^{(J) 19} Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[c] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce^(K) her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel^(L) of the Lord appeared to him in a dream^(M) and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.