M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Naomi Offers to Find a Husband for Ruth
3 Ruth’s[a] mother-in-law Naomi, told her, “My daughter, should I not make inquiries about your financial security,[b] so you’ll be better off in life?[c] 2 Isn’t Boaz one of our close relatives? You’ve been associating with his women servants lately. Look, he’ll be winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight. 3 So get cleaned up, put on some perfume, dress up, and go to the threshing floor, but don’t let him see you[d] until after he’s finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, be sure to notice where he is resting. Then go over, uncover his feet, and lie down. He’ll tell you what to do.”
5 Ruth replied, “I’ll do everything you’ve said.” 6 So she went out to the threshing floor and did precisely what her mother-in-law had advised.
Ruth’s Meeting with Boaz
7 After Boaz had finished eating and drinking to his heart’s content, he went over and lay down next to the pile of threshed grain. Ruth[e] came in quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 In the middle of the night, Boaz[f] was startled awake and turned over in surprise to see a woman lying at his feet.
9 He asked her, “Who are you?”
She answered, “I’m only Ruth, your servant. Spread the edge[g] of your garment over your servant, because you are my related redeemer.”
10 He replied, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You’ve added to the gracious love you’ve already demonstrated[h] by not pursuing younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 Don’t be afraid, my daughter. I’ll do for you everything that you have asked, since all of my people in town are aware that you’re a virtuous[i] woman. 12 It’s true that I’m your related redeemer, but there is another related redeemer even closer than I. 13 Stay the night, and if he fulfills his duty as your related redeemer in the morning, that will be acceptable. But if he isn’t inclined to do so,[j] then, as the Lord lives, I will act as your related redeemer myself. So lie down until morning.”
14 So she lay down at his feet until dawn approached, then got up while it was still difficult for anyone to be recognized. Then he told her, “It shouldn’t be known that a woman has come to the threshing floor.” 15 So he said, “Take your cloak and hold it out.” She did so, and he measured out six units[k] of barley and placed them in a sack[l] on her. Then she left for town.
Naomi’s Response to Ruth
16 When Ruth[m] returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi[n] asked her, “How did it go, my daughter?”
Then she related everything that the man had done for her. 17 Ruth[o] also said, “He gave me these six units[p] of barley and told me, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”[q]
18 Naomi[r] replied, “Be patient, my daughter, until you learn how this works out, because the man won’t rest until he finishes everything today.”
Boaz Acts to Fulfill His Responsibilities
4 Meanwhile, Boaz approached the city gate[s] and sat down there. Just then, the very same related redeemer whom Boaz had mentioned came by, so Boaz[t] called out to him, “Come over and sit down here, my friend!” So the man came over and sat down.
2 Boaz[u] selected ten of the town elders and spoke to them, “Sit down here.” So they sat down 3 and Boaz[v] addressed the related redeemer directly: “A portion of a field belonging to our relative Elimelech is up for sale by Naomi, who recently returned from the country of Moab. 4 So I thought to myself I ought to tell you that you must make a public purchase of this before the town residents and the elders of my people. So if you intend to act as the related redeemer, then do so.[w] But if not, let me know, because except for you—and I after you—there is no one to fulfill the duties of a related redeemer.”
The man responded, “I will act as related redeemer.”
A Complication Arises and is Resolved
5 Boaz continued, “On the very day you obtain the field from Naomi,[x] I’ll be obtaining[y] Ruth the Moabite woman, the widow of the late heir,[z] so the family name may be continued[aa] as an inheritance.”
6 At this, the nearer related redeemer replied, “Then I am unable to act as related redeemer, because that would complicate my own inheritance. You act instead as the related redeemer, because I cannot do so.”[ab]
7 During Israel’s earlier history,[ac] all things concerning redeeming or changing inheritances were confirmed by a man taking off his sandal and giving it to the other party,[ad] thereby creating a public[ae] record in Israel. 8 So when the nearer related redeemer told Boaz, “Make the purchase yourself,” he then took off his sandal.
Boaz’s Public Commitment
9 At this, Boaz addressed the elders and all of the people: “You all are witnesses today that I hereby redeem everything from Naomi that belonged to Elimelech, including what belonged to Chilion and Mahlon, 10 along with Mahlon’s wife Ruth the Moabite woman. I will marry her to continue the family name as an inheritance, so that the name of the deceased does not disappear from among his relatives, nor from the public record.[af] You are all witnesses today!”
11 Then all of the assembled people,[ag] including the elders who were there, said, “We are witnesses! May the Lord make this woman who enters your house like Rachel and Leah, who together established the house of Israel. May you prosper in Ephrathah, and may you excel in Bethlehem! 12 Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore for Judah, from the offspring that the Lord gives you from this young woman.”
The Marriage of Boaz and Ruth
13 So Boaz took Ruth to be his wife, and when he had marital relations with her, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women of Bethlehem[ah] told Naomi, “May the Lord be blessed,[ai] who has not left you today without a related redeemer. May his name become famous throughout Israel! 15 And he will restore your life for you and will support you in your old age, because your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who has borne him, is better for you than seven sons!”
16 Naomi took care of the child, taking him to her breast and becoming his nurse. 17 So her women neighbors gave the child a nickname, which is “Naomi has a son!” They named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.
The Ancestry of David
18 This is the genealogy of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, and Ram fathered Amminadab. 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon. 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, and Boaz fathered Obed. 22 Then Obed fathered Jesse, who fathered David.
Paul on the Island of Malta
28 When we were safely on shore, we learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The people who lived there were unusually kind to us. It had started to rain and was cold, so they started a bonfire and invited us to join them[a] around it. 3 Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and put it on the fire. A poisonous snake was forced out by the heat and attached itself to Paul’s[b] hand. 4 When the people who lived there saw the snake hanging from his hand, they told one another, “This man must be a murderer! He may have escaped from the sea, but Justice[c] won’t let him live.” 5 But he shook the snake into the fire and wasn’t harmed. 6 They were expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
7 The governor of the island, whose name was Publius, owned estates in that part of the island. He welcomed us and entertained us with great hospitality for three days. 8 The father of Publius happened to be sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, prayed, and healed him by placing his hands on him. 9 After that had happened, the rest of the sick people on the island went to him and were healed. 10 The islanders[d] honored us in many ways, and when we were about to sail again,[e] they supplied us with everything we needed.
Paul Sails from Malta to Rome
11 Three months later, we continued our sailing onboard an Alexandrian ship that had spent the winter at the island. It had the Twin Brothers[f] as its figurehead. 12 We stopped at Syracuse and stayed there for three days. 13 Then we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. A day later, a south wind began to blow, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. After this, we arrived in Rome. 15 The brothers there heard about us and came as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and felt encouraged. 16 When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with the soldier who was guarding him.
Paul in Rome
17 Three days later, Paul[g] called the leaders of the Jews together. When they assembled, he told them, “Brothers, although I haven’t done anything against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to let me go because there was no reason for me to receive[h] the death penalty in my case. 19 But the Jews objected and forced me to appeal to the emperor, even though I have no countercharge to bring against my own people. 20 That’s why I asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.”
21 The Jewish leaders[i] told him, “We haven’t received any letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or mentioned anything bad about you. 22 However, we’d like to hear from you what you believe, because people are talking against this sect everywhere.” 23 So they set a day to meet with Paul[j] and came out in large numbers to see him where he was staying.
From morning until evening, he continued to explain the kingdom of God to them, trying to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 24 Some of them were convinced by what he said, but others wouldn’t believe. 25 They disagreed with one another as they were leaving, so Paul added this statement: “The Holy Spirit was so right when he spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah! 26 He said,
‘Go to this people and say,
“You will listen and listen
but never understand,
and you will look and look
but never see!
27 For this people’s minds[k] have become stupid,
and their ears can barely hear,
and they have shut their eyes
so that they may never see with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart
and turn and let me heal them.”’[l]
28 You must understand that this message about[m] God’s salvation has been sent to the gentiles, and they will listen.”[n]
30 For two whole years Paul[o] lived in his own rented place and welcomed everyone who came to him. 31 He continued to preach about the kingdom of God and to teach boldly and freely about the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.[p]
Jeremiah is Arrested and Imprisoned
38 Mattan’s son Shephatiah, Pashhur’s son Gedaliah, Shelemiah’s son Jucal, and Malchijah’s son Pashhur heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people: 2 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by the plague, but the one who goes over to the Chaldeans will live. His life will be spared,[a] and he will live.’ 3 This is what the Lord says: ‘This city will surely be given to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.’”
4 Then the officials told the king, “Let this man be put to death because he’s undermining the efforts[b] of the soldiers who remain in this city and that of all the people by speaking words like these to them. Indeed, this man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but rather their harm.”
5 King Zedekiah said, “Look, he’s in your hands, and the king can do nothing to you.” 6 So they threw Jeremiah into a cistern that belonged to the king’s son Malchijah and was located in the courtyard of the guard. When they let Jeremiah down with ropes, because there was no water in the cistern—only mud—Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Jeremiah Rescued from the Cistern
7 Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch[c] in the king’s house, heard that Jeremiah had been put in the cistern. The king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate, 8 so Ebed-melech went out of the palace and spoke to the king: 9 “Your majesty,[d] these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into the cistern. He will die where he is because of the famine since there is no more bread in the city.”
10 Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Ethiopian:[e] “Thirty men are at your disposal. Take them with you and bring up Jeremiah the prophet from the cistern before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the palace, underneath the storeroom. He took worn out rags and worn out clothes from there, and using ropes he lowered them down to Jeremiah in the cistern.
12 Ebed-melech the Ethiopian told Jeremiah, “Put the worn out rags and clothes under your armpits under the ropes,” and Jeremiah did as he said.[f] 13 They pulled Jeremiah with the ropes and brought him up from the cistern, but Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
Zedekiah Again Seeks Advice from Jeremiah
14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to him[g] at the third entrance to the Lord’s Temple. The king told Jeremiah, “I’m going to ask you something, and don’t hide anything from me.”
15 Jeremiah told Zedekiah, “When I tell you, you will surely put me to death, won’t you? And when I give you advice, you don’t listen to me.”
16 Then King Zedekiah, in secret, swore an oath to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who gave us this life to live, I won’t have you put to death, nor will I hand you over to these men who are seeking to kill you.”
17 So Jeremiah told Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you will immediately surrender[h] to the officers[i] of the king of Babylon, then you will live, and this city won’t be burned with fire. Both you and your family will live. 18 But if you don’t surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given to the Chaldeans, and they’ll burn it with fire. You won’t escape from their hands.’”
19 Then King Zedekiah told Jeremiah, “I’m afraid of the Judeans who have gone over to the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans[j] may turn me over to them,[k] and they may treat me harshly.”
20 Jeremiah said, “They won’t turn you over. Obey the Lord in what I’m telling you, and it will go well for you and you will live. 21 But if you refuse to surrender,[l] this is what the Lord has shown me: 22 Look, all the women who are left in the house of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon, and will say,
‘These friends of yours have mislead you
and overcome you.
Your feet have sunk down into the mire,
but they have turned away.’
23 “They’ll bring all your women and children out to the Chaldeans, and you won’t escape from their hand. Indeed, you will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned with fire.”
24 Then Zedekiah told Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about these words and you won’t die. 25 If the officials hear that I’ve spoken with you, and they come to you and say,[m] ‘Tell us what you told the king, and what the king told you; don’t hide it from us, and we won’t put you to death,’ 26 then you are to say to them, ‘I was presenting my request to the king that I not be taken back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”
27 When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he replied to them exactly as the king had ordered him.[n] So they stopped speaking with him because the conversation had not been overheard. 28 Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
To the Director: A Davidic Song.[a]
Confident Trust in God
11 I take refuge in the Lord.
So how can you say to me,
“Flee like a bird to the mountains.”?
2 Look, the wicked have bent their bow
and placed their arrow[b] on the string,[c]
to shoot from the darkness[d] at the upright in heart.
3 When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?
4 The Lord is in his holy Temple;
the Lord’s throne is in the heavens.
His eyes see,
his glance[e] examines humanity.[f]
5 The Lord examines the righteous,
but the wicked and those who love violence, he hates.
6 He rains on the wicked burning coals and sulfur;
a scorching wind is their destiny.[g]
7 Indeed, the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteousness;
the upright will see him face-to-face.
To the Director: On an eight stringed harp.[h] A Davidic Psalm.
Human and Divine Words Contrasted
12 Help, Lord, for godly people no longer exist;
trustworthy people have disappeared from humanity.[i]
2 Everyone speaks lies to his neighbor;
they speak with flattering lips and hidden motives.[j]
3 The Lord will cut off all slippery lips,
and the tongue that boasts great things,
4 those who say,
“By our tongues we will prevail;
our lips belong to us.
Who is master[k] over us?”
5 “Because the poor are being oppressed,
because the needy are sighing,
I will now arise,” says the Lord,
“I will establish in safety those who yearn for it.”
6 The words of the Lord are pure,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times over.
7 You, Lord, will keep them[l] safe,
you will guard them[m] from this generation forever.
8 The wicked, however,[n] keep walking around,
exalting the vileness of human beings.[o]
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