M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Boaz Will Redeem Ruth
3 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek [a]security for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Now is not Boaz (A)our [b]kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. 3 Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 It shall be when he lies down, that you shall [c]notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.” 5 She said to her, “(B)All that you say I will do.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 When Boaz had eaten and drunk and (C)his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 It happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and [d]bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a [e]close relative.” 10 Then he said, “(D)May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you [f]ask, for all my people in the [g]city know that you are (E)a woman of excellence. 12 Now it is true I am a [h]close relative; however, there is a [i]relative closer than I. 13 Remain this night, and when morning comes, (F)if he will [j]redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to [k]redeem you, then I will redeem you, (G)as the Lord lives. Lie down until morning.”
14 So she lay at his feet until morning and rose before one could recognize another; and he said, “(H)Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Again he said, “Give me the cloak that is on you and hold it.” So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her. Then [l]she went into the city. 16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “[m]How did it go, my daughter?” And she told her all that the man had done for her. 17 She said, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’” 18 Then she said, “Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter [n]turns out; for the man will not rest until he has [o]settled it today.”
The Marriage of Ruth
4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, (I)the [p]close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, [q]friend, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 He took ten men of the (J)elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the [r]closest relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of land (K)which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 So I thought to [s]inform you, saying, ‘(L)Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if [t]not, tell me that I may know; for (M)there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.’” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order (N)to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.” 6 (O)The [u]closest relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, because I would [v]jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it.”
7 Now this was (P)the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. 8 So the [w]closest relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” And he removed his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. 10 Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so (Q)that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the [x]court of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” 11 All the people who were in the [y]court, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home (R)like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve [z]wealth in Ephrathah and [aa]become famous in Bethlehem. 12 Moreover, may your house be like the house of (S)Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the [ab]offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And (T)the Lord [ac]enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the (U)women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a [ad]redeemer today, and may his name [ae]become famous in Israel. 15 May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you [af](V)and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
The Line of David Began Here
16 Then Naomi took the child [ag]and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: (W)to Perez [ah]was born Hezron, 19 and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, 20 and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, 21 and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, 22 and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.
Safe at Malta
28 When (A)they had been brought safely through, (B)then we found out that (C)the island was called [a]Malta. 2 (D)The [b]natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and (E)received us all. 3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out [c]because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 4 When (F)the [d]natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “(G)Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, [e]justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 However (H)he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 But they were expecting that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and (I)began to say that he was a god.
7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us courteously three days. 8 And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had (J)prayed, he (K)laid his hands on him and healed him. 9 After this had happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and getting cured. 10 They also honored us with many [f]marks of respect; and when we were setting sail, they [g]supplied us with [h]all we needed.
Paul Arrives at Rome
11 At the end of three months we set sail on (L)an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island, and which had [i]the Twin Brothers for its figurehead. 12 After we put in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium, and a day later a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 [j]There we found some (M)brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and thus we came to Rome. 15 And the (N)brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the [k]Market of Appius and [l]Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.
16 When we entered Rome, Paul was (O)allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.
17 After three days [m]Paul called together those who were (P)the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, “(Q)Brethren, (R)though I had done nothing against our people or (S)the customs of our [n]fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 And when they had (T)examined me, they (U)were willing to release me because there was (V)no ground [o]for putting me to death. 19 But when the Jews [p]objected, I was forced to (W)appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I [q]requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing (X)this chain for (Y)the sake of the hope of Israel.” 21 They said to him, “We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of (Z)the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what [r]your views are; for concerning this (AA)sect, it is known to us that (AB)it is spoken against everywhere.”
23 When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at (AC)his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly (AD)testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, (AE)from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. 24 (AF)Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. 25 And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, 26 saying,
‘(AG)Go to this people and say,
“[s](AH)You will keep on hearing, [t]but will not understand;
And [u]you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
27 (AI)For the heart of this people has become dull,
And with their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes;
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.”’
28 Therefore let it be known to you that (AJ)this salvation of God has been sent (AK)to the Gentiles; they will also listen.” 29 [[v]When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.]
30 And he stayed two full years [w]in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, 31 [x](AL)preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ (AM)with all openness, unhindered.
Jeremiah Thrown into the Cistern
38 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the (A)son of Shelemiah, and (B)Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord, ‘He who (C)stays in this city will die by the (D)sword and by famine and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live and have his own (E)life as booty and stay alive.’ 3 Thus says the Lord, ‘This city will certainly be (F)given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.’” 4 Then the (G)officials said to the king, “Now let this man be put to death, inasmuch as he is [a](H)discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and [b]all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man (I)is not seeking the well-being of this people but rather their harm.” 5 So King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your [c]hands; for the king (J)can do nothing against you.” 6 Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the (K)cistern of Malchijah the king’s son, which was in the court of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only (L)mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. 7 But (M)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, [d]a (N)eunuch, while he was in the king’s palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. Now the king was sitting in the (O)Gate of Benjamin; 8 and Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and spoke to the king, saying, 9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the cistern; and he [e]will die right where he is because of the famine, for there is (P)no more bread in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take thirty men from here [f]under your authority and bring up Jeremiah the prophet from the cistern before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-melech took the men under his [g]authority and went into the king’s palace to a place beneath the storeroom and took from there worn-out clothes and worn-out rags and let them down by ropes into the cistern to Jeremiah. 12 Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Now put these worn-out clothes and rags under your armpits under the ropes”; and Jeremiah did so. 13 So they pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, and Jeremiah stayed in the (Q)court of the guardhouse.
14 Then King Zedekiah (R)sent and [h]had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance that is in the house of the Lord; and the king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to (S)ask you something; do not hide anything from me.” 15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “(T)If I tell you, will you not certainly put me to death? Besides, if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 16 But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in (U)secret saying, “As the Lord lives, who made this [i](V)life for us, surely I will not put you to death nor will I give you over to the hand of (W)these men who are seeking your [j]life.”
Interview with Zedekiah
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord (X)God of hosts, the (Y)God of Israel, ‘If you will indeed (Z)go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then [k]you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will [l]survive. 18 But if you will (AA)not go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city (AB)will be given over to the hand of the Chaldeans; and they will burn it with fire, and (AC)you yourself will not escape from their hand.’” 19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I (AD)dread the Jews who have [m](AE)gone over to the Chaldeans, for they may give me over into their hand and they will (AF)abuse me.” 20 But Jeremiah said, “They will not give you over. Please [n](AG)obey the Lord in what I am saying to you, that it may go (AH)well with you and [o](AI)you may live. 21 But if you keep refusing to go out, this is the word which the Lord has shown me: 22 ‘Then behold, all of the (AJ)women who have been left in the palace of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the [p]officers of the king of Babylon; and those women will say,
“[q]Your close friends
Have misled and overpowered you;
While your feet were sunk in the mire,
They turned back.”
23 They will also bring out all your wives and your (AK)sons to the Chaldeans, and (AL)you yourself will not escape from their hand, but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and (AM)this city will be burned with fire.’”
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about these words and you will not die. 25 But if the (AN)officials hear that I have talked with you and come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us now what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us and we will not put you to death,’ 26 then you are to say to them, ‘I was (AO)presenting my petition before the king, not to make me return to the house of Jonathan to die there.’” 27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. So he reported to them in accordance with all these words which the king had commanded; and they ceased speaking with him, since the [r]conversation had not been overheard. 28 So Jeremiah (AP)stayed in the court of the guardhouse until the day that Jerusalem was captured.
The Lord a Refuge and Defense.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
11 In the Lord I (A)take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your (B)mountain;
2 For, behold, the wicked (C)bend the bow,
They [a](D)make ready their arrow upon the string
To (E)shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
3 If the (F)foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”
4 The Lord is in His (G)holy temple; the [b]Lord’s (H)throne is in heaven;
His (I)eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The Lord (J)tests the righteous and (K)the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will (L)rain [c]snares;
(M)Fire and brimstone and (N)burning wind will be the portion of (O)their cup.
7 For the Lord is (P)righteous, (Q)He loves [d]righteousness;
The upright will (R)behold His face.
God, a Helper against the Treacherous.
For the choir director; [e]upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.
12 Help, Lord, for (S)the godly man ceases to be,
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
2 They (T)speak [f]falsehood to one another;
With (U)flattering [g]lips and with a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that (V)speaks great things;
4 Who (W)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are [h]our own; who is lord over us?”
5 “Because of the (X)devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now (Y)I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will (Z)set him in the safety for which he longs.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.