Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 94
The Lord Rules the Wicked
A Call for Vengeance
1 O Lord, God of vengeance,
God of vengeance, shine forth.
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth.
Repay the proud with what they deserve.
3 How long will the wicked, O Lord,
how long will the wicked celebrate?
The Deeds of the Wicked
4 They gush. They speak arrogantly.
All the evildoers brag about themselves.
5 They crush your people, O Lord.
They oppress the people that belong to you.
6 They kill the widow and the alien.
They murder the fatherless.
7 Then they say, “The Lord[a] does not see.
The God of Jacob does not understand.”
8 Understand, you brutes among the people.
You fools, when will you become wise?
Relief for the Righteous
9 The one who planted the ear—will he not hear?
The one who formed the eye—will he not observe?
10 The one who disciplines nations—will he not rebuke them?
He is the one who teaches mankind knowledge.
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of mankind.
He knows that they are just vapor.
12 How blessed is the person whom you discipline, O Lord,
whom you teach from your law.
13 You grant him rest in days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not desert his people,
and he will never forsake those who are his own.
15 Then judgment will again be based on righteousness,
and all the upright in heart will pursue it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the Lord had been my helper,
my soul would soon have dwelt in silence.
18 When I said, “My foot has slipped,”
your mercy, Lord, upheld me.
19 When my worries within me were many,
your comfort brought joy to my soul.
20 Can a destructive throne be allied with you,
one that creates injustice by its decrees?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous,
and they condemn innocent blood.
22 But the Lord has become my fortress,
and my God is the rock where I take refuge.
23 Then he will repay them for their iniquity,
and he will destroy them for their wickedness.
The Lord our God will destroy them.
Ruth and Naomi Come to Bethlehem
1 During the days of the judges,[a] a famine occurred in the land. So a man left Bethlehem in Judah to stay awhile[b] in the territory[c] of Moab—he, his wife, and his two sons. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were from the clan of Ephrath from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the territory of Moab and remained there.
3 But Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, so she was left with her two sons. 4 They then married Moabite wives. The name of the first was Orpah, and the name of the second was Ruth. They lived there for about ten years. 5 But Naomi’s sons, Mahlon and Kilion, also died. So the woman was left without her two children and without her husband.
6 Then Naomi set out with her daughters-in-law to return from the territory of Moab, because while she was in the territory of Moab, she had heard that the Lord had graciously visited[d] his people by providing them with food. 7 So she left the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law left with her. They set out on the road to return to the land of Judah.
8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back. Both of you return to your mother’s house. May the Lord show you kindness[e] as you have shown kindness to the dead and to me. 9 May the Lord grant that each of you finds security[f] in the house of a husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept loudly.
10 But they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.”
11 Then Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Am I going to give birth to any more sons[g] who could become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters. Go! For I am too old to be married to another husband. Suppose I say, ‘I have hope, and I will be married to another husband tonight, and I will even give birth to sons.’ 13 Would you wait for them until they grow up? On the basis of that hope would you give up the chance to marry another husband? No, my daughters. It is much more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has reached out against me.”
14 They once again wept loudly. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth would not let her go.
15 Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods. Go back! Follow your sister-in-law.”
16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to abandon you or to turn back from following you. Because wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you make your home, I will make my home. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely and double it[h] if anything but death[i] separates me from you.”
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
19 Then the two of them traveled until they arrived at Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town became excited over them. The women said, “Is this Naomi?”
20 But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi. Call me Mara,[j] because the Almighty has made me very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord brought me back empty. Why should you call me Naomi? For the Lord has testified against me,[k] and the Almighty has treated me badly.”
22 So Naomi returned with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the territory of Moab. When they entered Bethlehem, it was the beginning of the barley harvest.[l]
Attitude Toward Various Age Groups
5 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but encourage him as a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity.
Taking Care of Widows
3 Honor widows who are truly widows. 4 But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to be devoted to their own household and repay their parents,[a] for this is pleasing in the sight of God. 5 Now the widow who is without relatives has put her hope in God and continues in her petitions and prayers night and day. 6 But the widow who lives only for her own pleasure is dead, even while she lives. 7 Insist on these things also, in order that they may be above criticism. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his own family, and especially for his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.