Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God Avenges His Own
94 God of vengeance,
Lord God of vengeance,
display your splendor![a]
2 Stand up, judge of the earth,
and repay the proud.
3 How long will the wicked, Lord,
how long will the wicked continue to triumph?
4 When they speak, they spew arrogance.
Everyone who practices iniquity brags about it.[b]
5 Lord, they have crushed your people,
afflicting your heritage.
6 The wicked[c] kill widows and foreigners;
they murder orphans.
7 They say, “The Lord cannot see,
and the God of Jacob will not notice.”
8 Pay attention, you dull ones among the crowds!
You fools! Will you ever become wise?
9 The one who formed[d] the ear can hear, can he not?
The one who made the eyes can see, can he not?
10 The one who disciplines nations can rebuke them, can he not?
The one who teaches mankind can discern, can he not?
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of human beings—
that they are futile.
12 How blessed is the man whom you instruct, Lord,
whom you teach from your Law,
13 keeping him calm when times are troubled
until a pit has been dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage.
15 Righteousness will be restored with justice,
and all the pure of heart will follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will stand for me against those who practice iniquity?
17 If the Lord had not been my helper,
I would have quickly become silent.
18 When I say that my foot is shaking,
your gracious love, Lord, will sustain me.
19 When my anxious inner thoughts become overwhelming,
your comfort encourages me.
20 Will destructive national leaders,[e]
who plan wicked things through misuse of the Law,
be allied with you?
21 They gather together against the righteous,
condemning the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord is my stronghold,
and my God, the rock, is my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their sin;
he will annihilate them because of their evil.
The Lord our God will annihilate them.
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[a] of barley and placed them in a sack[b] on her. Then she left for town.
Naomi’s Response to Ruth
16 When Ruth[c] returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi[d] asked her, “How did it go, my daughter?”
Then she related everything that the man had done for her. 17 Ruth[e] also said, “He gave me these six units[f] of barley and told me, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”[g]
18 Naomi[h] 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[i] and sat down there. Just then, the very same related redeemer whom Boaz had mentioned came by, so Boaz[j] called out to him, “Come over and sit down here, my friend!” So the man came over and sat down.
2 Boaz[k] selected ten of the town elders and spoke to them, “Sit down here.” So they sat down 3 and Boaz[l] 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.[m] 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,[n] I’ll be obtaining[o] Ruth the Moabite woman, the widow of the late heir,[p] so the family name may be continued[q] 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.”[r]
9 A widow may be put on the widows’[a] list if she is at least sixty years old and has been the wife of one husband.[b] 10 She must be well known for her good actions as a woman who has raised children, welcomed strangers, washed the saints’ feet, helped the suffering, and devoted herself to doing good in every way.
11 But do not include younger widows on your list.[c] For whenever their natural desires cause them to lose their devotion to the Messiah,[d] they want to remarry. 12 They receive condemnation because they have set aside their prior commitment to the Messiah.[e] 13 At the same time, they also learn how to be lazy while going from house to house. Not only this, but they even become gossips and keep busy by interfering in other people’s lives, saying things they should not say.
14 Therefore, I want younger widows to remarry, have children, manage their homes, and not give the enemy any chance to ridicule them. 15 For some widows[f] have already turned away to follow Satan. 16 If any woman[g] is a believer and has relatives who are widows, she should help them. The church should not be burdened, so it can help those widows who have no other family members to care for them.[h]
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