Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Prayer for Retribution against Oppressors

⁷ (Now this was the custom in former times^[a] in Israel concerning the kinsman-redemption and transfer of property: to confirm the matter, a man removed his sandal and gave it to his fellow countryman. This was the manner of attesting in Israel.) ⁸ So the redeemer said to Boaz, “Acquire it for yourself,” and he removed his sandal. ⁹ And Boaz said to the elders and all of the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired all that was for Elimelech and that was for Kilion and Mahlon from the hand of Naomi. ¹⁰ And also Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, I have acquired as a wife, to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance, so that the name of the dead may not be cut off from his relatives and from the gate of his birth place. You are witnesses today.” ¹¹ And all of the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh make the woman coming into your house as Rachel and as Leah, who together^[b] built the house of Israel. May you have strength in Ephrathah and bestow a name in Bethlehem. ¹² And may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah from the offspring that Yahweh will give to you from this young woman.”

The Lineage of King David

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and Yahweh enabled her to conceive,^[c] and she bore a son. ¹⁴ And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be Yahweh who today did not leave you without a redeemer!^[d] And may his name be renowned in Israel! ¹⁵ He shall be for you a restorer of life and a sustainer in your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better for you than seven sons, has borne him.” ¹⁶ And Naomi took the child and she put him on her bosom and became his nurse. ¹⁷ And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁸ Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, ¹⁹ and Hezron fathered Ram, and Ram fathered Amminadab, ²⁰ and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon, ²¹ and Salmon fathered Boaz, and Boaz fathered Obed, ²² and Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

Rejected at Nazareth

¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up,^[a] and according to his custom^[b] he entered into the synagogue on the day of the Sabbath and stood up to read. ¹⁷ And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll he found the place where it was written,

²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll and^[d] gave it^[e] back to the attendant and^[f] sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were looking intently at him. ²¹ And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ²² And they were all speaking well of him, and were astonished at the gracious words that were coming out of his mouth. And they were saying, “Is this man not the son of Joseph?” ²³ And he said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this parable: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ Whatever we have heard that took place in Capernaum, do here in your hometown also!” ²⁴ And he said, “Truly I say to you that no prophet is acceptable in his own hometown. ²⁵ But in truth I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three years and six months while a great famine took place over all the land. ²⁶ And Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷ And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was made clean except Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸ And all those in the synagogue were filled with anger when they^[g] heard these things. ²⁹ And they stood up and^[h] forced him out of the town and brought him up to the edge of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. ³⁰ But he passed through their midst and^[i] went on his way.