Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Inheritance of the Kedoshim
Psalm 37
1 Of David.
Do not fret because of evildoers,
nor be envious of them who do wrong.
2 For like the grass they soon wither
and fade like a green herb.
3 Trust in Adonai and do good.
Dwell in the land, feed on faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in Adonai,
and He will give you the requests of your heart.
5 Commit your way to Adonai.
Trust in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring out your vindication as light,
and your cause will shine as noonday.
7 Be still before Adonai and wait patiently for Him.
Do not fret over one prospering in his way,
over one carrying out wicked schemes.
8 Put away anger and turn from wrath.
Do not fret—it only leads to doing evil.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
but those who wait for Adonai—
they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while,
and the wicked will be no more.
Yes, you will look at his place,
but he will not be there.
11 But the meek will inherit the land,
and delight in abundant shalom.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him—
for He sees his day is coming.
14 The wicked have unsheathed their sword and have bent their bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose conduct is upright.
15 Their sword will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 Better a little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
while Adonai upholds the righteous.
Elimelech’s Family in Moab
1 It came to pass in the days when judges were governing, there was a famine in the land. A man went from the town of Bethlehem[a] in Judah to dwell in the region of Moab with his wife and his two sons. 2 The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi, and his two sons were named Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephratites from Bethlehem in Judah. They came to the region of Moab and remained there.
3 Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, so she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women—one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth, and they dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then those two, Mahlon and Chilion, also died. So the woman was left without her children and her husband.
6 Then she got up, along with her daughters-in-law to return from the region of Moab, because in the region of Moab she had heard that Adonai had taken note of His people and given them food. 7 So she left the place where she was, along with her two daughters-in-law, and they started out on the road to return to the land of Judah.
8 So Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to your mother’s house. May Adonai show you the same kindness that you have shown to the dead and to me. 9 May Adonai grant that you find rest, each of you in the house of her own husband.” Then she kissed them and they wept loudly.
10 “No!” they said to her, “we will return with you to your people.”
11 Now Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters! Why should you go with me? Do I have more sons in my womb who could become your husbands? 12 Go home, my daughters! I am too old to have a husband. Even if I were to say that there was hope for me and I could get married tonight, and then bore sons, 13 would you wait for them to grow up? Would you therefore hold off getting married? No, my daughters, it is more bitter for me than for you—for the hand of Adonai has gone out against me!”
14 Again they broke into loud weeping. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye. But Ruth clung to her. 15 She said, “Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Return, along with your sister-in-law!”
Ruth’s Covenant With Naomi
16 Ruth replied,
“Do not plead with me to abandon you,
to turn back from following you.
For where you go, I will go,
and where you stay, I will stay.
Your people will be my people,
and your God my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
and there I will be buried.
May Adonai deal with me, and worse,
if anything but death comes between me and you!”
18 When she saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she no longer spoke to Ruth about it.
Greetings to a House Group
1 Paul, a prisoner of Messiah Yeshua, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow worker.
2 To Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the community that meets in your house:
3 Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Messiah Yeshua!
Thanks for Love and Comfort
4 I thank my God always when mentioning you in my prayers, 5 hearing of your love and the trust you have toward the Lord Yeshua and all the kedoshim. 6 May the fellowship of your faith become effective, with the recognition of all the good that is ours in Messiah. 7 For I’ve received much joy and comfort in your love, brother, because the hearts of the kedoshim have been refreshed through you.
Request for Philemon’s Runaway
8 Therefore, though I have plenty of boldness in Messiah to order you to do what’s right, 9 yet for love’s sake I appeal to you instead. I, Paul, am an old man and now also a prisoner belonging to Messiah Yeshua. 10 I beg you for my child Onesimus—for whom I became a spiritual father while in chains. 11 He once was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and me. 12 I sent him back to you—he is my very heart. 13 I really wanted to keep him with me, so that on your behalf he might serve me while I am in chains for the Good News. 14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness wouldn’t be by force but by free will.
15 For perhaps he was separated from you for a while in order that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave—as a beloved brother, especially to me but even more so to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 But if he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay. (Not to mention that you owe me your very self.) 20 Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Messiah.
Added Request and Farewell
21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than what I say. 22 At the same time also, prepare a guest room for me—for I hope that through your prayers I will be given back to you. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Messiah Yeshua, greets you. 24 So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. 25 May the grace of our Lord Messiah Yeshua be with your spirit. Amen.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.