Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 37
[A Psalm] of David.
1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness (that which is not upright or in right standing with God).
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.
6 And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as [the shining sun of] the noonday.
7 Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not yourself—it tends only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait and hope and look for the Lord [in the end] shall inherit the earth.(A)
10 For yet a little while, and the evildoers will be no more; though you look with care where they used to be, they will not be found.(B)
11 But the meek [in the end] shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.(C)
12 The wicked plot against the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright in right standing with God); they gnash at them with their teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at [the wicked], for He sees that their own day [of defeat] is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who walk uprightly (blameless in conduct and in conversation).
15 The swords [of the wicked] shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is the little that the [uncompromisingly] righteous have than the abundance [of possessions] of many who are wrong and wicked.(D)
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the [consistently] righteous.
3 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to Ruth, My daughter, shall I not seek rest or a home for you, that you may prosper?
2 And now is not Boaz, with whose maidens you were, our relative? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.
3 Wash and anoint yourself therefore, 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 But when he lies down, notice the place where he lies; then go and uncover his feet and lie down. And he will tell you what to do.
5 And Ruth said to her, All that you say to me I will do.
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had told her.
7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then [Ruth] came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down.
8 At midnight the man was startled, and he turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet!
9 And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth your maidservant. Spread your wing [of protection] over your maidservant, for you are a next of kin.
10 And he said, Blessed be you of the Lord, my daughter. For you have made this last loving-kindness greater than the former, for you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.
11 And now, my daughter, fear not. I will do for you all you require, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of strength (worth, bravery, capability).
12 It is true that I am your near kinsman; however, there is a kinsman nearer than I.
13 Remain tonight, and in the morning if he will perform for you the part of a kinsman, good; let him do it. But if he will not do the part of a kinsman for you, then, as the Lord lives, I will do the part of a kinsman for you. Lie down until the morning.
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord caused her to conceive, and she bore a son.
14 And the women said to Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, Who has not left you this day without a close kinsman, and may his name be famous in Israel.
15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher and supporter in your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.
16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom and became his nurse.
17 And her neighbor women gave him a name, saying, A son is born to Naomi. They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David [the ancestor of Jesus Christ].
18 Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron of Ram, Ram of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon,
21 Salmon of Boaz, Boaz of Obed,
22 Obed of Jesse, and Jesse of David [the ancestor of Jesus Christ].
17 And Jesus came down with them and took His stand on a level spot, with a great crowd of His disciples and a vast throng of people from all over Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to listen to Him and to be cured of their diseases—
18 Even those who were disturbed and troubled with unclean spirits, and they were being healed [also].
19 And all the multitude were seeking to touch Him, for healing power was all the while going forth from Him and curing them all [[a]saving them from severe illnesses or calamities].
20 And solemnly lifting up His eyes on His disciples, He said: Blessed (happy—[b]with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, apart from your outward condition—and [c]to be envied) are you poor and [d]lowly and afflicted (destitute of wealth, influence, position, and honor), for the kingdom of God is yours!
21 Blessed (happy—[e]with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, apart from your outward condition—and [f]to be envied) are you who hunger and seek with eager desire now, for you shall be filled and completely satisfied! Blessed (happy—[g]with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, apart from your outward condition—and [h]to be envied) are you who weep and sob now, for you shall laugh!
22 Blessed (happy—[i]with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, apart from your outward condition—and [j]to be envied) are you when people despise (hate) you, and when they exclude and excommunicate you [as disreputable] and revile and denounce you and defame and cast out and spurn your name as evil (wicked) on account of the Son of Man.
23 Rejoice and be glad at such a time and exult and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is rich and great and strong and intense and abundant in heaven; for even so their forefathers treated the prophets.
24 But woe to (alas for) you who are rich ([k]abounding in material resources), for you already are receiving your consolation (the solace and sense of strengthening and cheer that come from prosperity) and have taken and enjoyed your comfort in full [having nothing left to be awarded you].
25 Woe to (alas for) you who are full now (completely filled, luxuriously gorged and satiated), for you shall hunger and suffer want! Woe to (alas for) you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep and wail!
26 Woe to (alas for) you when everyone speaks fairly and handsomely of you and praises you, for even so their forefathers did to the false prophets.
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