Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
5 (A)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose (B)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 (C)who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
(D)who keeps faith for ever;
7 (E)who executes justice for the oppressed,
(F)who gives food to the hungry.
(G)The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 (H)the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
(I)The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
(J)the Lord loves the righteous.
9 (K)The Lord watches over the sojourners;
(L)he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but (M)the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 (N)The Lord will reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
(O)Praise the Lord!
Ruth's Loyalty to Naomi
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that (A)the Lord had visited his people and (B)given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord (C)deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with (D)the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find (E)rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb (F)that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that (G)the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to (H)her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. (I)Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. (J)May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 (K)And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
The Day of the Lord Will Come
3 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them (A)I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 (B)that you should remember the predictions of (C)the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come (D)in the last days with scoffing, (E)following their own sinful desires. 4 (F)They will say, “Where is the promise of (G)his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth (H)was formed out of water and through water (I)by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed (J)was deluged with water and (K)perished. 7 But by the same word (L)the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgement and (M)destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and (N)a thousand years as one day. 9 (O)The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise (P)as some count slowness, but (Q)is patient towards you,[a] (R)not wishing that any should perish, but (S)that all should reach repentance. 10 But (T)the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then (U)the heavens will pass away with a roar, and (V)the heavenly bodies[b] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.[c]
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.