Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

1 In the days of one judge, when judges were sovereigns in Israel, hunger was made in the land; and a man of Bethlehem of Judah went to be a pilgrim in the country of Moab, with his wife and [his] two free sons. (In the days of the judges, when they were the rulers in Israel, there was hunger in the land; and a man of Bethlehem of Judah went to live in the country of Moab, with his wife and their two sons.)

² He was called Elimelech, and his wife (was) Naomi, and his two sons, the one was called Mahlon, and the tother Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem of Judah; and they entered into the country of Moab, and they dwelled there (and they went to the country of Moab, and they lived there).

³ And Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she (was) left with her sons;

⁴ and they took wives of Moab, of which wives one was called Orpah, the tother Ruth. And the sons dwelled there ten years (And the sons lived there for ten years),

⁵ and both died, that is, Mahlon and Chilion; and the woman (was) left, and was made bare of her two free sons, and her husband. (and then both of them died, that is, Mahlon and Chilion; and so the woman was bereaved of her two sons, and her husband.)

⁶ And she rose to go with ever either wife of her sons into her country from the country of Moab; for she had heard, that the Lord had beheld his people, and had given meats to them. (And she rose up to go with the wives of both of her sons back to her country from the country of Moab; for she had heard, that the Lord had looked kindly again upon his people, and had given them food.)

⁷ And so she went out from the place of her pilgrimage with ever either wife of her sons; and now when she was set in the way of turning again into the land of Judah, (And so she went out from the place where she lived with the wives of both of her sons; and now when she was set on the way, returning to the land of Judah,)

⁸ she said to them, Go ye (again) into the house of your mother; the Lord do mercy with you, as ye did with the dead men, and with me;

⁹ the Lord give to you to find rest in the houses of [the] husbands which ye shall take. And she kissed them. And they began to weep with (a) high voice,

¹⁰ and to say, We shall go with thee to thy people.

¹¹ To whom she answered, My daughters, turn ye again, why come ye with me? I have no more sons in my womb, that ye may hope husbands of me (To whom she answered, My daughters, return ye home, why come ye with me? I have no more sons in my womb, that ye may have any hope of husbands from me;)

¹² my daughters of Moab, turn ye again, and go (my daughters of Moab, return ye, and go home); for now I am made eld, and I am not able to the bond of marriage; yea, though I might conceive in this night, and bear sons,

¹³ though ye will abide till they waxed, and [ful]fill the years of marriage, ye shall sooner be eld women than ye shall be wedded; I beseech (thee), my daughters, mourn ye not, for your anguish oppresseth me the more, and the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.

¹⁴ Therefore, when the voice was raised (up), again they began to weep. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, and turned again, and Ruth abode with her mother-in-law (And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, and returned home, but Ruth stayed with her mother-in-law).

¹⁵ To whom Naomi said, Lo! thy kinswoman turned again to her people, and to her gods; go thou with her.

¹⁶ And Ruth answered, Be thou not against me, that I forsake thee, and go away; whither ever thou shalt go, I shall go, and where thou shalt dwell, I shall dwell together (with thee); thy people is my people, and thy God is my God; (And Ruth answered, Be thou not against me, that I should desert thee, and go away from thee; wherever thou shalt go, I shall go, and where thou shalt live, I shall live with thee; thy people is my people, and thy God is my God;)

¹⁷ what land shall receive thee dying, I shall die therein also, and there I shall take place of burying; God do to me these things, and add these things, if death alone shall not part me and thee. (whatever land shall receive thee when thou diest, I shall die there also, and that shall be the place where I am buried; yea, God do to me terrible things, and add other things as well, if anything but death separate me and thee.)

¹⁸ Therefore Naomi saw, that Ruth had deemed with steadfast soul to go with her, and she would not be against her, neither counsel further turning again to her countrymen (and so she would not be against her, nor further counsel her to return to her own people).

146 Alleluia. My soul, praise thou the Lord;

² I shall praise the Lord in my life (I shall praise the Lord all my life); I shall sing to my God as long as I shall be.

³ Do not ye trust in princes; neither in the sons of men, in whom is no health. (Do not ye trust in princes, or in your leaders; nor in other people, in whom there is no help, or deliverance.)

⁴ The spirit of him shall go out, and he shall turn again into his earth; in that day all the thoughts of them shall perish. (The breath of your prince, or of your leader, shall go out of him, and he shall return to the dust; and on that day all his thoughts shall perish.)

⁵ He is blessed, of whom the God of Jacob is his helper; his hope is in his Lord God, (He is blessed, whom the God of Jacob is his helper; his hope is in the Lord his God,)

⁶ that made heaven, and earth; the sea, and all things that be in those. Which keepeth truth into the world, (who made heaven, and earth; and the sea, and all the creatures that be in them. Who keepeth the truth safe forever,)

⁷ he maketh doom to them that suffer wrong; he giveth meat to them that be hungry. The Lord unbindeth fettered men; (he maketh justice for those who suffer wrong; he giveth food to those who be hungry. The Lord unbindeth the fettered;)

⁸ the Lord lighteneth blind men. The Lord raiseth men hurtled down; the Lord loveth just men. (the Lord giveth light to the blind/the Lord giveth sight to the blind. The Lord raiseth up those who be hurtled down; the Lord loveth the righteous.)

⁹ The Lord keepeth comelings; he shall take up a motherless child, and a widow; and he shall destroy the ways of sinners. (The Lord keepeth newcomers, or strangers, safe/The Lord keepeth watch over newcomers, or strangers; he taketh up the causes of a motherless child, and of a widow; but he destroyeth the ways of the sinners.)

¹⁰ The Lord shall reign into the worlds; Zion, thy God shall reign in generation and into generation. (The Lord shall reign forever; Zion, thy God shall reign for all generations/thy God shall reign in all generations.)

¹¹ But Christ being a bishop of goods to coming, entered by a larger and perfecter tabernacle [Forsooth Christ being a bishop of goods to come, by a larger and perfecter tabernacle], not made by hand, that is to say, not of this making,

¹² neither by blood of goat bucks, or of calves, but by his own blood, entered once into the holy things, that were found by an everlasting redemption. [neither by blood of goat bucks, or calves, but by his own blood, entered once into holy things, when everlasting redemption was found.]

¹³ For if the blood of goat bucks, and of bulls, and the ashes of a cow calf sprinkled, halloweth unclean men to the cleansing of flesh,

¹⁴ how much more the blood of Christ, which by the Holy Ghost offered himself unwemmed to God, shall cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve God that liveth [for to serve to living God]?

²⁸ And one of the scribes, that had heard them disputing together, came nigh, and saw that Jesus had well-answered them, and asked him^[a], which was the first commandment of all.

²⁹ And Jesus answered to him, That the first commandment of all is, Hear thou, Israel, thy Lord God is one God;^[b]

³⁰ and thou shalt love thy Lord God of all thine heart, and of all thy soul, and of all thy mind, and of all thy might [and thou shalt love the Lord thy God of all thine heart, and of all thy soul, and of all thy mind, and of all thy virtue, or strength]. This is the first commandment.

³¹ And the second is like to this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

³² And the scribe said to him, Master, in truth thou hast well said; for one God is, and there is none other, except him;

³³ [and] that he be loved of all the heart, and of all the mind, and of all the understanding, and of all the soul, and of all the strength, and to love the neighbour as himself, is greater than all burnt offerings and sacrifices [and to love thine neighbour as himself, is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices].

³⁴ And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And then no man durst ask him more any thing [And now no man durst ask him more].