Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁵ Ruth got up to pick up more grain. Then Boaz gave orders to his men. He said, “Let her take some stalks from what the women have tied up. Don’t tell her she can’t. ¹⁶ Even pull out some stalks for her. Leave them for her to pick up. Don’t tell her she shouldn’t do it.”

¹⁷ So Ruth picked up grain in the field until evening. Then she separated the barley from the straw. The barley weighed 30 pounds. ¹⁸ She carried it back to town. Her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out the food left over from the lunch Boaz had given her. She gave it to Naomi.

¹⁹ Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you pick up grain today? Where did you work? May the man who noticed you be blessed!”

Then Ruth told her about the man whose field she had worked in. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

²⁰ “May the Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “The Lord is still being kind to those who are living and those who are dead.” She continued, “That man is a close relative of ours. He’s one of our family protectors.”

²¹ Then Ruth, who was from Moab, said, “He told me more. He even said, ‘Stay with my workers until they have finished bringing in all my grain.’ ”

²² Naomi replied to her daughter-in-law Ruth. She said, “That will be good for you, my daughter. Go with the women who work for him. You might be harmed if you go to someone else’s field.”

²³ So Ruth stayed close to the women who worked for Boaz as she picked up grain. She worked until the time when all the barley and wheat had been harvested. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

¹⁷ Don’t pay back evil with evil. Be careful to do what everyone thinks is right. ¹⁸ If possible, live in peace with everyone. Do that as much as you can. ¹⁹ My dear friends, don’t try to get even. Leave room for God to show his anger. It is written, “I am the God who judges people. I will pay them back,” (Deuteronomy 32:35) says the Lord. ²⁰ Do just the opposite. Scripture says,

²¹ Don’t let evil overcome you. Overcome evil by doing good.

Love Fulfills the Law

⁸ Pay everything you owe. But you can never pay back all the love you owe one another. Whoever loves other people has done everything the law requires. ⁹ Here are some commandments to think about. “Do not commit adultery.” “Do not commit murder.” “Do not steal.” “Do not want what belongs to others.” (Exodus 20:13–15,17; Deuteronomy 5:17–19,21) These and all other commands are included in one command. Here’s what it is. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18) ¹⁰ Love does not harm its neighbor. So love does everything the law requires.