Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Psalm of David.

Aleph

¹ ¶ Do not be angry with the evildoers, neither be thou envious of the workers of iniquity.

² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.

Beth

³ Wait in the LORD and do good; live in the land and uphold the truth.

⁴ In the same manner delight thyself in the LORD, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.

Gimel

⁵ Turn thy way unto the LORD and wait in him, and he shall bring it to pass.

⁶ And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light and thy uprightness as the noonday.

Daleth

⁷ ¶ Be silent before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not be angry with him who prospers in his way, with the man who brings wicked devices to pass.

He

⁸ Cease from anger and forsake wrath: let not thy wrath in any wise cause you to become evil.

⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off; but those that wait for the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Vau

¹⁰ For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Zain

¹² The wicked plots against the just and gnashes upon him with his teeth.

¹³ The Lord shall laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming.

He

¹⁴ The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needy and to slay such as are of upright conversation.

¹⁵ Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bow shall be broken.

Tet

¹⁶ A little that a righteous man has is better than the many riches of the sinners.

¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

2 ¶ And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of strength, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.

² And Ruth, the Moabitess, said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

³ And she went and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and it came to pass that her lot was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

⁴ ¶ And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.

⁵ Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?

⁶ And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the damsel of Moab that came back with Naomi out of the fields of Moab;

⁷ and she has said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves; so she came and has continued from the morning until now except a short while that she was in the house.

⁸ Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hear, my daughter, do not glean in another field, nor leave here; thou shalt cleave to my maidens.

⁹ Look carefully upon the field that they reap and go after them, for I have charged the young men not to touch thee. And when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

¹⁰ Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes that thou should acknowledge me, seeing I am a stranger?

¹¹ And Boaz answered and said unto her, It has fully been showed me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother and the land of thy nativity and art come three days ago unto a people whom thou didst not know before.

¹² Let the LORD recompense thy work and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to cover thyself.

¹³ Then she said, Let me find grace in thy sight, my lord, for thou hast comforted me and hast spoken unto the heart of thy handmaid though I am not like unto one of thy handmaidens.

¹⁴ And Boaz said unto her at mealtime, Come here and eat of the bread and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and he gave her of the pottage, and she ate and was satisfied, and some was left over.

¹⁵ And when she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves and do not reproach her

¹⁶ and let fall also some of the handfuls on purpose for her and leave them that she may glean them and do not reprehend her.

5 ¶ Come now, Oh ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

² Your riches are rotten, and your garments are motheaten.

³ Your gold and silver is corrupted with rust; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall completely eat your flesh, as fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

⁴ Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped your fields (which you have kept back by fraud) cries out; and the cries of those who have reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of the hosts.

⁵ Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton; ye have refreshed your hearts, as in the day of slaughter of sacrifices.

⁶ Ye have condemned and murdered the just, and he does not resist you.