Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.
A Psalm of David.
37 (A)Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not (B)envious toward wrongdoers.
2 For they will (C)wither quickly like the grass
And (D)fade like the green herb.
3 (E)Trust in the Lord and do good;
(F)Dwell in the land and [a](G)cultivate faithfulness.
4 (H)Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will (I)give you the desires of your heart.
5 (J)Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring forth (K)your righteousness as the light
And your judgment (L)as the noonday.
7 [b]Rest in the Lord and (M)wait [c]patiently for Him;
(N)Do not fret because of him who (O)prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and (P)forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For (Q)evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will (R)inherit the land.
10 Yet (S)a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for (T)his place and he will not be there.
11 But (U)the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in (V)abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked (W)plots against the righteous
And (X)gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord (Y)laughs at him,
For He sees (Z)his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and (AA)bent their bow
To cast down the (AB)afflicted and the needy,
To (AC)slay those who are upright in conduct.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their (AD)bows will be broken.
Boaz Will Redeem Ruth
3 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek [a]security for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Now is not Boaz (A)our [b]kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. 3 Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself 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 It shall be when he lies down, that you shall [c]notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.” 5 She said to her, “(B)All that you say I will do.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 When Boaz had eaten and drunk and (C)his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 It happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and [d]bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a [e]close relative.” 10 Then he said, “(D)May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you [f]ask, for all my people in the [g]city know that you are (E)a woman of excellence. 12 Now it is true I am a [h]close relative; however, there is a [i]relative closer than I. 13 Remain this night, and when morning comes, (F)if he will [j]redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to [k]redeem you, then I will redeem you, (G)as the Lord lives. Lie down until morning.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And (A)the Lord [a]enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the (B)women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a [b]redeemer today, and may his name [c]become famous in Israel. 15 May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you [d](C)and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
The Line of David Began Here
16 Then Naomi took the child [e]and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: (D)to Perez [f]was born Hezron, 19 and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, 20 and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, 21 and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, 22 and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.
17 Jesus (A)came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was (B)a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of (C)Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. 19 And all the [a]people were trying to (D)touch Him, for (E)power was coming from Him and healing them all.
The Beatitudes
20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “(F)Blessed are [b]you who are poor, for (G)yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are [c]you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 (H)Blessed are you when men hate you, and (I)ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23 Be glad in that day and (J)leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For (K)in the same way their fathers used to [d]treat the prophets. 24 But woe to (L)you who are rich, for (M)you are receiving your comfort in full. 25 Woe to you who [e]are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to [f]treat the (N)false prophets in the same way.
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