Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor

3 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi spoke to her. She said, “My daughter, I must find a home for you. It should be a place where you will be provided for. ² You have been working with the women who work for Boaz. He’s a relative of ours. Tonight he’ll be separating the straw from his barley on the threshing floor. ³ So wash yourself. Put on some perfume. And put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let Boaz know you are there. Wait until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴ Notice where he lies down. Then go over and uncover his feet. Lie down there. He’ll tell you what to do.”

⁵ “I’ll do everything you say,” Ruth answered. ⁶ So she went down to the threshing floor. She did everything her mother-in-law had told her to do.

⁷ When Boaz had finished eating and drinking, he was in a good mood. He went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Then Ruth approached quietly. She uncovered his feet and lay down there.

¹⁷ “In Egypt the number of our people grew and grew. It was nearly time for God to make his promise to Abraham come true. ¹⁸ Then ‘a new king came to power in Egypt. Joseph didn’t mean anything to him.’ (Exodus 1:8) ¹⁹ The king was very evil and dishonest with our people. He treated them badly. He forced them to throw out their newborn babies to die.

²⁰ “At that time Moses was born. He was not an ordinary child. For three months he was taken care of by his family. ²¹ Then he was placed outside. But Pharaoh’s daughter took him home. She brought him up as her own son. ²² Moses was taught all the knowledge of the people of Egypt. He became a powerful speaker and a man of action.

²³ “When Moses was 40 years old, he decided to visit the people of Israel. They were his own people. ²⁴ He saw one of them being treated badly by an Egyptian. So he went to help him. He got even by killing the man. ²⁵ Moses thought his own people would realize that God was using him to save them. But they didn’t. ²⁶ The next day Moses saw two Israelites fighting. He tried to make peace between them. ‘Men, you are both Israelites,’ he said. ‘Why do you want to hurt each other?’

²⁷ “But the man who was treating the other one badly pushed Moses to one side. He said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? ²⁸ Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ (Exodus 2:14) ²⁹ When Moses heard this, he escaped to Midian. He lived there as an outsider. He became the father of two sons there.