Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁸ At midnight, the man was startled and rolled over; and there, a woman was lying at his feet.

⁹ He said, “Who are you?”

And she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Spread your cloak over me, for you are a redeeming kinsman.”

¹⁰ He said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last act of kindness to be greater than the first, because you have not pursued young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ So now, my daughter, do not worry. All that you ask me, I will do for you. All of my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. ¹² Now it is true that I am a redeeming kinsman. Yet there is another redeemer closer than I am. ¹³ Stay here tonight, and in the morning if he wants to redeem you, very well. Let him do so. Yet if he does not want to redeem you, then I will redeem you. I will, as the Lord lives! Sleep here until morning.”

¹⁴ So she lay at his feet until morning, but she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, “It must not be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.”

¹⁵ He said, “Bring me the shawl you have on you, and hold it.” So she held it, and he poured six measures of barley into it and placed it on her. Then she went into the city.

¹⁶ When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi said, “How did it go, my daughter?”

Then she told her all that Boaz had done for her. ¹⁷ She said, “He gave me these six ephahs of barley, for he said to me, ‘Do not return to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ”

¹⁸ Then Naomi said, “Wait here, my daughter, until you learn what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”

The New Commandment

³¹ When he had gone out, Jesus then said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and in Him God is glorified. ³² If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself and will immediately glorify Him.

³³ “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek Me. And as I said to the Jews, so now I tell you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’

³⁴ “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”