Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Song of degrees. Of Solomon.

127 Unless Jehovah build the house, in vain do its builders labour in it; unless Jehovah keep the city, the keeper watcheth in vain:

² It is vain for you to rise up early, to lie down late, to eat the bread of sorrows: so to his beloved one he giveth sleep.

³ Lo, children are an inheritance from Jehovah, [and] the fruit of the womb a reward.

⁴ As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth.

⁵ Happy is the man that hath filled his quiver with them. They shall not be ashamed when they speak with enemies in the gate.

4 And Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there. And behold, he that had the right of redemption, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. And he said, Thou, such a one, turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat down.

² And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit down here. And they sat down.

³ And he said to him that had the right of redemption: Naomi, who is come back out of the country of Moab, sells the allotment that was our brother Elimelech's.

⁴ And I thought I would apprise thee of it and say, Buy [it] in the presence of the inhabitants, and in the presence of the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem [it], redeem; but if thou wilt not redeem, tell me, that I may know; for there is none to redeem besides thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem [it].

⁵ And Boaz said, On the day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy [it] also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.

⁶ And he that had the right of redemption said, I cannot redeem [it] for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance. Redeem thou for thyself what I should redeem, for I cannot redeem [it].

⁷ Now this [was the custom] in former time in Israel concerning redemption and concerning exchange, to confirm the whole matter: a man drew off his sandal, and gave it to his neighbour, and this was the [mode of] attestation in Israel.

⁸ And he that had the right of redemption said to Boaz, Buy for thyself; and he drew off his sandal.

⁹ And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi;

¹⁰ moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.

⁶ for we being still without strength, in [the] due time Christ has died for [the] ungodly.

⁷ For scarcely for [the] just [man] will one die, for perhaps for [the] good [man] some one might also dare to die;

⁸ but God commends *his* love to us, in that, we being still sinners, Christ has died for us.

⁹ Much rather therefore, having been now justified in [the power of] his blood, we shall be saved by him from wrath.

¹⁰ For if, being enemies, we have been reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much rather, having been reconciled, we shall be saved in [the power of] his life.

¹¹ And not only [that], but [we are] making our boast in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom now we have received the reconciliation.