Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 127
A song of Solomon for those journeying to worship.
Psalm 127 is attributed to Solomon, underscoring the futility of human endeavor apart from God. It is similar in tone and theme to other wisdom literature.
1 Unless the Eternal builds the house,
those who labor to raise it will have worked for nothing.
Unless the Eternal stands watch over the city,
those who guard it have wasted their time.
2 God provides for His own.
It is pointless to get up early,
work hard, and go to bed late
Anxiously laboring for food to eat;
for God provides for those He loves, even while they are sleeping.
3 Know this: children are a gift from the Eternal;
the fruit of the womb is His reward.
4 Your sons born in your youth are a protection,
like arrows in the hand of a warrior.
5 Happy is the man who has
his quiver full, for they will help and protect him when he is old.
He will not be humiliated when he is accused at the gate,
for his sons will stand with him against his enemies.
4 At that same time, Boaz went to the city gate and he sat down. Just then, the kinsman-redeemer of the family he had told Ruth about walked by.
Normally the city gate is where the business of the city is conducted.
Boaz: My friend, come and sit down with me for awhile. We have some business.
So the man came and sat down beside Boaz. 2 Before he spoke further to the man, he gathered together 10 elders from the city and asked them to preside there, which they did.
Boaz (to the kinsman-redeemer): 3 You have heard of Naomi? She is the woman who recently returned from Moab. She is transferring her rights to the plot of land belonging to her deceased husband—our relative—Elimelech. 4 I wanted you to know about it because as a close family member, you have the first right to purchase it. If you want to do so, we have enough elders sitting here to witness the transaction. If you want to become the guardian and redeem this land, it is yours. But if you[a] are not interested in doing this, tell me now. The right belongs to you, but if you refuse it, I am next in line.
Kinsman-Redeemer: Of course, I exercise my option to redeem this land.
Boaz: 5 Now, just so you know, on the day you buy this plot of land [from Naomi, you will also acquire Ruth the Moabitess; she is][b] the dead man’s widow. It will be your responsibility to make sure she has children so that they can carry on her dead husband’s name with the inheritance.
Kinsman-Redeemer: 6 Then I will not be able to redeem it. I will not put my own property at risk. I relinquish my right to redeem the land. You do it.
7 Now in the old days of Israel when this story was playing out, land was redeemed and property was transferred legally when a man involved in the sale removed one of his sandals and gave it to the other. This was how contracts were sealed in Israel. 8 So the kinsman-redeemer took off his sandal and handed it to Boaz.
Kinsman-Redeemer: It’s now your responsibility.
Boaz (to the elders and all the people): 9 Every one of you have witnessed what happened here today. I secured the rights to everything that belonged to Elimelech and his sons, Mahlon and Chilion, from Naomi. 10 I have also taken responsibility for Ruth—the woman from Moab who was married to Mahlon. She will become my wife. I will see to it that his family and this city remember Mahlon. I will raise children who will bear his name and make sure his property stays in the family. You are all witnesses to this today.
6 When the time was right, the Anointed One died for all of us who were far from God, powerless, and weak. 7 Now it is rare to find someone willing to die for an upright person, although it’s possible that someone may give up his life for one who is truly good. 8 But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangible display—the Anointed One died for us. 9 As a result, the blood of Jesus has made us right with God now, and certainly we will be rescued by Him from God’s wrath in the future. 10 If we were in the heat of combat with God when His Son reconciled us by laying down His life, then how much more will we be saved by Jesus’ resurrection life? 11 In fact, we stand now reconciled and at peace with God. That’s why we celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.