Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 127

The Blessing of the Lord

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

¹¹ All the people who were at the city gate, including the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah,^(A) who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and your name well known in Bethlehem. ¹² May your house become like the house of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah,^(B) because of the offspring the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

¹³ Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the Lord granted conception to her, and she gave birth to a son. ¹⁴ The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel. ¹⁵ He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons,^(C) has given birth to him.” ¹⁶ Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a mother to him. ¹⁷ The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¹⁵ Therefore, he is the mediator^(A) of a new covenant,^[a](B) so that those who are called might receive the promise^(C) of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.^{(D) 16} Where a will exists, the death of the one who made it must be established. ¹⁷ For a will is valid only when people die, since it is never in effect while the one who made it is living. ¹⁸ That is why even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood. ¹⁹ For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats,^[b] along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people,^{(E) 20} saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.^{[c](F) 21} In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood.^{(G) 22} According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.^(H)

²³ Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these.^{(I) 24} For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model^[d] of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us.^(J)