Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Ruth and Boaz at the Grain-Floor

3 Then Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not look for a home for you, so all will be well with you? ² Is not Boaz of our family, with whose women servants you were? See, he is dividing the grain from the waste at his grain-floor tonight. ³ So wash yourself. Pour oil on yourself and wear your best clothes. Then go down to the grain-floor. But do not let the man know who you are until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴ When he lies down, watch where he lies. Go in and take the covers off his feet and lie down. Then he will tell you what to do.” ⁵ Ruth said to her, “I will do all that you say.”

The Families to Follow Ruth and Boaz

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth. She became his wife, and he went in to her. The Lord made it possible for her to have a child and she gave birth to a son. ¹⁴ The women said to Naomi, “Thanks be to the Lord. He has not

left you without a family this day. May his name become known in all of Israel. ¹⁵ May he bring you new life and strength while you are old. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” ¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child and held him, and became his nurse. ¹⁷ The neighbor women gave him a name. They said, “A son has been born to Naomi!” And they called him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

God Is Good to His People

127 Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders work for nothing. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the men who watch over it stay awake for nothing. ² You rise up early, and go to bed late, and work hard for your food, all for nothing. For the Lord gives to His loved ones even while they sleep.

³ See, children are a gift from the Lord. The children born to us are our special reward. ⁴ The children of a young man are like arrows in the hand of a soldier. ⁵ Happy is the man who has many of them. They will not be put to shame when they speak in the gate with those who hate them.

²⁴ For Christ did not go into the Holiest Place of All that was made by men, even if it was like the true one in heaven. He went to heaven itself and He is before God for us. ²⁵ Christ has not given Himself many times, as the head religious leader here on earth went into the Holiest Place of All each year with blood that was not his own. ²⁶ For then Christ would have had to die many times since the world began. But He came once at the end of the Old Way of Worship. He gave Himself once for all time. He gave Himself to destroy sin. ²⁷ It is in the plan that all men die once. After that, they will stand before God and be judged. ²⁸ It is the same with Christ. He gave Himself once to take away the sins of many. When He comes the second time, He will not need to give Himself again for sin. He will save all those who are waiting for Him.

False Teachers ^(A)

³⁸ Jesus taught them, saying, “Look out for the teachers of the Law. They like to walk around in long coats. They like to have the respect of men as they stand in the center of town where people gather. ³⁹ They like to have the important seats in the places of worship and the important places at big suppers. ⁴⁰ They take houses from poor women whose husbands have died. They cover up the bad they do by saying long prayers. They will be punished all the more.”

The Woman Whose Husband Had Died Gave All She Had ^(B)

⁴¹ Jesus sat near the money box in the house of God. He watched the people putting in money. Many of them were rich and gave much money. ⁴² A poor woman whose husband had died came by and gave two very small pieces of money.

⁴³ Jesus called His followers to Him. He said, “For sure, I tell you, this poor woman whose husband has died has given more money than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave of that which was more than they needed for their own living. She is poor and yet she gave all she had, even what she needed for her own living.”