Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Unless Yahweh Builds the House
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
127 Unless Yahweh (A)builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless Yahweh (B)watches the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early,
That you sit out late,
O you who (C)eat the bread of [a]painful labors;
For in this manner, He gives (D)sleep to His (E)beloved.
3 Behold, (F)children are [b]an inheritance of Yahweh,
The (G)fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a (H)warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How (I)blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them;
(J)They will not be ashamed
When they (K)speak with enemies (L)in the gate.
Ruth Becomes Boaz’ Wife
4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, (A)the kinsman redeemer of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, [a]my fellow, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 Then he took ten men of the (B)elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the kinsman redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the fields of Moab, has to sell the portion of the field (C)which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 So I thought to uncover this matter in your hearing, saying, ‘(D)Acquire it before those who are sitting here and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if no one redeems it, tell me that I may know; for (E)there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.’” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also [b]acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the one who had died, in order (F)to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance.” 6 (G)So the kinsman redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
7 Now this was (H)the custom in former times in Israel concerning the right of redemption and the exchange of land to establish any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. 8 So the kinsman redeemer said to Boaz, “Acquire this for yourself.” And he removed his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have acquired all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon from the hand of Naomi. 10 And also, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the one who had died, on behalf of his inheritance, so (I)that the name of the one who had died will not be cut off from his brothers or from the gate of his birth place; you are witnesses today.”
6 For while we were still (A)weak, (B)at the right time (C)Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man, [a]though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God (D)demonstrates (E)His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, (F)Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified [b](G)by His blood, we shall be saved (H)from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were (I)enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved [c](J)by His life. 11 (K)And not only this, [d]but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received (L)the reconciliation.
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