Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
All Good Things Come from God
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover]. Of Solomon.
127 If the Lord doesn’t build the house,
the builders are working ·for nothing [in vain; without purpose].
If the Lord doesn’t guard the city,
the guards are watching ·for nothing [in vain; without purpose].
2 It is ·no use [in vain; without purpose] for you to get up early
and stay up late,
·working for a living [L eating the bread of hardship/pain].
The Lord ·gives sleep to those he loves [or provides for those he loves while they sleep].
3 Children are ·a gift [an inheritance] from the Lord;
·babies [L the fruit of the womb] are a reward.
4 Children ·who are born to a young man [L of one’s youth]
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior [C they help in the challenges and conflicts of life].
5 ·Happy [Blessed] is the man
who has his ·bag [quiver] full of ·arrows [L them].
They will not be ·defeated [L humiliated]
when they ·fight [L speak to] their enemies at the city gate [C the central place of commerce and government].
11 So all the people and elders who were at the city gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make this woman, who is coming into your home, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the ·people [L house] of Israel [C the twelve sons of Israel were born to Leah, Rachel and their servant girls; Gen. 29:31—30:24]. May you become ·powerful [or wealthy; or renowned] in the district of Ephrathah and ·famous [renowned] in Bethlehem. 12 As Tamar gave birth to Judah’s son Perez [C an ancestor of Boaz (v. 18) whose birth resulted from a levirate union (2:20; Gen. 38:27–30; Deut. 25:5–10) and so was parallel to this situation], may the Lord give you many children through Ruth. May your family be great like his.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth home as his wife and ·had sexual relations with [L went in to] her. The Lord let her become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women told Naomi, “·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord who ·gave you this grandson [L has not left you today without a guardian/kinsman-redeemer]. May ·he [L his name] become ·famous [renowned] in Israel. 15 He will ·give you new [restore/renew your] life and will take care of you in your old age because of your daughter-in-law who loves you. She is better for you than seven sons, because she has given birth to ·your grandson [L him].”
16 Naomi took the boy, ·held him in her arms [or put him on her lap; or took him to her breast], and ·cared for him [or became his nurse/caregiver]. 17 The neighbors gave the boy his name, saying, “·This boy was [L A son has been] born for Naomi.” They named him Obed [C “servant”]. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David [C Israel’s greatest king, through whom the Messiah would come; 2 Sam. 7:11–17; Matt. 1:1, 5–6; Luke 3:32].
15 For this reason Christ ·brings a new agreement from God to his people [L is the mediator of a new covenant/contract]. Those who are called by God can now receive the eternal ·blessings [inheritance] he has promised. They can have those things because Christ died to ·set them free [redeem them] from the ·sins [transgressions; violations] committed under the first agreement [covenant; contract].
16 When there is a ·will [last will and testament; C the same Greek word translated “agreement” in v. 15; the author develops his illustration from the various meanings of the word], it must be proven that the one who wrote that ·will [last will and testament] is dead. 17 [L For; Because] A ·will [last will and testament] ·means nothing [carries no force] while the person is alive; it can ·be used [take effect] only after the person dies. 18 This is why even the first ·agreement [covenant; contract; C the same Greek word as “will” in vv. 16–17] could not ·begin [be inaugurated/put into effect] without blood [C the death of a sacrificial animal]. 19 First, Moses told all the people every command in the law. Next he took the blood of calves[a] and mixed it with water. Then he used ·red [scarlet] wool and a branch of the hyssop plant to sprinkle it on the book of the law and on all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood ·that begins [that seals/confirms; L of] the ·Agreement [Covenant; Contract] that God commanded you to ·obey [keep; Ex. 24:8].” 21 In the same way, Moses sprinkled the blood on the ·Holy Tent [T Tabernacle] and over all the ·things [vessels; utensils] used in worship. 22 The law says that almost everything must be ·made clean [purified; cleansed] by blood, and sins cannot be forgiven without ·blood to show death [the shedding of blood; C signifying death to pay the penalty of sin].
Christ’s Death Takes Away Sins
23 So the ·copies [symbols; models; prototypes] of the real things in heaven had to be ·made clean [purified; cleansed] by animal sacrifices. But the real things in heaven need much better sacrifices. 24 [L For] Christ did not go into ·the Most Holy Place [a sanctuary; L holy things] made by ·humans [L hands], which is only a ·copy [model; or prefiguration] of the real one. He went into heaven itself and ·is there [appears] now ·before [in the presence of] God ·to help us [for us; on our behalf].
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