Acts 26:1-18; Ruth 3; Ruth 4; Psalms 48

Acts 26:1-18

1 Agrippa said to Paul, "It is permitted for you to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense:

2 "I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that today I am going to make a defense before you about everything I am accused of by the Jews,

3 especially since you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4 "All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem.

5 They had previously known me for quite some time, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I lived as a Pharisee.

6 And now I stand on trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,

7 [the promise] our 12 tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve Him night and day. Because of this hope I am being accused by the Jews, O king!

8 Why is it considered incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

9 In fact, I myself supposed it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus the Nazarene.

10 This I actually did in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

11 In all the synagogues I often tried to make them blaspheme by punishing them. Being greatly enraged at them, I even pursued them to foreign cities.

12 "Under these circumstances I was traveling to Damascus with authority and a commission from the chief priests.

13 At midday, while on the road, O king, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me.

14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'

15 "But I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' "And the Lord replied: 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

16 But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of things you have seen, and of things in which I will appear to you.

17 I will rescue you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,

18 to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'

Ruth 3

1 Ruth's mother-in-law Naomi said to her, "My daughter, shouldn't I find security for you, so that you will be taken care of?

2 Now isn't Boaz our relative? Haven't you been working with his young women? This evening he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.

3 Wash, put on [perfumed] oil, and wear your [best] clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but don't let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.

4 When he lies down, notice the place where he's lying, go in and uncover his feet, and lie down. Then he will explain to you what you should do."

5 So [Ruth] said to her, "I will do everything you say."

6 She went down [to] the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her.

7 After Boaz ate, drank, and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the pile of barley. Then she went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

8 At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!

9 So he asked, "Who are you?" "I am Ruth, your slave," she replied. "Spread your cloak over me, for you are a family redeemer."

10 Then he said, "May the Lord bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not pursued younger men, whether rich or poor.

11 Now don't be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you say, since all the people in my town know that you are a woman of noble character.

12 Yes, it is true that I am a family redeemer, but there is a redeemer closer than I am.

13 Stay [here] tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, [that's] good. Let him redeem [you]. But if he doesn't want to redeem you, as the Lord lives, I will. Now, lie down until morning."

14 So she lay down at his feet until morning but got up while it was still dark. Then Boaz said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor."

15 And he told [Ruth], "Bring the shawl you're wearing and hold it out." When she held it out, he shoveled six [measures] of barley into her shawl, and she went into the city.

16 She went to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who asked [her], "How did it go, my daughter?" Then Ruth told her everything the man had done for her.

17 She said, "He gave me these six [measures] of barley, because he said, 'Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.' "

18 "Wait, my daughter," she said, "until you find out how things go, for he won't rest unless he resolves this today."

Ruth 4

1 Boaz went to the gate [of the town] and sat down there. Soon, the family redeemer Boaz had spoken about came by. Boaz called him by name and said, "Come over here and sit down." So he went over and sat down.

2 Then Boaz took 10 men of the city's elders and said, "Sit here." And they sat down.

3 He said to the redeemer, "Naomi, who has returned from the land of Moab, is selling a piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.

4 I thought I should inform you: Buy [it] back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem [it], do so. But if you do not want to redeem [it], tell me, so that I will know, because there isn't anyone other than you to redeem [it], and I am next after you." "I want to redeem [it]," he answered.

5 Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you will also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the deceased man, to perpetuate the man's name on his property."

6 The redeemer replied, "I can't redeem [it] myself, or I will ruin my [own] inheritance. Take my right of redemption, because I can't redeem it."

7 At an earlier period in Israel, a man removed his sandal and gave [it] to the other party in order to make any matter [legally] binding concerning the right of redemption or the exchange of property. This was [the method of] legally binding a transaction in Israel.

8 So the redeemer removed his sandal and said to Boaz, "Buy back [the property] yourself."

9 Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon.

10 I will also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man's name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his home. You are witnesses today."

11 The elders and all the people who were at the gate said, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.

12 May your house become like the house of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the Lord will give you by this young woman."

13 Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he was intimate with her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

14 Then the women said to Naomi, "Praise the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name be famous 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, has given birth to him."

16 Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and took care of 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.

18 Now this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron.

19 Hezron fathered Ram, who fathered Amminadab.

20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, who fathered Salmon.

21 Salmon fathered Boaz, who fathered Obed.

22 And Obed fathered Jesse, who fathered David.

Psalms 48

1 The Lord is great and is highly praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain,

2 rising splendidly, is the joy of the whole earth. Mount Zion on the slopes of the north is the city of the great King.

3 God is known as a stronghold in its citadels.

4 Look! The kings assembled; they advanced together.

5 They looked, and froze with fear; they fled in terror.

6 Trembling seized them there, agony like that of a woman in labor,

7 as You wrecked the ships of Tarshish with the east wind.

8 Just as we heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of Hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish it forever. Selah

9 God, within Your temple, we contemplate Your faithful love.

10 Your name, God, like Your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is filled with justice.

11 Mount Zion is glad. The towns of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments.

12 Go around Zion, encircle it; count its towers,

13 note its ramparts; tour its citadels so that you can tell a future generation:

14 "This God, our God forever and ever- He will lead us eternally."