Today’s
Reading : Ruth 1 – 2 and Acts 22 (KJV)
Ruth 1
Rth 1:1 Now it came to pass in the days when the
judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of
Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of
Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
Rth 1:2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the
name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon
and Chilion, Ephrathites of
Bethlehem-judah. And they came into the country of
Moab, and continued there.
Rth 1:3 And Elimelech
Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
Rth 1:4 And they took them wives of the women of
Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled
there about ten years.
Rth 1:5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of
her two sons and her husband.
Rth 1:6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law,
that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the
country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.
Rth 1:7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place
where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way
to return unto the land of Judah.
Rth 1:8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law,
Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye
have dealt with the dead, and with me.
Rth 1:9 The LORD grant you that ye may find rest,
each of you
in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their
voice, and wept.
Rth 1:10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return
with thee unto thy people.
Rth 1:11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why
will ye go with me? are there yet any more
sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
Rth 1:12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way;
for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have a husband also tonight, and
should also bear sons;
Rth 1:13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown?
would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD
is gone out against me.
Rth 1:14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept
again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth
cleaved unto her.
Rth 1:15 And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is
gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy
sister-in-law.
Rth 1:16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for
whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be
my people, and thy God my God:
Rth 1:17 Where thou diest,
will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if aught
but death part thee and me.
Rth 1:18 When she saw that she was steadfastly minded
to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
Rth 1:19 So they two went until they came to
Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the
city was moved about them, and they said, Is
this Naomi?
Rth 1:20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi,
call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
Rth 1:21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me
home again empty: why then call ye me
Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath
afflicted me?
Rth 1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, which returned
out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of
barley harvest.
Ruth 2
Rth 2:1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a
mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and
his name was Boaz.
Rth 2:2 And Ruth the Moabitess
said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she
said unto her, Go, my daughter.
Rth 2:3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the
field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
Rth 2:4 And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and
said unto the reapers, The LORD be with
you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.
Rth 2:5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set
over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
Rth 2:6 And the servant that was set over the reapers
answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the
country of Moab:
Rth 2:7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and
gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued
even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
Rth 2:8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest
thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence,
but abide here fast by my maidens:
Rth 2:9 Let thine eyes be on the
field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young
men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the
vessels, and drink of that which the
young men have drawn.
Rth 2:10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself
to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine
eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me,
seeing I am a stranger?
Rth 2:11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath
fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the
death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and
the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
Rth 2:12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward
be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to
trust.
Rth 2:13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy
sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken
friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like
unto one of thine handmaidens.
Rth 2:14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou
hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat
beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn,
and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
Rth 2:15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz
commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and
reproach her not:
Rth 2:16 And let fall also some
of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them,
that she may glean them, and rebuke her
not.
Rth 2:17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and
beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah
of barley.
Rth 2:18 And she took it
up, and went into the city: and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned: and
she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was
sufficed.
Rth 2:19 And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where
hast thou gleaned today? and where wroughtest thou?
blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law
with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought today is Boaz.
Rth 2:20 And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law,
Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not
left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her,
The man is near of kin unto us, one of
our next kinsmen.
Rth 2:21 And Ruth the Moabitess
said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by
my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.
Rth 2:22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law,
It is
good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not
in any other field.
Rth 2:23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to
glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her
mother-in-law.
Acts 22
Act
22:1 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence
which I
make now unto you.
Act 22:2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more
silence: and he saith,)
Act 22:3 I am verily a man which
am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in
Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel,
and taught according to the perfect
manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are
this day.
Act 22:4 And I persecuted this way unto the death,
binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
Act 22:5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness,
and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the
brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto
Jerusalem, for to be punished.
Act 22:6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my
journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from
heaven a great light round about me.
Act 22:7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice
saying unto me, Saul, Saul,
why persecutest
thou me?
Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he
said unto me, I am
Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
Act 22:9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light,
and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake
to me.
Act 22:10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the
Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
Act 22:11 And when I could not see for the glory of
that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into
Damascus.
Act 22:12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to
the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
Act 22:13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me,
Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
Act 22:14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath
chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and
see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of
his mouth.
Act 22:15 For thou shalt be
his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Act 22:16 And now why tarriest
thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of
the Lord.
Act 22:17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come
again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
Act 22:18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
Act 22:19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned
and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
Act 22:20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was
shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the
raiment of them that slew him.
Act 22:21 And he said unto me, Depart:
for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
Act 22:22 And they gave him audience unto this word,
and then lifted up their voices, and
said, Away with such a fellow from the
earth: for it is not fit that he should live.
Act 22:23 And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,
Act 22:24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought
into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he
might know wherefore they cried so against him.
Act 22:25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said
unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is
a Roman, and uncondemned?
Act 22:26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying,
Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
Act 22:27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto
him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
Act 22:28 And the chief captain answered, With a great
sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
Act 22:29 Then straightway they departed from him which
should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew
that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
Act 22:30 On the morrow, because he would have known
the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and
all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.