Ruth Cross References - ISV

¹ Naomi’s FamilyNow there came a time of famine while judges were ruling in the land of Israel. A man from Bethlehem of Judah, his wife, and his two sons left to live in the country of Moab. ² The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi, and their two sons were named Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites from Bethlehem of Judah. They journeyed to the country of Moab and lived there for some time. ³ Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons. ⁴ Each of her sons married Moabite women: one named Orpah and the other named Ruth. After they lived there about ten years, ⁵ both Mahlon and Chilion died, leaving Naomi alone with neither her husband nor her two sons.
⁶ Naomi Returns to JudahShe and her daughters-in-law prepared to return from the country of Moab, because she had heard while living there how the LORD had come to the aid of his people, giving them relief. ⁷ So she left the place where she had been, along with her two daughters-in-law, and they traveled along the return road to the land of Judah. ⁸ But along the way, Naomi told her two daughters-in-law, “Each of you go back home. Return to your mother’s house. May the LORD show his gracious love to you, as you have shown me and our loved ones who have died. ⁹ May the LORD grant each of you security in your new husbands’ households.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they cried loudly.
¹⁰ They both replied to her, “No! We’ll go back with you to your people.”
¹¹ But Naomi responded, “Go back, my daughters. Why go with me? Are there still sons to be born to me as future husbands for you? ¹² So go on back, my daughters! Be on your way! I’m too old to remarry. If I were to say that I’m hoping for a husband tonight and then also bore sons this very night, ¹³ would you wait for them until they were grown? Would you refrain from marriage for them? No, my daughters! I’m more deeply grieved than you, because the LORD is working against me!”
¹⁴ Ruth Remains with NaomiThey began to cry loudly again. So Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye, but Ruth remained with her. ¹⁵ Naomi told Ruth, “Look, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods. Follow your sister-in-law!”
¹⁶ But Ruth answered, “Stop urging me to abandon you and to turn back from following you. Because wherever you go, I’ll go. Wherever you live, I’ll live. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God. ¹⁷ Where you die, I’ll die and be buried. May the LORD do this to me—and more—if anything except death comes between you and me.”
¹⁸ When Naomi observed Ruth’s determination to travel with her, she ended the conversation. ¹⁹ So they continued on until they reached Bethlehem.
Naomi and Ruth Arrive in BethlehemNow when the two of them arrived in Bethlehem, the entire town got excited at the news of their arrival and they asked one another, “Can this be Naomi?”
²⁰ But Naomi replied, “Don’t call me ‘Naomi’! Call me ‘Mara’! That’s because the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me. ²¹ I left here full, but the LORD brought me back empty. So why call me ‘Naomi’? After all, the LORD is against me, and the Almighty has broken me.”
²² So Naomi returned to Bethlehem from the country of Moab, along with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabite woman. And they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

¹⁰ Abram and Sarai in EgyptThere was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live because the famine was so severe.

¹ Isaac Lives in Philistia for a WhileLater on, a famine swept through the land. This famine was different from the previous famine that had occurred earlier, during Abraham’s lifetime. So Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.

¹ Preparing to Return to EgyptMeanwhile, the famine remained severe throughout the region.

¹⁹ I’ll break your mighty pride. I’ll make the heavens to be like iron and the ground like bronze.

²³ The sky above your head will become bronze while the ground beneath you will become iron. ²⁴ The LORD will change the rain on your land to powder and dust. It will come down from the sky until you are exterminated.”

³⁸ Complete Reversal“You’ll plant many seeds in a field, but your harvest will be small because the locust will consume it.

¹⁶ Then the LORD raised up leaders, who delivered Israel from domination by their marauders. ¹⁷ But they didn’t listen to their leaders, because they were committing spiritual immorality by following other gods and worshiping them. They quickly turned away from the road on which their ancestors had walked in obedience to the commands of the LORD. They didn’t follow their example. ¹⁸ As a result, whenever the LORD raised up leaders for them, the LORD remained present with their leader, delivering Israel from the control of their enemies during the lifetime of that leader. The LORD was moved with compassion by their groaning that had been caused by those who were oppressing and persecuting them.

⁸ Ibzan, Israel’s Ninth JudgeAfter he died, Ibzan from Bethlehem governed Israel for ten years.

⁸ The man had left his city Bethlehem in Judah to live wherever he could. As he traveled along, he eventually arrived at Micah’s house in the mountainous region of Ephraim, looking for work.

¹ The Levite’s MistressNow it happened in those days, before there was a king in Israel, that a certain male descendant of Levi, who lived in a remote part of the mountainous region of Ephraim, took a mistress for himself from Bethlehem in the territory of Judah. ² But his mistress was sexually unfaithful to him, and then she left him to live in her father’s home in Bethlehem in the territory of Judah. She had been living there for a period of about four months

¹ Retribution for the GibeonitesOne time there was a famine during David’s reign that went on for three straight years. David sought the LORD, who said, “Saul and his household are guilty because he executed the Gibeonites.”

¹ Elijah Calls for a DroughtElijah the foreigner, who was an alien resident from Gilead, told Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, in whose presence I’m standing, there will be neither dew nor rain these next several years, except when I say so.”
² Later, this message came to him from the LORD: ³ “Leave here and go into hiding at the Wadi Cherith, where it enters the Jordan River. ⁴ You will be able to drink from that brook, and I’ve commanded some crows to sustain you there.”
⁵ So Elijah left and did exactly what the LORD had told him to do—he went to live near the Wadi Cherith, where it enters the Jordan River. ⁶ Crows would bring him bread and meat both in the morning and in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. ⁷ But after a while, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
⁸ Elijah Visits the Widowed Mother of ZarephathThen this message came to him from the LORD: ⁹ “Get up, move to Zarephath in Sidon, and stay there. Look! I’ve commanded a widow to sustain you there.”
¹⁰ So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the entrance to the city, a widow was there gathering sticks. So he asked her, “Please, may I have some water in a cup so I can have a drink.” ¹¹ While she was on her way to get the water, he called out to her, “Would you please also bring me a piece of bread while you’re at it?”
¹² “As the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have so much as a muffin, just a handful of flour in a bowl and some oil left in a bottle. Now I’m going to find some sticks so I can cook a last meal for my son and for me. Then we’re going to eat it and die.”

² So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab, right when the famine in Samaria was most severe.

¹ The Shunammite’s Land is RestoredMeanwhile, Elisha urged the woman whose son he had restored to life, “You must get up and leave with your household to go live wherever you can, because the LORD has called for a famine, and it’s going to come over the land for seven years.” ² So the woman followed the instructions given to her by the man of God, and she went to the territory of the Philistines to live for seven years with her household.

¹⁶ He declared a famine on the land; destroying the entire food supply.

³⁴ and a fruitful land into a salty waste, due to the wickedness of its inhabitants.

¹ A Terrible Drought in the LandThis is this message from the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

¹³ “Son of Man, when a nation sins against me by a treacherous act, I’ll reach out to oppose it, destroying its source of food, by sending famine against it, and by destroying both people and beast within it.

²¹ This is what the Lord GOD says, “I’m sending four of my most destructive judgments—military invasion, famine, wild animals, and pestilence—into Jerusalem to destroy both human beings and livestock in it.

¹⁰ The Coming Famine“The fields lie in ruins and the ground is dried up. Indeed, the grain is ruined, the new wine has evaporated, and the olive oil has run out. ¹¹ Be dismayed, you farmers! Cry aloud, you vintners, for the wheat and barley, because the harvest in your fields has been lost.

¹⁶ Isn’t our food supply cut off right in front of us, along with joy and gladness from the Temple of our God? ¹⁷ Seeds shrivel within their furrows, the storehouses lie empty, and granaries stand in ruins because the grain has withered. ¹⁸ Oh, how the livestock groan! The herds of cattle wander about because they have no pasture. Even flocks of sheep suffer! ¹⁹ To you, LORD, I cry out, because fire has devoured the open pastures, and has set all the cultivated trees ablaze. ²⁰ The livestock also cries out to you, because their water sources have evaporated and because fire has consumed the open pastures.

⁶ Israel’s Refusal to Return to God“I also have scheduled food shortages for you in all of your cities, and lack of bread in all of your settlements, but you haven’t returned to me,” declares the LORD.

¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrathah, also known as Bethlehem.

¹ The Birth of SamuelA certain man lived in Ramathaim-zophim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim. He was Jeroham’s son Elkanah, the grandson of Elihu and grandson of Tohu, who was the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

²¹ David Hears Goliath’s ChallengeIsrael and the Philistines moved into position for battle, battle line facing battle line.

² The Ruler from Bethlehem“As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, even though you remain least among the clans of Judah, nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me will emerge from you. His existence has been from antiquity, even from eternity.

¹ The Miracle of the Oil Vessels
Now there happened to be a certain woman who had been the wife of a member of the Guild of Prophets. She cried out to Elisha, “My husband who served you has died, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. But a creditor has come to take away my children into indentured servitude!”

¹⁹ A righteous person will have many troubles, but the LORD will deliver him from them all.

⁶ For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he punishes every son he accepts.”

¹⁰ For a short time they disciplined us as they thought best, but God does it for our good, so that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, for those who have been trained by it, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.

³ You are not to intermarry with them. You are not to give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters for your sons,

³ “No Ammonite or Moabite may participate in the assembly of the LORD, and none of their descendants shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD, to the tenth generation,

¹ Solomon’s Forbidden Marriages and Idolatry
But King Solomon married many foreign women besides the daughter of Pharaoh: women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidonia, along with Hittite women, too, ² all of them from nations that the LORD had ordered the Israelis, “You are not to associate with them and they are not to associate with you, because they will most certainly turn your affections away to follow their gods.” Solomon became deeply attached to them by falling in love.

⁵ Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse,

³⁹ “Look now! I AM, and there is no other god besides me. I myself cause death and I sustain life; I wound severely and I also heal; from my power no one can deliver.

³⁰ “But if his sons abandon my laws and do not follow my ordinances, ³¹ if they profane my statutes; and do not keep my commands, ³² then I will punish their disobedience with a rod and their iniquity with lashes.

²¹ Then you’ll ask in your heart, ‘Who bore these children for me, although I was childless and barren, and an exile and cast aside? Who brought these up? Look! For my part I was left all alone; but as for these, where have they come from?’

¹⁹ Your wickedness will be punished, and you will be corrected due to your acts of apostasy. Know and see that it’s evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God, but the fear of me is not in you,” declares the Lord GOD of the Heavenly Armies.

²⁵ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his widow to his brother. ²⁶ The same thing happened with the second brother, and then the third, and finally with the rest of the brothers. ²⁷ Finally, the woman died, too.

¹² As he approached the entrance to the city, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her.

¹ Isaac is BornThe LORD came to Sarah, just as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised.

²⁰ Then he made this solemn vow: “If God remains with me, watches over me throughout this journey that I’m taking, gives me food to eat and clothes to wear,

¹⁵ Israel Blesses Joseph’s SonsThen Israel blessed Joseph by saying: “May the God in whose presence my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has continued shepherding me my whole life even until today,

²⁵ So Joseph made all of Israel’s other children make this promise: “Because God is certainly going to take care of you, you are to carry my bones up from here.”

¹⁶ “Go and gather the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘The LORD God of your ancestors, appeared to me—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and he said, “I have paid close attention to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt.

³¹ The people believed and understood that the LORD had paid attention to the Israelis and had seen their affliction. They bowed their heads and prostrated themselves in worship.

⁴ The LORD told Moses, “Listen very carefully! I’ll cause food to rain down for you from heaven, and the people are to go out and gather each day’s portion on that day. In this way I’ll test them to demonstrate whether or not they’ll live according to my instructions. ⁵ On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be double what they gather on other days.”
⁶ So Moses and Aaron addressed the entire congregation of the Israelis: “This evening you will know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt,

²¹ The LORD took note of Hannah, and she became pregnant and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel continued to grow, and the LORD was constantly with him.

¹⁴ He causes grass to sprout for the cattle and plants for people to cultivate, to produce food from the land, ¹⁵ like wine that makes the heart of people happy, oil that makes the face glow, and food that sustains people.

⁵ He prepares food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant.

¹⁵ I will bless its provisions abundantly; I will satiate its poor with food.

¹⁵ Everyone’s eyes are on you, as you give them their food in due time.

⁷ who brings justice for the oppressed, and who gives food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners;

¹⁴ He grants peace within your borders, satisfying you with the finest of wheat.

⁸ Keep deception and lies far away from me, and give me neither poverty nor wealth. Feed me with food that I need for today,

¹⁰ “For just as the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, yielding seed for the sower and bread for eating,

¹⁰ “For this is what the LORD says: ‘When Babylon’s seventy years are completed, I’ll take note of you and will fulfill my good promises to you by bringing you back to this place.

⁷ The survivors of Judah will find pasture on it; at twilight they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon, for the LORD their God will visit them, restoring their prosperity.”
The Lord’s Rebuke to Moab and Ammon

¹¹ Give us today our daily bread,

⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel! He has taken care of his people and has set them free.

⁴⁴ They will level you to the ground—you and those who live within your city limits. They will not leave one stone on another within your walls, because you didn’t recognize the time when you were visited.”

⁸ With food to eat and clothes to wear; content we are in everything.

¹² Continue to live such upright lives among the gentiles that, when they slander you as practicers of evil, they may see your good actions and glorify God when he visits them.

²⁷ Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and he went to his own land.

¹⁰ They both replied to her, “No! We’ll go back with you to your people.”

¹⁴ Ruth Remains with NaomiThey began to cry loudly again. So Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye, but Ruth remained with her.

³ At the end of the seven years, the woman returned from the territory of the Philistines and went to the king in order to file an appeal regarding her house and her grain field.

¹⁵ If you think it’s the wrong thing for you to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—the gods whom your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose territories you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
¹⁶ The Response of the PeopleIn response, the people said, “Far be it from us that we should abandon the LORD to serve other gods, ¹⁷ since the LORD our God is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, from a life of slavery. He did those great things right in front of us, preserving us along the way that we traveled and among all the peoples through whose territory we passed. ¹⁸ The LORD expelled all the people before us, including the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore, we also will serve the LORD, since he is our God.”
¹⁹ So Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to serve the LORD, because he is a God of Holiness. He is a jealous God, and he will forgive neither your transgressions nor your sins. ²⁰ If you abandon the LORD and serve foreign deities, then he will turn and do you harm, consuming you after all the good he has done for you.”
²¹ “No,” the people replied to Joshua. “We will serve the LORD.”
²² Joshua responded, “You are giving testimony against yourselves, that you have chosen to serve the LORD.”
They replied, “We are witnesses!”
²³ Joshua said, “Therefore abandon the foreign gods that are among you, and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
²⁴ The people replied, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey his voice.”
²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, making statutes and ordinances in Shechem. ²⁶ He wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God, took a large stone, moved it under the shade of the oak tree that was near the sanctuary of the LORD, ²⁷ and then told all of the people, “Look! This stone will testify for us, because it has heard everything that the LORD has spoken to us. So it will stand as a witness against you in the event that you deny your God.” ²⁸ Then Joshua dismissed the people, and each man returned to his territorial inheritance.

⁵ both Mahlon and Chilion died, leaving Naomi alone with neither her husband nor her two sons.

²⁰ Naomi replied, “May the one who hasn’t abandoned his gracious love to the living or to the dead be blessed by the LORD.” Naomi added, “This man is closely related to us, our related redeemer, as a matter of fact!”

²⁵ The Cost of Discipleship
Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus. He turned and told them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as his own life, he can’t be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever doesn’t carry his cross and follow me can’t be my disciple.
²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. He will first sit down and estimate the cost to see whether he has enough money to finish it, won’t he? ²⁹ Otherwise, if he lays a foundation and can’t finish the building, everyone who watches will begin to ridicule him ³⁰ and say, ‘This person started a building but couldn’t finish it.’
³¹ “Or suppose a king is going to war against another king. He will first sit down and consider whether with 10,000 men he can fight the one coming against him with 20,000 men, won’t he? ³² If he can’t, he will send a delegation to ask for terms of peace while the other king is still far away. ³³ In the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.”

²² Wives and HusbandsWives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord.

² “Honor your father and mother…” (This is a very important commandment with a promise.) ³ “…so that it may go well for you, and that you may have a long life on the earth.”

¹⁸ I have been paid in full and have more than enough. I am fully supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus what you sent—a fragrant aroma, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God will fully supply your every need according to his glorious riches in the Messiah Jesus.

¹⁸ Family DutiesWives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is appropriate for those who belong to the Lord.

²⁴ You know that it is from the Lord that you will receive the inheritance as a reward. It is the Lord Messiah whom you are serving!

¹⁶ May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, for he often took care of me and was not ashamed that I was a prisoner. ¹⁷ Instead, when he arrived in Rome he searched diligently for me and found me. ¹⁸ May the Lord grant that he finds mercy on the day he comes again. You know very well how much he assisted me in Ephesus.

²⁷ So Jacob drew closer to kiss him. When Isaac smelled the scent of his son’s clothes, he blessed him and said, “How my son’s scent is the fragrance of the field that the LORD has blessed.

¹¹ Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to cry out loud.

¹⁵ He kissed all of his brothers and wept with them, too, and then his brothers were able to talk with him.

¹ Naomi Offers to Find a Husband for RuthRuth’s mother-in-law Naomi, told her, “My daughter, should I not make inquiries about your financial security, so you’ll be better off in life?

³⁷ All of them cried and cried as they put their arms around Paul and kissed him affectionately.

³ As for the saints that are in the land, they are noble, and all my delight is in them.

⁶³ I am united with all who fear you, and with everyone who keeps your precepts.

²³ “This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘In the future, ten men speaking all the languages of the nations will grab hold of one Jewish person by the hem of his garment and say, “Let us go up to Jerusalem with you, because we heard that God is with you.”’”

¹¹ After this, Judah told his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Go live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” But he was really thinking, “…otherwise, Shelah might die like his brothers.” So Tamar left and lived in her father’s house.

⁵ Levirate Marriage“When two brothers are living together and one of them dies without leaving a son, his widow must not be married outside the family to a foreigner. Instead, the brother-in-law must go to her, take her as his wife, and by doing so perform the duty of a brother-in-law.

¹⁷ Abraham fell to the ground, laughed, and told himself, “Can a child be born to a 100-year-old man? Can a 90-year-old Sarah give birth?”

⁹ A widow may be put on the widows’ list if she is at least sixty years old and has been the wife of one husband.

¹⁵ Indeed, the hand of the LORD was against them to root them out from the camp until they were utterly destroyed.”

¹⁵ Wherever they went, the LORD worked against them to bring misfortune, just as the LORD had warned, and just as the LORD had promised them. As a result, they suffered greatly.

¹¹ They sent messengers and gathered together all the Philistine lords: “Send away the Ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to where it belongs so that it does not kill us and our people.” Meanwhile, a deadly panic had spread all over the town, and God kept on pressuring them there.

²¹ Job Pleads with His Friends“Be gracious to me, be gracious to me, my friends, because God’s hand has struck me.

⁴ For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; my strength was exhausted as in a summer drought. Interlude

² because your arrows have sunk deep into me, and your hand has come down hard on me.

⁹ I remain silent; I do not open my mouth, for you are the one who acted. ¹⁰ Stop scourging me, since I have been crushed by your heavy hand.

²⁸ As it is, you didn’t even allow me to kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye! You’ve acted foolishly.

⁵⁵ Early the next morning, Laban woke up, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, blessed them, and then left for home.

⁴ But all of you who are clinging to the LORD your God are alive today.

²⁰ You are to fear the LORD your God and serve him. Cling to him and swear by his name.

²⁰ He abandoned the oxen, ran off to follow Elijah, and asked him, “Please, let me kiss my mother and father good-bye, and then I’ll come after you.”
“Go back again,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times, and a brother is there for times of trouble.

²⁴ A man with many friends can still be ruined, but a true friend sticks closer than a brother.

¹ Israel Mocks Babylon’s KingHowever, the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will once again choose Israel. He will settle them in their own land, and foreigners will join them, affiliating themselves with the house of Jacob.

³⁷ The Cost of Discipleship
“The one who loves his father or mother more than me isn’t worthy of me, and the one who loves a son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continuously.

²² But when the young man heard this statement he went away sad, because he had many possessions.

²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. Then he told him, “You’re missing one thing. Go and sell everything you own, give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” ²² Shocked at this statement, the man went away sad, because he had many possessions.

⁶⁶ As a result, many of his disciples turned back and no longer associated with him.
⁶⁷ So Jesus asked the Twelve, “You don’t want to leave, too, do you?”
⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ Besides, we have believed and remain convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

³⁴ Some men joined him and became believers. With them were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and some others along with them.

¹⁰ because Demas, having fallen in love with this present world, has abandoned me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

³⁹ Now, we do not belong to those who turn back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

¹⁵ If you think it’s the wrong thing for you to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—the gods whom your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose territories you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

¹⁹ So Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to serve the LORD, because he is a God of Holiness. He is a jealous God, and he will forgive neither your transgressions nor your sins.

²⁴ Don’t you control what your god Chemosh gives you? In the same way, we’ll take control of whomever the LORD our God has driven out in front of us.

¹⁹ Then the king suggested to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you have to go with us? Return and stay with the new king, since you’re a foreigner and exile. Stay where you want to stay. ²⁰ It seems only yesterday that you arrived, so should I make you wander around with us while I go wherever I can? Go back, and take your brothers with you. May gracious love and truth accompany you!”

² Elijah instructed Elisha, “Remain here on this side, please, because the LORD is sending me as far as Bethel.”
But Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives, I’m not going to leave you while you’re still alive!” So they both went on to Bethel.

³ The words from his mouth are vain and deceptive. He has abandoned behaving wisely and doing good.

⁵ But for those who choose their own devious paths, the LORD will lead them away, along with those who practice evil. Peace be upon Israel.

⁶ those who turn away from the LORD, don’t seek the LORD, and never ask for his help.”
The Approaching Day of the LORD

²⁰ As for what was sown on the stony ground, this is the person who hears the word and accepts it joyfully at once, ²¹ but since he doesn’t have any root in himself, he lasts for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, he immediately falls away.

²⁸ As they came near the village where the two men were headed, Jesus acted as though he were going farther.

³⁸ but my righteous one will live by faith, and if he turns back, my soul will take no pleasure in him.”

¹⁹ They left us, but they were not part of us, for if they had been part of us, they would have stayed with us. Their leaving made it clear that none of them was really part of us.

¹⁸ The LORD expelled all the people before us, including the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore, we also will serve the LORD, since he is our God.”

¹¹ Boaz answered her, “It has been clearly disclosed to me all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband—how you abandoned your father, your mother, and your own land, and came to a people you did not previously know. ¹² May the LORD repay you for your work, and may a full reward be given you from the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

²¹ “As the LORD lives,” Ittai answered in reply, “and as your majesty the king lives, wherever your majesty my king may be—whether living or dying—that’s where your servant will be!”

² Elijah instructed Elisha, “Remain here on this side, please, because the LORD is sending me as far as Bethel.”
But Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives, I’m not going to leave you while you’re still alive!” So they both went on to Bethel.
³ When the Guild of Prophets who lived in Bethel came out to greet Elisha, they asked him, “You are aware, aren’t you, that later today the LORD is going to remove your master from being your mentor?”
“Of course I’m aware of it,” he said. “Calm down.”
⁴ Elijah also spoke to him, “Elisha, remain here on this side, please, because the LORD is sending me to Jericho.”
But Elisha responded, “As the LORD lives, and while you’re still alive, I’m not going to leave you!” So they went to Jericho.
⁵ The Guild of Prophets who lived in Jericho approached Elisha and asked him, “You are aware, aren’t you, that later today the LORD is going to remove your master from being your mentor?”
“Of course I’m aware of it,” he said. “Calm down.”
⁶ Elijah also spoke to him, “Elisha, remain here on this side, please, because the LORD is sending me to the Jordan River.”
But Elisha responded, “As the LORD lives, and while you’re still alive, I’m not going to leave you!” So they went on their way,

¹⁰ Listen, daughter! Consider and pay attention. Forget your people and your father’s house,

⁴⁷ The king told Daniel, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the Revealer of Secrets, because you were able to reveal this mystery.”

²⁹ So I decree that people from any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego will be destroyed and their house reduced to rubble, because there is no other god who can save like this.”

³⁷ In conclusion, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and give glory to the King of heaven: For everything he does is true, his ways are just, and he is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

⁴ The LORD is Israel’s God“I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt, and you have known no god except for me, because except for me there is no savior.

¹⁹ Just then, a scribe came up and told him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

²⁸ As they came near the village where the two men were headed, Jesus acted as though he were going farther. ²⁹ But they strongly urged him, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the daylight is nearly gone.” So he went in to stay with them.

³⁷ “Lord, why can’t I follow you now?” Peter asked him. “I would lay down my life for you!”

¹³ At this Paul replied, “What do you mean by crying and breaking my heart? I’m ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die for the name of the Lord Jesus!”

¹⁶ What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said: “I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” ¹⁷ Therefore, “Get away from them and separate yourselves from them,” declares the Lord, “and don’t touch anything unclean. Then I will welcome you. ¹⁸ I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters,” declares the Lord Almighty.

⁹ For people keep telling us what kind of welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve a living and true God

⁴ They have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins, and they follow the lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from among humanity as the first fruits for God and the lamb.

¹⁷ Eli said, “What did the LORD say to you? Please don’t conceal anything from me. May God do this to you and even more if you conceal from me one word of all that he spoke to you.”

²² May the LORD do this to the enemies of David—and more also—if by the morning I’ve left alive a single male of all those who belong to him.”

⁹ Therefore may God do to me—and more also!—just as the LORD has promised to David, since I’m doing this for him:

³⁵ Everyone tried to persuade David to have a meal while there was still daylight, but David took an oath by saying, “May God to do like this to me and more, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”

¹³ Then ask Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my own flesh and blood? So may God deal with me, no matter how severely, if from this day forward you don’t take Joab’s place as commander of my army.’

²³ Then King Solomon took this oath in the name of the LORD: “May God do so to me, and more besides, if Adonijah hasn’t endangered his life by bringing up this subject.

² Jezebel sent a messenger to tell Elijah, “May the gods do the same to me and even more if tomorrow about this time I haven’t made you like one of those prophets you had killed.”

¹⁰ Beh-hadad sent this message back: “May the gods do so to me, and more than that also, if the dust that remains of Samaria is enough to fill up a few handfuls for all of the armies at my disposal.”

³¹ He said, “May God do to me—and more also!—if the head of Shaphat’s son Elisha remains on his shoulders today!”

²³ When he arrived, he rejoiced to see what the grace of God had done, and with hearty determination he kept encouraging all of them to remain faithful to the Lord,

²⁴ But I don’t place any value on my life, if only I can finish my race and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

⁴² Life among the BelieversThe believers continued to devote themselves to what the apostles were teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer.

¹⁴ When he could not be persuaded otherwise, we remained silent except to say, “May the Lord’s will be done.”

¹⁰ Putting on the Whole Armor of GodFinally, be strong in the Lord, relying on his mighty strength.

⁷ Is this your exciting city, that was founded long ago, whose feet carried her to settle in far-off lands?

¹⁵ Everyone who passes by on the road shake their fists at you. They hiss and shake their heads at cherished Jerusalem: “Is this the city men used to call ‘The Perfection of Beauty,’ and ‘The Joy of the Entire Earth’”?

¹⁰ When he came into Jerusalem, the whole city was trembling with excitement. The people were asking, “Who is this?”

¹ God Appears to AbramWhen Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and announced, “I am God Almighty. Live in constant awareness that I’m always with you, and be blameless.

¹⁴ and may God Almighty cause the man to show compassion toward you. May he send all of you back, including your other brother and Benjamin. Now as for me, if I lose my children, I lose them.”

³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, and did I not reveal to them my name ‘LORD’?

¹⁷ “Indeed, how blessed is the person whom God reproves! So never disrespect the discipline of the Almighty,

⁴ “The arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit absorbs their poison; God’s terrors have been arranged just for me!

⁷ God’s Wisdom is Unfathomable“Can you search through God’s complex things? Can you uncover the limits of the Almighty?

⁶ then at least you must know that God has accused me of wrong, and trapped me with his net.”

¹⁴ For I suffer all day long and I am punished every morning.

¹⁵ Since my youth I have been oppressed and in danger of death. I bear your dread and am overwhelmed.

¹³ I’ve been swept bare until morning; just like a lion, he breaks all my bones— day and night you make an end of me.

¹ The LORD’s Purposes for Affliction I am a man familiar with affliction— under the rod of God’s anger. ² He has led me—brought me into darkness, not into light. ³ He truly turned his hand against me, again and again, all day long. ⁴ He made my flesh and skin prematurely old; he broke my bones. ⁵ He laid siege against me, surrounding me with bitterness and suffering. ⁶ He has forced me to live in darkness, like those who are long dead. ⁷ He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he placed heavy chains on me. ⁸ Indeed, when I cry out, calling for help, he shuts out my prayer. ⁹ He impeded my way with blocks of stone, making my paths uneven. ¹⁰ He is like a bear that lies in wait for me, a lion in hiding. ¹¹ He forced me off my path, tearing me to pieces and making me desolate. ¹² He bent his bow, aiming at me with his arrow. ¹³ He caused his war arrows to pierce my vital organs. ¹⁴ I have become a laughingstock to all my people, the object of their taunts throughout the day. ¹⁵ He has filled me with bitterness, making me drink wormwood. ¹⁶ He broke my teeth on gravel, covering me with dust. ¹⁷ You have removed peace from my life; I have forgotten what prosperity is. ¹⁸ So I say, “My strength is gone as is my hope in the LORD.” ¹⁹ Remember my affliction and homelessness— wormwood and gall! ²⁰ My mind keeps reflecting on it, and I become depressed.

¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, for those who have been trained by it, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” declares the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.”

²² I saw no temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple.

⁷ The LORD makes people poor and he makes people rich, he brings them low, and he also exalts them. ⁸ He raises the poor up from the dust, he lifts up the needy from the trash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. Indeed the pillars of the earth belong to the LORD, and he has set the world on them.

²¹ and exclaimed: “I left my mother’s womb naked, and I will return to God naked. The LORD has given, and the LORD has taken. May the name of the LORD be blessed.”

¹⁷ “‘You have brought new witnesses against me, you’re even more angry with me— you’ve brought fresh troops to attack me!

²⁶ You’ve accused me of bitter things; you’ve caused me to reap the sins of my youth.

⁸ You’ve arrested me, making me testify against myself! My leanness rises up to attack me, accusing me to my face.

⁵ The Judgment of God“I’ll come near to you for judgment. I’ll be a witness, quick to speak against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who defraud the laborer of his wage, against those who defraud the widow and the orphan, against those who deprive the alien of justice, and against those who don’t fear me,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

³¹ (Now the flax and the barley were ruined because the barley was in ear and the flax was in bud. ³² The wheat and the wild grain were not ruined because they were late crops.)

²³ So Ruth continued to stay close to the young women who worked for Boaz, gathering grain until both the barley and wheat harvests were complete, all the while living with her mother-in-law.

⁹ Then he turned them over to the custody of the Gibeonites, who hanged them on the mountain in the presence of the LORD. All seven of them died at the same time. They were executed during the first days of harvest, just as the barley began to be gathered in.