Self Redeemed
God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.
Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
Yahweh God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
He made the rib, which Yahweh God had taken from the man, into a woman, and brought her to the man.
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of Man.”
Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.
They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
Thorns also and thistles will it bring forth to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.
By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
The man called his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Yahweh God made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.
Therefore Yahweh God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph.
He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.
The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah,
A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife.
They lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth joined with her.
Ruth said, “Don’t entreat me to leave you, and to return from following after you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God;
where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried. Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me.”
I went out full, and Yahweh has brought me home again empty; why do you call me Naomi, since Yahweh has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.
Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
She went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.
Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “Yahweh be with you.” They answered him, “Yahweh bless you.”
She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came, and has continued even from the morning until now, except that she stayed a little in the house.”
Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to your handmaid, though I am not as one of your handmaidens.”
At meal time Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” She sat beside the reapers, and they reached her parched grain, and she ate, and was satisfied, and left some of it.
So she gleaned in the field until evening; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
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 which she had left after she was sufficed.
Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? Where have you worked? Blessed be he who noticed you.” She showed her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.”
Ruth the Moabitess said, “Yes, he said to me, ‘You shall stay close to my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.’”
So she stayed close to the maidens of Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she lived with her mother-in-law.
Now isn’t Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens you were? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor.
It happened at midnight, that the man was startled and turned himself; and behold, a woman lay at his feet.
Now, my daughter, don’t be afraid; I will do to you all that you say; for all the city of my people does know that you are a worthy woman.
Now this was [the custom] in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man took off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the [way of] attestation in Israel.
So the near kinsman said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” He took off his shoe.
Boaz said to the elders, and to all the people, “You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi.
Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, that the name of the dead not be cut off from among his brothers, and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses this day.”
All the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, which two built the house of Israel; and treat you worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem.
Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.
I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me, “You are my son. Today I have become your father.
Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
A Psalm by David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
I cry to Yahweh with my voice, and he answers me out of his holy hill. Selah.
I laid myself down and slept. I awakened; for Yahweh sustains me.
Arise, Yahweh! Save me, my God! For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked.
Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
But know that Yahweh has set apart for himself him who is godly: Yahweh will hear when I call to him.
Stand in awe, and don’t sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Put your trust in Yahweh.
In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety.
The Song of songs, which is Solomon’s.
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
Mercy to you and peace and love be multiplied.
Beloved, while I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I was constrained to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Now I desire to remind you, though you already know this, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who didn’t believe.
About these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones,
But you, beloved, remember the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.