Burnt offerings XXV

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.

And Elimelech Naomi's husband died;

and she was left,

and her two sons.

***

And Boaz said unto the elders,

and unto all the people,

Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's,

of the hand of Naomi.

*****

The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked,

and the sceptre of the rulers.

He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke,

he that ruled the nations in anger,

is persecuted,

and none hindereth.

The whole earth is at rest,

and is quiet:

they break forth into singing.

Yea,

the fir trees rejoice at thee,

and the cedars of Lebanon,

saying,

Since thou art laid down,

no feller is come up against us.

Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming:

it stirreth up the dead for thee,

even all the chief ones of the earth;

it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

**

When I lie down,

I say,

When shall I arise, and the night be gone?

and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.

My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust;

my skin is broken,

and become loathsome.

**

All they shall speak

and say unto thee,

Art thou also become weak as we?

art thou become like unto us?

Thy pomp is brought down to the grave,

and the noise of thy viols:

the worm is spread under thee,

and the worms cover thee.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,

son of the morning!

how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

*****

Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance,

that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren,

and from the gate of his place:

ye are witnesses this day.

And all the people that were in the gate,

and the elders,

said,

We are witnesses. The Lord make the workman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah,

which two did build the house of Israel:

and do thou worthily in Ephratah,

and be famous in Bethlehem:

*****

And it came to pass,

that,

when the sun went down,

and it was dark,

behold a smoking furnace,

and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram,

saying,

Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

***

And I will establish my covenant between - me and thee - and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant,

to be a God unto thee,

and to thy seed after thee.

***

And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

*

. . . for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

***

And Dinah the daughter of Leah,

which she bare unto Jacob,

went out to see the daughters of the land.

And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country,

saw her,

he took her,

and lay with her,

and defiled her.

***

And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac,

to thee I will give it,

and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

***

And Er, Judah's firstborn,

was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him.

And Judah said unto Onan,

Go in unto thy brother's wife,

and marry her,

and raise up seed to thy brother.

And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass,

when he went in unto his brother's wife,

that he spilled it on the ground,

lest that he should give seed to

his brother.

***

And it came to pass about three months after,

that it was told Judah,

saying,

Tamar thy daughter - in law hath played the harlot;

and also,

behold,

she is with child by whoredom.

And Judah said,

Bring her forth,

and let her be burnt.

When she was brought forth,

she sent to her father in law,

saying,

By the man,

whose these are,

am I with child:

and she said,

Discern,

I pray thee, whose are these,

the signet,

and bracelets,

and staff.

And Judah acknowledged them,

and said,

She hath been more righteous - than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again - no more.

And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that,

behold,

twins were in her womb.

And it came to pass,

when she travailed,

that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand,

that,

behold,

his brother came out:

and she said,

How hast thou broken forth?

this breach be upon thee:

therefore his name was called Pharez.

*****

And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar - bare unto Judah,

of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman.

ISamuelX