For these past two years there has been famine in ¹  the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

Now the residents of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they were pleased at the sight.

Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed,

Don’t you say, ¹  ‘There are four more months and then comes the harvest?’ I tell you, look up ²  and see that the fields are already white ³  for harvest!

Ruth the Moabite replied, “He even ¹  told me, ‘You may go along beside my servants ²  until they have finished gathering all my harvest!’” ³ 

Take note of ¹  the field where the men ²  are harvesting and follow behind with the female workers. ³  I will tell the men ⁴  to leave you alone. ⁵  When you are thirsty, you may go to ⁶  the water jars ⁷  and drink some of the water ⁸  the servants draw.” ⁹ 

Threshing season will extend for you until the season for harvesting grapes, ¹  and the season for harvesting grapes will extend until sowing season, so ²  you will eat your bread until you are satisfied, ³  and you will live securely in your land.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you, but you will eat the grain ¹  of the field.

So ¹  the Pharisees ²  said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?”

But some of the Pharisees ¹  said, “Why are you ²  doing what is against the law ³  on the Sabbath?”

So ¹  the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

“On six days ¹  you may labor, but on the seventh day you must rest; ²  even at the time of plowing and of harvest ³  you are to rest. ⁴ 

But when the Pharisees ¹  saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.”

For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe ¹  man. You withdraw ²  what you did not deposit ³  and reap what you did not sow.’

Whenever you reap your harvest in your field and leave some unraked grain there, ¹  you must not return to get it; it should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow so that the Lord your God may bless all the work you do. ² 

You may buy it from your fellow citizen according to the number of years since ¹  the last jubilee; he may sell it to you according to the years of produce that are left. ² 

and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether or not there are forests in it. And be brave, ¹  and bring back some of the fruit of the land.” Now it was the time of year ²  for the first ripe grapes. ³ 

So Ruth ¹  worked beside ²  Boaz’s female servants, gathering grain until the end of the barley harvest as well as the wheat harvest. ³  After that she stayed home with her mother-in-law. ⁴ 

He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties, ¹  as well as those who plow his ground, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and his chariot equipment.

My people will sow wheat, but will harvest weeds. ¹  They will work until they are exhausted, but will get nothing from it. They will be disappointed in their harvests ²  because the Lord will take them away in his fierce anger. ³