Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, ¹  bear with my message of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you briefly.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, ¹  because you know that we will be judged more strictly. ² 

like Sarah who obeyed ¹  Abraham, calling him lord. You become her children ²  when you do what is good and have no fear in doing so. ³ 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, ¹  make every effort to be sure of your calling and election. ²  For by doing this ³  you will never ⁴  stumble into sin. ⁵ 

From ¹  the elder, ²  to an elect lady ³  and her children, whom I love in truth ⁴  (and not I alone, but also all those ⁵  who know the truth),

From Jude, ¹  a slave ²  of Jesus Christ and brother of James, ³  to those who are called, wrapped in the love of ⁴  God the Father and kept for ⁵  Jesus Christ.

“Do not harm the boy!” ¹  the angel said. ²  “Do not do anything to him, for now I know ³  that you fear ⁴  God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”

She said to him, “My father, since ¹  you made an oath to the Lord, do to me as you promised. ²  After all, the Lord vindicated you before ³  your enemies, the Ammonites.”

She then said to her father, “Please grant me this one wish. ¹  For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.” ² 

Go back home, my daughters! For I am too old to get married again. ¹  Even if I thought that there was hope that I could get married tonight and conceive sons, ² 

One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go ¹  to the fields so I can gather ²  grain behind whoever permits me to do so.” ³  Naomi ⁴  replied, “You may go, my daughter.”

So Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, ¹  my dear! ²  Do not leave to gather grain in another field. You need not ³  go beyond the limits of this field. You may go along beside ⁴  my female workers. ⁵ 

Naomi then said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It is good, my daughter, that you should go out to work with his female servants. ¹  That way you will not be harmed, which could happen in another field.” ² 

and she returned to her mother-in-law.When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi ¹  asked, ²  “How did things turn out for you, ³  my daughter?” Ruth ⁴  told her about all the man had done for her. ⁵ 

¹  Then the leaders of the Philistines would march out, and as often as they did so, David achieved more success than all of Saul’s servants. His name was held in high esteem.

Saul replied to David, “May you be rewarded, ¹  my son David! You will without question be successful!” ²  So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

My God ¹  is my rocky summit where I take shelter, ²  my shield, the horn that saves me, ³  my stronghold, my refuge, my savior. You save me from violence! ⁴ 

When the news reached Joab (for Joab had supported ¹  Adonijah, although he had not supported Absalom), he ²  ran to the tent of the Lord and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. ³ 

One of his advisers said, “No, my master, O king. The prophet Elisha who lives in Israel keeps telling the king of Israel the things you say in your bedroom.”

Now, to show my commitment to the temple of my God, I donate my personal treasure of gold and silver to the temple of my God, in addition to all that I have already supplied for this holy temple.