Study Desk

But Ruth said, "Don't force me to leave you! Don't force me to go back to my own people. Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you sleep, I will sleep. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God.

But Naomi told the people, "Don't call me Naomi; call me Marah. Use this name because God All-Powerful has made my life very sad.

I had everything I wanted when I left, but now, the Lord brings me home with nothing. The Lord has made me sad, so why should you call me ‘Happy'? God All-Powerful has given much trouble to me."

Boaz answered her, "I know about all the help you have given to your mother-in-law Naomi. I know you helped her even after your husband died. And I know that you left your father and mother and your own country and came here to this country. You did not know anyone from this country, but you came here with Naomi.

Then Ruth said, "I hope I can continue to please you, sir. You are very kind. I am only a servant and not even one of your own servants. But you have said kind words to me and comforted me."

Go wash yourself and get dressed. Put on a nice dress, and go down to the threshing floor. But don't let Boaz see you until he has finished eating his dinner.

Then Boaz said, "May the Lord bless you, young woman. You have been very kind to me. Your kindness to me is greater than the kindness you showed to Naomi in the beginning. You could have looked for a young man to marry, rich or poor. But you did not.

And it is true that I am a close relative. But there is a man who is a closer relative to you than I am.

Elkanah had two wives. One wife was named Hannah and the other wife was named Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

Hannah was praying in her heart. Her lips were moving, but since she did not say the words out loud, Eli thought she was drunk.

But Hannah did not go. She told Elkanah, "When the boy is old enough to eat solid food, I will take him to Shiloh. Then I will give him to the Lord . He will become a Nazirite. He will stay there at Shiloh."

There is no holy God like the Lord . There is no God but you. There is no Rock like our God.

People who had plenty of food in the past must now work to get food. But those who were hungry in the past now grow fat on food. The woman who was not able to have children now has seven children. But the woman who had many children is sad because her children are gone.

He protects his holy people. He keeps them from stumbling. But evil people will be destroyed. They will fall in the darkness. Their power won't help them win.

Elkanah and his family went home to Ramah, but the boy stayed in Shiloh and served the Lord under Eli the priest.

But that is not what the sons of Eli did. Even before the fat was burned on the altar, their servant would go to the people offering sacrifices and say, "Give the priest some meat to roast. The priest won't accept boiled meat from you."

Maybe the man offering the sacrifice would say, "Burn the fat first, and then you can take whatever you want." But the servant would answer: "No, give me the meat now. If you don't give it to me, I'll take it from you!"

But Samuel served the Lord . He was a helper who wore the linen ephod.

If you sin against other people, God might protect you. But who can help you if you sin against the Lord ?" Eli's sons refused to listen to him, so the Lord decided to kill them.

"The Lord , the God of Israel, promised that your father's family would serve him forever. But now the Lord says, ‘That will never be! I will honor people who honor me, but bad things will happen to those who refuse to respect me.