Judges 14:10-18

10His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. 11As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12And Samson said to them, ^a“Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me what it is, within ^bthe seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty ^cchanges of clothes, 13but if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle, that we may hear it.” 14And he said to them,

“Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.”
And in three days they could not solve the riddle.

15On the fourth ▼

▼Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew seventh

day they said to Samson’s wife, ^e“Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, ^flest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?” 16And Samson’s wife wept over him and said, ^g“You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?” 17She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because ^hshe pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. 18And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,

“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”
And he said to them,

“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have found out my riddle.”

Ruth 4:10-13

10Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, ⁱto perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” 11Then all the people who were ^jat the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, ^kwho together ^lbuilt up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in ^mEphrathah and ⁿbe renowned in Bethlehem, 12and may your house be like the house of Perez, ^owhom Tamar bore to Judah, because ^pof the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

Ruth and Boaz Marry

13So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, ^qand the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

Matthew 22:2-10

2 ^r“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave ^sa wedding feast for his son, 3and ^tsent his servants ▼

▼Greek bondservants; also verses 4, 6, 8, 10

to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 ^vAgain he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my ^wdinner, ^xmy oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5But ^ythey paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his servants, ^ztreated them shamefully, and ^aakilled them. 7The king was angry, and he sent his troops and ^abdestroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not ^acworthy. 9Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10And those servants went out into the roads and ^adgathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Matthew 25:1-10

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ^aeten virgins who took their lamps ▼

▼Or torches

and went to meet ^agthe bridegroom. ▼

▼Some manuscripts add and the bride

2Five of them were foolish, and five were ^aiwise. 3For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom ^ajwas delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6But ^akat midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those virgins rose and ^altrimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and ^amthose who were ready went in with him to ^anthe marriage feast, and ^aothe door was shut.

John 2:1-10

The Wedding at Cana

1On ^apthe third day there was a wedding at ^aqCana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2Jesus also was invited to the wedding with ^arhis disciples. 3When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4And Jesus said to her, ^as“Woman, ^atwhat does this have to do with me? ^auMy hour has not yet come.” 5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6Now there were six stone water jars there ^avfor the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty ^awgallons. ▼

▼Greek two or three measures (metrētas); a metrētēs was about 10 gallons or 35 liters

7Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9When the master of the feast tasted ^aythe water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

Revelation of John 19:9

9And the angel said ▼

▼Greek he said

to me, “Write this: ^baBlessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, ^bb“These are the true words of God.”