And 7 visited his people in giving them bread. she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. And Naomi said unto her two 8 daughters in law, Go, return each of you to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The LORD grant you that ye may find 9 rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And they said unto her, Nay, 10 but we will return with thee unto thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: 11 why will ye go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I 12 am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have an husband to-night, and should also bear sons; would ye therefore tarry till they were grown? 13 would ye therefore stay from having husbands? Or, it is far nay, my daughters; for 'it grieveth me much more bitter for for your sakes, for the hand of the LORD is me than for you gone forth against me. And they lifted up their 14 minded to go with her, she left speaking unto 19 her. So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and the women said, Is this 20 Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not 'Naomi, call me 'Mara: for the Almighty hath 21 dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty why call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty 22 hath afflicted me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest. 2 I That is, Pleasant. 2 That is, Bitter. 3 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of 'wealth, of the family of Or, valeur 2 Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me no v go to the field, and glean among the ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And 3 she said unto her, Go, my daughter. And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers and her hap was to light on the portion of the field belonging unto Boaz, who 4 was of the family of Elimelech. And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they 5 answered him, The LORD bless thee. Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the 6 reapers, Whose damsel is this? And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab : 7 and she said, Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, save that she tarried a little in the house. Then said Boaz unto Ruth, 8 Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. Let thine 9 eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to 10 the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thy sight, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath 11 fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, 12 and a full reward be given thee of the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to take refuge. Then she said, Let me 13 find grace in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast Heb. to the spoken 'kindly unto thine handmaid, though I be not as one of thine handmaidens. And at 14 meal-time Boaz said unto her, Come hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and "they reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left thereof. And when 15 she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. And also 16 pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and rebuke her not. heart of. 2 Or, he 17 So she gleaned in the field until even; and she beat out that she had gleaned, and it was about 18 an ephah of barley. And she took it up, and went into the city and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned and she brought forth and gave to her that she had left after she was 19 sufficed. And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to-day 20 is Boaz. And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is nigh of kin unto us, 'one of our near kinsmen. 1Or, one of 21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yea, he said them that hath unto me, Thou shalt keep fast by my young redeem for us 22 men, until they have ended all my harvest. And See Lev. xxv. Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any 23 other field. So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother in law. 3 I the right to 25. 2 place And Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, Or, a resting 2 that it may be well with thee? And now is there not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to3 night in the threshing-floor. Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshingfloor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drink4 ing. And it shall be, when he lieth down, 1 Another reading is, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. And she said unto 5 her, All that thou 'sayest I will do. And 6 sayest unto me. she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. And when Boaz had eaten and 7 drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. And it came to pass at 8 2 Or, startled midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, Who art thou? And she an- 9 swered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over An handmaid; for 3 Or, one that thou art a near kinsman. And he said, Blessed 10 hath the right be thou of the LORD, my da to redeem Heb. goel. 4 Heb. gate. See ch. iv. I, II. thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou allowedst not young men, whether poor or rich. And 11 now, my daughter, fear not; I will do t thee all that thou sayest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuo woman. And now it is true that I am a near kinsman howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. Tarry this night, and it shall be in 13 the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning. And she lay at 14 his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could discern another. For he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor. And he said, Bring the 15 |