Ruth, starting at chapter 1
{1:1} It happened in the days when the judges judged, that there was
a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to sojourn
in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. {1:2} The
name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the
name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem
Judah. They came into the country of Moab, and continued there. {1:3}
Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
{1:4} They took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one
was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they lived there about
ten years. {1:5} Mahlon and Chilion both died, and the woman was
bereaved of her two children and of her husband. {1:6} Then she arose
with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of
Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that Yahweh had
visited his people in giving them bread. {1:7} 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 to the land of Judah. {1:8} Naomi said
to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to her mother's
house: Yahweh deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead,
and with me. {1:9} Yahweh grant you that you may find rest, each of
you in the house of her husband."
Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
{1:10} They said to her, "No, but we will return with you to your
people."
{1:11} Naomi said, "Go back, my daughters. Why do you want to go
with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may be your
husbands? {1:12} Go back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old
to have a husband. If I should say, 'I have hope,' if I should even
have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons; {1:13} would you
therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore stay from
having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your
sakes, for the hand of Yahweh is gone forth against me."
{1:14} They lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed
her mother-in-law, but Ruth joined with her. {1:15} She said, "Behold,
your sister-in-law has gone back to her people, and to her god. Follow
your sister-in-law."
{1:16} Ruth said, "Don't entreat me to leave you, and to return from
following after you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge,
I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God;
{1:17} where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried. Yahweh
do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me."
{1:18} When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her,
she left off speaking to her.
{1:19} So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. It happened,
when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about
them, and [the women] said, "Is this Naomi?"
{1:20} She said to them, "Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara; for the
Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. {1:21} I went out full, and
Yahweh has brought me home again empty; why do you call me Naomi,
seeing Yahweh has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted
me?" {1:22} So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her
daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab:
and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
{2:1} Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth,
of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz. {2:2} Ruth the
Moabitess said to Naomi, "Let me now go to the field, and glean among
the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor."
She said to her, "Go, my daughter." {2:3} She went, and came and
gleaned in the field after the reapers: and she happened to come to
the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of
Elimelech.
{2:4} Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers,
"Yahweh be with you."
They answered him, "Yahweh bless you."
{2:5} Then said Boaz to his servant who was set over the reapers,
"Whose young lady is this?"
{2:6} The servant who was set over the reapers answered, "It is the
Moabite lady who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.
{2:7} She said, 'Please let me glean and gather after the reapers
among the sheaves.' So she came, and has continued even from the
morning until now, except that she stayed a little in the house."
{2:8} Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen, my daughter. Don't go to
glean in another field, and don't go from here, but stay here close to
my maidens. {2:9} Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and go
after them. Haven't I commanded the young men not to touch you? When
you are thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink from that which the
young men have drawn."
{2:10} Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your sight, that you
should take knowledge of me, seeing I am a foreigner?"
{2:11} Boaz answered her, "It has fully been shown me, all that you
have done to your mother-in-law since the death of your husband; and
how you have left your father and your mother, and the land of your
birth, and have come to a people that you didn't know before. {2:12}
May Yahweh repay your work, and a full reward be given you from
Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take
refuge."
{2:13} Then she said, "Let me find favor in your sight, my lord,
because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to
your handmaid, though I am not as one of your handmaidens."
{2:14} At meal time Boaz said to her, "Come here, and eat of the
bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar."
She sat beside the reapers, and they reached her parched grain, and
she ate, and was satisfied, and left some of it. {2:15} When she had
risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, "Let her
glean even among the sheaves, and don't reproach her. {2:16} Also pull
out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean,
and don't rebuke her."
{2:17} So she gleaned in the field until evening; and she beat out
that which she had gleaned, and it was about an [1>]ephah[<1] of
barley. {2:18} 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 which she had left after she was sufficed.
{2:19} Her mother-in-law said to her, "Where have you gleaned today?
Where have you worked? Blessed be he who noticed you."
She showed her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said,
"The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz." {2:20} Naomi said
to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of Yahweh, who has not left off
his kindness to the living and to the dead." Naomi said to her, "The
man is a close relative to us, one of our near kinsmen."
{2:21} Ruth the Moabitess said, "Yes, he said to me, 'You shall stay
close to my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.'"
{2:22} Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, "It is good, my
daughter, that you go out with his maidens, and that they not meet you
in any other field." {2:23} So she stayed close to the maidens of
Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and
she lived with her mother-in-law.
{3:1} Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, shall I not
seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? {3:2} Now isn't Boaz
our kinsman, with whose maidens you were? Behold, he winnows barley
tonight in the threshing floor. {3:3} Wash yourself therefore, and
anoint yourself, and put your clothing on yourself, and go down to the
threshing floor, but don't make yourself known to the man until he has
finished eating and drinking. {3:4} It shall be, when he lies down,
that you shall mark the place where he shall lie, and you shall go in,
and uncover his feet, and lay down; then he will tell you what you
shall do."
{3:5} She said to her, "All that you say I will do." {3:6} She went
down to the threshing floor, and did according to all that her
mother-in-law told her. {3:7} When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his
heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain.
She came softly, uncovered his feet, and laid her down. {3:8} It
happened at midnight, that the man was startled and turned himself;
and behold, a woman lay at his feet. {3:9} He said, "Who are you?"
She answered, "I am Ruth your handmaid. Therefore spread your skirt
over your handmaid; for you are a near kinsman."
{3:10} He said, "Blessed are you by Yahweh, my daughter. You have
shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch
as you didn't follow young men, whether poor or rich. {3:11} Now, my
daughter, don't be afraid; I will do to you all that you say; for all
the city of my people does know that you are a worthy woman. {3:12}
Now it is true that I am a near kinsman; however there is a kinsman
nearer than I. {3:13} Stay this night, and it shall be in the morning,
that if he will perform for you the part of a kinsman, well; let him
do the kinsman's part. But if he will not do the part of a kinsman for
you, then will I do the part of a kinsman for you, as Yahweh lives.
Lie down until the morning."
{3:14} She lay at his feet until the morning. She rose up before one
could discern another. For he said, "Let it not be known that the
woman came to the threshing floor." {3:15} He said, "Bring the mantle
that is on you, and hold it." She held it; and he measured six
[measures] of barley, and laid it on her; and he went into the city.
{3:16} When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, "How did it go,
my daughter?"
She told her all that the man had done to her. {3:17} She said, "He
gave me these six [measures] of barley; for he said, 'Don't go empty
to your mother-in-law.'"
{3:18} Then she said, "Sit still, my daughter, until you know how
the matter will fall; for the man will not rest, until he has finished
the thing this day."
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Footnotes:
[1] {2:17} 1 ephah is about 22 litres or about 2/3 of a bushel
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