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  Ruth

1 And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. ²And the name of the man was E-lim-e-lech, and the name of his wife Na-o-mi, and the name of his two sons Mah-lon and Chi-li-on, Eph-ra-thites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. ³And E-lim-e-lech, Na-o-mi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. ⁴And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Or-pah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelt there about ten years. ⁵And Mah-lon and Chi-li-on died both of them; and the woman were left of her two children and of her husband.

⁶Then 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 Jehovah had visited his people in giving them bread. ⁷And 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. ⁸And Na-o-mi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother’s house: Jehovah deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me. ⁹Jehovah 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. ¹⁰And they said unto her, no, but we will return with you unto your people. ¹¹And Na-o-mi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will you go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? ¹²Turn again, 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 to-night, and should also bear sons; ¹³would you therefore tarry till 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 Jehovah is gone forth against me. ¹⁴And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Or-pah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth split unto her. ¹⁵And she said, Behold, your sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her god: return you after your sister-in-law. ¹⁶And Ruth said, Entreat me not 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; ¹⁷where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried: Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me. ¹⁸And when she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking unto her.

¹⁹So they both 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 Na-o-mi? ²⁰And she said unto them, Call me not Na-o-mi, call me Mar-a; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹I went out full, and Jehovah has brought me home again empty; why call you me Na-o-mi, seeing Jehovah has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me? ²²So Na-o-mi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

2 And Na-o-mi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of E-lim-e-lech, and his name was Bo-az. ²And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Na-o-mi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. ³And 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 Bo-az, who was of the family of E-lim-e-lech.

⁴And, behold, Bo-az came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless you. ⁵Then said Bo-az unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? ⁶And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Na-o-mi out of the country of Moab: ⁷And she said, Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came, and has continued even from the morning until now, save that she tarried a little in the house. ⁸Then said Bo-az unto Ruth, do you not hear, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from here, but abide here fast by my maidens. ⁹Let your eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go yourself after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch you? and when you are athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. ¹⁰Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take knowledge of me, seeing I am a foreigner? ¹¹And Bo-az answered and said unto her, It has fully been showed me, all that you have done unto 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 nativity, and are come unto a people that you knew not before. ¹²Jehovah recompense your work, and a full reward be given you of Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings you are come to take refuge. ¹³Then she said, Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, for that you have comforted me, and for that you have spoken kindly unto your handmaid, though I be not as one of your handmaidens. ¹⁴And at meal-time Bo-az said unto her, Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and they handed her parched grain, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left there. ¹⁵And when she was risen up to glean, Bo-az commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. ¹⁶And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and rebuke her not.

¹⁷So she gleaned in the field until even; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an E-phah of barley. ¹⁸And 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. ¹⁹And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where have you gleaned today? and where have you worked? blessed be he that did take knowledge of you. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, The man’s name with whom I worked today is Bo-az. ²⁰And Na-o-mi said unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of Jehovah, who have not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Na-o-mi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen. ²¹And Ruth the Moabitess said, yes, he said unto me, you shall keep close by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. ²²And Na-o-mi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, and that they meet you not in any other field. ²³So she kept close by the maidens of Bo-az, to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

3 And Na-o-mi her mother-in-law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? ²And now is not Bo-az our kinsman, with whose maidens you were? Behold, he sifts barley to-night in the threshing-floor. ³Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself, and put your raiment upon yourself, and get yourself down to the threshing-floor, but make not yourself known unto the man, until he shall have finished eating and drinking. ⁴And 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 yourself down; and he will tell you what you shall do. ⁵And she said unto her, All that you say I will do.

⁶And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law said to her. ⁷And when Bo-az had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid herself down. ⁸And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. ⁹And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth your handmaid: spread therefore your skirt over your handmaid; for you are a near kinsman. ¹⁰And he said, Blessed be you of Jehovah, my daughter: you have showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as you followed not young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to you all that you say; for all the city of my people does know that you are a worthy woman. ¹²And now it is true that I am a near kinsman; howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. ¹³Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto 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 to you, then will I do the part of a kinsman to you, as Jehovah lives: lie down until the morning.

¹⁴And she lay at 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. ¹⁵And he said, Bring the mantle that is upon you, and hold it; and she held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and he went into the city. ¹⁶And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, Who are you, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. ¹⁷And she said, These six measures of barley he gave me; for he said, Go not empty unto your mother-in-law. ¹⁸Then 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.

4 Now Bo-az went up to the gate, and sat himself down there: and, behold, the near kinsman of whom Bo-az spoke came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. ²And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit yourselves down here. And they sat down. ³And he said unto the near kinsman, Na-o-mi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, sells the parcel of land, which was our brother E-lim-e-lech’s: ⁴And I thought to disclose it unto you, saying, Buy it before them that sit here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it: but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is none to redeem it besides you; and I am after you. And he said, I will redeem it. ⁵Then said Bo-az, The day you buy the field of the hand of Na-o-mi, you must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. ⁶And the near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, unless I mar my own inheritance: you take my right of redemption yourself; for I cannot redeem it. ⁷Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. ⁸So the near kinsman said unto Bo-az, Buy it for yourself. And he drew off his shoe.

⁹And Bo-az said unto the elders, and unto all the people, you are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was E-lim-e-lech’s, and all that was Chi-li-on’s and Mah-lon’s, of the hand of Na-o-mi. ¹⁰Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mah-lon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: you are witnesses this day. ¹¹And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. Jehovah make the woman that is come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do you worthily in Eph-ra-tah, and be famous in Beth-lehem: ¹²and let your house be like the house of Pe-rez, whom Ta-mar bare unto Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give you of this young woman.