 1 Naomi had a relative+ of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 Ruth of Moab said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean ears of grain after him in whose sight I will find grace. Naomi replied to Ruth, Go, my daughter. 3 She gleaned in the field after the reapers and happened to come upon a part of the field of Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, The Lord be with you. They answered him, The Lord bless you. 5 Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, Whose girl is this? 6 The servant who was set over the reapers said, It is the girl from Moab who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab. 7 She said, Please let me glean among the sheaves and gather after the reapers. She came and has kept on from the morning until now, but stayed a little in the house. 8 Boaz said to Ruth, Do you not hear, my daughter? Do not go to glean in another field, neither go away from here, but stay here close by my maidens. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they reap and go after them. I have commanded the young men that they shall not touch you? When you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn. 10 Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground and said to him, Why have I found grace in your eyes that you should take notice of me since I am a foreigner? 11 Boaz said to her, It has been fully shown to me all that you have done for your mother in law since the death of your husband. And that you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and came to a people you did not know before now. 12 May the Lord repay your work and may a full reward be given to you from the Lord God of Israel under whose wings you have come to trust. 13 Then she said, Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me. You have spoken kindly to your handmaid, though I am not like one of your handmaidens. 14 Boaz said to her, At mealtime, come here and eat of the bread and dip your bit in the vinegar. She sat beside the reapers and he handed her roasted grain and she ate and was satisfied and left. 15 When she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves and do not rebuke her. 16 Also let fall some handfuls on purpose for her and leave them so that she may glean them and do not rebuke her. 17 So she gleaned in the field until evening and beat out what she had gleaned and it was about a bushel of barley. 18 She took it up and went into the city. And her mother in law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought it forth, and gave to her what she had kept after she was satisfied. 19 Her mother in law said to her, Where have you gleaned today? Where did you work? Blessed is the one who took notice of you. She told her mother in law with whom she had worked and said, The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz. 20 Naomi said to her daughter in law, Blessed is he of the Lord, who has not stopped his kindness to the living and to the dead. Then Naomi said to her, This man is a close relative+, one of our family+. 21 Ruth of Moab said, He said to me also, You shall keep close by my young men whom I have until they have ended all my harvest. 22 Naomi said to her daughter in law Ruth, Good, my daughter. You go out with his maidens so that they do not fall upon you in any other field. 23 She kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean until the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother in law.
|