Ruth 2:1–4:22

Ruth Meets Boaz

2 There was a arelative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of bElimelech. His name was cBoaz. 2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the dfield, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.”

And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

3 Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

4 Now behold, Boaz came from eBethlehem, and said to the reapers, f“The Lord be with you!”

And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!”

5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”

6 So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman gwho came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.”

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”

10 So she hfell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found ifavor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

11 And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, jall that you have done for 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 whom you did not know before. 12 kThe Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, lunder whose wings you have come for refuge.”

13 Then she said, m“Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken 1kindly to your maidservant, nthough I am not like one of your maidservants.”

14 Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and owas satisfied, and kept some back. 15 And when she rose up to 2glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not 3reproach her. 16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, 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 an ephah of pbarley. 18 Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her qwhat she had kept back after she had been satisfied.

19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who rtook notice of you.”

So 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 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, s“Blessed be he of the Lord, who thas not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, uone of 4our close relatives.”

21 Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You shall stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ”

22 And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not 5meet you in any other field.” 23 So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

Ruth’s Redemption Assured

3 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, ashall I not seek bsecurity 1for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Now Boaz, cwhose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Therefore wash yourself and danoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.”

5 And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.”

6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. 7 And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and ehis heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

8 Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 And he said, “Who are you?”

So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. fTake 2your maidservant under your wing, for you are ga 3close relative.”

10 Then he said, h“Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than iat the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are ja virtuous woman. 12 Now it is true that I am a kclose relative; however, lthere is a relative closer than I. 13 Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will mperform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, nas the Lord lives! Lie down until morning.”

14 So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, o“Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Also he said, “Bring the 4shawl that is on you and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then 5she went into the city.

16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, 6“Is that you, my daughter?”

Then she told her all that the man had done for her. 17 And she said, “These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’ ”

18 Then she said, p“Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”

Boaz Redeems Ruth

4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, athe close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, 1friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of bthe elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land cwhich belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 And I thought to 2inform you, saying, d‘Buy it back ein the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if 3you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; ffor there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ”

And he said, “I will redeem it.”

5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, gto 4perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”

6 hAnd the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

7 iNow this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.

8 Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal. 9 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, jthat the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from 5his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”

11 And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. kThe Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who lbuilt the house of Israel; and may you prosper in mEphrathah and be famous in nBethlehem. 12 May your house be like the house of oPerez, pwhom Tamar bore to Judah, because of qthe offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman.”

Descendants of Boaz and Ruth

13 So Boaz rtook Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, sthe Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then tthe women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a 6close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! 15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a 7nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is ubetter to you than seven sons, has borne him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. 17 vAlso the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 wNow this is the genealogy of Perez: xPerez begot Hezron; 19 Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab; 20 Amminadab begot yNahshon, and Nahshon begot zSalmon; 821 Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed; 22 Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot aDavid.