Ruth 2–3

2ND CHAPTER

Ruth Gathers Grain in the Field of Boaz

¹Naomi had a relative. He was from Elimelech’s side of the family. He was a man of outstanding character named Boaz. 

²Ruth, who was from Moab, said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field of anyone who will be kind to me. There I will gather the grain left behind by the reapers.” 

Naomi told her, “Go, my daughter.” 

³So Ruth went. She entered a field and gathered the grain left behind by the reapers. Now it happened that she ended up in the part of the field that belonged to Boaz, who was from Elimelech’s family. 

⁴Just then, Boaz was coming from Bethlehem, and he said to his reapers, “May the Lord be with all of you!” 

They answered him, “May the Lord bless you!” 

⁵Boaz asked the young man in charge of his reapers, “Who is this young woman?” 

⁶The young man answered, “She’s a young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. ⁷She said, ‘Please let me gather grain. I will only gather among the bundles behind the reapers.’ So she came here and has been on her feet from daybreak until now. She just sat down this minute in the shelter.” 

Boaz Speaks with Ruth

⁸Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Don’t go in any other field to gather grain, and don’t even leave this one. Stay here with my young women. ⁹Watch where my men are reaping, and follow the young women in that field. I have ordered my young men not to touch you. When you’re thirsty, go to the jars and drink some of the water that the young men have drawn.” 

¹⁰Ruth immediately bowed down to the ground and said to him, “Why are you so helpful? Why are you paying attention to me? I’m only a foreigner.” 

¹¹Boaz answered her, “People have told me about everything you have done for your mother-in-law after your husband died. They told me how you left your father and mother and the country where you were born. They also told me how you came to people that you didn’t know before. ¹²May the Lord reward you for what you have done! May you receive a rich reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose protection you have come for shelter.” 

¹³Ruth replied, “Sir, may your kindness to me continue. You have comforted me and reassured me, and I’m not even one of your own servants.” 

¹⁴When it was time to eat, Boaz told her, “Come here. Have some bread, and dip it into the sour wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he handed her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 

¹⁵When she got up to gather grain, Boaz ordered his servants, “Let her gather grain even among the bundles. Don’t give her any problems. ¹⁶Even pull some grain out of the bundles and leave it for her to gather. Don’t give her a hard time about it.” 

Ruth and Naomi Talk about Boaz

¹⁷So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she separated the grain from its husks. She had about half a bushel of barley. ¹⁸She picked it up and went into the town, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gathered. Ruth also took out what she had left over from lunch and gave it to Naomi. 

¹⁹Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you gather grain today? Just where did you work? May the man who paid attention to you be blessed.” 

So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the person with whom she worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.” 

²⁰Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May the Lord bless him. The Lord hasn’t stopped being kind to people—living or dead.” Then Naomi told her, “That man is a relative of ours. He is a close relative, one of those responsible for taking care of us.” 

²¹Ruth, who was from Moab, told her, “He also said to me, ‘Stay with my younger workers until they have finished the harvest.’ ” 

²²Naomi told her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It’s a good idea, my daughter, that you go out to the fields with his young women. If you go to someone else’s field, you may be molested.” 

²³So Ruth stayed with the young women who were working for Boaz. She gathered grain until both the barley harvest and the wheat harvest ended. And she continued to live with her mother-in-law. 

3RD CHAPTER

Naomi’s Plan for Ruth’s Marriage

¹Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I try to look for a home that would be good for you? ²Isn’t Boaz, whose young women you’ve been working with, our relative? He will be separating the barley from its husks on the threshing floor^atonight. ³Freshen up, put on some perfume, dress up, and go down to the threshing floor. Don’t let him know that you’re there until he’s finished eating and drinking. ⁴When he lies down, notice the place where he is lying. Then uncover his feet, and lie down there. He will make it clear what you must do.” 

⁵Ruth answered her, “I will do whatever you say.” 

Ruth at the Feet of Boaz

⁶Ruth went to the threshing floor and did exactly as her mother-in-law had directed her. ⁷Boaz had eaten and drunk to his heart’s content, so he went and lay at the edge of a pile of grain. Then she went over to him secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 

⁸At midnight the man was shivering. When he turned over, he was surprised to see a woman lying at his feet. ⁹“Who are you?” he asked. 

She answered, “I am Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me because you are a close relative who can take care of me.” 

¹⁰Boaz replied, “May the Lord bless you, my daughter. This last kindness—that you didn’t go after the younger men, whether rich or poor—is better than the first. ¹¹Don’t be afraid, my daughter. I will do whatever you say. The whole town knows that you are a woman who has strength of character. ¹²It is true that I am a close relative of yours, but there is a relative closer than I. ¹³Stay here tonight. In the morning if he will agree to take care of you, that is good. He can take care of you. But if he does not wish to take care of you, then, I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, I will take care of you myself. Lie down until morning.” 

Ruth Returns to Bethlehem

¹⁴So Ruth lay at his feet until morning. Then she got up early before anyone could be recognized. At that moment Boaz thought to himself, “I hope that no one will ever know that this woman came to the threshing floor.” 

¹⁵Then Boaz told Ruth, “Stretch out the cape you’re wearing and hold it tight.” So she held it tight while he measured out six measures of barley. Then he placed it on her ⸤back⸥ and went into the town. 

¹⁶When Ruth returned, her mother-in-law Naomi asked, “How did things go, my daughter?” 

Ruth told Naomi everything the man had done for her. ¹⁷She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley and told me not to come back to you empty-handed.” 

¹⁸Naomi replied, “Stay here, my daughter, until you know how it turns out. The man won’t rest unless he settles this matter today.”