Ruth 1–2

1^*Now it came to pass in the days when ^athe judges ^†ruled, that there was ^ba famine in the land. And a certain man of ^cBeth-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 Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, ^dEphrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came ^einto the country of Moab, and ^†continued there. ³And Elimelech Naomi’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 Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. ⁵And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and 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 the Lord had ^fvisited his people in ^ggiving them bread. ⁷Wherefore 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 Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the Lord ^hdeal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with ⁱthe dead, and with me. ⁹The Lord grant you that ye may find ^krest, 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, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. ¹¹And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, ^lthat they may be your husbands? ¹²Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, ^||if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; ¹³Would ye ^†tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for ^†it grieveth me much for your sakes that ^mthe hand of the Lord is gone out against me. ¹⁴And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. ¹⁵And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: ⁿreturn thou after thy sister in law. ¹⁶And Ruth said, ^||Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: ^othy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: ¹⁷Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: ^pthe Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. ^18qWhen she saw that she ^†was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

¹⁹So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that ^rall the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? ²⁰And she said unto them, Call me not ^||Naomi, call me ^||Mara: for ^sthe Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹I went out full, ^tand the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? ²²So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem ^uin the beginning of barley harvest.

2And Naomi had a ^akinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was ^b||Boaz. ²And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and ^eglean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. 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 a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. ⁴And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, ^dThe Lord be with you. And they answered him, The Lord bless thee. ⁵Then said Boaz 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 ^ethat came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: ⁷And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.

⁸Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: ⁹Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. ¹⁰Then she ^ffell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? ¹¹And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, ^gall that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. ^12hThe Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, ⁱunder whose wings thou art come to trust. ¹³Then she said, ^||kLet me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken ^†friendly unto thine handmaid, ^lthough I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. ¹⁴And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in ^mthe vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and ⁿwas sufficed, and left. ¹⁵And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and ^†reproach her not: ¹⁶And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. ¹⁷So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ^oephah 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 ^pthat she had reserved after she was sufficed. ¹⁹And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did ^qtake knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. ²⁰And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, ^rBlessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness ^sto the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, ^||one of our next kinsmen. ²¹And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by ^tmy young men, until they have ended all my harvest. ²²And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with ^this maidens, that they ^||meet thee not in any other field. ²³So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.