Ruth 1–4

Elimelech Takes His Family to Live in Moab

1And it happened in the days when the judges ruled,^a there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem of Judah went to reside^b in the countryside of Moab—he and his wife and his two sons. ²And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. And they went to the countryside of Moab and remained there.

³But Elimelech the husband of Naomi died and she was left behind with her two sons.^{c 4}And they took^d for themselves Moabite wives. The name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other was Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. ⁵But both^e Mahlon and Kilion died, and the woman was left without her two sons and without her husband.

Naomi Returns with Ruth

⁶And she got up, she and her daughters-in-law, and returned from the countryside of Moab, because she had heard in the countryside of Moab that Yahweh had come to the aid of^f his people to give food to them. ⁷So she set out from the place where she was^g and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

⁸But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, each of you return to her mother’s house. May Yahweh show kindness to you^h just as you did with the dead and with me. ⁹May Yahweh grant that youⁱ find a resting place, each in the house of her husband.” And she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and cried.

¹⁰And they said to her, “No, we want to return with you to your people.” ¹¹And Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why do you still want to go with me?^j Are there sons in my womb^k that may be husbands for you? ¹²Turn back, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband.^l If I should think there is hope for me, even if I should have a husband this night, and even if I should bear sons, ¹³would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying?^m No, my daughters, for it is far more bitter to me than to you. For the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me.” ¹⁴And they lifted up their voices and cried again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. ¹⁵And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods. Return after your sister-in-law too.”

¹⁶But Ruth said, “Do not urgeⁿ me to leave you or to return from following you!^o For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. ¹⁷Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. So may Yahweh do to me, and even more, unless^p death separates you and me!”^{q 18}When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.^r

¹⁹So the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came^s to Bethlehem, all of the town was stirred because of them. And they said, “Is this Naomi?” ²⁰And she said to them, “You should not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for Shaddai^t has caused me to be very bitter.^{u 21}I went away full, but Yahweh brought me back empty-handed! Why call me Naomi when Yahweh has testified against me^v and Shaddai^w has brought calamity upon me?” ²²So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, returning from the countryside of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the harvest of barley.

Ruth Meets Boaz

2Now^a Naomi had a relative of her husband,^b a prominent rich man^c from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. ²And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after someone in whose eyes I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” ³So she went and came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. And she happened by chance upon the tract of field belonging to^d Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech. ⁴And look, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May Yahweh be with you.” And they said to him, “May Yahweh bless you.” ⁵And Boaz said to his servant in charge of the reapers,^e “To whom does this young woman belong?” ⁶And the servant in charge of the reapers^f said, “She is a Moabite girl returning with Naomi from the countryside of Moab. ⁷And she said, ‘Please let me glean and let me gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.’ So she came and remained from the morning up to now. She is sitting for a little while in the house.”^g

⁸And Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully,^h my daughter, go no longer to glean in another field. Moreover, do not leave from this one, but stay closeⁱ with my young women. ⁹Keep your eyes on the field that they reap and go after them. Have I not ordered the servants not to bother you? And if you get thirsty, you shall go to the containers and drink from where the servants have drawn.” ¹⁰And she fell on her face and bowed down to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes by recognizing me—for I am a foreigner?” ¹¹And Boaz answered and said to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband was fully told to me. How you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and you went to a people that you did not know before.^{j 12}May Yahweh reward your work and may a full reward be given to you from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you came to take refuge.” ¹³And she said, “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and have spoken kindly to your servant,^k and I am not one of your servants.”

¹⁴And Boaz said to her at mealtime,^l “Come here and eat from the bread and dip your morsel in the wine vinegar.” So she sat beside the gleaners, and he offered to her roasted grain. And she ate and was satisfied, and she had some left over. ¹⁵And she got up to glean, and Boaz instructed his servants saying, “Let her also glean between the sheaves and do not reproach her. ¹⁶And also pull out for her from your bundles and leave it so that she may glean—and do not rebuke her.”

¹⁷So she gleaned in the field until the evening and she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. ¹⁸And she picked it up and went to the town. Her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. And she took it out and gave to her what she had left over after being satisfied.^{m 19}And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean todayⁿ and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.” And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked^o and said, “The name of the man who I worked with today is Boaz.” ²⁰And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by Yahweh, whose loyal love has not forsaken the living or the dead.” And Naomi said to her, “The man is a close relative for us, he is one of our redeemers.” ²¹And Ruth the Moabite said, “Also, he said to me, ‘You shall stay close with the servants which are mine until they have finished all of the harvest which is mine.’ ” ²²And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidservants so that you will not be bothered^p in another field.” ²³So she stayed close with the maidservants of Boaz to glean until the end of the barley harvest and wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth Meets Boaz at the Threshing Floor

3Now Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek for you security that things may be good for you? ²So then, is not Boaz our kinsman whose maidservants you were with? Look, he is winnowing the barley at the threshing floor tonight. ³Wash, anoint yourself, put your clothing on, and go down to the threshing floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he finishes eating and drinking. ⁴And when he lies, take notice of the place where he lies. And you shall go and uncover^a his feet and lie down, and he shall tell you what to do.” ⁵And she said to her, “I will do all that you say.”

⁶And she went down to the threshing floor and did all that her mother-in-law had instructed her. ⁷And Boaz ate and drank until his heart was merry^b and then he came to lie at the end of the grain heap. And she came in quietly and uncovered^c his feet and lay down. ⁸And it happened in the middle of the night the man was startled and he reached out and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. ⁹And he said, “Who are you?” And she said, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your garment^d over your servant because you are a redeemer.” ¹⁰And he said, “You are blessed by Yahweh my daughter. You did better in this last kindness than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹And so then my daughter, do not be afraid. All that you ask I will do for you, for the entire assembly of my people knows that you are a worthy woman. ¹²Now truly I am a redeemer, but there is also a redeemer of a closer relationship than me. ¹³Stay tonight,^e and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good; but if he is not willing to redeem, then as Yahweh lives,^f I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”

¹⁴So she lay at his feet until morning and got up before anyone could recognize each other.^g And he said, “It must not be known that you^h came to the threshing floor.” ¹⁵And he said, “Bring the cloak that is on you and hold it out.”ⁱ And she held it out and he measured six measures of barley and put it on her cloak. Then she went into the city. ¹⁶And she came to her mother-in-law, and she said, “How did it go for you,^j my daughter?” And she told her all that the man did for her. ¹⁷And she said, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, ‘You shall not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’ ” ¹⁸And she said, “Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”

Boaz Redeems Ruth

4And Boaz had gone up to the city gate and sat there. And look, the redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken was passing by. And he said, “Come…