2Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side of the family. Her husband’s name was Elimelech. The relative’s name was Boaz. He was a very important man.

²Ruth, who was from Moab, spoke to Naomi. She said, “Let me go out to the fields. I’ll pick up the grain that has been left. I’ll do it behind anyone who is pleased with me.”

Naomi said to her, “My daughter, go ahead.”

³So Ruth went out and began to pick up grain. She worked in the fields behind those who were cutting and gathering the grain. As it turned out, she was working in a field that belonged to Boaz. He was from the family of Elimelech.

⁴Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. He greeted those who were cutting and gathering the grain. He said, “May the Lord be with you!”

“And may the Lord bless you!” they replied.

⁵Boaz spoke to the man who was in charge of his workers. He asked, “Who is that young woman?”

⁶The man replied, “She’s from Moab. She came back from there with Naomi. ⁷She said, ‘Please let me walk behind the workers. Let me pick up the grain that is left.’ Then she went into the field. She has kept on working there from morning until now. She took only one short rest in the shade.”

⁸So Boaz said to Ruth, “Dear woman, listen to me. Don’t pick up grain in any other field. Don’t go anywhere else. Stay here with my female servants. ⁹Keep your eye on the field where the men are cutting grain. Walk behind the women who are gathering it. Pick up the grain that is left. I’ve told the men not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go and get a drink. Take water from the jars the men have filled.”

¹⁰When Ruth heard that, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked, “Why are you being so kind to me? In fact, why are you even noticing me? I’m from another country.”

¹¹Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about you. I’ve heard about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband died. I know that you left your father and mother. I know that you left your country. You came to live with people you didn’t know before.

¹²“May the Lord reward you for what you have done. May the God of Israel bless you richly. You have come to him to find safety under his care.”

¹³“Sir, I hope you will continue to be kind to me,” Ruth said. “You have comforted me. You have spoken kindly to me. And I’m not even as important as one of your female servants!”

¹⁴When it was time to eat, Boaz spoke to Ruth again. “Come over here,” he said. “Have some bread. Dip it in the wine vinegar.”

She sat down with the workers. Then Boaz offered her some grain that had been cooked. She ate all she wanted. She even had some left over.

¹⁵Ruth got up to pick up more grain. Then Boaz gave orders to his men. He said, “Suppose she takes some stalks from what the women have tied up. If she does, don’t make her look bad. ¹⁶Instead, pull some stalks out for her. Leave them for her to pick up. Don’t tell her she shouldn’t do it.”

¹⁷So Ruth picked up grain in the field until evening. Then she separated the barley from the straw. It amounted to more than half a bushel. ¹⁸She carried it back to town. Her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out the food that was left over from the lunch Boaz had given her. She gave it to Naomi.

¹⁹Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you pick up grain today? Where did you work? May the man who noticed you be blessed!”

Then Ruth told her about the man whose field she had worked in. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

²⁰“May the Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “The Lord is still being kind to those who are living and those who are dead.”

She continued, “That man is a close relative of ours. He’s one of our family protectors.”

²¹Then Ruth, who was from Moab, said, “He told me more. He even said, ‘Stay with my workers until they have finished bringing in all of my grain.’ ”

²²Naomi replied to her daughter-in-law Ruth. She said, “That will be good for you, my daughter. Go with his female servants. You might be harmed if you go to someone else’s field.”

²³So Ruth stayed close to the female servants of Boaz as she picked up grain. She worked until the time when all of the barley and wheat had been harvested. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth Goes to Boaz at the Threshing Floor

3One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi spoke to her. She said, “My daughter, shouldn’t I try to find a secure place for you? Shouldn’t you have peace and rest? Shouldn’t I find a home where things will go well with you? ²You have been with the female servants of Boaz. He’s a relative of ours. Tonight he’ll be separating the straw from his barley on the threshing floor.

³“So wash yourself. Put on some perfume. And put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let Boaz know you are there. Wait until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴Notice where he lies down. Then go over and uncover his feet. Lie down there. He’ll tell you what to do.”

⁵“I’ll do everything you say,” Ruth answered. ⁶So she went down to the threshing floor. She did everything her mother-in-law had told her to do.

⁷When Boaz had finished eating and drinking, he was in a good mood. He went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Then Ruth approached quietly. She uncovered his feet and lay down there.

⁸In the middle of the night, something surprised Boaz and woke him up. He turned and found a woman lying there at his feet.

⁹“Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Ruth,” she said. “You are my family protector. So take good care of me by making me your wife.”

¹⁰“Dear woman, may the Lord bless you,” he replied. “You are showing even more kindness now than you did earlier. You didn’t run after the younger men, whether they were rich or poor. ¹¹Dear woman, don’t be afraid. I’ll do for you everything you ask. All of the people of my town know that you are a noble woman.

¹²“It’s true that I’m a relative of yours. But there’s a family protector who is more closely related to you than I am. ¹³So stay here for the night. In the morning if he wants to help you, good. Let him help you. But if he doesn’t want to, then I’ll do it. You can be sure that the Lord lives. And you can be just as sure that I’ll help you. Lie down here until morning.”

¹⁴So she stayed at his feet until morning. But she got up before anyone could be recognized. Boaz thought, “No one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor.”

¹⁵He said to Ruth, “Bring me the coat you have around you. Hold it out.” So she did. He poured more than fifty pounds of barley into it and helped her pick it up. Then he went back to town.

¹⁶Ruth came to her mother-in-law. Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?”

Then Ruth told her everything Boaz had done for her. ¹⁷She said, “He gave me all of this barley. He said, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law with your hands empty.’ ”

¹⁸Naomi said, “My daughter, sit down until you find out what happens. The man won’t rest until he settles the whole matter today.”

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