Ruth 3–4

¹And Naomi her mother-in-law saith to her, ‘My daughter, do not I seek for thee rest, that it may be well with thee? ²and now, is not Boaz of our acquaintance, with whose young women thou hast been? lo, he is winnowing the threshing-floor of barley to-night, ³and thou hast bathed, and anointed thyself, and put thy garments upon thee, and gone down to the threshing-floor; let not thyself be known to the man till he complete to eat and to drink; ⁴and it cometh to pass when he lieth down, that thou hast known the place where he lieth down, and hast gone in, and uncovered his feet, and lain down,—and he doth declare to thee that which thou dost do.’ ⁵And she saith unto her, ‘All that thou sayest—I do.’

⁶And she goeth down to the threshing-floor, and doth according to all that her mother-in-law commanded her ⁷And Boaz eateth and drinketh, and his heart is glad; and he goeth in to lie down at the end of the heap; and she cometh in gently, and uncovereth his feet, and lieth down. ⁸And it cometh to pass, at the middle of the night, that the man trembleth, and turneth himself, and lo, a woman is lying at his feet. ⁹And he saith, ‘Who art thou?’ and she saith, ‘I am Ruth thy handmaid, and thou hast spread thy skirt over thy handmaid, for thou art a redeemer.’ ¹⁰And he saith, ‘Blessed art thou of Jehovah, my daughter; thou hast dealt more kindly at the latter end than at the beginning—not to go after the young men, either poor or rich. ¹¹And now, my daughter, fear not, all that thou sayest I do to thee, for all the gate of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman. ¹²And now, surely, true, that I am a redeemer, but also there is a redeemer nearer than I. ¹³Lodge to night, and it hath been in the morning, if he doth redeem thee, well: he redeemeth; and if he delight not to redeem thee, then I have redeemed thee—I; Jehovah liveth! lie down till the morning.’

¹⁴And she lieth down at his feet till the morning, and riseth before one doth discern another; and he saith, ‘Let it not be known that the woman hath come into the floor.’ ¹⁵And he saith, ‘Give the covering which is on thee, and keep hold on it;’ and she keepeth hold on it, and he measureth six measures of barley, and layeth it on her; and he goeth into the city. ¹⁶And she cometh in unto her mother-in-law, and she saith, ‘Who art thou, my daughter?’ and she declareth to her all that the man hath done to her. ¹⁷And she saith, ‘These six measures of barley he hath given to me, for he said, Thou dost not go in empty unto thy mother-in-law.’ ¹⁸And she saith, ‘Sit still, my daughter, till thou dost know how the matter falleth, for the man doth not rest except he hath completed the matter to-day.’

Chapter 4

¹And Boaz hath gone up to the gate, and sitteth there, and lo, the redeemer is passing by of whom Boaz had spoken, and he saith, ‘Turn aside, sit down here, such a one, such a one;’ and he turneth aside and sitteth down. ²And he taketh ten men of the elders of the city, and saith, ‘Sit down here;’ and they sit down. ³And he saith to the redeemer, ‘A portion of the field which is to our brother, to Elimelech, hath Naomi sold, who hath come back from the fields of Moab; ⁴and I said, I uncover thine ear, saying, Buy before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people; if thou dost redeem—redeem, and if none doth redeem—declare to me, and I know, for there is none save thee to redeem, and I after thee.’ And he saith, I redeem it.’ ⁵And Boaz saith, ‘In the day of thy buying the field from the hand of Naomi, then from Ruth the Moabitess, wife of the dead, thou hast bought it, to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance.’ ⁶And the redeemer saith, ‘I am not able to redeem it for myself, lest I destroy mine inheritance; redeem for thyself—thou—my right of redemption, for I am not able to redeem.’ ⁷And this is formerly in Israel for redemption and for changing, to establish anything: a man hath drawn off his sandal, and given it to his neighbour, and this is the testimony in Israel. ⁸And the redeemer saith to Boaz, ‘Buy it for thyself,’ and draweth off his sandal.

⁹And Boaz saith to the elders, and to all the people, ‘Witnesses are ye to-day that I have bought all that is to Elimelech, and all that is to Chilion and Mahlon, from the hand of Naomi; ¹⁰and also Ruth the Moabitess, wife of Mahlon, I have bought to myself for a wife, to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance; and the name of the dead is not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place; witnesses ye are to-day.’ ¹¹And all the people who are in the gate say—also the elders—‘Witnesses! Jehovah make the woman who is coming in unto thy house as Rachel and as Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and do thou virtuously in Ephrathah, and proclaim the Name in Beth-Lehem; ¹²and let thy house be as the house of Pharez (whom Tamar bare to Judah), of the seed which Jehovah doth give to thee of this young woman.’

¹³And Boaz taketh Ruth, and she becometh his wife, and he goeth in unto her, and Jehovah giveth to her conception, and she beareth a son. ¹⁴And the women say unto Naomi, ‘Blessed is Jehovah who hath not let a redeemer cease to thee to-day, and his name is proclaimed in Israel, ¹⁵and he hath been to thee for a restorer of life, and for a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law who hath loved thee—who is better to thee than seven sons—hath borne him.’ ¹⁶And Naomi taketh the lad, and layeth him in her bosom, and is to him for a nurse; ¹⁷and the neighbouring women give to him a name, saying, ‘There hath been a son born to Naomi,’ and they call his name Obed; he is father of Jesse, father of David. ¹⁸And these are genealogies of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, ¹⁹and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminidab, ²⁰and Amminidab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, ²¹and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, ²²and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

Chapter 1