be taken aback and thus drawn in by the very oddity of Elimelech’s choice of destination. A reader or hearer is even more quickly drawn in when the story’s character makes an improbable decision or takes improbable action in the very first line. The likelihood that the narrative presumes Moab to be an implausible destination is underscored by the continuing series of improbable turns of event as the story proceeds. Having established this theologically evocative setting in time and place, the author