¶ NOW IT CAME to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth′–le-hem–ju′-dah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
- And the name of the man was E-lim′-e-lech, and the name of his wife Na-o′-mi, and the name of his two sons Mah′-lon and Chil′-i-on, Eph′-rath-ites of Beth′–le-hem-ju′-dah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
- And E-lim′-e-lech Na-o′-mi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
- And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Or′-pah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
- And Mah′-lon and Chil′-i-on died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
- ¶ Then 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 visited his people in giving them bread.
- Wherefore 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.
- And Na-o′-mi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the ⟨Lord⟩ deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
- The ⟨Lord⟩ grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
- And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.
- And Na-o′-mi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
- Turn 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;
- Would 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 the hand of the ⟨Lord⟩ is gone out against me.
- And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Or′-pah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
- And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
- And 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: thy people shall be my people, and thy ⟨God⟩ my ⟨God⟩:
- Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the ⟨Lord⟩ do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.•⟩
- When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
- ¶ So they two went until they came to Beth′–le-hem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth′–le-hem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Na-o′-mi?
- And she said unto them, Call me not Na-o′-mi, call me Ma′-ra: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
- I went out full, and the ⟨Lord⟩ hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Na-o′-mi, seeing the ⟨Lord⟩ hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
- So Na-o′-mi returned, and Ruth the Mo′-ab-i-tess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth′–le-hem in the beginning of barley harvest.
Chapter Two
¶ AND NA-O′-MI had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of E-lim′-e-lech; and his name was Bo′-az.
- And Ruth the Mo′-ab-i-tess said unto Na-o′-mi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
- And 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 Bo′-az, who was of the kindred of E-lim′-e-lech.
- ¶ And, behold, Bo′-az came from Beth′–le-hem, and said unto the reapers, The ⟨Lord⟩ be with you. And they answered him, The ⟨Lord⟩ bless thee.
- Then said Bo′-az unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
- And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Mo′-ab-i-tish damsel that came back with Na-o′-mi out of the country of Moab:
- And 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, (after) that she tarried a little in the house.
- Then said Bo′-az 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:
- Let 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.
- Then she fell 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?
- And Bo′-az answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all 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.
- The ⟨Lord⟩ recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the ⟨Lord⟩ ⟨God⟩ of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
- Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
- And Bo′-az said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and (at mealtime) he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
- And when she was risen up to glean, Bo′-az commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
- And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
- So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an e′-phah of barley.
- ¶ And 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 her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.
- And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take 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 Bo′-az.
- And Na-o′-mi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the ⟨Lord⟩, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Na-o′-mi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen. [⇒]
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And Ruth the Mo′-ab-i-tess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.
- And Na-o′-mi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.
- So she kept fast by the maidens of Bo′-az to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.
Chapter Three
¶THEN NA-O′-MI her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
- And now is not Bo′-az of our kindred, with whose maidens thou was? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor,
- Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the (threshing)floor:
- And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
- And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.
- ¶ And she went down unto the (threshing)floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
- And when Bo′-az had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her(self) down.
- ¶ And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
- And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
- And he said, Blessed be thou of the ⟨Lord⟩, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
- And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
- And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
- Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the ⟨Lord⟩ liveth: lie down until the morning.
- ¶ And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the (threshing)floor.
- Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
- And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.
- And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
- Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.
Chapter Four
¶THEN WENT Bo′-az up to the gate (of Beth′–le-hem), and sat him(self) down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Bo′-az spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
- And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
- And he said unto the kinsman, Na-o′-mi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother E-lim′-e-lech’s:
- And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee: and I am after thee. And he said, (Otherwise) I will redeem it.
- Then said Bo′-az, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Na-o′-mi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Mo′-ab-i-tess, the wife of the dead, to raise up (children to) the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
- And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.
- Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
- Therefore the kinsman said unto Bo′-az, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.
- ¶ And Bo′-az said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was E-lim′-e-lech’s, and all that was Chil′-i-on’s and Mah′-lon’s, of the hand of Na-o′-mi.
- Moreover Ruth the Mo′-ab-i-tess, the wife of Mah′-lon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up (children to) the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.
- And all the people that were in the gate (of Beth′–le-hem), and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The ⟨Lord⟩ make the woman that is come into thine house like Ra′-chel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Eph′-ra-tah, and be famous in Beth′–le-hem:
- And let thy house be like the house of Pha′-rez, whom Ta′-mar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the ⟨Lord⟩ shall give thee of this young woman.
- ¶ So Bo′-az took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the ⟨Lord⟩ gave her conception, and she bare a son.
- And the women said unto Na-o′-mi, Blessed be the ⟨Lord⟩, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
- And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.
- And Na-o′-mi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
- And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Na-o′-mi; and they called his name O′-bed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
- ¶ Now these are the generations of Pha′-rez: Pha′-rez begat Hez′-ron,
- And Hez′-ron begat Ram, and Ram begat Am-min′-a-dab,
- And Am-min′-a-dab begat Nah′-shon, and Nah′-shon begat Sal′-mon,
- And Sal′-mon begat Bo′-az, and Bo′-az begat O′-bed,
- And O′-bed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
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