THE BOOK OF RUTH

CHAPTER 1

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-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

3 And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.

4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.

5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

6 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 Yahowah had visited his people in giving them bread.

7 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.

8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: Yahowah deal kindly with you, as You have dealt with the dead, and with me.

9 Yahowah grant you that You may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with you unto Your people.

11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will You go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

12 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;

13 Would You tarry for them till they were grown? would You stay for them from having husbands? no, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of Yahowah is gone out against me.

14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

15 And she said, Behold, Your sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return you after Your sister in law.

16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you: for where you goest, I will go; and where you lodgest, I will lodge: Your people will be my people, and Your Elohim my Elohim:

17 Where you diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: Yahowah do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part you and me.

18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

19 So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?

20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

21 I went out full, and Yahowah has brought me home again empty: why then call You me Naomi, seeing Yahowah has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

CHAPTER 2

AND Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.

2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I will find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

3 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 Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

4 And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, Yahowah be with you. And they answered him, Yahowah bless you.

5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?

6 And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:

7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and has continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.

8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest you not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:

9 Let yours eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go you after them: have I not charged the young men that they will not touch you? and when you are athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in yours eyes, that you should take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It has fully been showed me, all that you have done unto Your mother in law since the death of yours husband: and how you have left Your father and Your mother, and the land of Your nativity, and are come unto a people which you knewest not heretofore.

12 Yahowah recompense Your work, and a full reward be given you of Yahowah Elohe of Israel, under whose wings you are come to trust.

13 Then she said, Let me find favour in Your sight, my lord; for that you have comforted me, and for that you have spoken friendly unto yours handmaid, though I be not like unto one of yours handmaidens.

14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come you hither, and eat of the bread, and dip Your morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.

15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:

16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.

17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.

18 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 to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.

19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where have you gleaned to day? and where wroughtest you? blessed be he that did take knowledge of you. And she showed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.

20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of Yahowah, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, You will keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.

22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, that they meet you not in any other field.

23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.

CHAPTER 3

THEN Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, will I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?

2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens you were? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.

3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint you, and put Your raiment upon you, and get you down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he will have done eating and drinking.

4 And it will be, when he lieth down, that you will mark the place where he will lie, and you will go in, and uncover his feet, and lay you down; and he will tell you what you will do.

5 And she said unto her, All that you sayest unto me I will do.

6 And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.

7 And when Boaz 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 down.

8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.

9 And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth yours handmaid: spread therefore Your skirt over yours handmaid; for you are a near kinsman.

10 And he said, Blessed be you of Yahowah, my daughter: for you have showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as you followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.

11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to you all that you requirest: for all the city of my people does know that you are a virtuous woman.

12 And now it is true that I am Your near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.

13 Tarry this night, and it will be in the morning, that if he will perform unto you 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 you, then will I do the part of a kinsman to you, as Yahowah liveth: lie down until the morning.

14 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 floor.

15 Also he said, Bring the vail that you have upon you, 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.

16 And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who are you, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.

17 And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto Your mother in law.

18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.

CHAPTER 4

THEN went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.

2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit You down here. And they sat down.

3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s:

4 And I thought to advertise you, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it: but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside you; and I am after you. And he said, I will redeem it.

5 Then said Boaz, What day you buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, you must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.

6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem you my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.

7 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.

8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for you. So he drew off his shoe.

9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi.

10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up 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: You are witnesses this day.

11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. Yahowah make the woman that is come into yours house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do you worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Beth-lehem:

12 And let Your house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which Yahowah will give you of this young woman.

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, Yahowah gave her conception, and she bare a son.

14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be Yahowah, which has not left you this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.

15 And he will be unto you a restorer of Your life, and a nourisher of yours old age: for Your daughter in law, which loves you, which is better to you than seven sons, has born him.

16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.

17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,

19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,

20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,

21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,

22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.