| 1:1 |
Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojournreside in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. |
| 1:2 |
The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. NowSo they entered the land of Moab and remained there. |
| 1:4 |
TheyAnd they took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other, Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. |
| 1:5 |
Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereftleft ofwithout her two childrensons and her husband. |
| 1:6 |
Then she arose with her daughters-in-law thatto she might return from the land of Moab, forbecause she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited His people inby giving them food. |
| 1:8 |
AndBut Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to heryour mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. |
| 1:9 |
May the Lord grant that you may find a place of rest, each one in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they liftedraised up their voices and wept. |
| 1:10 |
AndHowever, they said to her, “No, but we will surely return with you to your people.” |
| 1:11 |
But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? HaveDo I yetstill have sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? |
| 1:12 |
Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I shouldwere even to have a husband tonight and also beargive birth to sons, |
| 1:13 |
would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is hardermuch more bitter for me than for you, forbecause the hand of the Lord has gonecome forthout against me.” |
| 1:14 |
And they liftedraised up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. |
| 1:16 |
But Ruth said, “Do not urgeplead with me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodgesleep, I will lodgesleep. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. |
| 1:17 |
Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. ThusMay may the Lord do so to me, and worse, if anything but death partsseparates youme andfrom meyou.” |
| 1:18 |
When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she saidstopped nospeaking more to her about it. |
| 1:19 |
So they both went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” |
| 1:20 |
SheBut she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. |
| 1:21 |
I went outaway full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessedtestified against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?” |
| 2:1 |
Now Naomi had a kinsmanrelative of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. |
| 2:2 |
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain afterfollowing one in whose sighteyes I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” |
| 2:3 |
So she departedleft and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. |
| 2:6 |
TheAnd the servant in charge of the reapers replied, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. |
| 2:7 |
And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ ThusSo she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while.” |
| 2:8 |
Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stayjoin heremy withyoung mywomen maidshere. |
| 2:9 |
LetKeep your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commandedordered the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.” |
| 2:10 |
Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” |
| 2:12 |
May the Lord reward your work, and may your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seektake refuge.” |
| 2:13 |
Then she said, “I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservantservant, though I am not like one of your maidservantsfemale servants.” |
| 2:14 |
AtAnd at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers; and he served her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left. |
| 2:15 |
When she rosegot up to glean, Boaz commanded his servants, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not insult her. |
| 2:16 |
Also you shallare to purposely pullslip out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it so that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.” |
| 2:18 |
SheAnd tookshe picked it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took itsome out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied. |
| 2:19 |
Her mother-in-law then said to her, “Where did you glean today and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” |
| 2:20 |
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn hisHis kindness tofrom the living and tofrom the dead.” Again Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative,; he is one of our closest relativesredeemers.” |
| 2:21 |
Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “Furthermore, he said to me, ‘You shouldare to stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” |
| 2:22 |
And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidsyoung women, so that others do not fallassault upon you in another field.” |
| 2:23 |
So she stayed close by the maidsyoung women of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law. |
| 3:1 |
Then Naomi her mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may bego well withfor you? |
| 3:2 |
Now then, is Boaz not Boaz our kinsmanrelative, with whose maidsyoung women you were? Behold, he winnowsis winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight. |
| 3:3 |
Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not makereveal yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. |
| 3:4 |
ItAnd it shall be when he lies down, that you shall take notice of the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shallshould do.” |
| 3:5 |
SheAnd she said to her, “All that you say I will do.” |
| 3:7 |
When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merrycheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down. |
| 3:8 |
ItAnd it happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet. |
| 3:9 |
HeSo he said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maidslave. SoNow spread your coveringgarment over your maidslave, for you are a close relativeredeemer.” |
| 3:10 |
Then he said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first, by not going after young men, whether poor or rich. |
| 3:11 |
NowSo now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you asksay, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence. |
| 3:12 |
NowBut now, although it is true that I am a closeredeemer, relative;yet however, there is also a relativeredeemer closermore closely related than I. |
| 3:14 |
So she lay at his feet until morning, and rosegot up before one person could recognize another; and he said, “LetDo not let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” |
| 3:15 |
Again he said, “Give me the cloakshawl that is on you and hold it.” So she held it, and he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her. Then she went into the city. |
| 3:17 |
She also said, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said, ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ” |
| 4:1 |
Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the closeredeemer relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “TurnCome asideover here, friend, sit down here.” And he turnedcame asideover and sat down. |
| 4:2 |
HeThen he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. |
| 4:3 |
ThenAnd he said to the closest relativeredeemer, “Naomi, who has comereturned back from the land of Moab, has to sell the pieceplot of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. |
| 4:4 |
So I thought tothat I would inform you, saying, ‘Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if not, tell me so that I may know; for there is no one butexcept you to redeem it, and I am after you.’ ” And he said, “I will redeem it.” |
| 4:6 |
TheThen closestthe relativeredeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, becauseotherwise I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, forsince I cannot redeem it.” |
| 4:7 |
Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the mannerway of attestationconfirmation in Israel. |
| 4:8 |
So the closestredeemer relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” And he removed his sandal. |
| 4:10 |
MoreoverFurthermore, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cuteliminated off from his brothers or from the court of his birth place; you are witnesses today.” |
| 4:11 |
AllAnd all the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. |
| 4:12 |
Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspringdescendants whichwhom the Lord will give you by this young woman.” |
| 4:13 |
So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he wenthad inrelations towith her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. |
| 4:15 |
May he also be to you aone restorerwho ofrestores life and asustains sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” |
| 4:17 |
TheAnd the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. |
| 4:18 |
Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez wasfathered born Hezron, |
| 4:19 |
and to Hezron wasfathered born Ram, and to Ram, fathered Amminadab, |
| 4:20 |
and to Amminadab wasfathered born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, fathered Salmon, |
| 4:21 |
and to Salmon wasfathered born Boaz, and to Boaz, fathered Obed, |
| 4:22 |
and to Obed wasfathered born Jesse, and to Jesse, fathered David. |