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 Bethlehemjudah
went
to sojourn
in the country
of Moab,
he,
and his wife,
and his two sons.
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 Bethlehemjudah.
And
they came
into the country
of Moab,
and continued there.
And Elimelech Naomi'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 Orpah,
and the name
of the other Ruth:
and
they dwelled there
about ten years.
And Mahlon
and Chilion
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 Naomi
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 Naomi 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 Orpah
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 Bethlehem.
And it
came
to pass,
when
they were come
to Bethlehem,
that all the city
was moved about them,
and they said,
Is this Naomi?
And
she
said unto them,
Call me
not Naomi,
call me Mara:
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 Naomi,
seeing
the LORD
hath testified against me,
and the Almighty
hath afflicted me?
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 Bethlehem
in the beginning
of barley harvest.
And Naomi
had
a kinsman
of her husband's,
a mighty man
of wealth,
of the family
of Elimelech;
and his name
was Boaz.
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 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 Boaz,
who was of the kindred
of Elimelech.
And,
behold,
Boaz came
from Bethlehem,
and said
unto the reapers,
The LORD be with you.
And
they answered him,
The LORD bless thee.
Then said Boaz
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 Moabitish damsel
that
came
back
with Naomi
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,
that she
tarried
a little
in the house.
Then said Boaz
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 Boaz
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 Boaz
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
he reached
her parched corn,
and she
did eat,
and was sufficed,
and left.
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:
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 ephah
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
to 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 Boaz.
And Naomi
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 Naomi
said
unto her,
The man
is near
of kin unto us,
one
of our next kinsmen.
And Ruth
the Moabitess said,
He said
unto me also,
Thou
shalt keep
fast
by my young men,
until they
have ended all
my harvest.
And Naomi
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 Boaz
to glean
unto the end
of barley harvest
and
of wheat harvest;
and dwelt
with her mother
in law.
Then Naomi
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 Boaz
of our kindred,
with whose maidens
thou wast?
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 floor:
but make not thyself
known unto the man,
until he
shall have done
eating and drinking.
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 floor,
and did according to all
that her mother
in law bade her.
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.
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 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.
Then went Boaz up to the gate,
and sat him
down there:
and,
behold,
the kinsman
of whom Boaz
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,
Naomi,
that is come again
out of the country
of Moab,
selleth
a parcel of land,
which was our brother Elimelech'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,
I will redeem it.
Then said Boaz,
What day
thou buyest
the field
of the hand
of Naomi,
thou must buy it
also of Ruth the Moabitess,
the wife
of the dead,
to raise
up 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 Boaz,
Buy it for thee.
So he
drew off his shoe.
And Boaz
said
unto the elders,
and
unto all the people,
Ye 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.
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:
ye are
witnesses this day.
And all
the people
that were in the gate,
and the elders,
said,
We are witnesses.
The LORD
make the woman
that is come
into thine
house like Rachel
and like Leah,
which two
did build
the house
of Israel:
and do
thou
worthily in Ephratah,
and be famous
in Bethlehem:
And let
thy house
be like
the house
of Pharez,
whom Tamar
bare
unto Judah,
of the seed
which the LORD
shall give thee
of this young woman.
So Boaz
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 Naomi,
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 Naomi
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 Naomi;
and
they called
his name Obed:
he is the father
of Jesse,
the father
of David.
Now these
are the generations
of Pharez:
Pharez begat Hezron,
And Hezron
begat Ram,
and Ram
begat Amminadab,
And Amminadab
begat Nahshon,
and Nahshon
begat Salmon,
And Salmon
begat Boaz,
and Boaz
begat Obed,
And Obed
begat Jesse,
and Jesse
begat David.