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Ruth 1
And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, 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 dwelt there about ten years. 5 And Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left without her two children 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 Yahweh had visited his people in giving them bread. 7 And 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 to the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother’s house: may Yahweh deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me. 9 May Yahweh grant you that you 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, No, but we will return with you to your people. 11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will you go with me? Have I yet 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 a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons; 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you stay from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of Yahweh has gone forth against me. 14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clung to her.
15 And she said, Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people, and to her elohim: return after your sister-in-law. 16 And Ruth said, Do not ask me to leave you, and to return from following after you; for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your Elohim my Elohim; 17 where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried: may Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me. 18 And when she saw that she had strengthened herself to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.
19 So they both went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they came to Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and the women said, Is this Naomi? 20 And she said unto them, Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and Yahweh has brought me home again empty; why do you call me Naomi, seeing Yahweh has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me? 22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
Ruth 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 to Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said to her, Go, my daughter. 3 And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and she happened to light on the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech, 4 And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, Yahweh be with you. And they answered him, Yahweh bless you. 5 Then said Boaz to 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, Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and has continued even from the morning until now, except that she sat a little in the house.
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, Do you not hear, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from here, but remain here close by my maidens. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and go after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to 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 to him, Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take knowledge of me, since I am a foreigner? 11 And Boaz answered and said to her, It has been fully showed me, all that you have done to your mother-in-law since the death of your husband; and how that you have left your father and your mother, and the land of your birth, and have come to a people that you did not know, before this time. 12 Yahweh shall repay your work, and a full reward will be given you of Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. 13 Then she said, Let me find favor in your sight, kind sir, for you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to your handmaid, though I am not as one of your handmaidens.
14 And at meal-time Boaz said to her, Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers; and they handed her parched grain, and she ate, and was satisfied, and left of it. 15 And when she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not embarrass her. 16 And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and do not rebuke her.
17 So she gleaned in the field until evening; and she beat out that which 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 which she had left after she was satisfied. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, Where have you gleaned today? And where have you worked? Blessed be he that took knowledge of you. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz. 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed is he of Yahweh, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is near of kin to us, one of our near kinsmen. 21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yes, he even said to me, You shall keep close by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. 22 And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, and that they do not meet you in any other field. 23 So she kept close by the maidens of Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.
Ruth 3
And Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 And now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens you were? Behold, he is winnowing barley tonight in the threshing-floor. 3 Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself, and put your raiment upon you, and go down to the threshing-floor; but do not make yourself known to the man, until he is done eating and drinking. 4 And it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall mark the place where he lies, and you shall go in, and uncover his feet, and lay down; and he will tell you what you shall do. 5 And she said to her, All that you say I will do.
6 And she went down to the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law told 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 grain: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid herself 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 your handmaid: therefore spread your skirt over your handmaid; for you are a near kinsman. 10 And he said, Blessed are you of Yahweh, my daughter: you have showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as you did not follow young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to you all that you say; for all the city of my people knows that you are a worthy woman. 12 And now it is true that I am a near kinsman; however there is a kinsman nearer than I. 13 Stay tonight, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform to 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 Yahweh lives: lie down until the morning.
14 And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before anyone could recognize another. For he said, Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor. 15 And he said, Bring the mantle that is on you, and hold it; and she held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and he 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 he gave me; for he said, Go not empty to your mother-in-law. 18 Then she said, Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall; for the man will not rest, until he has finished the thing today.
Ruth 4
Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there: and, behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; to whom he said, 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 down here. And they sat down. 3 And he said to the near kinsman, Naomi, that has come again out of the country of Moab, sells the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: 4 and I thought to disclose it to you, saying, Buy it before them that sit here, 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 besides you; and I am after you. And he said, I will redeem it. 5 Then Boaz said, In the day you buy 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 on his inheritance. 6 And the near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance: take my right of redemption on yourself, for I cannot redeem it.
7 Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man took off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. 8 So the near kinsman said to Boaz, Buy it for yourself. And he took off his shoe. 9 And Boaz said to the elders, and to 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, from the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead is 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. Yahweh make the woman that is come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel: and do you worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Beth-lehem: 12 and let your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which Yahweh shall give you of this young woman.
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he went in to her, and Yahweh gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 And the women said to Naomi, Blessed be Yahweh, who has not left you this day without a near kinsman; and let his name be famous in Israel. 15 And he shall be to you a restorer of life, and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him. 16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse to it. 17 And the neighboring women 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 Perez; Perez procreated Hezron, 19 and Hezron procreated Ram, and Ram procreated Amminadab, 20 and Amminadab procreated Nahshon, and Nahshon procreated Salmon, 21 and Salmon procreated Boaz, and Boaz procreated Obed, 22 and Obed procreated Jesse, and Jesse procreated David.
