Book of Ruth

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 Bethlehemjudah 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 Bethlehemjudah. 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 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 Adonai had visited His people in giving them food. 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 to the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law: Go, return each to her mother's house! Adonai deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me. 9 Adonai 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 to her: Surely we will return with you to 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 a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have a husband also tonight, and should also bear sons, 13 would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you abstain for them from having husbands? Nay, my daughters; for it grieves me much for your sakes that the hand of Adonai is gone out against me. 14 So 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 is gone back to her people, and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law. 16 Ruth said: Do not entreat me to leave you, or 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 I will be buried. Adonai do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part you and me. 18 When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking to her. 19 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? 20 And she said to them: Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and Adonai has brought me home again empty. Why then do you call me Naomi, seeing Adonai 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 Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, 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 ears of barley of him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said to her, Go, my daughter. 3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she chanced to go to a part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. 4 And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, Adonai be with you. And they answered him, Adonai bless you. 5 Then said Boaz to his servant who was overseeing the reapers, Whose damsel is this? 6 And the servant who was set over the reapers answered and said: It is the Moabitish damsel who 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, other than she remained a little in the house. 8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, Listen to me, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field, neither go from here, but abide here close by my maidens: 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and follow them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch you? and when you are athirst, 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 grace in your eyes, that you should take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? 11 And Boaz answered and said to her, It has fully been shown me, all that you have done to your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother, and the land of your nativity, and are come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 Adonai recompense your work, and a full reward be given you of Adonai Elohim of Israel, under whose wings you are come to trust. 13 Then she said: Let me find favour in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and you have spoken friendly to your handmaid, though I be not like to one of your handmaidens. 14 And Boaz said to her: At mealtime come here and eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar! So she sat beside the reapers, and he handed out roast grain to her, and she ate, and was satisfied, 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 on 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 what she had gleaned; and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 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 what she had kept after she was sufficed. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her: Where have you gleaned today? And where wrought you? Blessed be he who 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 today is Boaz. 20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law: Blessed be he of Adonai, 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 next kinsmen. 21 Ruth the Moabitess said: He said to me also that 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, 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 the barley harvest and of the wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother-in-law.

1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to herP: My daughter, shall 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 winnows barley tonight in the threshingfloor. 3 Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself, and put on your clothing, and go down to the floor. But do not make yourself known to the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. 4 And it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall mark the place where he shall lie, and you shall go in, and uncover his feet, and lay you down; and he will tell you what you shall do. 5 So she said to her: All that you say to me I will do! 6 Then she went down to the floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law advised 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 down. 8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man trembled, 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; spread therefore your skirt over your handmaid, for you are a near kinsman. 10 And he said: Blessed be you of Adonai, my daughter, for you have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as you followed not young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to you all that you request, for all the city of my people knows 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 Wait this night, 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 I will do the part of a kinsman to you, as Adonai lives; lie down until the morning. 14 And she lay at his feet until the morning, and she rose up before one could recognise another. And he said: Do not let it be known that a woman came into the floor. 15 Also he said: Bring the veil 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 he gave to me; for he said to me not to return empty to your mother-in-law. 18 Then Naomi spoke: Sit still my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall, for the man will not rest until he have finished the thing this day.

1 Then Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down and waited there, and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; to whom he said: Ho, such a one! Turn aside, sit down here! So 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 kinsman: Naomi, who is come again out of the country of Moab, sells a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's. 4 And I thought to notify 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 replied: I will redeem it! 5 Then said Boaz: 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 upon his inheritance. 6 And the kinsman said: I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance. Redeem my right to yourself, for I cannot redeem it! 7 Now, this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor, and this was a testimony in Israel. 8 Therefore the kinsman said to Boaz: Buy it for yourself! So he drew off his shoe. 9 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, 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 who were in the gate, and the elders, said: We are witnesses! Adonai, make the woman who is come into Your house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel, and do you worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 And let your house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare to Judah, of the seed which Adonai shall give you of this young woman. 13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife, and when he went in to her, Adonai gave her conception, and she bare a son. 14 And the women said to Naomi: Blessed be Adonai, who has not left you this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 15 And he shall be to you a restorer of your 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 women her neighbors 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 fathered Hezron, 19 and Hezron fathered Ram, and Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 and Salmon fathered Boaz, and Boaz fathered Obed, 22 and Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. (Back)