< Ruth 3 >
1 And Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you, that it may be well with you?
2 And now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou were? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing-floor.
Now is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been working, a relative of ours? In fact, tonight he is winnowing barley on the threshing floor.
3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor. But do not make thyself known to the man until he shall have done eating and drinking.
Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.
4 And it shall be, when he lies down, that thou shall notice the place where he shall lie. And thou shall go in, and uncover his feet, and lie thee down. And he will tell thee what thou shall do.
When he lies down, note the place where he lies. Then go in and uncover his feet, and lie down, and he will explain to you what you should do.”
5 And she said to her, All that thou say I will do.
“I will do everything you say,” Ruth answered.
6 And she went down to the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her.
So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her to do.
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.
After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.
8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was startled, and turned himself, and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!
9 And he said, Who are thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thy handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid, for thou are a near kinsman.
“Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.”
10 And he said, Blessed be thou of Jehovah, my daughter. Thou have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou did not follow young men, whether poor or rich.
Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.
11 And now, my daughter, fear not. I will do to thee all that thou say, for all the city of my people know that thou are a worthy woman.
And now do not be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you request, since all my fellow townspeople know that you are a woman of noble character.
12 And now it is true that I am a near kinsman. However there is a kinsman nearer than I.
Yes, it is true that I am a kinsman-redeemer, but there is a redeemer nearer than I.
13 Remain this night, and it shall be in the morning that if he will perform to 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 I will do the part of a kinsman to thee, as Jehovah lives. Lie down until the morning.
Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good. Let him redeem you. But if he does not want to redeem you, as surely as the LORD lives, I will. Now lie here until morning.”
14 And she lay at his feet until the morning. And she rose up before one could discern another. For he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor.
So she lay down at his feet until morning, but she got up before anyone else could recognize her. Then Boaz said, “Do not let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.”
15 And he said, Bring the mantle that is upon thee, 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.
And he told her, “Bring the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he shoveled six measures of barley into her shawl. Then he went into the city.
16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, Who are thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.
When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked her, “How did it go, my daughter?” Then Ruth told her all that Boaz had done for her.
17 And she said, He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, Go not empty to thy mother-in-law.
And she said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”
18 Then she said, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall, for the man will not rest until he has finished the thing this day.
“Wait, my daughter,” said Naomi, “until you find out how things go, for he will not rest unless he has resolved the matter today.”