Ruth 3
1 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?
Then said Na'omi her mother-in-law unto her, My daughter, behold I will seek for thee a resting-place, where it may be well with thee.
2 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.
And now, behold, Bo'az is our kinsman, he with whose maidens thou hast been. Lo, he is winnowing the barley to-night in the threshing-floor.
3 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.
Therefore bathe, and anoint thyself, and put thy garments upon thee, and go down to the threshing-floor; [but] make thyself not known unto the man, until he shall have finished eating and drinking.
4 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.”
And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt note the place where he will lie, and thou shalt then go in, and lift up the covering that is on his feet, and lay thyself down: and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
5 “I will do everything you say,” Ruth answered.
And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me will I do.
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her to do.
And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did in accordance with all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.
7 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.
And Bo'az ate and drank, and his heart became merry; and he then went in to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came in softly, and lifted up the covering that was on his feet, and laid herself down.
8 At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!
And it came to pass at midnight, that the man became terrified, and bent himself forward; and, behold, a woman was lying at his feet.
9 “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.”
And he said, Who art thou? And she said, I am Ruth thy handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
10 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.
And he said, Blessed be thou unto the Lord, my daughter; for thou hast shown more kindness in the last instance than the first, by not going after the young men, whether they be poor or rich.
11 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.
And now, my daughter, fear not: all that thou mayest say will I do for thee; for all [the men in] the gate of my people know that thou art a virtuous woman.
12 Yes, it is true that I am a kinsman-redeemer, but there is a redeemer nearer than I.
And now, it is indeed true that I am thy near kinsman; nevertheless, there is a kinsman nearer than I.
13 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.”
Remain here this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will redeem thee, well, let him redeem; but if he be not willing to redeem thee, then will I redeem thee, as the Lord liveth: lie still until the morning.
14 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.”
And she lay at his feet until the morning; and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, It must not be known that this woman came into the threshing-floor.
15 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.
Also he said, Bring hither the cloak that thou hast upon thee, and lay hold of it. And she laid hold of it, and he measured six [measures] of barley, and laid it on her, and went into the city.
16 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.
And she came to her mother-in-law, and she said, How is it with thee, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.
17 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.’”
And she said, These six measures of barley gave he unto me; for he said to me, Thou shalt not come empty to thy mother-in-law.
18 “Wait, my daughter,” said Naomi, “until you find out how things go, for he will not rest unless he has resolved the matter today.”
Then said she, Remain still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall out; for the man will not rest, until he have finished the matter this day.
