Ruth 2
1 Then Naomis husband had a kinsman, one of great power of the familie of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.
Now Naomi was related through her husband to a very wealthy man of the family of Elimelech named Boaz.
2 And Ruth ye Moabitesse said vnto Naomi, I pray thee, Let mee goe to the fielde, and gather eares of corne after him, in whose sight I finde fauour. And she said vnto her, Goe my daughter.
Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, ‘Let me now go into the fields and gather leftover grain behind anyone who will allow me.’ ‘Go, my daughter,’ she replied.
3 And she went, and came and gleaned in the fielde after the reapers, and it came to passe, that she met with the portion of the fielde of Boaz, who was of the familie of Elimelech.
So she went to glean in the field after the reapers. As it happened, she was in that part of the field which belonged to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.
4 And behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and saide vnto the reapers, The Lord be with you: and they answered him, The Lord blesse thee.
When Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, ‘The Lord be with you,’ they answered him, ‘May the Lord bless you.’
5 Then saide Boaz vnto his seruant that was appointed ouer the reapers, Whose maide is this?
‘Whose girl is this?’ Boaz asked his servant who had charge of the reapers.
6 And the seruant that was appointed ouer the reapers, answered, and said, It is the Moabitish maide, that came with Naomi out of the countrey of Moab:
The servant who had charge of the reapers replied, ‘It is the Moabite girl who came back with Naomi from the territory of Moab.
7 And shee saide vnto vs, I pray you, let mee gleane and gather after the reapers among the sheaues: so shee came, and hath continued from that time in the morning vnto now, saue that she taried a litle in the house.
She asked to be allowed to glean and gather sheaves after the reapers. So she came and has continued to work until now and she has not rested a moment in the field.’
8 Then said Boaz vnto Ruth, Hearest thou, my daughter? goe to none other fielde to gather, neither goe from hence: but abide here by my maydens.
Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Listen, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field nor leave this place, but stay here with my girls.
9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reape, and goe thou after the maidens. Haue I not charged the seruants, that they touche thee not? Moreouer whe thou art a thirst, go vnto ye vessels, and drinke of that which ye seruants haue drawen.
Watch where the men are reaping and follow the gleaners. I have told the young men not to trouble you. When you are thirsty, go to the jars and drink of that which the young men have drawn.’
10 Then shee fell on her face, and bowed her selfe to the ground, and said vnto him, How haue I found fauour in thine eyes, that thou shouldest know me, seeing I am a stranger?
Then she bowed low and said to him, ‘Why are you so kind to me, to take interest in me when I am just a foreigner?’
11 And Boaz answered, and said vnto her, All is told and shewed me that thou hast done vnto thy mother in lawe, since the death of thine husband, and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and ye land where thou wast borne, and art come vnto a people which thou knewest not in time past.
Boaz replied, ‘I have heard what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you left your father and mother and your native land to come to a people that you did not know before.
12 The Lord recompense thy worke, and a ful reward be giuen thee of the Lord God of Israel, vnder whose wings thou art come to trust.
May the Lord repay you for what you have done, and may you be fully rewarded by the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.’
13 Then she saide, Let me finde fauour in thy sight, my lord: for thou hast comforted mee, and spoken comfortably vnto thy mayde, though I be not like to one of thy maydes.
Then she said, ‘I trust I may please you, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, although I am not really equal to one of your own servants.’
14 And Boaz said vnto her, At the meale time come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dippe thy morsell in the vineger. And she sate beside the reapers, and hee reached her parched corne: and shee did eate, and was sufficed, and left thereof.
At mealtime Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Come here and eat some of the food and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.’ So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed her some roasted grain. She ate until she was satisfied and had some left.
15 And when she arose to gleane, Boaz commanded his seruants, saying, Let her gather among the sheaues, and doe not rebuke her.
When she rose to glean, Boaz gave this order to his young men: ‘Let her glean even among the sheaves and do not disturb her.
16 Also let fall some of the sheaues for her, and let it lie, that she may gather it vp, and rebuke her not.
Also pull out some for her from the bundles and leave for her to glean, and do not find fault with her.’
17 So she gleaned in the fielde vntill euening, and she thresshed that shee had gathered, and it was about an Ephah of barly.
So she gleaned in the field until evening, then beat out what she had gleaned. It was about a bushel of barley.
18 And she tooke it vp, and went into the citie, and her mother in law saw what she had gathered: Also she tooke foorth, and gaue to her that which she had reserued, when she was sufficed.
Then she took it up and went into the town and showed her mother-in-law what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her that which she had left from her meal after she had had enough.
19 Then her mother in lawe saide vnto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he, that knewe thee. And she shewed her mother in lawe, with whome she had wrought, and saide, The mans name, with whom I wrought to day, is Boaz.
‘Where did you glean today, and where did you work?’ asked her mother-in-law. ‘A blessing on him who took notice of you!’ So she told her mother-in-law where she had worked. ‘The name of the man with whom I worked today,’ she said, ‘is Boaz.’
20 And Naomi said vnto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the Lord: for he ceaseth not to doe good to the liuing and to the dead. Againe Naomi saide vnto her, The man is neere vnto vs, and of our affinitie.
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, ‘May the blessing of the Lord rest on this man who has not ceased to show his loving-kindness to the living and to the dead. The man,’ she added, ‘is a near relation of ours.’
21 And Ruth the Moabitesse said, He said also certainely vnto mee, Thou shalt be with my seruants, vntill they haue ended all mine haruest.
‘He told me,’ Ruth said, ‘that I must keep near his young men until they have completed all his harvest.’
22 And Naomi answered vnto Ruth her daughter in lawe, It is best, my daughter, that thou goe out with his maides, that they meete thee not in an other fielde.
Naomi said to Ruth, ‘It is best, my daughter, that you should go out with his girls because you might not be as safe in another field.’
23 Then she kept her by the maides of Boaz, to gather vnto the end of barly haruest, and of wheate haruest, and dwelt with her mother in lawe.
So she gleaned with the girls of Boaz until the end of the barley and wheat harvest; but she lived with her mother-in-law.
