< Ruth 2 >

1 And Noemin had [a friend] an acquaintance of her husband, and the man [was] a mighty man of the kindred of Elimelech, and his name [was] Booz.
Now her husband Elimelech had a kinsman, a powerful man, and very rich, whose name was Booz.
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Noemin, Let me go now to the field, and I will glean among the ears behind the man with whoever I shall find favor: and she said to her, Go, daughter.
And Ruth the Moabitess said to her mother in law: If thou wilt, I will go into the field, and glean the ears of corn that escape the hands of the reapers, wheresoever I shall find grace with a householder that will be favourable to me. And she answered her: Go, my daughter.
3 And she went; and came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers; and she happened by chance to come on a portion of the land of Booz, of the kindred of Elimelech.
She went therefore and gleaned the ears of corn after the reapers. And it happened that the owner of that field was Booz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
4 And, behold, Booz came from Bethleem, and said to the reapers, The Lord [be] with you: and they said to him, The Lord bless you.
And behold, he came out of Bethlehem, and said to the reapers: The Lord be with you. And they answered him: The Lord bless thee.
5 And Booz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, Whose [is] this damsel?
And Booz said to the young man that was set over the reapers: Whose maid is this?
6 And his servant who was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel who returned with Noemin out of the land of Moab.
And he answered him: This is the Moabitess who came with Noemi, from the land of Moab,
7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers: and she came and stood from morning till evening, and rested not [even] a little in the field.
And she desired leave to glean the ears of corn that remain, following the steps of the reapers: and she hath been in the field from morning till now, and hath not gone home for one moment.
8 And Booz said to Ruth, Hast you not heard, [my] daughter? go not to glean in another field; and depart not you hence, join yourself here with my damsels.
And Booz said to Ruth: Hear me, daughter, do not go to glean in any other field, and do not depart from this place: but keep with my maids,
9 [Let] your eyes [be] on the field where [my men] shall reap, and you shall go after them: behold, I have charged the young men not to touch you: and when you shall thirst, then you shall go to the vessels, and drink of that which the young men shall have drawn.
And follow where they reap. For I have charged my young men, not to molest thee: and if thou art thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink of the waters whereof the servants drink.
10 And she fell upon her face, and did reverence to the ground, and said to him, How is it that I have found grace in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, whereas I am a stranger?
She fell on her face and worshipping upon the ground, said to him: Whence cometh this to me, that I should find grace before thy eyes, and that thou shouldst vouchsafe to take notice of me a woman of another country?
11 And Booz answered and said to her, It has fully been told me how you have dealt with your mother-in-law after the death of your husband; and how you did leave your father and your mother, and the land of your birth, and came to a people whom you knew not before.
And he answered her: All hath been told me, that thou hast done to thy mother in law after the death of thy husband: and how thou hast left thy parents, and the land wherein thou wast born, and art come to a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
12 The Lord recompense your work; may a full reward be given you of the Lord God of Israel, to whom you have come to trust under his wings.
The Lord render unto thee for thy work, and mayest thou receive a full reward of the Lord the God of Israel, to whom thou art come, and under whose wings thou art fled.
13 And she said, Let me find grace in your sight, my lord, because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to your handmaid, and behold, I shall be as one of your servants.
And she said: I have found grace in thy eyes, my lord, who hast comforted me and hast spoken to the heart of thy handmaid, who am not like to one of thy maids.
14 And Booz said to her, Now [it is] time to eat; come here, and you shall eat of the bread, and you shall dip your morsel in the vinegar: and Ruth sat by the side of the reapers: and Booz handed her meal, and she ate, and was satisfied, and left.
And Booz said to her: At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. So she sat at the side of the reapers, and she heaped to herself frumenty, and ate and was filled, and took the leavings.
15 And she rose up to glean; and Booz charged his young men, saying, Let her even glean among the sheaves, and reproach her not.
And she arose from thence, to glean the ears of corn as before. And Booz commanded his servants, saying: If she would even reap with you, hinder her not:
16 And do you by all means carry it for her, and you shall surely let fall for her some of that which is heaped up; and let her eat, and glean, and rebuke her not.
And let fall some of your handfuls of purpose, and leave them, that she may gather them without shame, and let no man rebuke her when she gathereth them.
17 So she gleaned in the field till evening, and beat out that she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barely.
She gleaned therefore in the field till evening: and beating out with a rod and threshing what she had gleaned, she found about the measure of an ephi of barley, that is, three bushels:
18 And she took [it] up, and went into the city: and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned, and Ruth brought forth and gave to her the food which she had left from what she had been satisfied with.
Which she took up and returned into the city, and shewed it to her mother in law: moreover she brought out, and gave her of the remains of her meat, wherewith she had been filled.
19 And her mother-in-law said to her, Where have you gleaned today, and where have you wrought? blessed be he that took notice of you. And Ruth told her mother-in-law where she [had] wrought, and said, The name of the man with whom I wrought today [is] Booz.
And her mother in law said to her: Where hast thou gleaned today, and where hast thou wrought? blessed be he that hath had pity on thee. And she told her with whom she had wrought: and she told the man’s name, that he was called Booz.
20 And Noemin said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed is he of the Lord, because he has not failed in his mercy with the living and with the dead: and Noemin said to her, The man is near akin to us, he is one of our relations.
And Noemi answered her: Blessed be he of the Lord: because the same kindness which he shewed to the living, he hath kept also to the dead. And again she said: The man is our kinsman.
21 And Ruth said to her mother-in-law, Yes, he said also to me, Keep close to my damsels, until the men shall have finished all my reaping.
And Ruth said, He also charged me, that I should keep close to his reapers, till all the corn should be reaped.
22 And Noemin said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, [It is] well, daughter, that you went out with his damsels; thus they shall not meet you in another field.
And her mother in law said to her: It is better for thee, my daughter, to go out to reap with his maids, lest in another man’s field some one may resist thee.
23 And Ruth joined herself to the damsels of Booz to glean until they had finished the barley harvest and the wheat harvest.
So she kept close to the maids of Booz: and continued to glean with them, till all the barley and the wheat were laid up in the barns.

< Ruth 2 >