Ruth 3

1 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.

One day, Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, should I not seek to secure a home for you where you will be happy and prosperous?

2 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.

Is not Boaz, with whose girls you have been, a relative of ours?

3 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.

Tonight he is going to winnow barley on the threshing-floor. So bathe and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing-floor. But do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

4 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.

Then when he lies down, mark the place where he lies. Go in, uncover his feet, lie down, and then he will tell you what to do.”

5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me will I do.

“I will do as you say.” Ruth said to her.

6 And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did in accordance with all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.

So she went down to the threshing-floor and did just as her mother-in-law told her.

7 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.

When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in a happy mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth came quietly and uncovered his feet and lay down.

8 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.

At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and there was a woman lying at his feet!

9 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.

“Who are you?” he said. “I am Ruth your servant,” she answered, “Spread your cloak over your servant, for you are a near relative.”

10 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.

He said, “May you be blest by the Lord, my daughter. You have shown me greater favor now than at first, for you have not followed young men, whether poor or rich.

11 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.

My daughter, have no fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for the whole town knows that you are a virtuous woman.

12 And now, it is indeed true that I am thy near kinsman; nevertheless, there is a kinsman nearer than I.

Now it is true that I am a near relative, but there is another man nearer than I.

13 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.

Stay here tonight, and then in the morning, if he will perform for you the duty of a kinsman, well, let him do it. But if he will not perform for you the duty of a kinsman, then as surely as the Lord lives, I will do it for you. Lie down until morning.”

14 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.

So she lay at his feet until morning, but rose before anyone could recognize her, for Boaz said, “No one must know that a woman came to the threshing-floor.”

15 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.

He also said, “Bring the cloak which you have on and hold it.” So she held it while he poured into it six measures of barley and laid it on her shoulders. Then he went into the city.

16 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.

When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “Is it you, my daughter?” Then Ruth told Naomi all that the man had done for her.

17 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.

“He gave me these six measures of barley,” she said, “for he said I should not go to my mother-in-law empty-handed.”

18 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.

“Wait quietly, my daughter.” Naomi said, “Until you know how the affair will turn out, for the man will not rest unless he settles it all today.”