< 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.
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.
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.
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.
5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me will I do.
6 And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did in accordance with all that her mother-in-law had commanded 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
12 And now, it is indeed true that I am thy near kinsman; nevertheless, there is a kinsman 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.