< Ruth 2 >

1 Now, Naomi, had an acquaintance of her husband’s, a man of great integrity, of the family of Elimelech, —whose name, was Boaz.
Now her husband Elimelech had a kinsman, a powerful man, and very rich, whose name was Booz.
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi—Let me go, I pray thee, to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose eyes I may find favour. And she said to her—Go, my 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 So she went her way, and came, and gleaned in the field, after the reapers, —and it happened to her, to light upon the portion of field-land belonging to Boaz, who was of the family 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 lo! Boaz coming from Bethlehem, and he said to the reapers, Yahweh, be with you! and they said to him, Yahweh bless thee!
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 Then said Boaz to his young man, that was set over the reapers, —Whose is this maiden?
And Booz said to the young man that was set over the reapers: Whose maid is this?
6 And the young man that was set over the reapers answered and said, —The Moabitish maiden, is she who came back with Naomi, out of the country of Moab;
And he answered him: This is the Moabitess who came with Noemi, from the land of Moab,
7 and she said—Let me glean, I pray thee, and gather among the sheaves, after the reapers; so she came in, and hath continued from that time, all the morning until just now, and hath not rested in the house, for a little.
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 Boaz said unto Ruth—Hearest thou not, my daughter? Do not go to glean in any other field, neither indeed shalt thou pass on, from hence, —but, here, shalt thou keep fast by my maidens:
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 thine eyes, be on the field which they shall reap, and go thou after them, Have I not commanded the young men, that they touch thee not? And, when thou art athirst, then go unto the vessels, and drink of what the young men shall draw.
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 Then she fell upon her face, and bowed herself to the ground, —and said unto him—Wherefore have I found favour in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take notice of me, seeing that, 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 Boaz answered, and said to her, It hath been, told, me—all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law, since the death of thy husband, —and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and come unto a people whom thou knewest not, aforetime.
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 Yahweh recompense thy deed, —and let thy reward be full from Yahweh, the God of Israel, unto whom thou hast come to take refuge 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 favour in thine eyes, my lord, for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken unto the heart of thy handmaid, —though, I, be not as, one of thine own handmaidens.
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 Boaz said to her at mealtime—Draw nigh hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. So she sat beside the reapers, and there was reached to her parched corn, and she did eat and was satisfied, and left thereof remaining.
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, when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying—Even between the sheaves, let her glean, 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 yea moreover, draw out, for her, from the bundles, —and leave behind that she may glean it, 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, until the evening, —and beat out that which she had gleaned, and there was about an ephah of barley.
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 came into the city, and, when her mother-in-law had seen what she had gleaned, she brought forth and gave her what had been left remaining, after that she was satisfied.
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—In what place hast thou gleaned, today? and where hast thou wrought? May he that took notice of thee, be blessed! So she told her mother-in-law, with whom she had wrought, and said—The name of the man with whom I wrought today, is Boaz.
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 Then said Naomi, to her daughter-in-law—Blessed, be he of Yahweh, who hath not left off his lovingkindness to the living, and to the dead. And Naomi said to her—Near to us, is the man, of our own kinsmen, is he!
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 the Moabitess said, —Yea for he said unto me—By my young men, shalt thou keep fast, until they have ended all my harvest.
And Ruth said, He also charged me, that I should keep close to his reapers, till all the corn should be reaped.
22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, —Good, is it, my daughter, that thou go forth with his maidens, and that they meet thee not, in any other 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 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz, to glean, until the end of the barley harvest, and the wheat harvest, —and dwelt with her mother-in-law.
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 >