Ruth 2
1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family 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 the Moabitess said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said to her, Go, 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 field after the reapers: and she happened to come to a part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the kindred 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 Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless 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 said Boaz to his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
‘Whose girl is this?’ Boaz asked his servant who had charge of the reapers.
6 And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi from the country 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 she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little 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 to Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from here, but abide here close by my maidens:
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 thy eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
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 she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, Why have I found grace in thy eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of 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 to her, It hath fully been shown to me, all that thou hast done to 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 hast come to a people which thou knewest not before.
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 work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou hast 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 said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken kindly to thy handmaid, though I am not like one of thy handmaidens.
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 to her, At mealtime come thou here, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached for her roasted grain, and she ate, and was satisfied, and left.
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 had risen to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
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 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, 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 field until evening, and beat out that which she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
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 took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought out, and gave to her what she had reserved after she was satisfied.
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 And her mother in law said to her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where hast thou laboured? blessed be he that took knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s 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 to her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not withheld his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is near of kin to us, one of our next kinsmen.
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 Moabitess said, He said to me also, Thou shalt keep close by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.
‘He told me,’ Ruth said, ‘that I must keep near his young men until they have completed all his harvest.’
22 And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou shouldest go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.
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 So she kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.
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.
