< Ruth 2 >

1 Forsothe a myyti man and a man `of grete richessis, `Booz bi name, `was kynysman of Elymelech.
And Na'omi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty, valiant man, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Bo'az.
2 And Ruth of Moab seide to hir modir in lawe, If thou comaundist, Y schal go in to the feeld, and Y schal gadere eeris of corn that fleen the hondis of reperis, where euer Y schal fynde grace of an hosebonde man merciful in me. To whom sche answeride, Go, my douyter.
And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Na'omi, Let me go, I pray thee, into the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose eyes I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
3 Therfor `sche yede, and gaderide eeris of corn after the backis of reperis. Forsothe it bifelde, that `thilke feeld hadde a lord, Booz bi name, that was of the kynrede of Elymelech.
And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and the accident happened to her, that it was a part of the field belonging unto Bo'az, who was of the family of Elimelech.
4 And lo! he cam fro Bethleem. And he seide to the reperis, The Lord be with you. Whiche answeriden to hym, The Lord blesse thee.
And, behold, Bo'az came from Beth-lechem, and he said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they said unto him, May the Lord bless thee.
5 And Booz seide to the yong man that was souereyn to the reperis, Who is this damysel?
Then said Bo'az unto his young man that was appointed over the reapers, Whose maiden is this?
6 Whiche answeride, This is the womman of Moab, that cam with Noemy fro the cuntrey of Moab; and sche preiede,
And the young man that was appointed over the reapers answered and said, It is a Moabitish maiden that is returned with Na'omi out of the fields of Moab;
7 that sche schulde gedere eeris of corn leeuynge bihynde, and sue the `steppis of reperis; and fro the morewtid til now sche stondith in the feeld, and sotheli nethir at a moment sche turnede ayen hoom.
And she said, Let me glean, I pray you, and gather among the sheaves after the reapers: so she came, and hath remained ever from the morning even until now; it is but a little while that she hath sat down in the house.
8 And Booz seide to Ruth, Douytir, here thou; go thou not in to anothir feelde to gadere, nether go awei fro this place, but be thou ioyned to my dameselis,
Then said Bo'az unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go away from this; but keep close company with my own maidens.
9 and sue thou where thei repen; for Y comaundide to my children, that `no man be diseseful to thee; but also if thou thirstist, go to the fardels, and drynke `watris, of whiche my children drynken.
Let thy eyes be on the field which they may reap, and go thou after them; behold, I have charged the young men that they shall not touch thee: and when thou art thirsty, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men may draw.
10 And sche felde on hir face, and worschipide on the erthe; and seide to hym, Wherof is this to me, that Y schulde fynde grace bifor thin iyen, that thou woldist knowe me a straunge womman?
Thereupon she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thy eyes, that thou shouldst take cognizance of me, seeing I am but a stranger?
11 To whom he answeride, Alle thingis ben teld to me, whiche thou didist to thi modir in lawe after the deeth of thin hosebonde, and that thou hast forsake thi fadir and modir, and the lond `in which thou were borun, and hast come to a puple, whom thou `knowist not bifore.
But Bo'az answered and said unto her, It hath fully been told me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law after the death of thy husband; and how thou hast forsaken thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy birth, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not yesterday or the day before.
12 The Lord yelde to thee for thi werk, and resseyue thou ful mede of the Lord God of Israel, to whom thou camest, and vndir whose wengis thou fleddist.
May the Lord recompense thy work, and may thy reward be complete from the Lord the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to seek shelter.
13 And sche seide, My lord, Y haue founde grace bifor thin iyen, which hast coumfortid me, and hast spoke to the herte of thin handmaide, which am not lijk oon of thi damesels.
Then said she, Let me find grace in thy eyes, my lord; for thou hast comforted me, and because thou hast spoken [kindly] unto the heart of thy handmaid, though I be not like one of thy handmaids.
14 And Booz seide to hir, Whanne the our of etyng is, come thou hidur, and ete breed, and wete thi mussel in vynegre. Therfor sche sat at the `side of reperis; and he dresside to hir potage, and sche eet, and was fillid; and sche took the relifs.
And Bo'az said unto her, At mealtime come near hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she seated herself beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she ate, and was satisfied, and had some left.
15 And sche roos fro thennus to gadere eeris of corn bi custom. Forsothe Booz comaundide to hise children, and seide, Also if sche wole repe with you,
Then did she arise to glean: and Bo'az commanded his young men, saying, Even between the sheaves let her glean, and do not cause her to feel any shame;
16 forbede ye not hir, and also `of youre handfuls caste ye forth of purpos, and suffre ye to abide, that sche gadere with out schame; and no man repreue hir gaderynge.
And ye shall also draw out some for her from the bundles on purpose, and leave it, that she may glean it, and ye shall not rebuke her.
17 Therfor sche gaderide in the feeld `til to euentid; and sche beet with a yerde, and schook out tho thingis that sche hadde gaderid; and sche foond of barly as the mesure of ephi, that is, thre buschels.
So she gleaned in the field until the evening; and when she beat out what she had gleaned, it was about an ephah of barley.
18 Which sche bar, and turnede ayen in to the citee, and schewide to hir modir in lawe; ferthermore sche brouyte forth, `and yaf to hir the relifs of hir mete, with which mete sche was fillid.
And she took it up, and she went into the city; and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned; and she brought forth and gave to her what she had left over after she was satisfied.
19 And the modir in lawe seide to hir, Where `gaderidist thou to dai, and where `didist thou werk? Blessid be he, that hadde mercy on thee. And sche telde to hir, at whom sche wrouyte; and sche seide the name `of the man, that he was clepid Booz.
And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned today? and where hast thou wrought? may he that took cognizance of thee be blessed. And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, The name of the man with whom I wrought today is Bo'az.
20 To whom Noemy answeride, Blessid be he of the Lord, for he kepte also to deed men the same grace, which he yaf to the quike. And eft sche seide, He is oure kynysman.
Then said Na'omi unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he unto the Lord, who hath not withheld his kindness from the living and from the dead. And Na'omi said unto her, The man is nearly related unto us, he is one of our next kinsmen.
21 And Ruth seide, Also he comaundide this to me, that so longe Y schulde be ioyned to hise reperis, til alle the cornes weren repid.
And Ruth the Moabitess said, He hath also said unto me, Thou shalt keep close company with my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.
22 To whom hir modir in lawe seide, My douyter, it is betere that thou go `out to repe with hise damysels, lest in another feeld ony man ayenstonde thee.
Then said Na'omi unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that men may not meet with thee in any other field.
23 `Therfor sche was ioyned to the damesels of Booz; and so longe sche rap with hem, til bothe barli and wheete weren closid in the bernys.
So she kept close company with the maidens of Bo'az in gleaning until the end of the barley-harvest and of the wheat-harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

< Ruth 2 >